You Old Scoundrel, Did You Cross the Streams?

In the original work, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro were classmates. However, ever since meeting Kyoraku, Lin Nan had never heard him mention it. He had assumed his own arrival had altered the timeline, so he was surprised to see Ukitake Jushiro appear today after all.

Could it be that the original timeline is immutable? Lin Nan thought to himself while greeting Ukitake with a smile.

With Yamamoto leading the way, the trio of Lin Nan, Kyoraku, and Ukitake became the most eye-catching group. Soon, socially adept noble youths, acting on the instructions of their elders, stepped forward to try and build connections with them.

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance! My name is Amamiya Keiji! I come from the Amamiya House, which deals in jewelry in the Rukon District!"

A young man with delicate features and short, light-gray hair walked over from the side, introducing himself generously as he walked alongside them.

The habits of noble children differed from those of commoners; they usually stated their family name directly. Commoners, lacking any background worth boasting about, would honestly state their place of origin.

The three of them nodded politely in acknowledgment.

Amamiya Keiji's eyes swept across their faces, suddenly brightening. He grabbed Kyoraku's right hand and shook it firmly: "You must be Mr. Kyoraku Shunsui! I have heard so much about you; seeing you in person is far better than hearing the rumors!"

Kyoraku was still in a daze. When Ukitake had turned around earlier, he had nearly dropped his jaw. He had assumed the other party was a delicate girl, only to find the voice was deeper than his own.

He looked at Amamiya Keiji with a hint of hesitation and asked: "You... have heard of me?"

Amamiya Keiji smiled with poise: "The genius boy of the Shino Academy! Your story has already spread; everyone now knows that a genius with slightly wavy hair has destroyed a rebel intelligence outpost!"

Kyoraku and Lin Nan exchanged a glance. It was the first time they realized how quickly gossip traveled within the Seireitei.

However, they were not truly familiar with the man, and it was difficult to discuss matters related to the rebels, so Kyoraku could only offer a polite smile before releasing his tightly gripped hand.

Amamiya Keiji failed to get a friendly response, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face.

Seeing this, Ukitake stepped in politely to smooth things over, shaking Amamiya's hand gently and responding:

"Apologies, we are still quite new to this place and did not mean to be dismissive. Hello, I am Ukitake Jushiro, from East District 76."

Ukitake's warm, exuberant voice made it easy for others to feel a sense of closeness to him.

Lin Nan couldn't help but praise him in his heart: "As expected of the beloved disciple personally acknowledged by Old Man Yama. Not everyone can pull off this kind of natural charisma."

Unexpectedly, Amamiya Keiji's expression suddenly changed.

"What is this! Just a commoner brat from a remote part of the Rukon District?!" Amamiya frowned, quickly pulling back his right hand and wiping it on his clothes in disgust. His finger nearly poked Ukitake's nose.

"A commoner attendant accompanying his master to school—how dare you answer for your master to guests?! Have you never taken a course on servant etiquette?!"

Ukitake's smile froze, his right hand left hanging awkwardly in mid-air, neither extended nor retracted.

A hand reached out from the side, firmly gripping Amamiya's right hand as it pointed at Ukitake's nose, then forcefully pressed it down onto Ukitake's hand.

"Did your mother never teach you the etiquette of shaking hands? Today, there are no nobles or commoners, only classmates of the Academy. It's the first day of school, a wonderful day. Don't force me to slap you in such a joyous place!" Lin Nan looked at Amamiya Keiji with an unquestionable gaze, his right hand tightening with sudden force.

"My name is Lin Nan, from the Rust Face District. I am the head disciple of the Gen Style. If you have any questions, please, by all means, enlighten me~"

He had fabricated his status as the head disciple. If trouble arose, it would be easier to handle, and he wouldn't implicate the Captain-Commander—simply "stripping him of his head disciple status" as punishment would leave no room for anyone to complain.

Amamiya Keiji felt as if his right hand were about to shatter; the intense pain left him unable to speak, and he could only nod frantically while whimpering in agony.

Kyoraku, who had initially wanted to refute the "head disciple" claim, looked up to see that Lin Nan was half a head taller than him and possessed a much sturdier build. He helplessly pursed his lips in silent agreement:

"That's right~ Whether it's as a student of Old Man Yam... Mr. Yamamoto, or as a student of the Academy, from today on we are all classmates, and there is no distinction between high and low. Besides, even if we were to discuss status—is your Amamiya House even worthy?"

The Kyoraku House itself was a high-ranking noble family, and for generations, they had served the Shihoin House, one of the Four Great Noble Houses. The title of "retainer" to these Four Great Noble Houses was something ordinary high-ranking nobles could never hope to reach.

If one were to talk about family background, the Amamiya House didn't even have the qualifications to stand in the same league as the nobles, let alone the high-ranking Kyoraku House.

Amamiya Keiji had hoped to build a connection with Kyoraku, but instead, he had inadvertently offended him. At this moment, he had no heart left to argue back and could only nod repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, you two are right! I didn't mean it, I apologize!"

Lin Nan increased the pressure on his hand: "Don't apologize to us; apologize to Ukitake."

Amamiya Keiji's knees went weak from the pain, and he half-knelt before Ukitake, grimacing as he said: "Ukitake... uh... classmate, I was wrong, I said the wrong thing, please forgive me... oh... forgive me..."

It was the first time Ukitake had encountered such a situation. He looked at Amamiya Keiji before him and nodded blankly: "Ah, right... I, I forgive you..."

At this moment, Yamamoto, who had been waiting silently ahead, finally spoke, his voice low: "Lin Nan, Shunsui, today is the enrollment of new students; do not take things too far."

Lin Nan understood, released Amamiya's hand, and put on a show: "Yes, Teacher!"

Kyoraku followed suit, bowing deeply: "Yes! Old Man Yam... Old Man Yam... Teacher Yamamoto."

This small commotion drew the attention of everyone outside the school gate. The three of them quickly left Amamiya Keiji behind and followed Yamamoto away.

After entering the school gate, Yamamoto went straight to the administrative office to handle some business and left after giving a few instructions. Without their guide, the three of them had no choice but to follow the flow of people toward the school building.

"Apologies! A small gift, please accept it!... Apologies! This is a small gift, please accept it!... Apologies! A small gift, please accept it!"

They hadn't walked far when they saw a new student standing by the side of the road, continuously handing out souvenirs to the students passing by.

Lin Nan tilted his head slightly and teased: "Kyoraku, look at this guy's vision; he's really making moves. When are you going to make up for the gifts for me and Ukitake?"

Kyoraku Shunsui stared at the figure handing out gifts, his expression dazed. Startled by Lin Nan's sudden question, he looked a bit blank: "Huh? What did you say?"

Lin Nan didn't notice the surprise in Kyoraku's eyes and continued to tease: "What 'huh'? Where are the gifts? Where are the gifts for me and Ukitake? Even if you don't give them to others, you have to give them to us, right?"

Ukitake, hearing this from the side, also smiled, though he felt too embarrassed to join Lin Nan in mocking Kyoraku.

Kyoraku, however, ignored Lin Nan's joke and turned his gaze back to the boy: "How is this possible... I must have seen it wrong."

As they spoke, the three of them happened to arrive in front of the boy who was handing out gifts.

The boy smiled broadly and took three jade rings from a bag at his side: "A small token of my sincerity! Please accept it!"

Lin Nan glanced at them briefly and found that the jade rings were exquisitely crafted and finely carved. Although he didn't know much about them, he could conclude that they were definitely not cheap. He couldn't help but take a closer look at the boy in front of him.

The man wore silk garments that were clearly distinct from the others, and in his hand, he carried a bag with exquisite weaving and neat embroidery.

His slightly dark-green hair was combed neatly, revealing a bright forehead; he wore a gentle smile on his face, looking at the three people before him with sincerity.

For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly rose in Lin Nan's heart, though he could not put his finger on what was off. Thus, he merely offered a polite smile and did not reach out to take the jade ring from the youth's hand.

Ukitake also smiled politely, without reaching out.

Kyoraku, however, seemed to be confirming something; he bypassed the jade ring held out to him, grabbed the embroidered gift bag instead, and carefully examined the family crest patterned upon it.

"You... you..." He looked at the crest on the bag in disbelief and asked, "This bag... you found this, didn't you?"

Although his gift had not been accepted, the youth showed no signs of annoyance or displeasure. Hearing Kyoraku's question, he replied with a chuckle, "No, this is my bag. I brought gifts for my classmates today, so I specifically took it from home."

Kyoraku turned to stone once again.

Lin Nan sensed something amiss and interjected, "What should we call you?"

"You didn't accept my gifts—it isn't because you dislike me, is it?" The dark-green-haired youth slowly placed the jade ring back into the cloth bag and asked the three of them politely.

Lin Nan looked back at the still-petrified Kyoraku and Ukitake, who did not know how to respond to such a situation, shook his head slightly, and said, "Not at all. It is just that we cannot accept a reward without having earned it. Once we become friends in the future, we naturally won't refuse your gifts."

Hearing this, the youth seemed to set aside his worries and nodded solemnly, "Then I will certainly strive to become good friends with you all—if there is anything you like, feel free to ask!"

I hope you introduce me to more people who are this quick to get familiar, Lin Nan thought to himself.

The youth hung the cloth bag at his waist and politely extended his hand toward the three of them: "—Hello, my name is Tsunayashiro Tokinada."

At this, even Lin Nan could no longer keep a straight face.

Tsunayashiro Tokinada? That sinister, black-hearted, cold, and vicious boss from the original timeline?

Classmate Tsunayashiro, as an old scoundrel famous for his vile character, you are actually volunteering to hand out gifts here? Did you walk into the wrong script?