The Numbers Don't Add Up!

As the largest educational institution in the Seireitei, the Shino Academy had no experience handling sudden incidents.

For example, stolen Zanpakuto.

The teacher responsible for handing out the Zanpakuto was now deathly pale, his panicked gaze darting back and forth between the stage and the floor below.

All the other students had completely lost their composure, too.

"That sword...?!"

"Why is the sword in his hand made of bamboo?"

"You've got to be kidding me. My dad sent me here to study just so I could get a crappy bamboo sword? Is this some kind of scam?"

Amid the uproar, Lin Nan casually tossed the fake sword, a bamboo replica, onto the ground. He grabbed another one beside it and drew it—

Fake.

He grabbed another and drew it—

Bamboo.

He picked up another one. Fake, too!

He checked nearly ten swords in a row. They were all fake!!

With a face like still water, Lin Nan strolled back to the rack where he had just collected his Asauchi.

Down below, Kyoraku suddenly remembered something and shouted up at Lin Nan, "Don't just check the other swords! Look at the one you got first!"

Ukitake furrowed his brow and chimed in, "Classes haven't officially started yet. The barrier should stop him from drawing his sword!"

Kyoraku froze, then caught on. "The ones he managed to draw were all fakes. If he can't draw his own, doesn't that mean it's real?"

Ukitake finally understood. "Oh! I think you're right!"

At Kyoraku's reminder, Lin Nan said nothing. He pressed his left hand against the scabbard and twisted it slightly, then swiftly drew with his right.

"Shing~"

The ringing sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the dojo. Its blade reflected a cold gleam, illuminating Lin Nan's face.

The entire room fell silent.

They could no longer tell whether they should be amazed that Lin Nan had dared to break school rules by drawing his Asauchi, or worried that the Asauchi had been switched.

But one thing was certain: everyone's eyes and attention were fixed on the white-haired boy onstage.

Expressionless, Lin Nan sheathed his sword and turned toward the rack. He picked up the sword next to his own and casually drew it—

A flash of steel. The real thing.

He drew the next one—

Real.

He drew a third—

Fake!

The room below was silent. Lin Nan coolly examined the fake sword in his hand, then tossed it straight onto the ground. He walked over to the dumbfounded teacher and gave him a slight nod. "You saw it for yourself, sir. This is serious. Please get someone here to handle it right away!"

The teacher was already sweating profusely. With something like this happening in his class, he'd probably never be able to retire in peace. He might even get dragged into the fallout.

"Stay right here and don't go anywhere. I'll be right back!" he said in a panic, then turned and ran out of the dojo.

The students below erupted.

Some loudly complained that even Zanpakuto could be fake. Others shouted that they'd spent so much money pulling strings to get into the Shino Academy, only to find they couldn't even get a real sword.

Ukitake looked at the students, who had descended into chaos, and a hint of concern crossed his brow. He asked Kyoraku,

"I'm not familiar with the Seireitei yet, but is this especially serious?"

Kyoraku frowned and nodded. "Yeah. I've never heard of anything like it. Have you?"

He turned to look at Tsunayashiro Tokinada behind him.

If there was any family in the Seireitei—or even the Soul Society—that had access to the most information, it had to be the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Tsunayashiro Tokinada still wore his calm, faint smile. He shook his head. "Not that I know of. This year's Shino Academy class seems quite interesting!"

Kyoraku pursed his lips. "Tsunayashiro, you should be more mindful of appearances. Even someone from one of the Four Great Noble Houses shouldn't be smiling about this, should they?"

Tsunayashiro's long, sharp eyes turned to Kyoraku. He said meaningfully, "Have you really not noticed that Lin Nan can now draw his Asauchi?"

"Huh?!" Kyoraku and Ukitake finally realized what they had overlooked, and stared at Lin Nan in disbelief.

"He drew it so easily just now. Are you saying that sword wasn't fake?!"

"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I saw a flash of steel..."

The more they thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. They had all started school on the same day—how could the difference between them be so huge?

The other students in the dojo didn't even know the barrier existed yet. They were too busy talking about the missing Asauchi.

"Under normal circumstances, Zanjutsu and test-cutting classes don't begin until the fourth year. Most students can only just barely resist the barrier enough to draw their swords by then."

Watching Lin Nan slowly approach, Tsunayashiro spoke with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"But Lin Nan can already draw his sword! Could the rumors be true? Is he the one who fought Unohana?"

The incident report about the missing Asauchi at the Shino Academy was soon delivered to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.

As Captain-Commander, he immediately dispatched Third Seat Oga to lead a team to the Shino Academy and secure the scene.

He then ordered Chojiro to draft a situation report and send it to the other six captains. After that, he prepared to take the report to the Central 46 for a briefing.

Second Division Captain Shihoin Sennichi was the first to arrive at the Captain-Commander's barracks to discuss the matter. The other captains were still carrying out their assignments in Rukongai, and even if they wanted to return, they wouldn't be able to make it so quickly.

Yamamoto and Shihoin sat facing each other around a tea table. Sasakibe Chojiro had finished drafting the situation report and placed it before Yamamoto.

Shihoin Sennichi waited for Yamamoto to finish reading. For the first time, her usual carefree expression turned serious. "How many were stolen in total?"

Yamamoto's face was ashen. He looked up and said, "This year has the smallest class in the academy's history, but there are still 195 students. So far, we can confirm that only the first five Asauchi weren't switched."

Shihoin Sennichi gave a wry smile. "A clever trick! They used the first five real swords to fool the inspectors, then they could freely swap out all the others!"

Yamamoto could only lower his head in resignation, his black mustache looking rather forlorn.

"I never expected that, after the Shino Academy was no longer under my control, its work would become so negligent."

"If I had to guess, the rebels are definitely behind this."

"No one else could have done it. A hundred and ninety Zanpakuto turning up on the battlefield would cause our squad members no small amount of trouble."

Shihoin Sennichi lowered her head in thought. Then her gaze suddenly sharpened. "No... Not a hundred and ninety."

A glint flashed in Yamamoto's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Shihoin Sennichi raised her head slightly and looked at Genryūsai through the snow-white strands of hair over her forehead. "Don't forget, students at the Spirit Arts Academy don't start taking Zanjutsu and test-cutting classes until their fourth year!"

Yamamoto's pupils widened instantly.

Shino Academy.

Oga, aide to the 1st Division, had already led the 1st Division members in taking all the Shino Academy teachers into custody.

The massive academy had been placed under lockdown.

At the same time, strict controls had been imposed on all four gates of the Seireitei.

Oga and the 1st Division members were busy in the academy headmaster's office, preparing to inspect all the work records for any clues.

Just then, someone gently knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

Lin Nan and the other two entered the room and stopped in front of Oga.

Oga was absorbed in reading the piles of documents before him. Without looking up, he asked, "What do you three want?"

"We're Captain Yamamoto's personal disciples. We came to see if there's anything we can do to help," Ukitake replied. He was the more easygoing of the three.

"You'd better stay out of this. You can't imagine how serious the situation is." Oga was busy checking the records and never raised his eyes.

"The entire first-year group has lost a hundred and ninety Asauchi. This is no job for children like you. Not even the Captain-Commander's personal disciples can help."

"That's not right, Third Seat Oga. It wasn't a hundred and ninety," Lin Nan said gravely.

Oga, already overwhelmed, looked up impatiently.

"Children shouldn't interfere with the investigation. The academy's incident report clearly says a hundred and ninety. You don't think you know the numbers better than the teachers in charge, do you?"

Lin Nan shook his head and looked steadily at Oga. "It's definitely more than that. Only fourth-year students, who've taken Zanjutsu and test-cutting classes, are allowed to draw their swords.

"That means that in the first three years, almost no one could draw their Asauchi. So no one could have discovered that their swords had been switched.

"So, Third Seat Oga, if I were you, I'd start investigating the first three year groups."