Unexpected Visit

For the past few days, Shino Academy has been turned upside down from top to bottom.

The Soul Reaper investigation team that moved in, along with every teacher and student at every grade level, were all busy as bees.

They were busy investigating, busy being investigated; busy assisting with the investigation, and busy cooperating with the investigation.

Due to a shortage of available manpower, those sixth-year students who had passed the investigation and were confirmed to be in the clear were also added to the ranks of those assisting with the inquiry.

However, even so, the number of people participating in the work remained severely insufficient.

For a time, the vast academy was guarded every ten steps and patrolled every five; every intersection had someone standing watch, with entry and exit strictly prohibited.

It was fortunate that the academy didn't have many trees, otherwise, there would have been people squatting in them to keep watch.

Lin Nan and his two companions underwent two rounds of routine questioning.

But because Lin Nan was the first to discover that the Asauchi had been swapped, and was also the only student to provide a line of inquiry; and because the three of them had Yamamoto vouching for their identities, Okiya Genshiro exempted them from any follow-up investigations.

After two days of rigorous screening and recording, it was found that from the fourth year down to the first, varying numbers of Zanpakuto had been lost in each of the first three grades. Furthermore, the method of theft was identical: a few blades were left behind to pass routine inspections, and the rest were all swapped out.

The total number of Asauchi lost across the three grades reached a staggering six hundred and eighty-three!

This scale was enough to arm a squad and a half! It was impossible for people not to panic.

"Sigh, being locked up in this room is so stifling! We aren't even allowed to leave the dormitory, and I wonder what Lin Nan is doing right now..." Kyoraku rested his head on one hand, lying on the windowsill and peering outside.

In the small plaza outside, a group of students was standing in columns, waiting to be questioned.

"Ukitake, is there any way to see things in the distance more clearly? I feel like a few of the girls over there look quite pretty."

Ukitake was busy tidying up his bed and wiping down his Asauchi's scabbard, not even looking up: "Kyoraku, stop being so sloppy. Now that we finally have some free time, you should study more!"

Hearing this, Kyoraku rolled off the windowsill and spread his hands: "Since enrollment, they've only issued a blade; none of the other textbooks have been handed out yet. Study? Study what, exactly?"

Ukitake looked helpless: "As a student of Yamamoto, surely the teacher has taught you something? Reviewing is always good. Unlike me, I've been sickly since I was young and have absolutely no foundation..."

Kyoraku patted his chest with a hint of pride: "I'm not bragging, but Yamamoto hasn't taught me much yet, yet what I know now is already enough for other students to learn for a whole year!"

Ukitake was a bit puzzled: "If the teacher hasn't taught you, how do you know it?"

Kyoraku flipped his hair and struck a pose: "Talent! I'm a genius, after all! Among Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, aside from Zanjutsu which I haven't studied systematically yet, I can pick up any of the others... er, I can't do Shunpo yet either...

That's not important... but, I am definitely much stronger than my peers in Hakuda and Kido! Even second-year students might not be able to beat me!"

Ukitake's face twitched slightly.

Before he could even finish his sentence, his claim was cut in half; was this genius really the real deal?

"Then, Kyoraku-san, could you please demonstrate for me? It would help me set a learning goal for myself!"

Kyoraku scratched his head in a dilemma: "How am I supposed to demonstrate that? I can't demonstrate Hakuda, I can't just beat you up, can I? Tell you what, I'll show you a Kido!"

As he spoke, he extended his finger and released a small Bakudo #8: Sek.

A small spiritual pressure shield appeared on the back of Kyoraku's hand, emitting a faint, dim light.

He had originally intended to demonstrate a level 20 Kido to surprise Ukitake.

But the cramped dormitory wasn't suitable for demonstrating highly destructive Hado; and most other Bakudo required a target to be released upon, and if he wasn't careful, he might easily injure the frail Ukitake.

So, after weighing his options, Kyoraku abandoned that idea and used the level 8 Bakudo instead.

Besides, level 20 Kido was his current limit, and his control wasn't quite refined yet. If he accidentally knocked Ukitake unconscious, that would be bad.

Ukitake watched the back of Kyoraku's hand intently, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Is this Kido?" he exclaimed with some excitement: "It's so beautiful!"

As he spoke, he also raised his hand, imitating Kyoraku's gesture, and chanted in a decent manner: "Bakudo #8, Sek~"

Kyoraku smiled helplessly: "You're being too hasty, Ukitake. You haven't been exposed to Kido yet, it's impossible to..."

He swallowed the second half of his sentence.

Because on the back of Ukitake's hand, a coin-sized spot of light was currently flickering and shimmering.

"It, it actually worked!?" Kyoraku couldn't believe his eyes, "Have you studied Kido before?"

Ukitake shook his head: "No. I was just imitating you based on feeling. I feel like this Kido is quite easy to understand, as long as you gather your spiritual pressure..."

The more Kyoraku heard, the more absurd it sounded: "You even know about spiritual pressure? Didn't you grow up in the Rukon District? Didn't you say you hadn't undergone any training?"

Ukitake nodded with an innocent expression: "Yes, I really haven't. But ever since my lung condition was brought under control, my body has developed a strange sensitivity to the surrounding environment.

Later, I asked Yamamoto about it, and he told me that the source of this feeling is called spiritual pressure."

Kyoraku had already begun to give up on himself: "So you're saying you accidentally sensed your own spiritual pressure, accidentally saw my demonstration just now, and then succeeded on your first attempt by accident?"

Ukitake shook his head matter-of-factly: "It wasn't by accident, and I didn't really succeed either, Kyoraku-san! I feel like what I released just now wasn't very stable..."

Kyoraku turned around in despair, standing by the window, dejected, his eyes filled with grief and indignation.

He clutched his head and lamented: "Why is it so hard to be a genius! You two, one is more monstrous than the other! You say you can do Shunpo, and you can; you say you can do Kido, and you can. Who did I offend..."

Suddenly, his voice stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed firmly outside the window.

Outside the window, on a path away from the students near the small plaza, a group of people was walking toward them.

The person in the lead was leaning on a cane, walking slowly at the front.

He wore a sleeveless white haori with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, his short, silver-white hair standing out prominently.

Kyoraku did not pay attention to the others, but that silver-white hair was all too familiar to him.

"The head of the Shihoin House? Why is he here?!"

Lin Nan had been trapped in his dormitory for two days. Although he did not have to undergo an investigation, as an academy student, he still could not come and go as he pleased.

For these past two days, he could only lock himself in his room, passing the time by watching combat replays within the Playback Room space.

"It's a pity that watching them repeatedly doesn't increase my growth rate. Otherwise, it would be great to grind for experience these past two days." Having just returned from the Playback Room space, Lin Nan lay on his bed, still feeling unsatisfied as he muttered to himself.

Although he couldn't grind for experience, he had discovered a new use for the Playback Room space: practicing techniques inside.

He could use the corridors of the Playback Room space to practice physical arts like Hakuda without any reservations, and he didn't have to worry about breaking anything.

Even if this didn't increase his experience points, it at least relieved his boredom and helped improve his reflexive reaction speed.

"Knock, knock, knock!" The door to his luxury single room was rapped upon.

Lin Nan opened the door and looked at the white-haired, middle-aged man standing outside, leaning on a cane with a slightly crooked posture. With a puzzled expression, he asked, "Who... are you looking for?"

Shihoin Sennichi smiled brightly, "Don't be so stiff, young man! You're Lin Nan, right?"

Lin Nan nodded, feeling that this face looked somewhat familiar.

"I am Shihoin Sennichi, head of the Shihoin House and Captain of the 2nd Division."

Shihoin Sennichi, who was habitually grinning, suddenly put away his smile and said seriously, "I have come this time to see you with my own eyes, and by the way, to extend an invitation to you."

Lin Nan made no effort to hide his confusion. Since transmigrating, he had never had any contact with anyone from the 2nd Division, and he was completely unfamiliar with the Shihoin House. Why would the other party suddenly show up at his door?

Moreover, it was the head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses visiting in person.

Wait, it seemed that someone close to him had a very close relationship with the Shihoin House...

Just as he thought of this, the door was knocked on again, and a familiar voice rang out from outside.

"Lord Sennichi! Is that you? It's me, Kyoraku Shunsui!"