Your Association's Reach Is a Bit Too Wide

"Transform ourselves into other people? How are we supposed to do that?" Kyoraku was the first to raise the question. Given his genius-level intellect, which currently remained fixated on playing with spinning tops, this problem was still a blind spot for him.

Ukitake stood to the side, thoughtfully rubbing his chin as his mind raced: "Could it be that we need to learn the art of disguise and makeup?"

Lin Nan lowered his head in resignation: "You're overcomplicating it. Actually, we just need to disguise our personalities."

"For instance, if you're naturally a person of integrity, you simply pretend to be someone who enjoys chasing after skirts... using that method to lull potential enemies into a false sense of security."

"Besides, we've only just entered the academy, and no one is familiar with anyone else yet. This provides us with the perfect space to craft our disguises."

Lin Nan laid out the method he had been mulling over, half for the benefit of the other two, and half to test the feasibility of his own reasoning.

"First, the image the three of us must shed is that of Gen Style disciples."

"If the people behind the scenes learn our true identities, they will inevitably be on guard against us."

"But our status as Gen Style disciples is already public knowledge. How are we supposed to shed that?" Ukitake suddenly recalled the day school started, when their connection to Genryūsai had already been exposed, and asked hurriedly.

"Since our identities are already confirmed, we must cultivate an image that our teachers and our school would find absolutely intolerable."

Lin Nan brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, as if helping himself organize his thoughts: "Take me, for example. I'll pose as an arrogant and unruly character, the kind of person a teacher would find tiresome at a single glance..."

Kyoraku and Ukitake were immediately intrigued by Lin Nan's description, leaning in closer.

"Isn't this just like playing house? How interesting!" Kyoraku clapped softly. "What other personas can we adopt?"

Lin Nan smacked his lips, calculating: "Bloodthirsty... no; a gambler? The academy doesn't have that kind of atmosphere...; a lecher? Hmm... obsessed with beauty, lacking ambition, and negligent in training—that should be the type of student a master would find easy to give up on..."

Upon hearing the last option, Kyoraku raised his hand eagerly: "I can do that last one."

Lin Nan paused slightly, then spread his hands: "Playing a lecher? Just remember to keep it in check."

Kyoraku's smile faltered, leaving him speechless.

"Pounce on every female student you see, and be as lazy as possible during class. As long as you make people think you're a student Old Man Yama is bound to give up on, you'll succeed," Lin Nan continued to explain. "This one is actually quite easy for you, Kyoraku. You just need to amplify the lazy part of your personality to the extreme."

Listening to Lin Nan's arrangement, Kyoraku felt his character had been slightly insulted and protested: "Let me clarify one thing: I am not a lecher!"

Lin Nan agreed dismissively: "Yeah, yeah, sure."

However, thinking about it, although Kyoraku occasionally acted like a rutting chimpanzee around female students, he had never actually done anything truly out of line.

Ukitake was also interested in Lin Nan's plan and pointed to himself: "Then, what about me? What kind of personality should I disguise myself as?"

Lin Nan looked at Ukitake's kind face and shook his head slightly:

"You should just stay as you are. Your face is too innocent; it's really hard to pivot. Besides, if all three disciples are hopeless, it would seem a bit unreasonable. After all, we still have to consider the Head Captain's reputation."

Seeing Ukitake's slightly disappointed expression, Lin Nan quickly added: "You can disguise yourself as being more easygoing. Because of our connection to the Head Captain, there will always be people looking to curry favor with us; your disguise can help you get closer to them more quickly."

Once the three had agreed, they decided to implement the plan immediately. To ensure the logic held up from an outsider's perspective, Lin Nan also devised a plan to split into two groups—

Kyoraku, the "lazy lecher," would pair up with the "kind and approachable" Ukitake; the contrast between their personalities should effectively lower the guard of others.

Meanwhile, he, the "arrogant and overbearing" one, would act alone from now on, emphasizing the "lone wolf" label to help solidify his character.

After a few days of laying the groundwork and performing, the three gradually got their classmates to accept these settings:

Lin Nan became increasingly aloof, looking at everyone with the same indifferent gaze, yet he was undeniably strong in a fight. Whether it was Hakuda or Zanjutsu, not a single male student in his grade was his match.

Kyoraku Shunsui became a decent playmate for the boys, but whenever he encountered a pretty female student, he would act like a chimpanzee seeing a banana, causing the girls to avoid him like the plague.

Ukitake, on the other hand, exuded a strong sense of approachability. Although the male students looked down on him slightly due to his background, many girls gradually developed a fondness for him. Some even took various opportunities to secretly pass him love letters, a fact that left Kyoraku Shunsui feeling deeply wounded and jealous.

Time flew by, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye. The three of them had successfully stabilized their personas.

Lin Nan also followed the initial plan, temporarily ceasing to appear in public with Kyoraku and Ukitake, and consciously made his image and temper more volatile in his daily life.

On this particular night, after evening classes ended, Lin Nan was blocked on his way back to the dormitory by a dozen people.

The group identified themselves as the "Noble Rights Protection Association."

This association was composed primarily of upperclassmen, ostensibly to protect the rights of nobles, but in reality, their ultimate goal was to cling to noble influence. Their president was rumored to be a sixth-year student on the verge of graduation.

Facing the encirclement of a dozen people, Lin Nan was not the least bit flustered. He had been waiting for this moment for days.

In an academy like the Spirit Arts Academy, where nobles and children of wealthy families ran rampant, the formation of various small gangs based on different social strata was the most standard trope imaginable.

It was just that a gang as shamelessly sycophantic and uniquely angled as the "Noble Rights Protection Association" was something that truly exceeded Lin Nan's expectations.

The dozen people opposite him gradually tightened the circle, moving slowly toward Lin Nan.

The leader was the president of the association. He was nearly two meters tall, very sturdy, and came from a wealthy merchant family in the First District of the Rukon District.

"What's your name?" The president tucked his hands into the inner folds of his robes, parted his thick lips slightly, and asked lazily.

"What's it to you? If you want to find a daddy, you should check the age first. I'm too young to be yours."

Facing the oppressive height of his opponent, Lin Nan didn't even look him in the eye, simply speaking in a flat tone.

"Hmm? Can't you speak properly? Do you want to die?" The tall man's usual script had been disrupted by Lin Nan's unconventional response, leaving him momentarily unable to follow up, and he grew angry out of shame.

But remembering the purpose of today's visit, he suppressed his temper: "I'll ask you one more time, what is your name? Which family are you from?"

Lin Nan yawned: "You're so long-winded. My name is Lin Nan. What do you want?"

The tall man struggled to search his memory for any noble families with the surname Lin, while simultaneously puffing himself up:

"I am the one who has been voted 'The School's Most Handsome Rich Kid' and 'The Man Who Gives the Most Sense of Security' for five consecutive years; the one who ranked first in the 'Male Student Most Wanted to Be With' poll—Omaeda Marechiyo! And I am the first president of the Noble Rights Protection Association!"

"Oh? Then my deepest apologies!" Lin Nan looked at the man's square, pockmarked face and couldn't help but chuckle. "How long have those people on the selection committee been blind?"

Omaeda's face flushed red. He glanced at the lackeys beside him, and after receiving a confirming look from them, he roared furiously at Lin Nan, "We've already checked, and there are no nobles with the surname Lin. That means you're just a commoner?!"

Lin Nan glanced at that lackey with some curiosity, noticing the man carefully tucking a small notebook into his pocket.

"You even made your own noble registry?? You really are masters of bootlicking!" Lin Nan instantly understood the purpose of that little booklet and couldn't help but clap expressionlessly. "Spit it out if you have something to say. You've already wasted five minutes of my nap time!"

Omaeda Marechiyo stepped forward menacingly, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, looking down at Lin Nan as he said, "We came here because we heard you're actually living in the exclusive single luxury dormitory belonging to the Tsunayashiro Clan???

How does a lowly commoner like you have the nerve to live in a single room?!"

The lackey on the side couldn't help but chime in to flatter his boss, "Kid, hurry up and admit your mistake. Join us, and you'll have it good. Otherwise, you're going to suffer!

The President is a sixth-year student and can already use his Zanpakuto! Look at his build—don't you think he could split you in two with a single strike??"

Omaeda also looked at Lin Nan with a grin and said, "No matter what, you have to wait until your fourth year to draw your Zanpakuto. That means you'd have to wait at least three years before you'd even be qualified to oppose me.

Right now, with that Zanpakuto at your waist that you can't even draw, I suggest you be sensible and know your place."

Lin Nan remained calm, even feeling a bit like laughing. "You've spouted a bunch of useless nonsense without getting to the point. What exactly do you want from me?"

Omaeda drew his Zanpakuto with a shing. "What do I want? I want you to stop infringing on the rights of the Tsunayashiro Clan!

Move out of the dormitory immediately and clean it up. Then, we will return it to the Tsunayashiro family! Do you understand?"

"I understand. You want me to create an opportunity for you to lick the Tsunayashiro family's boots." Lin Nan said indifferently, then added, fearing they wouldn't understand, "Boots, as in their asses. Asses, as in their boots."

Omaeda Marechiyo couldn't believe his ears. In six years, this was the first person who dared to talk back to him to his face!

"What? Facing me, President Omaeda, you still want to resist? My Zanpakuto will chop you to pieces!"

Lin Nan sighed impatiently. Judging by this annoying tone and cadence, this Omaeda Marechiyo was definitely a relative of the one from the manga; there was no doubt about it.

"Frankly speaking, I don't even have the interest to make a move because you all look so weak. But I've decided to give you a beating anyway."

He scanned the group surrounding him without a care, then lightly drew the Zanpakuto from his waist, pointing the tip directly at the tip of Omaeda's nose:

"Nothing else, it's just that your association is overstepping its bounds."