Early the next morning, three boys sprinting at full speed shattered the quiet of Seireitei's dawn. They were Diezuka Hiroe, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke, who had worked hard all night.
"Since we're already late, why not just take our time getting there?"
It was Urahara Kisuke speaking. The price of finishing that enormous secret-base project in a single night was that all three of them had overslept.
When they finally woke up, they realized it was their first day at Shino Academy. The entrance ceremony should already have started, so they'd missed it entirely. What a coincidence.
Hearing this as he ran ahead, Diezuka Hiroe couldn't help recalling a saying from his previous life: "Nothing is impossible if you're willing to give up."
If it were an ordinary entrance ceremony, he would have given up already. Did Urahara really need to remind him?
Old Man Yama would be attending this entrance ceremony in person, and he had specifically told Hiroe last night not to be late.
Yet here he was, late after all. Hiroe could only hope that Old Man Yama would see his sincere desire to make things right—and spare him during their private lessons from then on.
"I can't run anymore!"
Yoruichi stopped abruptly, yawned widely, and said, "I'm exhausted. I'm going back to bed!"
"Don't do that. Even if you're a Shihoin, you'll get beaten to death for disrespecting the old man's dignity... really." Hiroe tried to talk her out of it.
"Then I'm going back to take a bath and change first!" Yoruichi plopped down on the ground and kicked her legs in a childish sulk. "We're already late anyway. And if the old man gets mad, I'll tell him it was your fault!"
Hiroe couldn't be bothered to lecture Yoruichi about having a conscience. He simply stepped forward, scooped her up from the ground, called out to Urahara, and resumed sprinting toward the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Yoruichi cooperated, resting her head on Hiroe's shoulder and promptly falling asleep. He could see through her now. The bath, the change of clothes, and her claim that being late didn't matter were all just excuses to slack off, weren't they?
After hurrying as fast as they could, Hiroe and the others reached the Spiritual Arts Academy in a little over ten minutes. By the time they arrived, Old Man Yama was just about to address them as the headmaster. They hadn't been too late, after all.
Today's entrance ceremony was exceptionally grand. Alongside the customary attendance of Head Captain Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, the newly appointed 8th Division Captain, Kyoraku Shunsui, and 13th Division Captain Ukitake Jushiro had also arrived together.
As newly appointed Gotei 13 captains and the most accomplished graduates of Shino Academy, the two were idols to the young Soul Reapers just starting their studies. Their presence also encouraged the new students.
Of course, only Hiroe knew that the two had come today specifically to see him. After all, he was Old Man Yama's final disciple and their junior fellow student, and they had never met him before.
Honestly, given Hiroe's behavior today, their first meeting was both impressive and disastrous. Being late to the entrance ceremony was bad enough, but he'd also come in carrying a girl, looking every bit the womanizer.
Who knew how many young girls had looked at him with disdain when he barged in? Even Old Man Yama, up on the stage, had opened one eye and glanced his way.
The old man must think his final disciple was hopelessly addicted to women. Hiroe could already imagine the state he'd be in after their next training session. He was ready to cry.
Still, his entrance seemed to win his two senior schoolmates' favor. Kyoraku Shunsui, especially, dressed in a pink haori, had even grinned and given him a thumbs-up. Hiroe only hoped his senior could put in a good word for him and spare him some pain.
The old man's speech was much more concise than most school principals' speeches had been in Hiroe's previous life. There were no polite words of welcome or insincere encouragement.
The more talented you were, the more opportunities you'd have. If you weren't talented, you could still aim for a stable life, though you'd amount to nothing more than an average person. To most of the new children, the old man's speech was a scornful truth, almost cruel in its bluntness.
They were all ambitious children. Even among those standing near Hiroe, quite a few had silently clenched their fists. Whether they resented the old man for looking down on them or had resolved to work hard and prove themselves was beyond Hiroe's knowing. Perhaps it was both.
"Old Man Yama really is merciful," Yoruichi murmured, still bleary-eyed. "For these people, becoming Soul Reapers at all is already their limit. I mean ordinary Soul Reapers."
Though Yoruichi had spoken softly, some of the people around them had still heard and were now glaring at them.
"Heh, she's not awake yet. She's sleep-talking! It's a misunderstanding, all of it!"
Hiroe smiled awkwardly and raised his hands to placate the crowd. Then he leaned toward Yoruichi and whispered, "Don't make enemies. I don't want to be ostracized for six years."
"You're expecting to make friends with them?" Yoruichi gave him an incredulous look and asked dramatically, "Have your standards really sunk that low?"
"Keep your voice down!"
"Our friendship wouldn't be good for them. It could even become a burden in the future, for both them and us. If Old Man Yama found out you had such a terrifying idea, he'd beat you to death. Really."
Urahara didn't join in, but he smiled with narrowed eyes and nodded in agreement. It was simply the truth.
On the surface, it sounded like she was talking about status. Hiroe was the Head Captain's final disciple. Though he came from Rukongai, his minimum goal was to become a Gotei 13 captain, so he was bound to become one of the few people in Seireitei with real power.
Meanwhile, Urahara Kisuke was an upper noble, and Yoruichi was the future head of the Shihoin family, one of the Five Great Noble Families. They'd both been born with silver spoons in their mouths.
Most of the students here were lower nobles, while some came from Rukongai. The gap between them was simply too great.
But Hiroe knew that Yoruichi didn't mean she looked down on people because of their origins. A person's background could be overcome, especially now that the old man had opened Shino Academy to people from Rukongai. Once they became Gotei 13 captains, their origins would no longer matter.
Yoruichi's meaning was simple: those children's talents and futures weren't even on the same level as theirs.
The three of them were confident they'd become pillars of Seireitei in the future. If people without enough strength got involved with them, they'd easily attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. That would put the others in danger and make them a burden the three would find difficult to abandon.
Better to put up a barrier from the very beginning. Yoruichi and Urahara had been taught that by their families, and the old man believed the same.
Hiroe couldn't help sighing. He really couldn't tell whether Yoruichi was speaking so loudly on purpose or not.
Judging by the disdainful looks from a few pretty girls nearby, the school life he remembered probably wouldn't be happening again.
They said youth never returned. He'd only wanted to relive his school days from his previous life, so why was it so difficult?
No, it seemed he might get to relive the memories of getting into fights. But this was the Soul Society, and there'd be plenty of fights in the future. He didn't need to relive them.
He looked around helplessly. With Urahara Kisuke, Shihoin Yoruichi, and himself, Diezuka Hiroe, they were probably the three least popular people in their year.
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