People Can't Be Unlucky Forever, Right?

My scalp tingled!

It felt as if something had exploded between my temples.

The name Aizen Sosuke had hit Kisaragi Akira like a thunderbolt.

For a moment, his expression went blank.

He never would have imagined that he'd ended up in a completely unknown period of the Bleach universe.

That meant most of his so-called foreknowledge was useless now.

He'd planned to avoid Aizen, lie low, and build up his strength. But he'd barely made it out of the starting village before running straight into the final boss...

"Kisaragi, you seem a little..."

"No, I'm fine!"

Kisaragi Akira snapped back to his senses, shook his head, and composed himself.

He looked at Aizen, whose gaze happened to be tinged with concern.

Strangely, Danger Instinct didn't pick up even the slightest hint of danger from Aizen.

In fact—

His gentle, modest smile made him seem so approachable that Kisaragi couldn't help feeling a little fond of him.

Was this what they called personal charm?

"Good. I'm glad you're all right."

Aizen smiled. "There's not much time left to register. We should hurry."

Kisaragi nodded, pushed aside his thoughts about Aizen, and went with him into the Spiritual Arts Academy.

Class 1-1.

After completing the necessary formalities, the two sat in the tidy classroom, curiously looking around at the other students, who were just as curious about them.

Everyone in this classroom was a prodigy who had passed the entrance exam.

Kisaragi knew he'd only gotten into Class 1-1 thanks to good luck, so he had no reason to act superior.

Besides, sitting beside him was a genuine top-tier genius—

Aizen Sosuke.

"Akira, you've stared at me thirty-seven times," Aizen said without turning his head.

After a brief conversation, the two had gradually gotten to know each other and even started using each other's given names.

Of course—

That was largely thanks to Aizen's infectious personal charm.

And that was exactly why Kisaragi was so curious about one thing.

Was Aizen's current personality an act, or was this simply who he was?

"I'm trying to settle something."

"Which of us is better-looking?"

Aizen's gaze froze.

Before he could answer, Kisaragi's eyes shifted to the figure walking steadily up to the lectern.

"Hmm. Is this our teacher?"

His easygoing nature meant he quickly accepted that he was in the same class as Aizen.

There was no escaping it, so he might as well accept reality.

"I'm your homeroom teacher."

"Kaede Junya."

The unsmiling middle-aged man began the customary speech before the school year started. His endless chatter seemed to be an instinct shared by all teachers.

"I hope that one day, you'll not only join a squad but also keep training and work your way toward the center of power..."

The teacher rambled on, while the students whispered among themselves.

"Sosuke, is your goal to join the Gotei 13 too?"

Kisaragi asked curiously. "Or do you have even greater ambitions?"

The boy before him was quite different from the Aizen he remembered.

Aizen turned his head slightly, as if considering the question. After a brief pause, he answered quietly:

"I imagine the students who enroll in the Spiritual Arts Academy all have similar ambitions, don't they?"

"After all, the Academy exists to train new recruits for the Kido Corps, the Stealth Force, and the Gotei 13."

Hearing that, Kisaragi relaxed, clasped his hands behind his head, and grinned.

"I'm different."

"It's better to be satisfied with what you have. Just graduating without any trouble is my greatest ambition."

Aizen gave a slight nod, his expression calm.

Everyone had their own ambitions.

An ambition was simply what a person most wanted to accomplish at that stage of life. People changed to varying degrees as time went by.

Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future...

As he was thinking, he noticed Kisaragi's expression suddenly turn serious.

"Killing intent!"

The moment he spoke, a whoosh came from the lectern.

Smack!

A sharp crack rang out.

Kisaragi tilted his head slightly. A piece of chalk narrowly grazed his cheek before striking the forehead of a student behind him.

The force was so great that it left a white mark between the student's eyebrows.

"Heh. There's always some scoundrel trying to kill me."

Kisaragi snorted contemptuously, more than pleased with his Danger Instinct.

While talking with Aizen, he'd clearly sensed danger coming.

A quick turn of his head had let him dodge it.

Aizen shook his head with an amused smile, gaining a deeper understanding of his new friend.

He might seem weak, but he had all sorts of strange qualities.

Aizen had noticed Kaede Junya's move too, but he hadn't expected Kisaragi to dodge it so easily.

He couldn't help feeling even more curious about the friend he'd only recently made.

"Kisaragi Akira. Aizen Sosuke."

Kaede Junya was a little surprised that a new student had dodged his sneak attack, but he didn't dwell on it. He simply restored order in the classroom as usual.

"Please be quiet."

"Let's return to what we were discussing."

Kaede Junya didn't make an issue of Kisaragi's disruption. In his view, a teacher needed to have some patience. Otherwise, sooner or later, some insolent student would drive his blood pressure through the roof.

However, he'd underestimated just how shameless one particular student could be.

It wouldn't be long before Kaede Junya realized just how badly he'd misjudged things.

There wasn't any substantive coursework on the first day. The lessons mainly covered school rules, the general direction of the curriculum, and motivational speeches about working hard at one's studies.

As a modern-day slacker, Kisaragi thought all that talk was no better than toxic positivity.

Of course, he wasn't about to argue with the teacher.

In Kisaragi's view, the most important thing right now was to keep figuring out how his cheat ability worked, gain stronger powers as soon as possible, and fulfill the grand ambition he'd just come up with.

He'd met the sign-in requirements at the Shin'o Academy earlier and received a reward. That had given him plenty of ideas.

Aside from signing in every day, signing in at specific locations might help him grow stronger faster.

But it seemed ordinary places weren't enough to meet the requirements.

That left Kisaragi racking his brains over what special locations might exist in Soul Society.

"Sosuke, do you know much about Soul Society?"

"Not really."

It was an extremely modest answer, befitting Aizen's current personality.

"Are there any important buildings in Soul Society like the Academy?"

Kisaragi had thought about it without getting anywhere, so he passed the question to Aizen.

As the future mastermind and an all-around genius, surely this little question wouldn't stump him.

"Quite a few. Places like the Gotei 13 headquarters, the Kido Corps headquarters, the Central Underground Assembly Hall, the Central Great Prison, the Shrine of Penitence, the Central Execution Grounds, and the Nobles' estates."

Aizen answered, "They're even more important than the Academy."

"I see."

Kisaragi was sorely disappointed. He was only a student right now and couldn't get anywhere near those places, so signing in there was out of the question. He'd just have to keep grinding away at his daily sign-ins.

Hopefully, his luck would improve a little.

People couldn't be unlucky forever, right...?