I Remember an Old Friend

"If not a Shinigami, then what?"

"Or does Kisaragi Akira intend to enter the Nest of Maggots?"

A massive head with horn-like protrusions in its hairstyle suddenly appeared before Kisaragi Akira, its expression resolute and its features possessing a distinctly rugged, forceful quality.

The light reflected off his square-rimmed glasses, nearly blinding him on the spot.

"Teacher Hikifune Tessai."

Aizen gave a slight nod, his attitude respectful, just as it always was.

As a model student in the class, while his strength was only at a mid-level, he achieved perfect scores in every theoretical subject, embodying the persona of a scholarly genius.

Teachers from various divisions had even begun vying for Aizen; talent capable of excelling in both paperwork and theory was exceptionally rare.

"Please, make some noise when you walk next time."

"If I hadn't sensed you in time, I would have already thrown a punch."

Kisaragi Akira's mouth twitched as he spoke with a gloomy expression.

To be fair, he truly hadn't detected Hikifune Tessai's approach just now.

This future Grand Kido Chief seemed to be an incredibly powerful existence in every field.

However, it was also because he simply lacked any malicious intent.

Otherwise, his Danger Instinct would have issued a friendly warning.

"Kisaragi Akira, your thoughts are dangerous."

Hikifune Tessai had a rough appearance, but his personality was very gentle, especially when dealing with academy students.

He had never even scolded a single student.

Of course, given Hikifune Tessai's looks, no one with enough guts to cause trouble would dare act up in his class.

"I was just joking with Sosuke earlier."

Kisaragi Akira changed his expression, explaining with forceful conviction:

"Becoming a qualified Shinigami is my lifelong goal, and I will devote all my efforts to it."

"I will carry the name of the Gotei to the very end!"

Seeing this, Hikifune Tessai nodded with satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder, and praised him with great gratification:

"Very good, very spirited."

"Truly the pillar of talent mentioned by the Captain-Commander."

Kisaragi Akira: "o_O??"

"Keep working hard."

Hikifune Tessai patted his shoulder again with great force, the immense pressure causing his shoulder bones to respond with a rhythmic thudding sound.

It was only because the one being struck was Kisaragi Akira; had it been any other student, they would already be in the infirmary.

Before he could ask a question, a massive explosion roared through the spacious dojo, and crimson flames surged upward, striking the ceiling!

The air was instantly filled with scorching heat.

Kisaragi Akira looked toward the source of the flames, muttering in a daze:

"What a talent..."

"To blow oneself up while casting Shakkaho... it reminds me of an old friend."

With no time to continue chatting with Kisaragi Akira, Hikifune Tessai hurried off to handle the sudden accident.

"The old friend you mentioned, I hope it isn't yourself."

Aizen said calmly, "I would never conduct an experiment without fully mastering the Kido."

He had noticed Hikifune Tessai's approach in time and ensured the man hadn't heard his previous remarks.

Some things were better kept to as few people as possible.

The Soul Society was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

Kisaragi Akira nodded, his expression becoming much more serious:

"I understand."

The Kido class ended in an accident, and the student who had self-detonated his Shakkaho was sent directly to the Fourth Division's General Infirmary after emergency treatment by Hikifune Tessai.

With a burn area reaching 74.3 percent, the person was practically a charred log, completely unrecognizable.

Many were relieved to be dismissed early, while others, the overachievers, remained in the dojo to study Kido on their own.

Kisaragi Akira and Aizen were among them.

The dojo was vast, so the two found a corner and began their Kido studies.

There were quite a few students like them, so they didn't worry about attracting unwanted attention.

"Among the Kido, which one are you most familiar with?" Aizen asked.

Kisaragi Akira pondered for a moment before answering decisively, "Hado #4, Byakurai."

"I had already mastered this Hado before I even became a student at the Spiritual Arts Academy."

Upon hearing this, Aizen instinctively recalled the way Kisaragi Akira had unleashed Byakurai back at Shantei Temple.

It was completely different from the Byakurai taught at the Spiritual Arts Academy.

It was more like a half-baked technique learned through unconventional means, yet its power was surprisingly immense.

Even though the target was a rogue Shinigami Squad Member, a single flash of lightning had pierced straight through his heart.

From this performance, it was not difficult to gauge Kisaragi Akira's level of mastery over this Hado.

"Hmm, very well."

Aizen nodded. "First, try to reduce your Reiatsu output and release Byakurai in its weakest possible state."

"Like this."

In Kisaragi Akira's wide-eyed gaze, Aizen splayed his five fingers. White electric arcs danced joyfully at his fingertips, like countless musical notes composing a moving movement.

He held his breath, his attitude instantly becoming much more serious.

His Max Degree talent began to churn; the traces of Reishi flow, the trajectory of Reiatsu circulation, the changes in hand seals, the chanting of incantations...

At this moment, Aizen was surprised to find that Kisaragi Akira's temperament had changed once again.

Peaceful, natural, earnest, focused.

To a certain extent, he was actually somewhat similar to himself.

This guy...

When the lightning vanished, Kisaragi Akira returned to his usual carefree self.

"Did you gain any insight?"

"A little bit!"

"Very good, demonstrate it."

Aizen was somewhat curious to see just how much Kisaragi Akira could grasp after such a short demonstration.

However, when Kisaragi Akira slowly splayed his five fingers in the exact same posture, the surprise in Aizen's heart instantly soared to its peak.

Electric arcs danced, reflecting a brilliant glow.

It was as if a grand fireworks display were blooming at his fingertips.

The Reiatsu was controlled to an extremely low state, enough only to maintain the glow of the arcs, possessing not a shred of destructive power—one could even touch it with their hand.

"A mere Byakurai, how could it stump me?"

The arrogant expression shattered Aizen's surprise, causing his emotions to instantly return to calm.

He looked up at Kisaragi Akira.

His talent was indeed excellent, and he knew how to utilize that talent; he was absolutely a figure of genius caliber.

It was a pity that he had been born with a mouth.

"The first step is complete."

Aizen glanced at Kisaragi Akira, who was having a grand time playing with the Byakurai, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he continued:

"Next is the second step, which is also very simple."

"With your talent, you should be able to master it very quickly."

"Kido usually exists in the form of barriers, and the method to construct this form is to combine incantations and hand seals to form specific patterns."

"What you need to do is learn the Kido patterns."

"This is Byakurai."

Under Kisaragi Akira's stunned gaze, faint electric arcs shimmered at Aizen's fingertips, wandering and writing in the air.

Soon, a brand-new Kido pattern, one he had never seen before, appeared before him.

"Wait!" Kisaragi Akira asked in confusion. "If I remember correctly, it seems only certain Kido have barrier forms, right?"

"Byakurai is clearly not among them. Where did you get this Kido pattern?"

Aizen finished the final stroke and replied:

"Naturally, I researched it."

"When? How come I didn't know?"

Kisaragi Akira was baffled. He and Aizen spent every day together—they were practically inseparable—and he had never seen this guy study any Kido.

Hearing this, Aizen smiled, his genius temperament radiating naturally:

"Just now..."