"What else would you do if you didn't become a Shinigami?"
"Don't tell me Kisaragi wants to join the Nest of Maggots?"
A huge head with horns growing from its hairstyle suddenly appeared right in front of Kisaragi Akira. Its expression was resolute, and its face was practically the very picture of strength and determination.
The light reflected off his square glasses, nearly blinding him.
"Teacher Tessai."
Aizen gave a slight, respectful nod, just as he always did.
As the class's model student, his strength was average, but he got perfect marks in every theory class. He was the very picture of a top student.
Teachers from various divisions had already begun trying to recruit Aizen. Talents like him, skilled in paperwork and theory, were extremely rare.
"Could you make some noise the next time you walk?"
"If I hadn't noticed you in time, I would've punched you already."
Kisaragi Akira's mouth twitched as he said gloomily.
To be honest, he really hadn't sensed Hikifune Tessai approaching.
This future Grand Kido Chief seemed exceptionally powerful in every field.
Still, that was also because Tessai simply meant him no harm.
Otherwise, Danger Instinct would have issued a friendly warning.
"Kisaragi, that's a dangerous idea."
Hikifune Tessai looked rough and imposing, but he was very gentle by nature, especially toward the students.
He had never even scolded a single student.
Of course, with Hikifune Tessai looking like that, no one brave enough to cause trouble in his class would dare.
"I was only joking around with Sosuke."
Kisaragi Akira changed his expression and explained with conviction:
"Becoming a worthy Shinigami is the goal I've pursued all my life. I'll give it everything I have."
"I'll uphold the name of the Gotei to the very end!"
Seeing this, Hikifune Tessai nodded with satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder, praising him with heartfelt approval:
"Good. That's the spirit."
"No wonder Captain-Commander mentioned you as a pillar of the future."
Kisaragi Akira: "o_O??"
"Keep up the good work."
Hikifune Tessai patted his shoulder hard again. A tremendous force struck him, and his shoulder bones immediately answered with a series of cracking sounds.
It was only because Kisaragi Akira was the one taking the blows. Any other student would already have been in the infirmary.
Before he could ask anything, a tremendous explosion boomed through the spacious dojo. Red flames surged upward, shooting straight toward the ceiling!
Scorching heat instantly filled the air.
Kisaragi Akira stared toward the source of the flames and murmured in a daze:
"What a talent..."
"Someone managed to blow themselves up just by practicing Shakkaho. It reminds me of an old acquaintance."
Hikifune Tessai had no time to keep chatting with Kisaragi Akira. He hurried off to deal with the sudden accident.
"I hope that old acquaintance you mentioned wasn't you."
Aizen replied evenly, "I won't conduct any experiments until I've fully mastered Kido."
He had noticed Hikifune Tessai approaching in time, so Tessai hadn't overheard what he'd said earlier.
Some things were better known by as few people as possible.
The Soul Society wasn't as peaceful as it seemed on the surface.
Kisaragi Akira nodded, his expression turning much more serious:
"I understand."
The Kido class ended with an accident. After Hikifune Tessai gave emergency treatment to the student who had blown himself up with Shakkaho, they sent him straight to the Fourth Division's General Infirmary.
Seventy-four point three percent of his body had been burned. He was practically a charred log, utterly unrecognizable.
Many were glad to get out of class early, while plenty of study-obsessed students stayed in the dojo to practice Kido on their own.
Kisaragi Akira and Aizen were among them.
The dojo was spacious, so the two of them picked a corner and began studying Kido.
There were plenty of other students like them, so they didn't have to worry about drawing anyone's attention.
"Which Kido are you most familiar with?" Aizen asked.
Kisaragi Akira thought for a moment, then answered without hesitation: "Number Four Hado, Byakurai."
"I'd already mastered it before I became a student."
At this,
Aizen recalled how Kisaragi Akira had used Byakurai back at Shantei Temple.
It was nothing like the Byakurai taught at the Spiritual Arts Academy.
It seemed more like an amateur version he'd picked up somewhere, yet its power had been surprisingly great.
Even the Shinigami who had deserted his division had been pierced through the heart by a single bolt of lightning.
That alone showed how well Kisaragi Akira had mastered the Hado.
"Mm, good."
Aizen nodded. "First, try reducing your Reiatsu output and releasing Byakurai in its weakest state."
"Like this."
As Kisaragi Akira watched with wide eyes, Aizen spread his five fingers. White arcs of electricity danced merrily at his fingertips, like countless musical notes composing a beautiful melody.
He held his breath, his demeanor growing much more serious.
His Max Degree talent began to work. He observed the flow of Reishi, the path of Reiatsu through the body, the changes in the hand signs, the chanting of the incantation...
At that moment,
Aizen was surprised to find Kisaragi Akira's demeanor changing once again.
Calm, natural, serious, focused.
In some ways, he was even a little like Aizen himself.
This guy...
Only after the lightning vanished did Kisaragi Akira return to his usual carefree self.
"Did you figure anything out?"
"A little!"
"Good. Show me."
Aizen was curious how much Kisaragi Akira could learn from such a brief demonstration.
But when Kisaragi Akira slowly spread his five fingers in the same pose, Aizen's surprise instantly reached its peak.
Electric arcs danced, reflecting a dazzling glow.
It was as if a spectacular fireworks display had blossomed at his fingertips.
His Reiatsu was controlled at an extremely low level, just enough to keep the arcs glowing. They had not even the slightest destructive power, even if someone reached out and touched them.
"A mere Byakurai could never stump me!"
His smug expression shattered Aizen's surprise, and Aizen's emotions immediately settled back into calm.
He raised his eyes and looked at Kisaragi Akira.
His talent was indeed impressive, and he knew how to make use of it. He was unquestionably a genius.
The only problem was that he had a mouth.
"The first step is done."
Aizen glanced at Kisaragi Akira, who was having the time of his life playing with Byakurai. The corner of his mouth lifted as he continued:
"Next is the second step. It's simple too."
"With your talent, you should master it quickly."
"Kido often takes the form of a barrier. The way to construct one is to combine an incantation with hand signs, forming a specific pattern."
"What you need to do is learn the Kido pattern."
"This is Byakurai."
As Kisaragi Akira watched in astonishment, faint electric arcs appeared at Aizen's fingertips. They traced their way through the air, writing out a pattern.
Before long, a completely unfamiliar Kido pattern appeared before him.
"Wait!"
Kisaragi Akira asked in confusion, "If I remember right, only some Kido take the form of barriers, don't they?"
"Byakurai clearly isn't one of them. Where did you get this Kido pattern?"
Aizen finished drawing the last stroke and replied:
"I researched it, of course."
"When? How come I didn't know?"
Kisaragi Akira was baffled. He and Aizen were together every day, practically sharing a pair of pants, and he'd never seen the guy study any Kido.
At that, Aizen smiled, his natural genius shining through:
"Just now..."
Before you continue