Beginning Konso

"This is the last Plus. You've seen enough along the way, so now, combine what you've learned and complete this final assignment."

The lead extra, B, looked at the ruins not far away and said with a smile.

The group's spirits sharpened; the moment had finally arrived!

Exchanging glances and nods, they crept stealthily toward the ruins.

First, they had to understand the Plus's situation; they couldn't just rush in. Setting aside the psychological state of the spirit, the mere sight of thirty people approaching, all armed with swords, would make any normal person wet themselves.

So, the group stopped at the edge of the ruins, quietly observing the little boy huddled in a corner. Their goal was twofold: to observe his condition and to survey the surrounding area, as the key to fulfilling his lingering wish likely lay within.

Ichiro was also observing his surroundings, but unlike the others, he wasn't just looking—he was getting hands-on!

Every so often, he would pick up white stones and scraps of iron from the ground, stashing them into a small pouch at his waist. Before long, it was filled to the brim.

This bizarre behavior made the others twitch. Seriously? It's not like you haven't been back for decades. What, are you planning to bring back souvenirs?

Besides, can physical matter even be brought into the Soul Society? Use your heads, will you?

"Hm? Why are you staring at me? Carry on." As he spoke, Ichiro tucked another stone into his pocket. The only bad thing about this ancient era is the scarcity of iron. It's very unfriendly to an Alchemist of Iron like me, and the iron brought from the Soul Society is unusable. It's so annoying.

"Uh... Tenshin-san, have you come up with a solution?" A noble student wearing a Kenseikan frowned.

"I have a method, but you lot probably won't use it."

"What method?"

"Let him turn into a Hollow, then cut him down. The result is the same."

"Are you kidding me!"

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb him. That's why I said you wouldn't use this method. You don't need to ask for my opinion, either. I don't have much patience for such sentimental little kids. If you need help, just say the word."

With that, Ichiro lowered his head again and began rummaging through the trash on the ground. Seeing this, Urahara and Yoruichi shook their heads, shared a smile, and walked over to Ichiro's side, making their stance clear.

After attending classes for these few days, they had realized that this was both a curriculum and an assessment—an assessment for the Thirteenth Division. Yoruichi and Urahara went without saying; both were destined for Squad 2. As for Ichiro, his research required the facilities of Squad 4.

Thus, the three of them weren't particularly invested in this course. While the others had noticed this, most didn't have the luxury of choosing their division. Those who did had to consider their noble family status and couldn't act recklessly; not everyone was Yoruichi.

The others exchanged looks, shook their heads, and said nothing, beginning to seriously deliberate on a strategy. Eventually, they unanimously decided to have a girl with glasses and braided hair go forward to initiate contact. Given their limited mastery of Kido, girls indeed had an innate advantage in this area.

On the other side, Ichiro excitedly picked up a piece of iron from the ground. In this era, this stuff was hard to come by.

Urahara, crouching nearby, rested his chin on his hand and asked curiously, "Does your ability work on the matter of the living world, too?"

"Of course. After all, this is the power I mastered before I died. It's a pity, though—I basically have to start from scratch in the Soul Society."

"Oh~ so that's why you're looking forward to the Konso practice~ hoping to get some reference data, right?"

"Yeah. By the way, are you two okay not going over there? You don't have to keep me company."

"No interest. Yoruichi and I aren't going to the Thirteenth Division, and we generally won't encounter Konso work. If we do, we'll just use unconventional means. So, it doesn't matter~"

Urahara shrugged, and Yoruichi smiled beside him. For the two of them, there was indeed no need to care about such evaluations. Seeing this, Ichiro stopped being polite and told them what he needed.

And thus, the Shino Academy's first scavenging squad of the living world was born!

In the distance, the lead extra, B, frowned as he watched the three misfits. He knew Urahara and Yoruichi—nobles destined to enter or even lead Squad 2 in the future. Therefore, even though he disliked their attitude, he could accept it.

But the impression the other one, Ichiro, left on him was terrible. This had been the first impression most teachers had of Ichiro over the past year.

Ichiro's teacher followed the lead's gaze, couldn't help but smile, and explained, "His name is Tenshin Ichiro. He's a person with very clear goals, but he's also a bit of a loner. Things outside his objectives rarely attract his attention. And don't let his appearance fool you; he's quite outstanding."

The teacher felt a sense of pride, but also a bit of a headache.

In the eyes of some teachers at the school, the three "problem children" were quite famous. Despite their immense strength, they refused to skip grades. Who knows how many teachers had tried to persuade them, making all sorts of promises, even getting the Shihoin Clan to intervene—yet the three still refused to skip, choosing to attend school step-by-step...

This left them feeling helpless, because if three geniuses emerged at once—even if one was from the Four Great Noble Houses—the Shino Academy would have received a significant increase in funding.

Alas, no amount of persuasion worked. However, seeing that their progress in strength remained unaffected, the teachers gradually gave up on the idea. Nevertheless, the three were placed on the school's observation list, especially Tenshin Ichiro.

To prevent him from being bullied due to his background, this teacher had taken on this class with that consideration in mind.

Hearing the teacher's words, the lead extra turned his head in confusion and asked, "Tenshin? Is he from the Tianxin Clan?"

"No, he's from the living world; it's just a coincidence that he shares the surname. However, I've heard that the Tianxin Clan has plans to adopt him. Oh, and Ichiro submitted an application to intern at Squad 4 a while ago, so please go easy on him regarding the course assessment."

"That's fine, but..." The lead extra raised an eyebrow, "He just promoted to a second-year student, right? And he can already apply for Squad 4?"

"Yes, otherwise he wouldn't have the confidence to be so laid back."

"Fair enough. Geniuses have strange ideas, that's normal."

Immediately, the two shifted their gaze away from Ichiro and his group, turning instead to the other students who had already begun to make contact with the little boy.