When Liu Chuan, Isshin Shiba, and Rangiku Matsumoto appeared near the path leading to Shin'ō Academy,
the countless gazes waiting at the academy's main gate plaza, along both sides of the main road, and in the windows of nearby buildings instantly snapped toward them as if drawn by a magnet.
Inside the academy, this year's graduating students had long been waiting.
Further out, even more lower-year students crowded together, excitedly whispering among themselves.
They were trying to catch a glimpse of the legendary captain—especially the legendary senior who had recently stirred up a tremendous storm in the Seireitei.
"They're here! It's Captain Shiba!"
"The one beside him is Lieutenant Matsumoto! She's so, so beautiful..."
"Look! The one walking in the middle! It's Senior Liu Chuan! Senior Liu Chuan of the Zero Division!"
"It really is him! He looks even younger than I imagined!"
"I heard he was the top student at our academy ten years ago, a Kido genius!"
"I wonder if we'll get to see Senior Liu Chuan make a move today..."
The murmurs were like a tide stirred by the wind, beginning as restrained whispers as the three of them drew nearer.
They gradually turned into uncontrollable cries of surprise, admiration, and heated discussions full of worship and curiosity.
Nearly every student's gaze ultimately locked onto Liu Chuan, who walked with steady strides.
Admiration, awe, yearning, curiosity... all kinds of emotions mingled on those young faces.
To these young Soul Reaper recruits, who were about to enter the Gotei 13 and yearned for strength and glory,
Liu Chuan's existence was itself a living legend—a benchmark that had broken countless conventions and stood at the edge of their imagination.
He was not only the academy's proud senior, but also one of the "peaks" they might one day look up