Its Name

The student dormitory at dusk.

After Hisagi Shūhei returned, he lay on his bed reading and resting. The bed beside his, Xin's, was completely empty.

He had no idea where Xin had gone. Xin was now the President of the Spirit Training Academy's Student Council, so whatever he was off doing hardly seemed surprising.

Shūbīng did not dwell on it, but as he read, he suddenly sensed an incomparably familiar and powerful spiritual pressure sweeping in from afar, jolting him upright in bed.

This spiritual pressure... was Xin's!

As a fifth-year student of the Spirit Training Academy, he had long become adept at detecting and sensing spiritual pressure. There was no way he could mistake Xin's spiritual pressure.

But this intensity was far beyond anything he knew.

The sudden eruption of spiritual pressure was sensed by most of the Spirit Training Academy's students, causing quite a commotion across the campus. Some recognized whose spiritual pressure it was, while others wondered which teacher—or perhaps which Soul Reaper—had released such spiritual pressure within the academy.

Hisagi Shūhei frowned in thought on his bed for a moment before finally setting down his book and swiftly leaving the dormitory, heading toward the source of the spiritual pressure.

Outside the kendo classroom.

The first person to arrive was Nanda Hidezawa. The moment he realized the spiritual pressure fluctuation had come from Xin, he hurried to the scene without pause.

It was already evening, nearly bedtime. At this hour, the only person likely to still be in the kendo classroom was Xin, the Student Council President.

But by the time he arrived outside the kendo classroom, the spiritual pressure fluctuations within had already subsided.

On closer inspection, he could sense that someone was inside.

Seeing others beginning to gather in this direction as well, Nanda Hidezawa pondered briefly before taking the initiative to push open the door and enter.

In the empty, silent kendo classroom, Xin sat alone cross-legged in the center, an ordinary black Asauchi laid across his legs.

Nanda Hidezawa froze slightly at the sight, and as his gaze flickered, he seemed to realize something.

"Teacher Nanda?"

Xin voiced his surprise upon noticing the visitor, a smile appearing on his face.

"Why are you here?"

Nanda Hidezawa closed the classroom door behind him and said, "I'd like to ask you that. What were you doing to cause such a huge disturbance?"

"A disturbance?"

Xin thought for a moment. He had not noticed it earlier, but thinking back carefully, it seemed he had inadvertently released a burst of spiritual pressure.

Had he alerted that many people...?

Nanda Hidezawa noticed that after his question, Xin's presence seemed to have become even more restrained. He did not know whether it was merely an illusion.

His expression turned solemn as he looked at the Asauchi-like blade before Xin.

"Tell me, have you obtained your own Zanpakutō?"

Hearing this, Xin lowered his head to glance at the Asauchi before him and chuckled. "Something like that."

"..."

Nanda Hidezawa drew a deep breath. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but in the end, only one word came out.

"Good!"

As Xin's teacher, Nanda Hidezawa was sincerely overjoyed by this news, though he still held his expression in check.

Among students who graduated from the Spirit Training Academy, even those called "geniuses" rarely awakened their Zanpakutō while still at the academy. Xin had undoubtedly given him an enormous surprise.

Compared to Nanda Hidezawa's delight, however, Xin felt remarkably calm.

Awakening his Zanpakutō had been a gradual and natural process to begin with.

And the Asauchi before him was not the true form of his Zanpakutō. It was merely one he had taken from the sword storage room as a disguise. His actual blade had already been hidden away. The reason was simple: his blade looked somewhat unusual, and displaying it openly would draw too much attention.

Spiritual Pressure Level: Lv. 18

Zanpakutō Unlock Progress: 12% (Half-Release)

However, calling out its true name just now had caused the Zanpakutō's unlock progress to rise a little on its own.

"Let's go. Students of the Spirit Training Academy who awaken their Zanpakutō need to be registered," Nanda Hidezawa said then. "Since this Asauchi has become your blade, you can keep it on you from now on."

The two walked out of the kendo classroom together, only to find quite a few people already standing outside—students and teachers alike.

Hisagi Shūhei and Kanazawa were there as well. Xin smiled and waved at them.

"Teacher Nanda, what happened?" one of the Spirit Training Academy teachers who had arrived asked.

Nanda Hidezawa pulled them aside and quietly explained something. After hearing his account, the teachers all looked toward Xin with strange expressions in their eyes.

"What happened?" Shūbīng and Kanazawa came to Xin's side and asked.

Xin gestured at the sword in his arms and said, "Just this little thing."

The two were stunned for a moment before realizing it at the same time.

"Xin, you..."

Xin scratched his head. "Yeah. Teacher Nanda says he's taking me to register it now. What a hassle."

"Let's go, Xin!"

Nanda Hidezawa called out, and Xin followed him. The other students also dispersed under the direction of the teachers present.

Yet the spiritual pressure fluctuation from earlier still had the students talking. It was not difficult to guess what had happened when Xin emerged from the kendo classroom carrying a sword. Before long, news that Tachikawa Xin, President of the Student Council, had awakened his Zanpakutō spread throughout the entire Spirit Training Academy.

Xin followed Nanda Hidezawa to the office where the teachers were stationed. Nanda Hidezawa told him to wait there for a while before leaving alone. About ten minutes later, he returned with two other Spirit Training Academy teachers.

"Tachikawa."

Xin recognized them. They were senior teachers at the Spirit Training Academy.

"So this is your Zanpakutō now?" one of them asked, pointing at the sword Xin held.

Xin nodded lightly.

The two teachers exchanged glances. One of them said, "It is extremely rare for a Spirit Training Academy student to possess a Zanpakutō of their own... As expected of the Student Council President. No wonder the Principal values you so highly. Congratulations, Tachikawa."

Nanda Hidezawa could not suppress the smile that appeared on his face.

One of the teachers took out a notebook, while the other began asking questions.

"Could you please explain the name and abilities of your Zanpakutō in detail?"

They needed to keep a record of every Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō. Aside from Xin's account, they would likely have him demonstrate his Zanpakutō's abilities afterward.

Xin looked at the sword in his arms. Its appearance was no different from an ordinary Asauchi, mainly because Xin had not disguised it at all. Fortunately, Zanpakutō came in all manner of strange forms, so no appearance was particularly unusual.

As for its ability, how should he put it...?

Xin truly had not prepared a fabrication for that part. After pondering for a moment, he slowly spoke.

"It is called..."

"This Shore, That Shore!"