Xin's Dossier

After seeing off Aizen and Ichimaru Gin, Shin and Rukia returned to the Student Council Office.

"That Captain Aizen is really kind," Rukia couldn't help saying. "I was a bit nervous at first, but being around him, I gradually relaxed."

Shin watched Rukia as she shared her impression of Aizen, thinking to himself that she might have relaxed, but he had been on edge the whole time.

Yet now that he thought about it, he felt his worry was a bit unnecessary. He was just a student at the Spirit Training Academy—what was there for Aizen to care about? Maybe he had been overthinking things from the start.

If he wanted to act normal, he should treat Aizen the way Rukia did.

Being overly cautious and nervous was more likely to arouse suspicion.

"You did well too, Rukia."

Rukia shook her head repeatedly. "No, I didn't really do anything. And listening in on that class was pretty rewarding. Captain Aizen's ideas are quite different from what the teachers teach."

She was referring to Aizen's lecture in Class A. She was a Class B student, and if not for the Student Council, she probably wouldn't have had such an opportunity.

Shin guessed what she was thinking and said, "If you work hard, you can get into Class A next year."

"I will!" Rukia nodded earnestly.

Renji and Hinamori Momo were both in Class A, and she wanted to be there too.

"If there's anything you don't understand in your studies, you can always ask me. I might not be as good as Captain Aizen, but I might still be able to help clear things up."

"Really?" Rukia seemed pleasantly surprised.

Affection: 37

Shin suddenly smiled and reached out to pat Rukia on the head. She was petite, only reaching up to his chest, so it wasn't any trouble at all.

Rukia instinctively shrank her neck when she saw Shin's hand coming, but she didn't dodge, letting his hand rest on her hair.

"Of course, as long as you're willing."

Affection: 38

It feels really nice, Shin thought.

#

Fourth Division Barracks.

"Lieutenant Captain, these are student records just sent over from the Spirit Training Academy."

"Spirit Training Academy?"

Fourth Division Lieutenant Captain Kotsubaki Kotone had just stepped into the barracks when she was stopped by a squad member. Today was a day off, but it was also the Female Shinigami Association's team-building day, and the venue happened to be set at the Fourth Division.

Kotsubaki Kotone took the documents handed to her by the squad member, a bit surprised. She thought to herself, Hasn't it only been a month since school started? Why are they sending student records now?

"Alright, I understand."

She had a somewhat striking appearance, but her brows always carried a soft expression. Her silver-gray short hair was tied into a few thin braids—she was a very gentle woman.

But despite her gentle personality and lovely features, she stood at nearly 1.9 meters tall, towering over the crowd like a crane among chickens. Most male squad members weren't as tall as her, which made her a bit self-conscious.

Kotsubaki Kotone carefully read through the file. It was the record of a student from the Spirit Training Academy.

"Tachikawa Shin..."

She murmured the name, feeling it sounded familiar. Then she remembered that around graduation season at the academy, the Fourth Division had come across this name while reviewing new graduates.

At the time, Tachikawa Shin had been listed among the top students eligible for early graduation.

Recently, the Student Council set up by the academy had become quite famous, and it seemed the President was also named Tachikawa Shin.

The Fourth Division was the medical unit, responsible for emergency treatment and daily healthcare. They had a natural disadvantage when recruiting new members compared to other divisions, because a large number of Shinigami didn't choose the Fourth Division when filling out their division preferences.

And the division preferences filled out by graduating students were an important reference for assigning them to each division. As a result, many Fourth Division members were transferred based on their Kidō course scores at the academy.

When Kotsubaki Kotone finished reading all of Tachikawa Shin's information, she suddenly froze.

Setting aside his impressive perfect scores in Zanpakuto, Kidō, Hoho, and Hakuda, the last entry recorded information about his Zanpakutō.

"Specific abilities unknown. Has healing capabilities. Tentatively classified as Kidō type..."

Kotsubaki Kotone snapped back to attention and reread the file.

A Zanpakutō with healing abilities was extremely rare. Even she, as the Fourth Division's Lieutenant Captain, had an ice-type Zanpakutō.

And this student was the Top Student at the Spirit Training Academy, with outstanding grades in every subject—no weaknesses at all. When had a student like that ever ended up in the Fourth Division!

Kotsubaki Kotone quickly grabbed the documents and ran toward the Captain's break room.

When she burst in a bit recklessly, she immediately stopped in her tracks.

The room wasn't just occupied by her Captain. Eighth Division Lieutenant Captain Ise Nanao, Tenth Division Lieutenant Captain Matsumoto Rangiku, and Eleventh Division Lieutenant Captain Kusajishi Yachiru were all there.

One of Unohana Retsu's usual hobbies was flower arranging. The women in the room were essentially the core members of the Female Shinigami Association in Soul Society. Each had a vase in front of them, and the floor was covered with all kinds of flowers.

"Kotone, you're here."

Unohana Retsu didn't mind Kotone's abrupt entrance and simply smiled gently.

"Captain."

Kotsubaki Kotone gave a brief nod to a few familiar Lieutenant Captains. Ise Nanao was earnestly following Unohana Retsu's lead in flower arranging, while Matsumoto Rangiku sat idly, tossing daisies at Yachiru as if feeding a pet.

Yachiru, in turn, was chewing on the petals without pause.

The scene was rather odd. Kotone looked away and stepped up to Unohana Retsu.

"Sorry to interrupt. This is a document from the Spirit Training Academy. I thought you should take a look."

Unohana Retsu paused her work and took the file thoughtfully.

"Kotone, you work so hard," Rangiku suddenly chimed in with a teasing grin.

"Isn't today a day off? Why are you still busy?"

"Are you saying I'm failing as a captain?" Unohana asked with a smile, still reading the file.

"...Absolutely not!"

Rangiku shivered and shook her head frantically.

Kotone explained, "I just happened to run into the messenger on my way here."

Unohana finished reading the file and nodded calmly. "A Kidō-type Zanpakutō—how rare. This Tachikawa Shin could join our Fourth Division after graduation."

Rangiku blinked.

"Who?"