Xin's File

After seeing off Aizen and Ichimaru Gin.

Xin and Rukia returned to the Student Council Office.

"Captain Aizen was really kind," Rukia could not help saying. "I was a little nervous at first, but after staying by his side for a while, I gradually stopped feeling nervous."

Xin watched Rukia describe her impression of Aizen and thought, You may not have been nervous, but I was on edge the entire time.

But on second thought, he felt that he had been overthinking it. He was merely a student at the Spirit Training Academy. What was there about him that Aizen would care about? Perhaps he had been putting on too much of an inner drama from the start.

If he wanted to seem normal, he should treat Aizen with the same attitude Rukia had.

The more apprehensive he acted, the more likely he was to arouse the other man's suspicions.

"You worked hard too, Rukia."

Rukia shook her head repeatedly. "No, I did not really do anything. Besides, I got to sit in on a class and learned quite a lot. Many of Captain Aizen's ideas were different from what the teachers taught."

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

Guessing what she was thinking, Xin said, "If you work hard, you can enter Class A next year too."

"I will!" Rukia nodded earnestly.

Renji and Hinamori Momo were both in Class A. She wanted to enter Class A too.

"If there is anything you do not understand in your studies, you can come ask me anytime. I may not compare to Captain Aizen, but perhaps I can still help clear up some of your confusion."

"Really?" Rukia seemed a little delighted.

Affection: 37

Xin suddenly smiled and reached out to pat Rukia's head. She was petite, only reaching his chest, so it took no effort at all.

When Rukia saw Xin suddenly reach toward her, she instinctively shrank her neck back. However, she did not dodge, allowing his hand to rest upon her hair.

"Of course, as long as you want to."

Affection: 38

It felt really nice.

Xin thought to himself.

Fourth Division Barracks.

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

"The Spirit Training Academy?"

Kotsubaki Kotone, the Fourth Division's Lieutenant Captain, had just entered the barracks when a squad member stopped her. Today was a rest day, but it was also the day of the Female Shinigami Association's group event, which happened to be held at the Fourth Division.

Kotsubaki Kotone accepted the document offered by the squad member before her, inwardly surprised. Hasn't it only been a month since the term began? Why have student records suddenly been sent over now?

"All right, I understand."

She had a somewhat heroic appearance, though her brows always carried a gentle softness. A few thin braids hung from her short silver-gray hair, and she was a very gentle woman.

Yet despite her gentle personality and lovely appearance, she stood nearly one meter ninety tall. She stood head and shoulders above the crowd, taller than most male squad members, and this made her somewhat self-conscious.

Kotsubaki Kotone carefully read the document. It was the file of a Spirit Training Academy student.

"Tachikawa Xin..."

She murmured the name softly, finding it vaguely familiar. Then she recalled that, when the Spirit Training Academy had neared graduation season before, the Fourth Division had seen this name while reviewing newly graduating students.

At the time, Tachikawa Xin had been listed among the outstanding students eligible for early graduation.

The Student Council the Spirit Training Academy had established recently was quite famous. Its President also seemed to be called Tachikawa Xin.

The Fourth Division was a medical division, responsible for emergency treatment and routine healthcare. Compared with other Divisions, they were at a natural disadvantage when recruiting new members, because many Shinigami would not choose the Fourth Division when listing their preferred Divisions.

The Division preferences listed by graduating students were an important reference for assigning them to each Division. Thus, many Fourth Division members had been reassigned based on their Healing Arts Class grades at the Spirit Training Academy.

But after Kotsubaki Kotone finished reading all of Tachikawa Xin's information, she suddenly froze.

Setting aside his astonishing perfect scores in Zanpakutō, Kidō, Hoho, and Hakuda, the final entry recorded information regarding his Zanpakutō.

"Specific abilities unknown. Possesses healing abilities. Provisionally presumed to be a Kidō type..."

Kotsubaki Kotone was briefly stunned, then read the file again from the beginning.

Zanpakutō with healing abilities were simply too rare. Even as the Fourth Division's Lieutenant Captain, her own Zanpakutō was of the ice-and-snow type.

Moreover, he was the Top Student of the Spirit Training Academy, with exceptional grades in every subject and no weak areas at all. Since when had a student like this ever been within the Fourth Division's reach?!

Kotsubaki Kotone hurriedly picked up the document and ran toward her captain's lounge.

But when she barged somewhat rashly into the lounge, she quickly stopped in her tracks.

There was not only her own captain in the room. Ise Nanao, Lieutenant Captain of the Eighth Division, Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant Captain of the Tenth Division, and Kusajishi Yachiru, Lieutenant Captain of the Eleventh Division, were there as well.

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

"Yone, you're here."

Unohana Retsu did not mind Kotsubaki Kotone's rash entrance and merely smiled gently.

"Captain."

Kotsubaki Kotone gave the familiar Lieutenant Captains a brief nod. Ise Nanao was diligently following Unohana Retsu's flower-arranging instructions, while Matsumoto Rangiku sat rather lazily. Holding several daisies, she occasionally tossed them toward Yachiru as though feeding a pet.

And Yachiru was constantly chewing flower petals in her mouth.

The sight was truly strange. Kotsubaki Kotone withdrew her gaze and walked over to Unohana Retsu.

"Sorry to disturb you. This is a document sent over by the Spirit Training Academy. I thought you should take a look."

Hearing this, Unohana Retsu stopped what she was doing and accepted the file thoughtfully.

"Yone really works hard." Matsumoto Rangiku, who had not seemed particularly interested in flower arranging, suddenly teased her.

"Isn't today a rest day? Why are you still busy with work?"

"Miss Rangiku, are you saying I am an incompetent captain?" Unohana asked with a smiling expression as she read the file.

"...Absolutely not!"

Matsumoto Rangiku suddenly shuddered and shook her head repeatedly.

Kotsubaki Kotone explained, "I merely happened to run into the squad member delivering the document on my way here."

Only after Unohana Retsu finished reading the file in her hand did she nod calmly. "A Kidō type Zanpakutō. How rare. When this Tachikawa Xin graduates in the future, he can come to our Fourth Division."

Matsumoto Rangiku froze at this.

"Who?"