Cultural Festival

"Kasumi Oji, this is the first event our Student Council has ever organized. You wouldn't want it to look too shabby, would you? After all, it concerns the Student Council's reputation. The Spirit Training Academy teachers are supporting us too. If we pull it off well, it'll bring us a lot of prestige."

As the Student Council Vice President, Kasumi Oji Gorō stared expressionlessly at Tachikawa Shin, who was crying poverty in front of him.

"If the Spirit Training Academy supports us, why don't they allocate more funding?"

"I tried to fight for it, but they kept saying the academy's funds were tight too. I'm just an ordinary student with no standing there. What could I do?"

Kōgorō sat there in silence, frowning as though deep in thought.

"What exactly is this Campus Culture Festival you mentioned?"

Xin explained again. "In simple terms, it's an entertainment festival for the academy. Our Student Council will take the lead in organizing it. The participants won't just be teachers and students from the Spirit Training Academy—we can also invite Shinigami from the Thirteenth Division and the Kido Corps. If it goes well, it can become an ongoing tradition. Kasumi Oji, all you need to do is sponsor us a little more, and you'll be the greatest contributor to this festival! Your name will definitely go down in the history of the Spirit Training Academy!"

Kasumi Oji Gorō was somewhat tempted by those words. After a moment of consideration, he asked, "How much more do you need?"

Xin held up a gesture to him. "Just this much."

"Five million?"

Xin's heart suddenly leaped. That was a whole extra zero beyond what he had expected. He had not thought this noble lord would be so generous.

He did not correct him and merely asked cautiously, "Is that all right?"

Kasumi Oji Gorō did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Do you have a detailed proposal?"

"Yes!"

Xin immediately went to his desk and dug out a stack of documents, then respectfully handed them over. "It was prepared long ago. Please take a look."

Kōgorō accepted them and carefully read through the pages one by one. Everything was explained in great detail, down to every individual procedure. It was obvious a great deal of care had gone into it.

"The academy leadership has seen these too?" he asked.

"Principal Suzumebachi said he would lend his full support. The Spirit Training Academy has never had anything like this before, and it will help enrich the academy's campus culture."

Kōgorō stared at the stack of documents and pondered for quite a while before finally saying, "I'll bring the money tomorrow."

Xin was overjoyed. He could not help reaching out and hugging the other man tightly.

"Thank you so much, Kōgorō! You're the lucky star of our Student Council!"

Kōgorō shoved him away in disgust.

"I've never seen you this attentive before. Besides, we're not close enough for you to call me by my given name, Tachikawa."

Xin chuckled. "Call you whatever you like? Kasumi Oji? Lord Kasumi Oji? Master Kasumi Oji?"

"..."

Kōgorō got goosebumps and shuddered. Rising to his feet, he said, "Just address me normally. I'm leaving first."

He still needed to inform his family about this, but five million was indeed not much to him. The Kasumi Oji family possessed vast wealth and influence. Although the family head was a woman, most of those assisting in running affairs were men, and his standing within the clan was not low either.

Xin waved to him with a broad smile. "Take care."

He knew Kōgorō was rich, but he had not expected him to be this generous. The Spirit Training Academy had only allocated them five hundred thousand. Converted by purchasing power into the currency from his previous life, that was less than ten thousand. Kōgorō had given him ten times that amount outright.

They could not actually spend that much money. After all, it was an event led mainly by students. But with this much funding, they could really loosen up and do things properly, while the remaining money could stay with the Student Council as future operating funds.

Who said nobles were bad? Nobles were the best!

In truth, Kōgorō had agreed not merely because of the benefits Xin had mentioned. One important reason was that he thought highly of Tachikawa Shin himself.

When his family had first told him about the Student Council, he had never expected such an idea to come from an ordinary student.

Furthermore, Tachikawa Shin possessed exceptional talent and was bound to have a brilliant future.

With Kasumi Oji Gorō's sponsorship, Xin gathered all the Student Council members for a meeting that very day and assigned everyone their tasks in detail.

After that, he coordinated with the teachers and class monitors of every grade and every class at the Spirit Training Academy.

The next day, every student in the academy knew that the Spirit Training Academy would soon be holding a Cultural Festival. It was scheduled for two weeks later, and huge notice boards had been erected around campus.

Life for students at the Spirit Training Academy was actually rather dull. Every day, apart from classes, they trained. There was virtually no other entertainment.

The arrival of the Cultural Festival made the vast majority of them look forward to it.

Just as the Spirit Training Academy students began urgently preparing for the Cultural Festival, Lieutenant Captain Shiba Kaien of the Thirteenth Division suddenly arrived.

At the Student Council headquarters office, Xin had just entered with Rukia when he saw Shiba Kaien sitting in his seat and flipping through some documents on the desk.

"Vice-Captain Shiba, what a rare guest."

Shiba Kaien smiled. "That's not right. I'm the Honorary President of the Student Council, after all. How could I be a guest?"

He looked at Rukia behind Xin. "And this is?"

"Rukia, my assistant. This is Lieutenant Captain Shiba Kaien of the Thirteenth Division."

Xin introduced them to each other.

"Hello." Rukia quickly bowed, unable to stop herself from wondering why the President interacted with such important figures every day.

Shiba Kaien teased, "You're really living a leisurely life, aren't you? You even have such a beautiful girl as your assistant. Are there a lot of girls in your Student Council?"

Rukia blushed slightly at that. She did not think she counted as a beautiful girl. Someone like Hinamori Momo did.

"An Honorary President who has never shown up is basically a guest, isn't he? By the way, I was just about to go find you."

"What for?"

Xin asked instead, "Did Vice-Captain Shiba come to the Student Council for something?"

"I came to substitute for a first-year class. Also, I heard your Student Council was preparing some kind of event, so I came by to take a look."

"The Campus Culture Festival," Xin said. "We'll also invite Shinigami from the Thirteenth Division to attend. I hope Vice-Captain Shiba can help spread the word in the Thirteenth Division. If you can invite a few captains too, it'll be even livelier."

"You've got some nerve," Shiba Kaien said with a laugh. "You want to invite captains too? Do you have that much influence?"

Xin immediately flattered him. "Of course I'm just a nobody, but Vice-Captain Shiba, you have great influence. Who in the Thirteenth Division hasn't heard of Shiba Kaien's name? You may be a lieutenant captain, but in the Thirteenth Division, you're practically the captain already, aren't you?"

Shiba Kaien was quite pleased to hear that, but he did not agree immediately. "Captains are usually very busy."

Xin added, "I know. Principal Suzumebachi also said that Shinigami from the Thirteenth Division would be welcome to return to their alma mater. This is a festival organized by the Student Council. As our Honorary President, you're surely willing to do something for the Student Council, right?"

Shiba Kaien considered it briefly. It was not a difficult matter. Since it was a recreational event, many people would probably be willing to come show their support—for instance, his own captain.

"I'll give it a try."

He agreed, then looked at Xin again. Suddenly, with a half-smile, he asked, "What's going on with your Zanpakutō?"

"I didn't expect even you to hear about it." Xin looked surprised. "I was just lucky. My Zanpakutō suddenly awakened."

Shiba Kaien snorted. "It suddenly awakened? Kid, have you forgotten what you promised me before?"

Xin looked completely confused. "What?"

Shiba Kaien narrowed his eyes. "My uncle already agreed to it and offered you the Third Seat. Then you turn around and reveal a Kidō-type Zanpakutō. You're making this very difficult for me."

Rukia, listening to their conversation, could not help widening her beautiful eyes.

A Seat... Third Seat?!

The President?!

Xin said helplessly, "Vice-Captain Shiba, I really did want to join the Tenth Division. But something like a Zanpakutō was beyond my expectations too."

Shiba Kaien stared hard at Xin. "Tell me the truth. Is your Zanpakutō really a Kidō type?"

"Can something like that be faked?" Xin looked puzzled.

"Cases of people deliberately concealing their Zanpakutō's true abilities do exist. In the Thirteenth Division, outsiders don't know the specific abilities of many Shinigami's Zanpakutō."

Xin looked thoughtful. "So that's possible."

However, his Zanpakutō had awakened at the Spirit Training Academy, which was relatively rare. That was why the academy had specifically approached him to ask about and register its abilities.

If a Zanpakutō awakened after joining the Thirteenth Division, the management of such matters was much looser, and one could choose not to report it.

He drew the Asauchi he carried with him and said, "Then would Vice-Captain Shiba like to verify it?"

Shiba Kaien said nothing, studying the utterly ordinary Asauchi in Xin's hand.

Then he suddenly said, "Forget it. Since it's a Kidō-type Zanpakutō, all I can say is that you and the Tenth Division were not meant to be."

Xin sighed. "Thank you for understanding, Vice-Captain Shiba. I truly did want to join the Tenth Division."

If he could see Miss Rangiku every day, what man would not want that?

Shiba Kaien inwardly curled his lip.

This kid was full of lies!

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