Rukia and Renji

"Rukia, what are you looking at?"

The red-haired boy with the eye-catching hairstyle pushed through the crowd and came to stand beside his companion.

He looked toward the bulletin board as well.

"Didn't they mention it during the ceremony? The Student Council."

Beside him stood a petite, pretty girl with short black hair that flicked up at the ends. Her deep violet eyes rested on the bulletin board, filled with thought.

"Hey, do you want to join the Student Council?" the red-haired boy asked.

"I hadn't thought about it. I was just looking."

"If you join, I'll join too!"

"It's not that easy. It says there'll be an assessment."

The red-haired boy looked unconcerned. "We'll definitely pass!"

As the two spoke privately, someone suddenly stopped in front of them.

"Are you two juniors interested in joining the Student Council?"

He was tall and broad, with an exceptionally conspicuous long face.

Combined with his tiny eyes, which were nearly invisible even when open, he left a deep impression at first glance.

"I'm Aoshika, a fifth-year student. If you want to join the Student Council, you'll need to register first. May I have your names?"

As Aoshika spoke, he had already taken out a roster and looked at the two of them.

The red-haired boy immediately answered brightly, "Oh! I'm Renji Abarai, and she's Rukia!"

"Renji, you..."

Rukia had not made up her mind yet. She knew nothing about the Student Council; she had only come over because so many people were gathered here, making her curious.

Aoshika marked down their names, then asked, "What classes are you in?"

"I'm in Class A, and she's in Class B."

Aoshika's pen paused. Without changing his expression, he wrote "second-rate" behind Rukia's name and "first-rate" behind Renji's.

Every year's Class A was an advanced class, a place where "outstanding students" gathered.

First-year students had no grades to reference upon enrollment, so class assignments were based on their spiritual pressure levels.

However, a person's initial spiritual pressure could determine many things.

The Student Council's recruitment standards had already been set. The rules stated clearly that students with outstanding grades would be given priority.

This had not been decided by Xin, the President. It was the threshold for Student Council recruitment, along with its various rules and regulations, established after discussion by the higher-ups.

"The first Written Exam will be held in three days. If you pass it, you'll proceed to the second-stage interview. Pass the interview, and you can become Student Council members."

"That's such a hassle," Renji Abarai said at last.

"Only by passing layer after layer of screening can someone prove their excellence," Aoshika said with a smile.

After leaving the crowd, Rukia complained about Renji Abarai's recklessness. "Idiot! Didn't I say I hadn't made up my mind? Why did you sign me up just like that?"

Renji Abarai scratched his head. "You don't need to overthink it. If you want to go, just sign up."

Rukia sighed helplessly. "I... Sigh, I saw a lot of students from our year signing up just now. The competition will definitely be fierce, and I'll probably get eliminated."

Renji Abarai said, "Those guys didn't look like much to me. We'll definitely pass."

Rukia had nothing to say. Being assigned to Class B meant she lagged far behind Renji in both spiritual pressure and aptitude. She just did not know what the Student Council's assessment criteria would be...

The Spirit Training Academy had allocated a spacious classroom exclusively to the Student Council as its headquarters office. The academy clearly valued the Student Council greatly, so the conditions it provided were exceedingly generous.

For example, the chair Xin was currently lying in, as well as the desk before him made of high-grade wood.

The moment Kasumi Oji Gorō entered, he saw the Student Council President sitting without a shred of decorum, his feet propped on the desk. His face immediately darkened.

"Yo, Kasumi Oji!"

Seeing him enter, Xin greeted him warmly.

Kasumi Oji Gorō walked expressionlessly up to the desk. Many of the office's facilities and furnishings had been sponsored by his family, and he had personally selected both the style and wood for this desk.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he spoke in a low voice. "Tachikawa Shin, you don't look like a President at all! How vulgar!"

Xin tilted his head and smiled. "What can I do? I just happen to be the President."

"You!"

Kōgorō's breathing caught in anger, his chest heaving unevenly.

Only then did Xin leisurely lower his legs. Smiling faintly, he said, "Kasumi Oji, your family is really rich. Having you as Vice President is wonderful. The Student Council will have to rely on you a great deal from now on!"

Kōgorō merely snorted. The "rich" Xin referred to only meant that he had supplied the things in this office. He could not be bothered to respond. The Kasumi Oji Clan was an upper noble house within the Seireitei, holding the technology for forging weapons in Soul Society. They ranked only below ancient top-tier noble clans such as the Kuchiki, Shihōin, and Tsunayashiro. The scale of their estate was probably beyond Tachikawa Shin's imagination.

He placed a thick stack of documents on the desk.

"These are the files of the new students who signed up. I just retrieved them from the Spirit Training Academy archives."

"So many!" Xin clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Most of the new students signed up. They all want to join the Student Council," Kōgorō said.

Xin picked up the documents and casually flipped through a few pages. He found that the stack had been sorted as well. A small portion had been grouped together separately, while the rest formed another category.

"These are all Class A students. Since the Student Council is recruiting from the new students, we only need to choose from these," Kōgorō said.

However, Xin calmly removed the clip holding those files together and mixed them in with the rest.

"What do you mean?" Kōgorō frowned.

Xin leaned back in his chair and asked, "Do you know what it would mean if all the first-year Student Council members came from Class A?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"If that happened, the Student Council would become an utterly privileged organization, standing above the students."

Kōgorō frowned and said nothing.

"There aren't many students in Class A to begin with. If most of them joined the Student Council, what would Class A become?"

"You know the Student Council's recruitment threshold," Kōgorō said.

"I do," Xin replied. "But it's too early to say which of these new students are truly outstanding, isn't it? The second year sees the greatest changes in Class A's membership. You should know that too."

"If you insist on doing this, I'll report the situation to the Principal of the Spirit Training Academy," Kōgorō said gravely.

Xin laughed. "The Principal is busy every day. There's no need to bother him over such a small matter. I've already made my decision, Kasumi Oji. If the Class A students are truly good enough, they'll naturally pass the assessment."

Kasumi Oji Gorō did not argue much further with Xin. He left after staying only a short while, but before departing, he turned back and said, "Don't put your feet on the desk again. It's too vulgar!"

Xin began looking through the students' files. He knew that if Kasumi Oji Gorō had been deeply prejudiced, he would not have specifically brought over the files of students outside Class A as well.

Not a bad guy.

And, more importantly, very rich!

Aside from Rukia and Renji Abarai, whom he had encountered earlier at the Plaza Bulletin Board, Xin found two other familiar names among the new student files.

Momo Hinamori.

Izuru Kira.

Both were from Class A. Their files recorded that they came from relatively early-numbered districts of the Rukon District.

Xin's gaze moved back and forth between their files as his fingers lightly rubbed the paper.

The office door was pushed open, and Hisagi Shūhei and Kanazawa entered together.

"You're pretty relaxed."

Seeing Xin with his feet propped on the desk, Shūhei immediately felt a little unbalanced.

"Who says? I'm busy with work too."

Xin gestured at the documents in his hand.

The two walked over to the desk. Looking at the thick stack, Shūhei said in surprise, "So many? They all want to join the Student Council?"

"Mm."

Shūhei could not help saying, "How long will the interviews take?"

Kanazawa, standing beside him, replied calmly, "There won't be that many. The Written Exam alone will eliminate ninety percent of them."

Shūhei was taken aback, then said, "The competition is really intense."

"These new students have only just entered the academy. They're always full of curiosity and enthusiasm about everything," Xin said.

He set down the documents and straightened his posture before stretching lazily.

Kanazawa noticed that the file on top belonged to a girl. It had a photograph attached, showing a sweet, cute face and hair tied into a bun.

She glanced at Xin and suddenly said, "This girl is pretty cute."

Xin immediately nodded. Lightly stroking his chin, he said, "Right? I think so too. I happen to need an assistant..."

Shūhei looked at him speechlessly.

The Written Exam three days later.

Because so many people had signed up for the Student Council, the Written Exam took place in a large Lecture Hall.

Since they were newly enrolled students, the Written Exam did not test their professional theory. Still, the questions were rather tricky, mostly asking what they would do if they encountered certain situations. There were no fixed answers.

There was also one especially unusual question.

Had you undergone spiritual pressure training before enrollment? If yes, please answer the questions on page two. If not, you may leave them blank. Leaving them blank will not deduct points; answering incorrectly will deduct points; answering correctly will not add points.

After the Written Exam, the Student Council members graded the papers and directly eliminated ninety percent of the applicants.

Among them, Renji Abarai from Class A was eliminated outright.

Shūhei had graded his paper.

If, after graduation, you were assigned to a Division different from your preference, how would you handle it?

Renji Abarai's answer: Apply to the captain for a Division transfer.

You become an ordinary Soul Reaper. After ten years, you still have not become a Seated Officer. Discuss your thoughts and actions.

Renji Abarai's answer: It's impossible for me not to become a Seated Officer after ten years.

Your friend tells you that your superior accepts bribes and handles matters for others in violation of the rules. What would you do?

Renji Abarai's answer: Report him!