"Lord Sōgo, wake up! The opening ceremony is about to begin. According to the Central Spiritual Arts Academy's usual rules, Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto will be attending today!"
Outside Sōgo Shihoin's bedroom, the petite Shaoling Fon knelt by the door and called out to remind him.
"Huh?"
"Who wants to get up early to listen to some rotten old man who's lived for over a thousand years lecture?"
"Not going! Not going! Absolutely not going!"
Sōgo Shihoin lay on his side on the tatami, yawning lazily. He was nothing like those kids who got fired up just hearing that the Captain-Commander would be coming. He had no interest whatsoever in the so-called Central Spiritual Arts Academy opening ceremony.
"But, Lord Sōgo!"
"There'll also be a class placement assessment after today's opening ceremony. If we don't go to the school for the ceremony today, what will we do about the assessment afterward?"
Shaoling Fon asked anxiously.
"Creeak~"
Sōgo slid open his bedroom door and stood face-to-face with Shaoling Fon.
"There's a serious problem with what you just said!"
"Not attending the ceremony has nothing to do with whether we take the assessment afterward. We could actually skip the ceremony and show up just in time for the assessment, right?"
Sōgo Shihoin explained to Shaoling Fon.
"That does make sense!"
"Then do you mean we just need to time it right and go straight to the assessment later, Lord Sōgo?"
After hearing Sōgo Shihoin's words, Shaoling Fon asked thoughtfully.
"Not going!"
Sōgo Shihoin answered without a second thought.
"Huh?!"
"Why?"
Shaoling Fon froze at Sōgo Shihoin's reply. Had she misunderstood what Lord Sōgo meant?
"I was only telling you that not attending the ceremony doesn't mean not taking the exam. But I never said I was going to take the exam!"
Sōgo Shihoin explained as he looked at the aghast Shaoling Fon.
"But if we don't take the exam, how will we be assigned to classes?"
Shaoling Fon looked at Sōgo Shihoin and asked somewhat hesitantly.
"Simple! We just give Shin'ō Academy a heads-up beforehand. They'll put us both in the best class when the time comes, so relax!"
Sōgo Shihoin yawned and answered Shaoling Fon lazily.
"Is... is that really okay?"
"Wouldn't that be going too far?"
"I mean, wouldn't that look like using the back door?"
Shaoling Fon finally understood what Sōgo Shihoin meant. Her little face flushed, and she stumbled over her words. A good girl like her had never thought of using such underhanded means.
"No, with our talent, getting into the best class is inevitable anyway. I'm just skipping the process. Besides, with our status, won't we end up training in the nobles' class whether we take the exam or not?"
"Since it's already set in stone, why bother with an unnecessary exam?"
"Wouldn't that just waste my time?"
Sōgo Shihoin's words were well reasoned, leaving no point for anyone to refute.
"But..."
The well-behaved Shaoling Fon looked hesitant. She still disagreed with Sōgo Shihoin.
"Relax! That settles it~" As Sōgo Shihoin spoke, he found a set of bedding and moved it to the bedroom doorway, then crawled inside. Over his black eye mask, he put on another mask printed with a pair of large eyes, then instructed Shaoling Fon, "Keep an eye on the door for me. Remember to let me know if my sister comes. I'm going to sleep for a bit..."
"Lord Sōgo? Lord Sōgo!"
Watching Sōgo fall asleep just like that, Shaoling Fon felt utterly helpless.
Meanwhile, at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, captain of the First Division and Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, known as the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years, stared at the two empty seats in the very center of the front row, veins bulging across his forehead.
"Chōjirō Sasakibe, take over the ceremony for me."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto spoke gravely to the middle-aged man beside him.
"As you command!"
The man named Chōjirō Sasakibe, who had served as lieutenant of the First Division for a thousand years, nodded lightly to Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, took his place, and began addressing the new students.
Meanwhile, at Sōgo's private residence on the Shihoin estate.
"Excuse me, is this Sōgo Shihoin's home?"
Just as Shaoling Fon sat alone, staring blankly at the soundly sleeping Sōgo, an aged voice rang out beside her ear.
"Hmm?"
"Uh..."
Hearing the voice beside her, Shaoling Fon first paused, then turned toward its source at her side. Then she froze on the spot as though dumbstruck.
"C-Captain-Commander, sir!"
Shaoling Fon hurriedly turned herself around and bowed her head to the old man with the aged, kindly face.
"Mm!"
The man named Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded at Shaoling Fon with a smile, then fixed his gaze entirely on Sōgo Shihoin, who wore the big-eyed mask over his face.
"Lord..."
Shaoling Fon had just opened her mouth to wake Sōgo when the rotten old man stopped her with a hand.
"Shh..."
The rotten old man gestured for Shaoling Fon to stay quiet, then hoisted the sleeping Sōgo Shihoin onto his shoulder, bedding and all, and raced toward the Central Spiritual Arts Academy using Shunpo.
"Captain-Commander, sir?"
Watching the Captain-Commander leave, Shaoling Fon panicked. Without a thought for anything else, she hurriedly used Shunpo to chase after him with all her might.
"Who's that?"
"No idea!"
"But he looks like some young noble!"
"Getting carried here by the Captain-Commander on the first day of school? Now that's prestige!"
"Impressive! Impressive! Seriously impressive!"
"He's probably already been guaranteed a place in one of the divisions and can become a Soul Reaper as soon as he graduates, right?"
The Shin'ō Academy students whispered among themselves as they watched Sōgo lying at the front.
"Little Fon, didn't I tell you to wake me if something happened?"
"And why is it so noisy here?"
Hearing the buzzing voices around him, Sōgo finally couldn't stand it anymore and crawled out of the bedding.
"Where is this?"
Sōgo "looked" at all the unfamiliar faces, appearing somewhat puzzled.
"Lord Sōgo, this is Shin'ō Academy's auditorium..."
Shaoling Fon's face was as red as a ripe apple. She stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Sōgo's ear, and spoke softly.
"I know this is Shin'ō Academy, and I can tell this is the auditorium. I'm asking how I ended up here."
Sōgo Shihoin asked with a puzzled expression.
"Ahem..."
At that moment, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, who had been standing silently behind Sōgo Shihoin, coughed softly twice to make his presence known.
"Oh! So it was you, you rotten old man! You're the worst!"
Sōgo Shihoin turned around. The instant he saw Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto behind him, he understood everything.
"Hmm?"
The smile that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had worn all along finally froze on his face.
"Shakkahō!"
Ruthless and a man of few words, Old Man Yama wasted no breath and fired a Kidō spell straight at Sōgo.
Boom!
"Someone's dead!"
Watching Sōgo take Old Man Yama's Shakkahō to the face, the students all cried out in astonishment.
(End of chapter)