The Academy's student uniform was a standardized, modified version of a kimono. Its distinct style, combined with the wooden schoolhouse, gave off the atmosphere of an ancient private school.
But some people were destined to have a hard time blending into that atmosphere as ordinary students.
For example, Shigū Takeru and Ichigo, and now, Yayahara Kumanaru.
No one would doubt her when she said she liked 'gyaru' culture, because her appearance was just too trendy. She didn't just wear light lipstick and eyeliner.
Her beautiful long blonde hair was tied in a side ponytail, and her delicate girlish skin was tanned to a soft, chocolate-like luster.
In every way, she looked like a JK (Japanese high school girl) deeply influenced by the 'gyaru' style of the human world.
It got to the point where Ichigo couldn't help but ask, "Are you also... just from the human world?"
"Nope! I was born in the Seireitei. My family runs a clothing store. It's super popular because we reference a lot of fashion trends from the human world, so I got curious and looked into it, and I've been hooked ever since~"
Yayahara waved her hand like a "maneki-neko" (beckoning cat), revealing her private details with a smile, not caring at all.
"I can tell..."
Ichigo's mouth twitched. He held back from commenting further on her makeup. Anyone with a normal aesthetic sense would find the 'gyaru' style of beauty a bit like coffee with too much sugar—overly sweet and hard to swallow.
"Clothes from the human world... Unlike the Rukongai, the Seireitei is much more up-to-date than I thought."
Shigū Takeru was lost in thought.
"Ah, this could be a problem."
[What's wrong?]
Rindo Itaru wrote on his desk.
"Nothing, just thinking about my future livelihood."
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked out of habit.
"Look, back in the human world, you'd take part-time jobs during breaks, right?"
"Ugh... I think I get what you mean. You want to earn some money to live like a rich person here, so you thought of business ideas from the human world. No matter what you make, as long as one product is successful, you wouldn't have to worry about living expenses."
"Exactly. But Yayahara's words reminded me that the Soul Society only looks backward on the surface. In reality, it might be intentional. Those things either already exist, or there's no market demand for them. Although that's debatable, in short, money isn't that easy to make."
Shigū Takeru was a little disappointed.
He had originally wanted to build a Shigū conglomerate in the Soul Society and show those nobles obsessed with their past glory what a new-era capitalist looked like.
"Now that you mention it, our living allowance is given by the Academy. It only guarantees basic food and clothing. We can't expect much else. For example, buying a few sets of modern clothes from Yayahara's family shop."
Ichigo scratched his hair, realizing the seriousness of the problem.
"If you come, I can give you the lowest discount!"
Yayahara smiled sweetly, making a peace sign in front of her face and giving a cute wink.
"We'll talk about that later."
Seeing the teacher arrive, Takeru proactively ended the conversation.
However, this encounter served as a catalyst, and the group gradually became familiar.
This was mainly because Yayahara relentlessly sought them out in private to chat about topics from the human world.
To outsiders, it looked like the "prodigy duo," after roping in Rindo Itaru, had now brought the "fourth-ranked" student of their class into their camp, forming the most eye-catching clique in the Academy.
The other students were envious and wanted to join, but they were deterred by the minimum entry barrier of "Reii Seventh Class," the standard for high-ranking seated officers.
Unknowingly, a week had passed since the start of school.
Classes for various subjects began one after another.
Shigū Takeru, with his high enthusiasm for learning, barely noticed the passage of time.
One day at noon, in the Kendo hall.
WHAM!
A thunderous strike landed on Ichigo. If it had been a real sword, he would have been cut from shoulder to abdomen, his ribs severed and his internal organs exposed.
So, he was very grateful it was a bokken (wooden sword).
He still had a chance to turn the tables.
"I won't be beaten by the same move twice!"
He blocked the slash, stabilized his footing, and seized the gap as his opponent's move grew old to counterattack quickly. From this, his combat will and reflexes were not bad, worthy of a "Superior" rating from the Kendo master watching nearby.
Unfortunately, Shigū Takeru was simply built different. He steadily blocked Ichigo's barrage, his body not even swaying, like a reef being battered by waves.
Once he got used to the attack rhythm, he suddenly pushed forward with a big step after a block, like a police officer with a riot shield, using his superior physique and weapon to forcibly push his opponent back and make him fall.
Then, he suddenly pulled back, creating enough space for a swing, and struck him down with a standard "Karadake" (vertical head-cut) from the front.
Although, the result looked more like he had just smashed his opponent over with brute force.
"Dammit! Your swordsmanship and martial arts techniques aren't better than mine, but I just can't beat you."
Ichigo rubbed his sore wrist, feeling both unconvinced and helpless.
"That's the beauty of 'stats'," Shigū Takeru said, accepting a towel from Yayahara and wiping his sweat.
"But you're improving fast enough. You can already fight me for this long. At the beginning, you were beaten in one move. I think it won't be long before you can..."
"Before I can beat you?"
"Before you can lose more gracefully."
Hearing this, Ichigo couldn't hold it in. Veins bulged on his forehead as he said with a strained smile, "Oh, really? Want to try again? I feel like I can go another round. You can use the same strategy as before, and let's see if it works."
Takeru looked back with pity.
"Don't waste your energy. Even if I don't use any strategy and just trade blows with you, I can still win on stamina alone. I just didn't do it because I didn't want to waste time."
"You bastard...! Just you wait!"
Ichigo ground his teeth, secretly resolving to find a chance to mock him back in the future.
"You two are really fired up. Are all students from the human world like you?" Yayahara chimed in from the side.
"That depends on the country. But this guy is just disgusted by his own Kido. He feels that with his 'self-destruction style Kido,' he's destined to fail at becoming well-rounded, so he can only desperately try to make up for it in other areas."
Shigū Takeru ruthlessly exposed Ichigo's thoughts.
Over the past week, everyone's classroom performance had fully demonstrated the importance of natural talent.
Take their little group, for example:
Yayahara was lively, had sharp senses, and was full of energy. She learned everything quickly, but she was very willful, only enthusiastic about Hakuda (hand-to-hand) and Shunpo (flash step) basics. She lacked interest in Zanjutsu (swordsmanship) and Kido, so her grades were average. This type of specialization was even more of a headache for the teachers, who had long since labeled her a "problem child."
Rindo Itaru, despite being deaf and mute, was incredibly strong-willed. His spiritual power control was abnormally strong; he was simply a natural-born "Kido Saint," learning Kido as if by divine aid. In other areas, however, he was unremarkable, merely living up to the standard of a Class 1 student. But compared to Yayahara, he was at least willing to study and train hard.
Ichigo specialized in Zanjutsu and Hakuda. His overflowing combat talent was visible to the naked eye. Any teacher who saw him was amazed, praising him as a natural-born warrior and the best successor for the Gotei 13 Captains.
However, they all fell silent after learning that he had nearly blown up the entire training ground with a "Sekkaho" (Red Fire Cannon) in Kido class.
The "Captain-successor" evaluation wasn't retracted, but they mentally added parentheses: "11th Division limited."
Finally, there was Shigū Takeru.
His performance lived up to his entrance exam score, the highest in history.
He was the "orthodox genius" in people's minds.
Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, Kido—he excelled at them all.
And because of the physical specialization and growth buff from his "Fairytale Dragon's Blood," he had a huge natural advantage in the fields of Zanjutsu and Hakuda.
This had ruined Ichigo's plan to take first place in these two subjects, get stronger, and regain his lost pride all at once.
"You're not much better! You just know one Sekkaho, but you act like your Kido is so much stronger than mine. And speaking of 'desperate,' you're in no position to talk about me," Ichigo retorted.
"You've been staying up at night for extra training. I don't know where you get the energy."
"?"
Yayahara's eyes widened, looking at Takeru in disbelief.
In her eyes, Ichigo was already working very hard. He spent most of his free time studying, surprisingly diligent and not at all rebellious like his appearance suggested.
She didn't expect someone to be grinding even harder.
All-night training? We just started school a week ago! Is that really necessary?
"I only tried it once, and you just happened to catch me."
It was an experiment with the 「Compound Potion」.
It turned out that the potion could only alleviate the fatigue from staying up late; it couldn't replenish the energy expended throughout the day.
So, Takeru decisively abandoned that plan.
At this time, Rindo Itaru wrote a line of text.
[There is a calligraphy class this afternoon. Is everyone going?]
"Calligraphy... I'm not really interested. Even though I heard the teacher is a super popular Captain, I don't want to miss the new shipment of human world goods that just arrived today. So, pass~"
Yayahara tapped her chin, thought for a moment, and finally shook her head in regret.
"Me too. I already promised the Kendo instructor I'd spar with him, so I can't break my word. But I do need to visit the calligraphy instructor about something, so I'll head over after class."
Although the Headmaster had bent the rules for him, "cultural literacy" was Ichigo's critical weakness.
This was also reflected in his daily studies.
Sometimes he couldn't understand the grammar in the textbooks at all, making comprehension difficult, and he often had to ask Takeru for help.
Ichigo had never liked troubling others.
Fortunately, the Headmaster had been prescient and had already found him a tutor.
It was, in fact, the calligraphy instructor.
Because the instructor didn't come to class often, today was the first chance they had to meet.
"Then Rindo and I will go check it out."
Takeru thought for a moment. An ordinary calligraphy class was optional, but a calligraphy class taught by "that person" was something he had to see for himself.
"Oh! See you after class then."
Ichigo's spirits lifted, feeling that while the other guy was in a cultural class, he could catch up a little on his own training.
Little did he know that Takeru had a "+1000% Physical Growth" buff. At least in the basic training of Zanjutsu and Hakuda, trying to catch up through normal means was probably hopeless.
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