With Rukia suddenly no longer orbiting his daily routine, Nobu found himself slightly unaccustomed to the quiet.
News of Rukia, a first-year from Class B, being adopted by the Kuchiki family spread quickly throughout Shin'ō Academy. Many students were envious, even jealous—this was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune. The Kuchiki clan, after all, was one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
Hinamori had also come by to ask about it. She'd heard the news but didn't know that Rukia had taken a full month's leave.
"I wonder what Rukia will be like next time we see her," Hinamori sighed softly.
From an orphan in the back alleys of Rukongai to a noble of the Seireitei's upper echelons—the gap was staggering. Even those closest to her would probably struggle to adjust. Who knew how much she herself would change?
Her departure, however, became just another topic of conversation among the students—it didn't affect their daily lives much.
Bored, Nobu decided to attend a class for once.
When Hisagi Shūhei saw him enter, he looked visibly startled. "What's the occasion?"
"Can't I attend a class just because I want to?"
"That's the occasion—weird enough on its own," Hisagi shot back bluntly.
Other students glanced over as well, surprised to see him. From a few seats away, Nobu spotted Kanisawa.
Ever since the night of the cultural festival and the Council dinner, she'd seemed to be avoiding him. Even basic Student Council duties were now handled via intermediaries.
Nobu flashed her a bright smile. The normally stoic head of the Disciplinary Committee suddenly flushed pink and turned her head sharply away.
Today's lesson was on techniques for communing with one's zanpakutō, taught by their homeroom teacher, Nanada Hideaki.
When Nanada caught sight of Nobu, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. This brat actually remembers he's a student?!
At this point, Nanada had no choice but to adopt a "let him be" policy. He knew full well he couldn't change Nobu's habits, and honestly, it wasn't worth the effort.
The boy already had more clout in the Academy than most of the faculty—even the headmaster liked him.
The material today wasn't difficult for Nobu. Ever since obtaining his zanpakutō, he'd already studied everything the library had to offer on the subject.
The class passed peacefully.
As the bell rang, Nanada began calling out names from the front of the room.
"Hisagi Shūhei, Kanisawa, Aoshika—come see me after class."
Nobu asked casually, "What's that about?"
Hisagi replied, "Probably the first-year field training in the real world. We're assigned to lead the teams. Nanada-sensei gave me a heads-up earlier."
Field training…
Nobu's expression shifted.
There were two kinds of field training conducted in the human world: one for soul burial practice, and one for simulated Hollow combat.
After some time at Shin'ō Academy, first-years were eligible to undergo the latter—real combat scenarios in a controlled barrier space with low-level Hollows.
"You didn't know?" Hisagi asked.
"I've never heard a word about it."
"Well, you show up to class about once a month, so yeah… not surprising."
"When does it start?"
"Three days from now, I think."
"Is it the A-Class first-years?"
"Yeah, probably starts with them."
Suddenly, Nobu stood up. "I'm going with you."
"…Going where?" Hisagi was confused.
This kind of assignment was basically glorified babysitting. As upperclassmen, they'd already done plenty of field training themselves.
Kanisawa looked away the moment she saw Nobu walking out with Hisagi.
The four of them headed to Nanada Hideaki's office together.
Seeing Nobu again, Nanada raised an eyebrow. "Something you need?"
Nobu offered with a grin, "Nanada-sensei, if we're sending upperclassmen to supervise, shouldn't it be the best of the best? I happen to think I'm exactly that."
Nanada was speechless. If you came to class like a normal student, of course I'd assign you. But you vanish for weeks at a time—how am I supposed to find you?
Though the field exercise involved combat with Hollows, the risk was low. In addition to the student leaders, active-duty Shinigami monitored the event in secret, and the Hollows brought in were just cannon fodder—safe enough for first-years to train on.
After a brief silence, Nanada nodded. "Alright. You'll lead this time. Most of the team is from the first-year class, so I expect you to take it seriously."
Field training was nothing new to them, so there was little need for long explanations.
Hisagi and Aoshika, however, were puzzled. Why was Nobu, of all people, volunteering for something so tedious and unrewarding?
But Kanisawa thought differently.
She lowered her head, a single thought echoing through her mind:
Did he… volunteer because of me?
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. Given Nobu's usual attitude, he wouldn't lift a finger for this type of task—even if Nanada personally came begging.
What other reason could there be… if not her?
Come to think of it… she had been avoiding him quite a bit lately.
Had Nobu not come, the task would likely have fallen to Hisagi. And he, honestly, would've preferred that—less hassle for him.
Nanada went over the field training logistics: the location and timing in the human world, which division of Shinigami they'd coordinate with, and the list of participating students.
He handed Nobu a folder with all the details.
On the way back, Hisagi reminded, "We should start packing soon."
Aoshika added, "Yeah, I'll prep supplies."
They'd be in the human world for two or three days, so some food and necessities were needed.
Honestly, even if Nobu hadn't shown up today, he would've heard about the mission from Hisagi afterward.
The heads of the two key Council departments being gone for several days? Of course they would've told him.
Suddenly, Kanisawa stopped walking and called out softly, "Nobu."
Hisagi glanced over, then tactfully pulled Aoshika away.
Nobu paused and turned to look at her.
After a moment of hesitation, Kanisawa asked, "Why did you volunteer to come along this time?"
She already had an answer in her heart—she just wanted to hear it from him.
Nobu glanced down at the folder in his hands and gave a calm, easy smile.
"Because of you."
"…"
Kanisawa's cheeks flushed red in an instant.
What she didn't know was… if Nobu hadn't come, she might have died in the human world.
What she didn't know was that somewhere behind this mission, a shadow—possibly Aizen's—had already laid its trap.
All she knew was that her heart might just be right—that this time, her guess had come true.
Her voice trembled faintly. "You… what do you mean, saying something like that?"
But Nobu didn't explain.
Instead, he rolled the folder into a tube and gently tapped it against her forehead.
"You don't need to know."
Because how was he supposed to say it? Hey, I think this training exercise might be a setup and you might die if I don't intervene—also, Aizen's involved.
So he said nothing more, turned, and walked away.
Kanisawa remained where she stood, hand pressed against her forehead, dazedly watching his retreating back.
The last time he touched her…
…was when he kissed her forehead.