Kotetsu Isane said, "I found a few books related to Kaidō and thought you might be interested, so I brought them over."
Nobu looked surprised and smiled. "Vice-Captain Kotetsu, that's incredibly thoughtful of you!"
Isane asked, "Tachikawa-kun, did you just come back from training?"
She'd overheard him mention he'd taken a bath and assumed he'd gotten sweaty while training and cleaned up afterward.
Nobu shook his head as he walked into the office. "Nah, I just felt like taking a bath. I got up a bit late today, and the school bathhouse was empty, so I soaked for a while."
The three girls: "..."
Momo and Rukia looked at Nobu's relaxed outfit and damp hair and thought the same thing—President, you're way too casual. You're really treating this place like your own home.
Nobu hadn't expected anyone to be in the office at that hour. Glancing down at his attire, he quickly apologized. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting guests. Vice-Captain Kotetsu, please have a seat—I'll change and be right back."
With that, he stepped into the storage room at the back of the office, leaving the three girls exchanging looks.
Two minutes later, Nobu emerged wearing his school uniform, his hair neatly dried.
Isane couldn't help but comment, "Tachikawa-kun really is... quite free-spirited."
Nobu casually flipped through the books she'd brought. Sure enough, they were specialized Kaidō texts he hadn't seen in the Shin'ō Academy library—clearly rare and valuable.
But he figured Isane hadn't come just to deliver books.
"These are really valuable. Are you sure you want to give them to me?" he asked.
Isane smiled warmly. "Books are meant to be read. They were just gathering dust with me—better to give them to someone who loves Kaidō and will actually put them to use."
Nobu bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Vice-Captain Kotetsu."
Her eyes softened as she beamed. "As long as you like them. Once you join the Fourth Division, we can study Kaidō together."
Nobu nodded, then turned to Momo and Rukia. "What about you two? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"
Momo flashed a sheepish smile. "We just remembered there was some unfinished student council business, so we..."
Nobu raised an eyebrow—then quickly put it together. They'd skipped class and just happened to run into Vice-Captain Kotetsu.
What kind of student council business could possibly justify cutting class? One of their founding rules was that no duty should interfere with academics.
Though, as president, he was the exception.
He didn't expose them in front of Isane, merely said, "You should head back. You can finish up after class."
"Yes, sir!"
The two left the office immediately.
Once they were gone, Isane chuckled. "Your student council members are all so responsible."
Nobu took a seat across from her and replied with a smile, "They really are. I'm confident they'll carry on after I graduate."
Isane immediately asked, "So when are you planning to graduate, Tachikawa-kun?"
Shin'ō Academy had a six-year program. Nobu was in his fifth year, and technically still had another year to go. But everyone knew he was more than qualified to graduate early—after all, he'd already slain a Menos Grande. Even among the seated officers of the Gotei 13, few could claim that.
"Next year," Nobu said.
Shin'ō Academy had only one academic term per year, running from start to finish with no summer break. By "next year," he meant he would complete all six years.
His real reason, though, lay with Momo and Rukia. Spending time with them each day allowed him to steadily rack up system rewards. Once he joined the Gotei 13, he'd meet new people, yes—but the Death God's Keystone system had already bound him to Rukia. He wanted to deepen their relationship further.
It was only one more year, after all.
Isane paused. "But Tachikawa-kun, you could graduate early. Why stay? Becoming a full-fledged shinigami sooner would surely benefit you more."
He replied with the same reasoning as always. "The student council was just established. If I left after only one year as president, I wouldn't feel right about it. Plus, there are still ideas I haven't had the chance to put into motion—things I believe would really benefit the student body."
Isane nodded admiringly. "You're truly a responsible and selfless person."
"You flatter me, Vice-Captain."
In truth, part of Isane's visit had been prompted by her captain.
After watching the recording of Nobu slaying the Menos Grande, Unohana Retsu had asked her, "Is Tachikawa Nobu graduating this year?"
It had sounded an awful lot like the Captain was hoping he'd join the Fourth Division.
So Isane had come to find out for herself.
Her captain had never taken such personal interest in a student before. There had been cases where new recruits awakened Kaidō-type Zanpakutō, but Unohana's response had always been a few words of encouragement—nothing more.
It seemed she saw something exceptional in Nobu. To already be capable of slaying a Menos as a student, his potential in Kaidō could be extraordinary.
Nobu, however, didn't want to dwell on the graduation question. Instead, he picked up one of the books and said, "Vice-Captain Kotetsu, I've had some questions about Kaiidō. Would you mind helping me out?"
Isane's eyes lit up. Her smile widened. "Of course. I'm in no rush to head back."
She truly loved Kaidō—and naturally warmed to anyone who shared that passion.
Within Soul Society, Kaidō didn't hold especially high status. Though healers were valued and often thanked, most people still sought power above all else.
Nobu hadn't just said that to change the subject. He did have questions. After Isane's last guest lecture, he'd thrown himself more deeply into Kaidō study, but the Academy's curriculum had its limits—and the library's holdings, he was close to exhausting.
As they spoke, Isane quickly realized Nobu's understanding of Kaidō was far from shallow. That realization made her genuinely happy.
Time slipped by unnoticed. It wasn't until midday, when other student council members entered the office, that Isane finally snapped out of her focus.
"Is it noon already?" she said, belatedly.
Nobu had listened the whole time without showing a trace of boredom—asking insightful questions, clearly eager to learn. She could sense his genuine thirst for knowledge, and it made her feel that all her effort had been worthwhile. Her fondness for this junior only grew.
"Time really flew. Thank you so much, Vice-Captain Kotetsu," Nobu said with a smile. "Since it's lunchtime, may I treat you to a meal at the cafeteria?"
Isane shook her head gently. "No need. I should get back."
As a vice-captain, she wasn't free to linger—there was plenty of work waiting for her in the Fourth Division.
Still, as she prepared to leave, a trace of reluctance stirred in her heart.
Looking at Nobu's composed, graceful expression, she suddenly thought—Maybe I should visit Shin'ō Academy more often and guide this junior a bit more. She would be glad to do so.
"Tachikawa-kun, there's still more than half a year left in this term. A lot can be done in that time. But I still think you'd be better off joining the Fourth Division sooner."
"Thank you for the advice." Nobu smiled. "I'll think it over."
[Affection: 47]
As he walked her to the door, Nobu watched her departing figure, then glanced at the system interface. A rough idea began to form on how to raise Kotetsu Isane's affection further.
Then, another notification caught his attention.
[Unohana Retsu]
[Affection: 3]
Wasn't it 2 before...?
He hadn't seen Unohana since the cultural festival, so he hadn't noticed the change right away.
After some thought, he figured it must be because of the Menos incident. If even Shiba Kaien had heard about it, it made sense that Unohana had too.
And now, with Isane coming to visit him... Nobu had a pretty good guess what that meant.
If I end up joining the Fourth Division, peace and quiet might be hard to come by...
Tch.
He chuckled softly.
His spiritual pressure and body were still weak, but when it came to pure swordsmanship, he actually had some confidence.
"What did the Fourth Division vice-captain want with you?"
His friend Shūhei had entered the room and finally spoke up.
"Oh, nothing. Just making connections."
"You bastard..." Shūhei gave him a look full of envy.
"Huh?"
"So damn jealous!"
"Then work harder." Nobu laughed, clapping him hard on the shoulder.
There was another reason he didn't want to graduate early—life at Shin'ō Academy was honestly pretty comfortable.
He'd once told Shūhei: School is great. Being a student is the best...
No real pressure. No annoying people around him. Just days spent with friends. He wished these days would last a little longer.
And so the days passed—calm, relaxed, and full of small interludes.
Sometimes there were minor incidents—disputes between student council members and the general student body. Kanisawa-senpai was notoriously strict and unyielding. Conflicts between the disciplinary committee and students were nothing new.
But Nobu didn't see those as real problems. Occasionally, he'd visit the headmaster's office to discuss the council's future. He had less than two years left at the Academy, but Sasakibe-sensei would remain in his post for much longer.
His relationships with both Momo and Rukia continued to deepen.
Yet once affection levels passed a certain threshold, they increased very slowly. After another two months, Rukia had only just reached the low 70s.
Momo still hadn't hit 80.
At one point, Nobu was ruffling Rukia's hair when Momo walked in and caught them in the act. Her affection dropped slightly on the spot.
It felt like such a waste, especially since Rukia's affection didn't increase from that gesture.
At this stage—over 70—every single point was hard-earned.
Nobu estimated that within the system, affection from 1 to 100 meant:
50+: good friends
60+: close friends
70+: intimate, like family
But affection didn't just represent platonic friendship.
Since the system only displayed affection values for girls, those numbers often carried mixed implications. Take Isane—he had a friendly relationship with her, but her affection was only in the 40s.
Meanwhile, Matsumoto Rangiku had over 60 affection points toward him—but their relationship wasn't as close as Rukia's had been at the same level.
Rangiku liking him romantically? Not a chance. Nobu, knowing the original story, understood full well her heart belonged only to Gin.
If anything, it might represent a sort of admiration. Even if she never said anything nice about him, she clearly acknowledged him in her own way.
But in the end, affection was just a number. It couldn't capture the true nature of a relationship.
It didn't mean you could do anything just because affection hit a certain point.
It could just as easily represent trust deep enough to entrust someone with your life. For now, Nobu wasn't planning to pursue any of the women shown on the system interface romantically.
Still, that "Home Run Reward" icon stared back at him.
Of course I want to collect every reward possible from every girl!
But his growing closeness with Momo and Rukia had brought their relationships to a delicate balance.
It made Nobu conflicted—because if he treated one of them better, the other's affection would drop.
Momo's feelings clearly had a strong romantic element, tinged with possessiveness. No one likes sharing someone they love.
Even the smallest gesture of affection toward Rukia, if Momo saw it, could upset her. She wouldn't say anything aloud or show it on her face—but the change in her affection score told him everything.
Of course, since they weren't officially in any kind of romantic relationship, she had no right to be angry.
Momo and Rukia...
How to choose between them?
Nobu was starting to think seriously about it.
Affection reaching 90 would unlock the Home Run Reward. And with Rukia already bound as a Shinigami Covenant, reaching that milestone would also unlock a third reward and allow a second Covenant to be bound.
The system was just cold lines of text. But Momo and Rukia were living, breathing people—each with thoughts and feelings of their own.
This wasn't some 18+ dating sim where pushing a button raised affection.
If he focused entirely on Momo, reaching 90 would likely be faster—and he'd earn that reward. But then Rukia would fall behind.
And it worked the other way too. Rukia's affection wouldn't necessarily reach 90 any time soon.
Nobu let out a sigh.
This is going to be tricky.
---
T/N: dont worry bonus chaps will be released on sunday
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