Chapter 5: Ichigo's Tutor Is That Man
The standard uniform for Shin'ō Academy students is a variation based on traditional kimono, with a distinctive style that, paired with the wooden school buildings, evokes the atmosphere of an old-fashioned private academy.
However, some people are destined to struggle blending into this atmosphere as ordinary students.
For instance, Sōma and Ichigo, and also Yuyu Yayahara.
No one would doubt her claim of loving modern culture, given her overly trendy appearance—not only did she wear light lip gloss and eyeshadow with defined eyebrows, but her lustrous golden hair was tied into a side ponytail, and her delicate youthful skin was artificially tanned to a soft, chocolate-like hue.
She looked every bit like a JK deeply influenced by the modern gyaru fashion.
So much so that Ichigo couldn't help but ask, "Did you also just arrive from the living world?"
"Nope, I was born in Seireitei. My family runs a clothing store that heavily references trends from the living world, and it's super popular. I got curious and started learning about it, and then I just couldn't stop~"
Yuyu waved her hand like a maneki-neko, cheerfully divulging her personal interests without a care.
"I can see that…"
Ichigo's mouth twitched slightly as he restrained himself from commenting further on her makeup. Anyone with normal taste would find the gyaru style a bit too sweet and cloying, like coffee with too much sugar—hard to swallow.
"Clothing from the living world, huh? It's different from Rukongai. Seireitei is much more up-to-date than I imagined."
Sōma mused thoughtfully.
"Ah, this is troublesome."
[What's wrong?]
Rindo wrote on the desk.
"Nothing, just thinking about future living arrangements."
"What are you talking about?"
Ichigo habitually inquired.
"Well, back in the living world, you'd take part-time jobs during holidays, right?"
"Hmm... I think I get it. You want to earn some money to live luxuriously here, so you're considering business ideas inspired by living world culture. If even one product succeeds, you wouldn't have to worry about living expenses."
"Exactly, but Yayahara's words reminded me: the Soul Society might only appear backward on the surface. In reality, it could be intentional. Some of those things already exist here, or there's simply no market demand—though that's debatable. Anyway, money isn't easy to come by."
Sōma sounded somewhat disappointed.
He had originally hoped to establish a Shirogane conglomerate in the Soul Society, to show those nobles clinging to past glories what a new-era capitalist looks like.
"Now that you mention it, our living stipends are provided by Shin'ō Academy, just enough for basic food, clothing, and necessities. We can't expect anything beyond that, like buying a few sets of living-world-style clothes from Yayahara's family store."
Ichigo scratched his head, realizing the severity of the situation.
"If you come, I can give you the lowest discount!"
Yuyu cheerfully made a peace sign and winked cutely.
"We'll discuss that later."
Noticing the teacher's arrival, Sōma promptly ended the conversation.
However, this encounter served as a starting point, and they gradually became more familiar with each other.
Mainly because Yuyu took great pleasure in privately engaging them in conversations about the living world.
To outsiders, it appeared that, following Rindo, the "prodigy duo" had now recruited the "fourth-ranked" student of their year into their ranks, forming the most conspicuous clique in Shin'ō Academy.
The other academy students watched with envy and wished to join them, but they couldn't help but hesitate before the high threshold of the senior officers, whose Reiatsu was at least seventh-class.
Unconsciously, a week had passed since the start of the semester.
Various subjects were taught one after another.
Sōma, with his fervent passion for learning, barely noticed the passage of time.
One afternoon, at the sword training hall.
Bang!
A thunderous strike landed on Ichigo. Had it been a real blade, it would have carved a massive gash from his shoulder to his abdomen, severing ribs and exposing internal organs.
So he was grateful to be facing a wooden sword.
There was still a chance to turn the tables.
"I won't be defeated by the same move twice!"
Blocking the slash, steadying his stance, and seizing the opening after his opponent's technique peaked to counter swiftly—from this perspective, his combat will and reflexes were commendable, worthy of a "superior" rating from the nearby kendo instructor.
Unfortunately, Sōma was simply inhuman, calmly deflecting Ichigo's relentless assault without so much as a sway, like a reef battered by ocean waves.
Once he grew accustomed to the attack rhythm, he abruptly stepped forward after a parry, akin to a police officer wielding a riot shield, using his physique and weapon size to forcibly push the offender back until they stumbled.
Then, with a sudden withdrawal, he created ample swinging space and delivered a standard "karate chop" from the front to decisively knock his opponent down.
Though in practice, it felt more like overpowering his foe with brute force.
"Damn it, your swordsmanship and combat skills aren't even better than mine, yet I can't win no matter how I fight," Ichigo grumbled, rubbing his sore wrist joints, both frustrated and resigned.
"That's the charm of raw stats," Sōma remarked, wiping sweat with the towel handed to him by Yuyu.
"But you've improved quickly. To think you can hold your own against me for this long—you were defeated in one move at the start. I'd say it won't be long before you can..."
"Before I can beat you?"
"Before you can lose more gracefully."
Hearing this, Ichigo nearly lost his composure, a vein bulging on his forehead as he forced a smile. "Oh, really? Care to test that? I feel like I can go another round. You can try the same strategy again and see if it works."
Sōma looked back at him with pity.
"Don't waste your energy. Even if I used no strategy at all, I could still outlast you through endurance alone. I just didn't want to waste time doing so."
"You bastard...! Just you wait!" Ichigo gritted his teeth, secretly vowing to find an opportunity to mock him back someday.
"You two are really driven. Are all students in the living world like you?" Yuyu quipped from the sidelines.
"That depends on the country. But this guy is just disgusted with his own Kidō. He thinks his self-destructive Kidō style prevents him from improving comprehensively, so he's desperately compensating in other areas," Sōma mercilessly exposed Ichigo's thoughts.
Over the past week, each person's classroom performance had clearly highlighted the importance of innate talent.
Take their small group, for instance.
Yuyu was lively and energetic, with sharp senses and quick learning abilities, but she was willful, showing enthusiasm only for basic training like hand-to-hand combat and flash steps while displaying little interest in swordsmanship and Kidō classes, resulting in average grades.
This type of academic imbalance frustrated the teachers even more, earning her an early label as a "problem child."
Rindo, despite being deaf and mute, possessed an unexpectedly strong spirit and an almost abnormal level of Reiryoku control, making him a natural prodigy in Kidō. He learned Kidō as if divinely aided.
However, his performance in other areas was lackluster, merely meeting the standards expected of a first-class student.
However, compared to Yuyu, he was at least willing to study and train diligently.
Ichigo specialized in swordsmanship and Hakuda, overflowing with visible combat talent that amazed every teacher who saw him. They praised him as a natural-born powerhouse, the best successor for the Gotei 13's captains.
Yet, they fell silent upon learning he nearly blew up the entire training ground with "Shakkahō" during Kidō class.
The evaluation of him as captain material wasn't retracted—they just mentally added an extra note: "Eleventh Squad only."
Finally, there was Sōma.
His performance lived up to his unprecedented top entrance exam score.
He was the orthodox genius everyone recognized.
Proficient in swordsmanship, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—excelling in all areas.
Moreover, thanks to the Märchen Dragon's Blood granting him physical enhancement and a growth buff, he held significant natural advantages in swordsmanship and Hakuda.
This directly thwarted Ichigo's plan to reclaim the top spot in those two subjects, regain his pride while getting stronger.
"You're just good at Shakkahō, acting like you're so much better at Kidō than me. And when it comes to going all out, you've got no right to criticize me."
Ichigo curled his lip.
"Sneaking in extra training at night without sleeping—where do you even get the energy?"
"?"
Yuyu widened her eyes, staring at Sōma in disbelief.
To her, Ichigo was already diligent, spending most of his free time studying—surprisingly earnest, unlike his rebellious appearance.
She never expected someone even more hardcore.
All-night training? And they'd only been enrolled for a week.
Was that really necessary?
"I only tried it once, and you just happened to catch me."
It was an experiment with "Compound Potion."
It turned out the stuff could only alleviate fatigue from staying up late, not replenish energy depleted over a full day.
So Sōma promptly abandoned that approach.
Just then, Rindō wrote a line.
[There's a calligraphy class this afternoon. Is everyone going?]
"Calligraphy class... not really interested. Though I heard the teacher is a popular captain, I don't want to miss the new living world goods that just arrived today. So I'll pass~"
Yuyu tapped her chin, pondered for a moment, and finally shook her head regretfully.
"Me too. I already promised the swordsmanship instructor for sparring practice—can't bail. But I need to visit the calligraphy teacher for something, so I'll stop by after class."
Although the academy head had made accommodations, "cultural literacy" was Ichigo's weak point.
This was also reflected in his daily studies.
Sometimes he couldn't even grasp the textbook's grammar, struggling to understand, and often had to ask Sōma for help.
Ichigo never liked bothering others.
Fortunately, the academy head had foresight and already arranged a tutor.
Specifically, the calligraphy instructor.
Since the instructor rarely taught classes, today was the first chance to meet.
"Then Rindō and I will go check it out."
Sōma thought it over. An ordinary calligraphy class was optional, but he couldn't miss the chance to learn from "that person's" calligraphy lesson.
"Alright! See you after class then."
Ichigo perked up, thinking he'd closed the gap a bit while the other was stuck in culture class.
Unaware that Sōma also had a "Growth Potential +1000%" buff. At least in basic swordsmanship and Hakuda training, catching up through normal means was pretty much hopeless.