Chapter 8: The Fifth Division's Treasure
The first Sunday of April.
The weather was exceptionally refreshing after the rain.
Sōma and Ichigo had been invited to visit the Fifth Division.
When they spotted Aizen, he was standing under the corridor of the division barracks, hands tucked into his sleeves, calmly reassuring what appeared to be a subordinate who had made a minor mistake, as gentle as ever.
Sōma and Ichigo waited at the other end of the corridor until he finished handling official matters before approaching to greet him.
"Shirogane-kun, Kurosaki-kun, welcome to the Fifth Division. I hope you didn't encounter any trouble on your way here?"
"Not really, though the journey was a bit long. It would be more convenient if there were some form of transportation, like a bus or something," Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and replied with a wry smile.
"A very reasonable suggestion. I will bring it up at the next captains' meeting with the Captain-Commander and the Central 46," Aizen mused.
This made Ichigo feel somewhat uneasy.
"N-No... there's no need to go that far. It's not completely unbearable, right, Shirogane?"
"To be honest, I don't think buses are that great either. Trains would be better. Speaking of which, what about building a subway underground across various districts? Feels like a promising investment," Sōma pondered, his demeanor strikingly similar to Aizen's.
"Hey!"
"A bold idea, but if it's you two, you might just be able to pull it off."
"Aizen-sensei, shouldn't you be discouraging your students from such wild fantasies at a time like this?"
"Kurosaki-kun, I must correct a mistaken notion. As a teacher, what I should discourage is students giving up on their ideals. No matter how reckless they may seem, that is the privilege of genius," Aizen remarked meaningfully.
Ichigo faintly sensed a hint of extremism in the latter part of that statement, but before he could gather his thoughts to refute it, Sōma cut in, "We can discuss this investment later. Let's get to the main topic for now."
"As Sōma-kun says. But before we begin, let's change locations."
Aizen then led them to the exterior of a building that could be described as either a thatched hut or a dojo.
Though it appeared simple, it occupied an entire independent courtyard and was situated in a core area deep within the division barracks, clearly far humbler in appearance than in reality.
"What are your impressions of the Fifth Division after walking through it?" Aizen suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.
Sōma and Ichigo exchanged glances.
The latter answered first.
"Impressions? Well, if I had to say... even though the uniforms are different from Shin'ō Academy's, the atmosphere here feels somewhat similar."
"You mean 'academic ambiance,' don't you?" Sōma took over.
"Yeah, yeah! It has the feel of an educational institution," Ichigo's eyes lit up.
"I actually had a similar impression, but I think I know the reason for it," Sōma said, turning to Aizen, who smiled without speaking.
"Through my observation, I've noticed that the members of Fifth Division maintain remarkably stable emotions. Their Reiatsu isn't deliberately concealed, yet it feels almost intangible—like breathing or heartbeat, something you notice but pay no mind to. Rather than lacking aggression, it seems they intentionally avoid affecting others."
"Quite the opposite of our friend Kurosaki here, who still can't fully suppress his Reiatsu."
"Hey, no need to use me as an example! I think I've improved quite a bit lately. Even my Kidō instructor praised me just the other day," Ichigo protested with some dissatisfaction.
"Given your situation, any minor improvement would be enough to make your teachers weep with joy... Don't interrupt me. Where was I? Anyway, if you're asking for my impression of Fifth Division, my conclusion is that their Kidō proficiency is likely above average across the board."
Sōma's statement was startling.
Ichigo momentarily forgot his embarrassment and exclaimed, "No way!"
As someone currently receiving education at Shin'ō Academy, he was no longer the clueless substitute Shinigami. He understood exactly what "above average Kidō proficiency" meant.
To put it plainly—even among those who passed graduation exams after six years, more than half wouldn't meet this standard.
Under normal circumstances, unless Fifth Division exclusively recruited Kidō specialists, it would be impossible for all members to achieve such proficiency.
But wouldn't the Kidō Corps file a complaint about this?
Oh, right—both the Kidō Chief and Vice-Chief had defected. With no one leading the protests, I guess it's fine.
Soon, Aizen personally dismissed this seemingly only possibility.
"Shirogane-kun's observation is quite detailed, and your hypothesis is bold. All I can say is... correct. The vast majority of Fifth Division members possess considerable Kidō ability."
"As for the reason," Aizen continued, "it's related to this building behind me."
At this, Sōma and Ichigo instinctively turned their gaze toward the thatched-dojo.
Aizen didn't keep them in suspense, immediately revealing the answer.
"—It has a name: the 'Reiryoku Recovery Room.'"
"As the name suggests, it's a training ground that accelerates recovery of the mental energy consumed when using Kidō."
"With its assistance, squad members can undergo intensive Kidō training during specific periods. Combined with their theoretical knowledge, this genuinely raises their baseline Kidō proficiency."
"Even if limited by talent from mastering higher-level Kidō, I believe achieving castless spells while retaining most of their power—then combining them into new Kidō techniques paired with tactical experience—remains quite an accomplishment."
"Enabling non-geniuses to become strong—this hope is what maintains the squad members' emotional stability."
"Without exaggeration, Fifth Division currently possesses the highest overall Kidō proficiency among the Gotei 13. Of course, we still fall slightly short compared to the Kidō Corps."
He modestly added this last point, even though no Kidō Corps members were present.
"I never imagined Fifth Division had such an amazing facility," Sōma marveled.
The consequences of overexerting mental energy during daily training were far more troublesome than physical exhaustion. Therefore, having a training ground that accelerated mental recovery offered obvious benefits.
Sōma, who possessed the "Compound Potion" enabling him to complete high-intensity daily training without exhausting himself, understood this deeply.
It seemed he would have to visit the Fifth Division frequently from now on.
"So, Aizen-sensei, this place can solve the problem with my body, right?"
Ichigo was growing impatient.
But Aizen shook his head: "I'm sorry, it cannot."
"Huh?"
"Its function is to restore the mental energy consumed by using Kidō, not to help someone control their own Reiatsu. Although it can have an auxiliary effect, it hasn't reached that level yet."
"The more I listen, the more confused I become."
"Very well, let's be direct then... Kurosaki-kun, give up on Kidō."