Shin'ō Academy, Freshmen Entrance Ceremony.
Having attended an unknown number of these ceremonies over the years, Soifon sat composed in the faculty office, waiting for this year's student roster to be delivered.
Time seemed to have left no marks upon her, save for her youthful features maturing and becoming even more refined. The ringed-braids tied behind her head had also grown slightly longer.
As her body developed, her spiritual pressure grew steadily each year, finally breaking through the threshold of the 2nd Spiritual Rank this year.
Even her Zanpakutō, Suzumebachi, found it hard to believe. It was a scene of vibrant vitality, as if all things were competing for growth.
Except, of course, for her eternally unchanging height.
"Captain Soifon, aren't you going to watch the entrance ceremony? I heard the quality of this year's freshmen is quite good."
Sōsuke Aizen's warm and elegant voice drifted over from beside her.
"Then let's head out." Soifon set her teacup on the table and glanced sideways at him. "However, I don't possess the same charisma as Captain Aizen. It wouldn't be good if I ended up scaring them."
Perhaps because her confidence had grown along with her strength, Soifon was now able to converse with Aizen as if nothing were wrong.
At the very least, she could hold her own long enough for the Captain-Commander to come save her. Even if she couldn't win, she could at least act tough.
It was strange; ever since she had given Rangiku Matsumoto that Second Division Soul Pager years ago, the soul disappearance incidents seemed to have intentionally avoided Rangiku.
While they still occurred occasionally, they always happened in patrol zones assigned to others. That Soul Pager had now essentially become a tool for the two of them to chat.
"After all, Captain Soifon is powerful, unlike me, who can only teach calligraphy classes."
Aizen gave a nonchalant smile, reaching up to push the thick, black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Speaking of which, Aizen's calligraphy was truly top-tier. Even the Captain-Commander himself had requested a piece from him to hang in his office for appreciation.
Soifon donned the white Haori that symbolized her status as a Captain and walked out of the office side-by-side with Sōsuke Aizen.
On the vast open plaza of the Shin'ō Academy, the freshmen were lined up in neat rows, listening to the Headmaster's tedious speech.
It wasn't until the Headmaster introduced the guest Captain-level part-time teachers that the somewhat dull atmosphere noticeably warmed up.
Under the awe-filled gazes of the freshmen, Soifon and Sōsuke Aizen stepped onto the stage together, scrutinizing this year's crop of students.
Soifon maintained her usual expressionless facade, while Aizen's gentle temperament earned him high popularity among the students.
Truly worthy of being called 'Aizen the Deceiver.'
Her gaze calmly swept over the dense crowd of freshmen below, eventually settling on the position of Class 1.
By convention, as the special instructor for Hakuda and Shunpo, she was only responsible for Class 1, which held the most talented students.
The moment her eyes scanned Class 1, Soifon's brow twitched slightly. This year actually featured several familiar faces.
Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, and Izuru Kira.
Wait, it felt like someone was missing... Where was her big-headed Rukia?
Wasn't Rukia supposed to have enrolled in the same year as them?
With a hint of confusion, Soifon's gaze shifted from Class 1 to the adjacent Class 2. Finally, she spotted the girl with the 'onion-top' hair in the front row.
She was actually in Class 2?
At that moment, Rukia was looking up with eyes full of longing. When she saw the high-and-mighty Captain Soifon looking toward her, she excitedly met her gaze.
Soifon, now a seasoned veteran of such situations, didn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment at being caught 'peeping.' Instead, she smiled and gave Rukia a slight nod.
This was probably the mutual appreciation between members of the 'Flat-Chested Alliance.'
"Wait, did Captain Soifon just look over here and smile?"
Soifon's smile made the students of Class 2 surge with excitement, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
"She was clearly looking at my side..."
"What does this mean? It means our Class 2 has the potential of a Captain!"
"What's so great about Class 1? The Captain didn't even spare them a glance. It has to be our Class 2..."
The culprit standing on the stage listened to the students' gossip, looking away toward the distant scenery as if it had nothing to do with her.
However, Aizen, standing beside her, looked over with some surprise after hearing the whispers from the Class 2 students.
Soifon actually smiled at the students of Class 2?
He would definitely have to see just what kind of 'sacred being' was over there.
Below the stage, the whispers of the freshmen hadn't entirely subsided. Renji Abarai nudged Izuru Kira with his elbow and lowered his voice.
"Hey, Kira, that Captain of the Second Division doesn't look like she's much older than us..."
Izuru Kira, addressed by his friend, stole a glance at Soifon but didn't dare to respond.
Momo Hinamori, standing nearby, also whispered an anxious warning: "Renji! That's so rude!"
However, with Soifon's hearing, these whispers were heard with crystalline clarity.
She glanced indifferently toward Renji Abarai's position. Her expression didn't change, but she silently made a mental note against this red-headed punk.
After the brief appearance concluded, Soifon and Aizen left the stage and returned to the faculty office.
At her desk, Soifon picked up the freshmen entrance scorecards and class assignments that the administrative staff had just delivered.
She was simply curious. Why was Rukia assigned to Class 2?
Her finger slid across the Class 1 list, her gaze lingering momentarily on several familiar names before quickly flipping to the back to find the Class 2 roster.
Near the top, she saw the name 'Rukia.' She discovered that her score in the Kendo category was significantly lower than her other subjects. No wonder she had been filtered out of Class 1.
"Captain Soifon, are there some good prospects this year?"
Aizen, holding his teacup, teased her with a chuckle.
After all, Soifon never used to look at student records like this; she usually just judged them based on their performance in class.
"I don't know if they're good prospects or not." Soifon didn't stop flipping through the pages. "But for those who dare to gossip about a Captain down there, I find it necessary to properly correct that bad habit of theirs."
Soifon didn't say she was looking for Rukia's name. She simply used that red-head Renji Abarai as a scapegoat. She didn't believe Aizen hadn't heard them earlier.
"It was indeed a bit disrespectful." Aizen took a sip of tea, sounding quite in agreement. "I will also give them a good lecture during calligraphy class on Captain Soifon's behalf."
Soifon nodded. "Then I'll leave that to Captain Aizen's care."
She tucked the roster into her robes, said her goodbyes, and left the office first.
As the door closed, the habitually warm smile on Aizen's face became meaningful. He returned to his own desk and picked up the freshman list, examining it closely.
Was there something special about this batch of freshmen?
Sōsuke Aizen admitted that when it came to identifying talent, Soifon truly possessed a gift greater than his own.
Take Shūhei Hisagi from the previous year, for example. He was a freshman who had failed the entrance exam several times, yet Soifon had insisted on moving him to Class 1 despite everyone's objections over his mediocre grades.
Even Sōsuke Aizen hadn't thought much of him at first.
Yet, within that single year, Shūhei Hisagi's talent began to manifest. He mastered Shikai and became the top student of his year.
Though he still wasn't worth much in Aizen's eyes, he could be considered a named piece of cannon fodder, qualified to grace his Hollowfication experiment operating table.
Shaking his head, Aizen scanned the freshman list and entrance grade book in the blink of an eye.
[Momo Hinamori.]
An ordinary freshman, yet for some reason, Aizen's gaze lingered on her name for a second.
How strange. Why did his hand feel so itchy upon seeing this name?
He really wanted to give her a stab.
_______
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