"What's wrong, Vice-Captain Ichimaru?" Saitō Jūshirō asked.
"Nothing at all!"
Ichimaru Gin curled his right hand, slipping the withered yellow leaf into his wide sleeve. Then he smiled and said to Saitō:
"Saitō-sensei! Do you remember? When I first enrolled, you even taught me Kidō."
"Vice-Captain Ichimaru, forgive me for being blunt…"
Saitō Jūshirō shook his head. He had taught countless students over the years, and had long forgotten someone like Ichimaru Gin—
Even if Gin had once been a boy genius who graduated from the Shin'ō Academy after only one year of study.
But in Saitō Jūshirō's eyes, students as talented as Ichimaru Gin had been as numerous as fish crossing a river during his teaching career.
Yet very few of them would truly shine in the future.
The reason was simple: many of these so-called geniuses relied on their superior spiritual power and natural talent, neglecting the basic training of "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō."
As a result, after joining the Gotei 13, their strengths ironically became their greatest weaknesses.
When fighting Hollows or enemies, they were often among the groups with the highest casualty rates.
Because of this, Saitō Jūshirō wasn't particularly fond of prodigies.
Instead, he favored hardworking late bloomers like Fūjin Taichi.
Therefore, after the "Library Disciplinary Incident," Saitō Jūshirō had keenly sensed that this student named Fūjin Taichi was special, and had quietly begun observing him.
"I see… what a shame."
Ichimaru Gin shrugged.
As he slowly turned around, his normally closed eyes suddenly opened slightly, revealing a narrow slit.
He quickly examined the boy named Fūjin Taichi, who was walking against the flow of people toward the dojo. A meaningful glint flashed in his pale blue eyes…
"Vice-Captain Ichimaru! The meeting has already begun. Please follow me."
Saitō Jūshirō noticed that Gin seemed to have taken an interest in the student he valued the most.
Without making it obvious, he shifted his body slightly—blocking Gin's line of sight.
"Of course, Saitō-sensei."
Ichimaru Gin closed his eyes again and followed Saitō Jūshirō toward the Shin'ō Academy auditorium.
Meanwhile, the boy named Fūjin Taichi had already disappeared into the sea of people.
...
"1–2–3–4! Leave it there!"
At that moment, Fūjin Taichi was training intensely in Dojo No. 34, sweat pouring down his body.
As his movements repeated over and over, the earlier scene surfaced uncontrollably in his mind—
Ichimaru Gin's narrow gaze, that fleeting yet piercing look, lingered like a thorn in his thoughts.
Even now, it made his instincts prickle.
"…Tch."
Fūjin Taichi clicked his tongue softly and tightened his grip, forcing himself to focus back on training.
Clack!
After delivering the final strike to his imaginary opponent, Fūjin Taichi collapsed onto the ground with a thud. The Asauchi had already been tossed aside as he panted heavily, gulping down mouthful after mouthful of air…
By then, it was already deep into the night. The bright moon had begun to tilt westward, stars scattered across the sky, and the late-night breeze gently brushed the beads of sweat running down both sides of Fūjin Taichi's forehead.
Another day had passed.
Time really flies.
Fūjin Taichi breathed heavily for quite a while before finally calming down. Looking at the starlight outside the dojo, he shook his head and let out a bitter smile. Then he quickly climbed to his feet, picked up a bucket and a rag, and began cleaning.
"Phew…"
After finishing cleaning the dojo, Fūjin Taichi blew out the oil lamp. In an instant, the enormous Dojo No. 34 was plunged into complete darkness—so dark that one could barely see their own hand in front of their face.
However, he had long grown used to loneliness and the night. He tucked the Asauchi back into his belt, then walked out of the dojo beneath the starlight. Following the bluestone path outside, he went all the way to the Little Mirror Lake at the end of the trail.
In the pitch-black night, aside from the occasional sound of wind and the rustling of tree branches, everything around was as silent as death.
It was the perfect moment to focus on Blade Meditation (Jinzen).
Thus, Fūjin Taichi sat cross-legged by the edge of Little Mirror Lake. Breathing in the faint fragrance of cherry blossoms drifting from both banks, he closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, relaxed his body, and emptied his mind—trying his best to bring his heart into a balanced calm and enter a state of clarity.
Tap… tap…
Tap… tap…
Just then, a series of light footsteps broke the silence by the lake.
Fūjin Taichi frowned and turned his head to look behind him.
A male Shinigami wearing a white-and-blue academy uniform appeared in his sight. On his face was a black "69" tattoo.
It was none other than the one known as the "Number One of their class" — Shūhei Hisagi.
"You…"
Shūhei Hisagi walked up to Fūjin Taichi. His star-like eyes stared deeply at him.
"Your name is Fūjin Taichi, right?"
"That's right. And you…"
Imitating Hisagi's half-dead tone of voice, Fūjin Taichi replied,
"…are Shūhei Hisagi from the Special Advancement Class, correct?"
"Mm."
Shūhei Hisagi sat down beside him and looked at the lake filled with drifting pink cherry blossoms. He spoke seriously:
"To meet a companion who works just as hard in a place like this that everyone hates… suddenly the frustrations and troubles from before don't seem worth mentioning anymore."
Although Fūjin Taichi was a transmigrator, he knew very well that he didn't possess any so-called "protagonist destiny." There was no way he could emit some overwhelming kingly aura that would make Shūhei Hisagi instantly swear loyalty to him.
So he glanced at Hisagi and cautiously asked,
"You… came here specifically just to say that?"
"Of course not."
A hint of helplessness appeared on Shūhei Hisagi's face. He sighed deeply and said,
"I just wanted some quiet alone time. But—"
"Hisagi-kun! So you're here!"
With a surprised shout, a petite girl wearing a white-and-red academy uniform hurried over. She had a brown side ponytail tied to one side.
She stared straight at Shūhei Hisagi like a fangirl meeting her idol, her face filled with admiration and infatuation.
"Kanisawa! You… broke the academy dormitory rules again!!"
Shūhei Hisagi said coldly,
"As a woman, yet you throw aside a woman's restraint and pride. How will you ever become an independent Shinigami in the future?!"
"H-Hisagi-kun… I… I was just…"
Kanisawa Hotaru's face instantly turned paler than the moonlight. She wanted to step forward but didn't dare, wanted to leave but couldn't bring herself to do it.
She stood there helplessly, her eyes reddening as if she were about to cry.
"Hey, Hisagi… I think—"
Fūjin Taichi couldn't really bear to watch anymore. Just as he was about to persuade Hisagi to be gentler with a pretty girl, an angry roar suddenly rang out:
"Shūhei Hisagi! You ignorant bastard! What right do you have to say that about Kanisawa?! Do you even know why she keeps breaking the rules?!"
"Shut up, Aoga!"
Kanisawa Hotaru glared at the tall and rather ugly man and said angrily,
"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop following me!"
"S-sorry, Kanisawa! I… I just…"
Aoga became extremely nervous in front of the girl he loved. After stammering for a long time, he finally came up with a clumsy excuse:
"I was just worried about you! So I followed to check on you!"
"…"
Fūjin Taichi looked at the expressionless Shūhei Hisagi, then at the arguing Kanisawa Hotaru and Aoga.
His face was filled with confusion.
What the hell is going on here?
Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed his mind as he remembered the fate of these three.
At once, everything became clear.
So it turns out…
Whether man or woman, simps really do end up dying miserably.
...
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