Night crept in quietly as time slipped by.
Like a greedy stray dog, it devoured the last sliver of sunset at the edge of the sky, swallowing it whole until the vast expanse of Soul Society was dyed in complete darkness.
Moonlight spilled across the world like cold water.
The stars seemed as though they were falling—one, two, three, four—lined together and hanging low in the curtain of the night.
The scene shifted back to the library of the Shinō Academy.
Inside, the library director—a middle-aged man in a black kimono with a locust-wood disciplinary ruler tucked beneath his arm—walked to a desk in the corner.
His name was Fujino Genrokurō.
He raised a finger and tapped lightly on the desk.
Tap. Tap.
"My apologies, student. Though I dislike interrupting your studies... the library is now well past closing time!" Fujino pointed to the old clock on the wall.
"Ah—sorry, sensei. I got a little absorbed in reading and lost track of time."
He smiled apologetically, slid a bookmark into the book he was reading, and handed it back.
Fujino accepted the book before adjusting the thick glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Name and class," he said. "Report to the disciplinary office after school tomorrow to accept punishment."
Then he glanced at the cover of the book Taichi had just returned and raised an eyebrow.
"You're a first-year student, aren't you?"
"This book—The Twelve Applications of Spiritual Pressure—is a bit advanced for you."
"I'd recommend starting with something more basic. Perhaps The Instant I Mastered Hohō."
"Thank you, sensei," Taichi replied politely. "But… I've already finished that one."
"Oh?"
Fujino blinked.
"Then what about Traveling with a Gillian?"
"Also read it."
Taichi nodded.
"The protagonist, Rokugami Iori, was based on the Second Kenpachi, Fūma Unkin—the legendary swordsman said to have slain a Gillian with a single strike."
"…I see."
Fujino was momentarily taken aback. Just as he was about to speak, he barked toward a bookshelf behind him, "Mizuki! I'm about to close the library!"
A voice called from the entrance.
"What? There's still someone inside?"
Taichi's heart skipped a beat.
Wait…
I thought I was the last one here.
There's someone else?!
"U-Um… s-sorry, Fujino-sensei!" A soft voice spoke up. "I got lost in the ocean of knowledge…"
There was a faint rustling sound as a girl stepped out from behind one of the tall bookshelves.
She wore the white-and-red academy uniform, her long hair tied in a single ponytail.
Her expression was timid and nervous.
"That's a creative excuse," Fujino said flatly.
"But I think it would sound even better when you tell it to Saitō-sensei."
"Huh?!"
The girl panicked instantly. "Please don't tell my father!"
Her eyes widened as she stared at Fujino anxiously.
"Fujino-sensei, I promise I won't do it again!"
"I understand your enthusiasm for learning," Fujino replied, his face unmoved. "But rules are rules. No one is allowed to break—"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Without even looking, he flicked the ruler in his hand toward the doorway.
Thwack!
"Aaagh!"
A miserable cry rang out.
Fūjin Taichi—who had been quietly trying to sneak out—was struck squarely in the back of the head and collapsed onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Fujino remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened.
"…break them."
He finished his sentence smoothly.
"So."
He looked at the girl first.
"First-year Class One, Saitō Mizuki."
Then his gaze shifted to the groaning boy on the ground.
"And you."
"What's your name? Which class?"
Taichi slowly pushed himself up, rubbing the back of his head while baring his teeth in pain.
"…Taichi. Fūjin Taichi. First-year, Class Two."
"Oh?"
Fujino looked mildly surprised.
"Saitō's class, hm?"
He examined Taichi more closely.
"I didn't expect a student from the lower-tier class to be this diligent."
"…."
Taichi said nothing.
After all, it was the truth.
Arguing would only make him look foolish.
Better to keep growing quietly, he thought.
One day… I'll shock everyone.
"Well then."
Fujino adjusted his glasses once more.
"First-year Class One, Saitō Mizuki."
"And First-year Class Two, Fūjin Taichi."
"You two will report to the disciplinary office tomorrow."
"You're dismissed."
"Yes, sir…"
They answered in unison.
Then, like two defeated fugitives, the pair hurried past Fujino and dashed out of the library—disappearing into the quiet night.
Fujino Genrokurō glanced at the book in his hand and raised an eyebrow.
"Hm? The daughter of a Kidō Corps family… and she's reading something as ridiculous as The Wind-Controlling Blade?"
He let out a soft sigh.
After returning both the book and his disciplinary ruler to their proper places, the old librarian picked up a lantern and slowly disappeared into the dim corridor of the academy.
...
"Um… Fūjin-kun, I'll be heading off now."
After leaving the library, Saitō Mizuki quickly said goodbye.
"Okay, Saitō-san." Fūjin Taichi nodded and watched her walk away before turning toward the boys' dormitory by himself.
During their time studying at the Shinō Academy, Shinigami students received free meals, housing, and textbooks.
Of course, "free" meant only the bare minimum.
The meals were strictly standardized.
Breakfast was two slices of toast with kelp soup.
Lunch was a piece of grilled cod, a small plate of sweet corn stir-fried with baby bok choy, a bowl of rice, and—of course—kelp soup.
Dinner consisted of two pieces of sushi… and kelp soup again.
On holidays—or when a captain from the Gotei 13 came to inspect the academy—the cafeteria might generously add one or two eggs to each meal.
If students found the food too bland to swallow, they could always pay extra, just like the nobles, to enjoy better dishes and a private dining area.
Alternatively, students admitted to the Special Advancement Class received far superior meals by default.
The dormitories were equally simple.
Ten people to a room.
Each room contained a single large storage cabinet and ten sleeping spots.
Every night, the students spread their futons across the tatami mats to make their beds. In the morning, they stuffed the bedding back into the cabinet with the rest of their belongings before rushing to the communal bathhouse to wash up.
And just like that, another day began.
If someone disliked communal living, they could—again—pay for an upgrade.
Single rooms, double rooms, four-person suites… the fewer the occupants, the higher the price.
Students in the Special Advancement Class enjoyed near-noble treatment in this regard as well—four people per room, complete with a private bathroom.
As for Fūjin Taichi…
On the first day of school, he had applied for the free dormitory.
His room was located in the remote Reiwa Dormitory Building, tucked away at the far edge of the academy grounds.
Ten people per room.
Besides himself, the room housed:
Kibune Makoto,
Gekkō Senpū,
Ōki,
Mizuyoshi,
Randenji Ichiryū,
Matsumoto Kogorō,
Matsumoto Korokurō,
Entaiko,
and Shimada Genzō.
Taichi glanced at the empty bedding spot closest to the door.
"Kibune, where's Fujiwara? Still not back?"
Kibune Makoto shook his head.
"No idea. Haven't seen him all night."
"I see…"
Taichi walked over to locker number three, took out his bedding, and spread it neatly across the tatami.
He then removed his white-and-blue academy uniform and folded it carefully beside the futon.
"Stop waiting for that guy and put the lights out already!" someone in the corner complained.
Taichi shrugged.
He got back up, blew out the oil lamp on the wall, and lay down again.
By then, someone nearby was already snoring like a chainsaw.
"Fūjin," Kibune Makoto whispered from the bed to his left, "where did you go tonight?"
"Stopped by the library. Ran into a pretty girl."
Taichi kept the explanation brief.
"Oh? How was the library? Did you find anything interesting?"
Kibune seemed completely uninterested in the "pretty girl" part and instead focused on the library.
Taichi sighed inwardly.
Seriously…
Is there anything more interesting in this world than meeting a cute girl?
What kind of priorities does this guy have…
Outwardly, however, he simply gestured for Kibune to go to sleep and rolled over.
"Pfft. Two clueless bumpkins…"
Lying on Taichi's right side, Ōki sneered silently to himself.
Pretty girl?
In this entire academy, who could possibly be prettier than Hanako?
"Heh… Hanako belongs to me…"
He yawned, pulled the blanket over his head, and fell asleep within moments.
Soon, thunderous snores filled the room, wave after wave—so loud it made everyone's scalp tingle.
Taichi sighed.
"No wonder Fujiwara Tatsuma never wants to come back to the dorm…"
Shaking his head, he slowly sat up on his bedding and closed his eyes.
Gradually, he entered a state of meditation.
...
The next morning.
Ōki woke from a pleasant dream.
He sat up slowly, gazing at the morning sunlight streaming through the window.
Then he noticed something.
The bedding spot by the door…
was still empty.
His eyes widened.
"Don't tell me that guy Fujiwara Tatsuma didn't come back all night?!"
"No," Gekkō Senpū replied from nearby while putting on his uniform.
"He came back very late, slept for a bit, then left again early this morning."
"Oh, right. Fūjin Taichi and Kibune Makoto also got up pretty early."
"They're probably… at the training hall by now."
"Damn it! I can't fall behind those guys!"
Ōki immediately threw off his blanket, stuffed the bedding into his locker in a messy bundle, and grabbed his academy uniform.
He was already pulling it on while rushing toward the door.
"Hey! Ōki, what are you doing?!"
Gekkō Senpū stared at him in confusion and quickly reached out to stop him.
"Shut up!" Ōki snapped impatiently.
Still yanking up his pants, he dashed out of the dormitory.
Moments later, the sound of heavy, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, growing fainter and fainter until it vanished completely.
Then—
"Ōki!!"
"You took my pants with you!!"
Standing in the room wearing nothing but his shirt, Gekkō Senpū clutched a blue waist sash with tears in his eyes.
Under the bright morning sun streaming through the window, his perfectly pale backside gleamed with blinding brilliance.