Support me on patreon:
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
Early Access and + 60 chapter ahead of webnovel monthly, ur support keeps me motivated...thanks and enjoy reading
Chapter 30 is out on patreon
_______________
The morning classes flew by in a blur.
Following the explosive conclusion of the Kendo period, not a single student dared to approach Lu Li for a sparring match. However, Lu Li wasn't content to just sit around and brood over the past. He proactively sought out Sosuke Aizen for a friendly bout.
The end result was a flawless, one-sided victory for Lu Li—at least, on the surface. But behind the wooden swords, it was impossible to gauge the truth. Even at this young age, heaven only knew what terrifying depths Aizen's true combat proficiency had reached.
"You really didn't pull your punches, Lu Li. I thought I could last at least a few more exchanges," Aizen lamented as they walked to the cafeteria. Despite his complaining tone, a faint, impenetrable smile lingered on his lips.
"I have a feeling your true strength goes far beyond that, Sosuke. I hope I get to spar with you when you're in better condition," Lu Li replied. He didn't bother trying to tear off Aizen's carefully crafted mask, simply expressing his genuine thirst for battling strong opponents.
"Then I will do my best to learn more Zanjutsu techniques from you," Aizen chuckled warmly, leading the way around a corner. "You haven't been to the cafeteria yet, have you? I'll show you the way. The Shin'o Academy actually provides quite a lavish spread."
Hearing this, Lu Li's eyes practically lit up. He hadn't eaten a proper meal in ages.
Last night, Unohana had brought him to the Academy extremely late. After a brief word with the housing instructor, he was sent straight to his dorm. This morning, Aizen had advised him to skip breakfast and dragged him straight to class. Aizen had likely predicted that Instructor Fujimoto would aggressively test his Kendo skills, but he clearly hadn't predicted the actual outcome of the spar.
"It's huge..."
Stepping into the massive cafeteria, Lu Li was genuinely shocked. He stared at the endless rows of food stations, inhaling the rich, savory aroma of freshly cooked meals. He swallowed hard.
"Sosuke... does the food here cost money?" Lu Li asked cautiously. Just yesterday, he was a vagrant in District 80. He didn't have a single Kan to his name.
Aizen didn't miss a beat, guiding Lu Li toward one of the serving lines. "Don't worry. Considering a significant portion of the Academy's students hail from Rukongai, there are plenty of free stations available. Personally, I find the tofu here to be quite excellent."
"Free? And all-you-can-eat?"
The word "free" instantly reinvigorated Lu Li. He was absolutely starving. Between the grueling interrogations at the corporate black site and his time wandering the slums, he hadn't touched actual human food in months. Right on cue, his stomach let out a thunderous, embarrassing growl.
Aizen heard the rumble and cast a peculiar glance at his roommate. He had harbored some slight suspicions about Lu Li's background as a vagrant, but right now, the guy truly looked like a starving street dog.
"Yes, it's free, and there's no limit. You can eat as much as you want, provided you don't waste anything. The cafeteria ladies can be quite fearsome if you throw away good food," Aizen warned, stepping up to the counter.
The lunch lady clearly recognized Aizen. Beaming at the polite young man, she greeted him warmly.
"One serving of Mapo Tofu, please."
"You really do love your tofu, don't you?" The lady laughed, plating a perfect, measured portion, clearly familiar with Aizen's usual appetite.
Then, it was Lu Li's turn. He scanned the dizzying array of hot food behind the glass before looking at the lady with a slightly sheepish expression. "Ma'am, could I get one of everything?"
The lunch lady blinked, taken aback. "Everything? You mean a little scoop of each?"
Lu Li shook his head. Ignoring Aizen's increasingly bewildered stare, he clarified, "I mean one full serving of every single dish you have, matched to the size of Sosuke's tofu. Oh, and a large metal basin of rice... if that's alright?"
The cafeteria lady was utterly dumbfounded. She looked the handsome, rugged young man up and down, her eyes lingering on his flat stomach. Can this boy really eat that much?
Sensing the awkward tension, Aizen smoothly intervened. "Ma'am, Lu Li just arrived at the Academy yesterday, and he hasn't eaten in quite some time. He also has an exceptionally large appetite. Please go ahead and serve him. If he can't finish it, I'll help him."
Lu Li cast Aizen a surprised look. He hadn't expected his roommate to vouch for him so easily. Whether Aizen was just meticulously maintaining his "model student" persona or had some ulterior motive, Lu Li didn't care. He was starving, and he mentally noted the favor.
"Well... if Sosuke says it's fine..." The lady relented, charmed as always by Aizen.
She began dishing out the food. Several heavy metal trays later, topped off with a literal basin of steamed white rice, she pushed the mountain of food toward Lu Li with a highly skeptical glare. "...You better not waste a single grain."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll polish off every last bite," Lu Li promised.
He balanced four heavy metal trays on his arms and was just about to hoist the massive basin of rice onto his head when Aizen smoothly picked it up for him.
"Let's go, there's an empty table over there. You really had better finish all this, because I won't be of much help," Aizen sighed, glancing at the ridiculous vat of rice in his hands. He seriously wondered where his roommate derived this supreme confidence in his own digestive tract.
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Taking his seat, Lu Li practically snatched the basin of rice from Aizen's hands. Under his roommate's deeply unsettled gaze, he began to inhale the food like a localized hurricane.
It wasn't just Aizen. The surrounding students stared in absolute horror as the new transfer student shoveled food from an industrial-sized basin, entirely forgetting to chew their own meals.
Halfway through the mountain of food, Lu Li noticed Aizen staring at him. Swallowing a massive mouthful of meat and rice, he looked up. "Sosuke, why aren't you eating?"
"Oh... I was just lost in thought," Aizen replied, finally snapping out of his daze and taking a delicate spoonful of his Mapo Tofu.
Aizen rarely experienced genuine surprise, but today, this roommate had caught him off guard multiple times. First, it was his transcendent, brutal swordsmanship. Now, it was his apocalyptic appetite. Watching Lu Li demolish the food, Aizen silently concluded that out of every student in the Shin'o Academy, Lu Li was undoubtedly draining the free cafeteria's budget the most.
In record time, the mountain of food vanished. Lu Li patted his slightly bloated stomach with profound satisfaction, feeling completely reborn.
Back in his old world, the Corporation had kept him alive purely through intravenous nutrient drips. Real, organically cooked meals were practically extinct artifacts of the Old Era. This cafeteria lunch was easily the greatest feast he had ever eaten in his life.
As his stomach settled, a warm, soothing energy began to radiate outward, seeping into his bones and muscles. This was the miraculous nature of Soul Society cuisine. Everything here was composed of Reishi. Eating this food was the equivalent of directly absorbing high-density spiritual energy. It was a phenomenal recovery method, and a long-term diet of high-quality Reishi meals could theoretically permanently increase one's Spiritual Pressure.
Of course, active meditation and training were the primary methods for boosting Reiatsu, but he hadn't taken any Kido or spiritual refinement classes yet.
On the walk back to the dorms, Aizen trailed slightly behind Lu Li. Beneath the rim of his glasses, his deep brown eyes flickered with a dark, intense curiosity—like a child who had just found a fascinating new toy.
He had a distinct feeling that his new roommate was, in a very specific way, a monster cut from the exact same cloth as himself. At the very least, he was a peerless combat genius.
His Zanjutsu is that devastating... but what about his Hakuda? His Shunpo? His Kido?
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk graced Aizen's lips before vanishing instantly.
Lu Li... these next few years are going to be endlessly entertaining.
...
"In chaotic, close-quarters combat scenarios, a Soul Reaper must occasionally rely on offensive and defensive techniques entirely independent of their Zanpakuto..."
Up at the podium, the afternoon instructor was droning on about the theoretical foundations of Hakuda—hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps someone in the administration had tipped the teachers off about Lu Li lacking formal education, because the instructor spent the entire first half of the class thoroughly explaining the absolute basics.
For Lu Li, it was agonizingly boring. He was practically fighting to keep his eyes open.
Aizen, on the other hand, sat perfectly upright, diligently taking notes. He was the immaculate picture of a dedicated, straight-A student.
"...Now then, we will transition into practical sparring exercises."
The instructor's gaze swept across the room. He paused briefly on Lu Li before shifting his eyes toward a girl sitting in the back. "Student Shihouin. You have the highest marks in Hakuda. You will partner with our new transfer student and walk him through the basics."
Lu Li followed the instructor's gaze. The girl sitting lazily by the window had rich, dark chocolate skin and messy, vibrant purple hair. She had the natural, athletic build of a fierce predator.
Except right now, her head was tilted back, her eyes were shut tight, and a thin line of drool was escaping the corner of her mouth. She was completely dead to the world, deeply engrossed in her afternoon nap, even sporting a goofy grin as if she was having a wonderful dream.
"Student Shihouin!" the instructor barked, his voice rising a few octaves in clear irritation.
Despite his anger, he didn't move to discipline her. The rest of the class didn't seem surprised either, implying that this chronically asleep girl possessed enough status or raw talent to easily get away with her blatant disrespect.
"Huh?! Present!"
Startled by the shout, the girl jolted awake. Like a frightened cat, she sprang directly out of her seat, flipping gracefully through the air before landing silently on her feet.
Watching the scene unfold, Lu Li's eyes gleamed with amusement. Things are definitely getting interesting.
A beautiful, dark-skinned girl with purple hair, bearing the noble surname 'Shihouin', and perfectly matching the timeline... This could only be Yoruichi Shihouin.
While he had read the canon manga, the exact timeline and ages of the Captains were always incredibly vague. Mathematically, it made sense that Aizen and Yoruichi were from the same general generation, but he hadn't expected them to be in the exact same academy cohort. No wonder Yoruichi spoke to Aizen with such familiar, mocking disdain in the future canon—they were literally old classmates.
Lu Li hadn't seen her during the morning Kendo class. Knowing her personality, she had probably skipped it entirely to take a nap.
Staring at the dried drool still clinging to the corner of Yoruichi's mouth, the instructor rubbed his temples in utter defeat. "We have a new transfer student today. You will spar with him and teach him the fundamental strikes of Hakuda."