Chapter 3: Honest People Don't Bully Honest People
The Headmaster of the Spirit Arts Academy was not considered a truly high ranking figure in Seireitei.
Take one of his successors as an example. That man would only be a Third Seat of the Fifth Division who later transferred into the position.
The current Headmaster was a pragmatic officer who had retired from the First Division and then taken the job.
There were many Shinigami like him in the Soul Society, people who quietly devoted themselves to their duties and never even appeared on stage.
Especially since, in the not too distant future, he and most of the teachers would die at the hands of Quincy soldiers while protecting their students, he would never have a chance to shine at all.
But this tough old man, who adhered to the spirit of the original Gotei, had never cared about such things.
He only hoped that the Spirit Arts Academy could produce more outstanding students and contribute to the great cause of protecting the Soul Society and maintaining the balance of the three realms.
That was why, every year at this time, the Headmaster personally supervised the entrance examinations on the front lines.
Day after day, until the exams ended.
"Alas, ever since Captain Hitsugaya graduated, the overall quality of the students has been declining year by year. How am I supposed to report this to Genryusai sama?"
Even though he treated all students equally, he was not blind.
He knew that special talents like Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake, who possessed paired Zanpakuto, pure prodigies like Kaien Shiba and Gin Ichimaru, and super geniuses like Toshiro Hitsugaya, who appeared once in a millennium, were all coincidences.
The current lukewarm situation was normal.
Even so, the Headmaster was still not satisfied. He was not disappointed in the students themselves, but in the current teaching model.
In his view, work should be like kendo, pressing forward boldly and diligently without ever slackening. The moment you stopped moving forward, it meant the path had gone astray or reached its limit.
Those geniuses were proof that the Spirit Arts Academy's ability to discover talent had not yet reached its ceiling. There had to be excellent prospects hidden in unknown corners, still waiting to be brought into the light.
The Spirit Arts Academy should change its philosophy, innovate, and bring those prospects under its wing.
Only then would the strength of the Gotei Thirteen visibly grow.
It was a pity that, although he had the courage to innovate, the Spirit Arts Academy was ultimately just one institution under the authority of Central 46, and as Headmaster he did not have the power to change the rules.
This left him feeling deeply helpless.
Seeing his mood, Uryunahara Gengo, an elite instructor accompanying him, spoke up to comfort him.
"Headmaster, do not be discouraged. This year we already have two new students with level seven spiritual pressure, and in the upper grades we even have elite nobles like the heir of the Shihoin family. Overall, the situation is much better than before."
"You do not understand. This is only temporary glory. It changes nothing. Besides, there is no point placing hope in noble born talents. Of course they are outstanding. The Spirit Arts Academy has very little to teach them."
The Headmaster shook his head.
"Those two new students, on the other hand, even if they are not on the same level as the famous graduates of the past, and even if their grades are uneven to the point that some people call them problem children, if I had to choose between them and the great nobles, I would still choose them."
"Speaking of nobles, I heard someone from the Kuchiki family was sent to the World of the Living on assignment?"
"So I have heard."
"She came here from Rukongai and was in Class Two at the time. Many people do not think much of her now, but I trust Captain Ukitake's judgment. She will be the best candidate to inherit the post of vice captain."
"Her? Vice captain?"
Uryunahara Gengo clearly did not agree. Still, with the Kuchiki family backing her, it was not impossible.
However, she was destined to be overshadowed by her peers like Abarai and the others.
They were already vice captains.
Even the two new students this year, Hachihara Kumajiro and Rindo Yu, could, on pure strength alone, become high ranking seated officers as soon as they graduated and then aim for vice captain.
On paper, they had far brighter futures than the adopted daughter of the Kuchiki family.
The conversation about nobles did not continue.
For the rest of the time, the two of them walked around the examination hall, watching a few "illiterate" candidates get screened out because they could not read or write well enough and had poor cultural literacy.
Every year there were candidates like that.
The World of the Living had only just entered the twenty first century. There were plenty of people who still could not afford schooling. In Rukongai, where resources were scarce, education lagging behind was perfectly normal.
And while the souls born in Rukongai were more likely to have a natural aptitude for spiritual power, they had no inherent advantage in cultural literacy at all.
The Spirit Arts Academy would not lower its requirements because of this.
The full course of study lasted six years.
That amount of time was only barely enough to cover the basic skills required of a Shinigami.
If part of that time had to be used to teach basic literacy classes, the progress of combat courses would inevitably be affected, and the overall proficiency of the graduates would drop.
That would not be beneficial to the Gotei's great undertaking.
For the sake of the Gotei Thirteen and for the safety of the students themselves, such candidates could only be eliminated without mercy.
The Headmaster had no objection to that.
The entrance examination was neither especially difficult nor especially easy.
First, candidates had to meet mandatory requirements in spiritual power aptitude and basic cultural literacy.
After that, they were scored on combat related abilities, such as physical strength and sensitivity to Kido. From highest to lowest, the top candidates were chosen and split into Class One and Class Two. The rest were eliminated.
Those who failed were simply not strong enough. There was nothing unjust about it.
In a sense, failing them was actually doing them a favor.
The same applied to the illiterate.
The Headmaster wanted to change the admissions model and expand the scale, but he had never considered lowering the bar.
On that point, he stood firmly on the same side as the sages of Central 46.
Thinking of reforms, the Headmaster could not help but sigh.
"The detection device developed by the Research and Development Institute is much better than the old system. As soon as a person sits in the chair, all of their data appears right away. It not only reduces labor costs, it also eliminates human error in judgment."
It could be said that the convenience brought by scientific technology had given the Headmaster hope that reforms might succeed. Central 46, however, did not see it that way.
"It is good, but it is too expensive," Uryunahara Gengo muttered. He strongly suspected that the Research and Development Institute had padded the numbers and overcharged the Spirit Arts Academy.
"Hmm... that face looks a little familiar."
They were standing inside the testing room, watching the candidates through a glass window, like researchers observing specimens in a laboratory.
The Headmaster looked at the orange haired young man and unconsciously stroked his chin.
Just then an examiner suddenly shouted, "Spiritual pressure level four? Potential ability data failed, unable to assess?"
The Headmaster and Uryunahara Gengo were both stunned. When they finally reacted, they looked at one another and clearly saw the undisguised shock in each other's eyes.
And the surprises were not over yet.
The very next candidate who came in left everyone even more astonished.
"Spiritual pressure level four... potential ability data failed... also unable to assess..."
The examiner swallowed hard, then looked helplessly toward the Headmaster.
At this moment, the Headmaster himself was frozen and only snapped out of it after a while. He took a deep breath and barely managed to calm down.
"Have the background checks on these two candidates been completed?"
"Yes. They are two souls who were guided to the Soul Society yesterday. They are currently living in Junrinan and got their entry permits through a local elder who introduced them. Their preparation tickets and all other procedures are in order."
The examiner answered quickly.
"It is good that there are no problems, it is good that there are no problems..."
The Headmaster muttered to himself, trying to sound calm. Uryunahara Gengo could not help glancing at him.
What do you mean, no problems?
They were not natives of Rukongai, nor did they belong to any of the four great noble families.
They were merely deceased human souls, yet they possessed such high concentrations of spiritual power. How was that normal?
Spiritual pressure level five and level four were normally found only among vice captain level Shinigami.
These two had not even obtained Zanpakuto yet, had never touched Shinigami powers at all, and were already comparable to vice captains. How was that normal?
How was someone like Abarai, who had worked for decades to reach his current rank, supposed to feel about this?
Uryunahara Gengo's emotions were complicated.
On one hand, he felt heartache for his proud students, who were being overtaken by "mere" humans.
On the other hand, he was excited. With these two monster level candidates entering the school, they would surely be assigned to Class One, replace Abarai and the others, and one day become his greatest pride.
"However, Headmaster..."
At that moment the examiner hesitated, as if he had something difficult to say.
"What is it?"
The Headmaster frowned.
"Please look for yourself."
The examiner handed over a report.
The Headmaster took it and glanced over it. Uryunahara Gengo leaned in as well, curious.
"Kurosaki Ichigo... Kurosaki? I have never heard that surname before. So that sense of familiarity really was just my imagination. Spiritual pressure level four, overall evaluation excellent."
"Shimiya Takeru, spiritual pressure level four, overall evaluation excellent."
"All points deducted in Kido talent... but compared to other new students, they are still overwhelmingly superior. There is no such thing as a perfect genius anyway. Once they become captains in the future, they will certainly be flawless."
Wait.
The Headmaster suddenly noticed a note at the bottom of Kurosaki Ichigo's report card that read "Cultural literacy failed" and his eyes widened.
Uryunahara Gengo adjusted his glasses, his face also filled with disbelief.
"This..."
The two of them exchanged looks. Their emotions fell from soaring excitement to crushing disappointment in an instant.
"Did you not say that the World of the Living is well developed now?"
"Headmaster, Teacher Uryunahara, the World of the Living is developing very quickly. There may be some small differences in grammar here and there."
The examiner answered tactfully.
"Then why was the other one not affected?"
"Well... perhaps there is also a small difference in their cultural levels."
"Is that so? There is a difference?"
The Headmaster asked in confusion.
"..."
The examiner blinked, clearly at a loss.
"Ahem. Headmaster, you are truly perceptive. These two candidates differ in age by three years. If their ages were the same, this so called difference would not exist. It is like comparing a teenager to an adult. Of course the former will not have as much life experience as the latter."
Uryunahara Gengo explained with a straight face.
"However, the Spirit Arts Academy is an institution of teaching. We cannot refuse to accept them because of a lack of experience. In fact, it should be the opposite."
"More importantly, the mission of the Spirit Arts Academy is to cultivate Shinigami, and their talent in that regard is unmatched. Child prodigies are sharp and quick witted, so this level of backwardness can be made up in no time."
"That is right. We cannot turn away excellent students just because of stereotypes and formalism. That would go against the original intention of Head Captain Yamamoto when he founded the Spirit Arts Academy."
The Headmaster casually slipped the report into his robes and instructed the examiner, "Once the grades are finalized, file them directly. And do not bring up this kind of mistaken remark again in the future. Otherwise I will have to consider assigning you to a different post so you can reflect on your actions."
"...Headmaster is wise."
The examiner had originally wanted to say, "But you just took their report cards," yet when he heard the latter part of the sentence, his eyelids twitched violently and he swallowed the words back down.
…
"Why do you even understand ancient Japanese?"
In the corridor outside the Spirit Arts Academy examination hall, it was normal for candidates to discuss the exam questions and compare how they had done.
Realizing with shock that your own roommate was secretly a top student was also a common source of frustration.
"I am a man of culture."
Faced with Ichigo's look of defeat, Shimiya Takeru answered with perfect composure.
"Am I not? My grades were among the best in school."
"But I plan to become a folklorist in the future. The Archeology Research Lab in the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo has already opened its doors to me."
"...Then there is nothing I can say."
Ichigo could only admit defeat.
"By the way, I am not going to fail because of this, right? I pretty much wrote random answers by feel on a lot of the questions."
"Trust your instincts. Your gut will not fail you. If there is a problem, it will be the Spirit Arts Academy's problem, and they can deal with it themselves."
"I hope so. I really do not want to enter through the Eleventh Division route. Being surrounded by battle maniacs sounds exhausting. I hate fighting the most."
"Exactly. We are both honest people. The higher ups of the Spirit Arts Academy are experts in education. Since they wield the teaching whip, they must also be noble in character. Honest people like that would never bully honest people like us and will certainly be willing to make reasonable exceptions."
Shimiya Takeru nodded confidently.