BOOM!
A massive crater was blasted into the ground over ten meters away.
Tsunayashiro Aofuji stood frozen in place, staring dumbly back at the pulverized earth behind him.
That bolt of White Lightning just now—it had practically grazed his cheek as it flew past!
"I... I lost... I'm sorry."
Aofuji lowered his head in frustration.
No matter how you looked at it, Kai had shown him mercy. Aofuji knew that much.
Otherwise, that bolt wouldn't have just grazed his cheek.
It would have punched a hole through his skull or his heart.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding me? That Byakurai... even the top ten A-rank students would have trouble pulling that off, right?"
"Tsunayashiro Aofuji actually lost?"
"Since when can a dead-last student use a Byakurai with that kind of destructive power?"
The students looked on, completely bewildered.
Crap. Did I overdo it?
But I clearly held back as much as I could.
Kai was stunned too.
Just as he was trying to come up with an excuse to gloss over the situation, several students ran over from the distance, shouting excitedly.
"It's great! Captain Aizen is here to demonstrate his Zanpakutō's power again!"
"Man, Captain Aizen is so approachable. I can't believe he takes time out of his schedule just to guide us on learning Shikai."
"If I say Captain Aizen is the coolest, no one's gonna argue with me, right?"
"Say no more. In a month, I'm joining Captain Aizen's Fifth Division. I'm gonna follow him anywhere!"
The students chattered excitedly.
For these "rookies"—mere Soul Reaper candidates—Shikai was practically the ultimate, unattainable skill.
Once you learned Shikai, the lowest rank you'd get in the Gotei 13 was a Seated Officer position.
It was, quite literally, a ticket to the big leagues.
So...
Kai rolled his eyes and flopped onto the ground.
"Sensei, my brother fainted!"
"I see. It must be because that Byakurai just now was a fluke performance. He released all his spiritual pressure at once and exhausted himself. Take him to rest."
Prompted by the instructor's words, the students who had been shocked earlier suddenly realized the "truth."
"So it really was just luck."
"I knew it. There's no way Kai could actually beat Aofuji."
...
Inside the Dojo Rest Area
"Your acting sucks."
Rukia tossed Kai onto the bed with a look of disgust.
"Is it really that bad?"
The very next second, Kai—who was supposedly unconscious—opened his eyes and leaned back against the headboard.
"Even that idiot Renji is a better actor than you."
Rukia rolled her eyes beautifully, the ahoge on her head bobbing up and down.
Kai stared at it, unblinking. He wanted to pet it.
"What are you looking at?"
Guarding her head like she was warding off a thief, Rukia covered her hair, blushing slightly as she huffed tsundere-style, "Don't think just because you stood up for me that I'll let you pet me."
Kai: "..."
Girl, the way you're acting makes it seem like you WANT me to pet you.
"By the way... isn't Captain Aizen a little too approachable? He's at the Academy demonstrating his Zanpakutō again?"
After hesitating for a few seconds, Rukia squirmed a bit before asking curiously in her sweet, girlish voice.
"Well, maybe he just genuinely wants to show off..."
Yeah, right.
Kai kept his expression blank.
Aizen was doing this purely because he played 4D chess. He was hypnotizing every single future Soul Reaper student to prevent any tiny, unforeseen variables from messing up his plans later.
For example, every few decades, the Academy would produce a few "geniuses."
Like Gin Ichimaru. Or Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Pre-hypnotizing these geniuses who would inevitably become high-ranking officers in the Gotei 13 was just the tip of the iceberg in Aizen's watertight plan.
"Hey, what if we joined the Fifth Division in a month too? Being led by a gentle captain like Captain Aizen... it seems like a pretty good choice, doesn't it?"
Rukia tilted her head, her delicate face looking surprisingly serious, as if she had really thought this through.
"Absolutely not! Get that crazy idea out of your head right now!"
Kai rejected it sternly.
Join Aizen's division?
Are you kidding me?!
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Kai was about to roast her for even suggesting it, a knock came from the door.
A man wearing glasses stood in the doorway. He wore a white captain's haori and had a gentle smile on his face. "It seems I've come at a bad time. My apologies for the intrusion."
Kai's face stiffened.
"Is... Is that Captain Aizen?!"
Rukia's pupils shrank, and she hurriedly stood up.
Captain of the Fifth Division, Sōsuke Aizen. Wasn't he outside demonstrating his Zanpakutō to the students?
Why was he here?
"Rukia, is it? May I speak with your brother privately for a moment?"
"Don't worry, it won't take long. I won't take up too much of your time together."
Aizen pushed up his glasses, smiling as if making small talk.
"Who... Who's spending time with him?!"
Like a shy little girl, steam practically shot out of Rukia's ears. Her face turned beet red, and she dashed out of the room—thump, thump, thump—thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
"She really is adorable, isn't she? Miss Rukia."
After offering a compliment, Aizen turned his gaze to the young man lying on the bed. His voice dripped with seductive charisma.
"Kai-kun. Come... do my bidding in the Fifth Division."