Every year there are candidates like this.
The Human World has only just entered the 21st century; there are plenty of people who can't afford an education, let alone Rukongai, where resources are scarce, and education falling behind is perfectly normal.
While native residents born from the union of souls are more likely to possess spiritual power aptitude, they don't have any inherent advantage in cultural literacy.
The Spirit Arts Academy will not lower its requirements because of this.
The entire curriculum spans six years.
This amount of time is barely enough to learn the basic skills of a Shinigami.
If a portion of this time were to be used for a literacy class, it would inevitably impact the progress of combat skill courses, leading to a decline in the overall combat proficiency of graduates.
This is not conducive to the "Gotei's great undertaking"!
For the sake of the Gotei 13 and personal safety, these individuals can only be ruthlessly eliminated.
The Headmaster had no objections to this.
The entrance examination is neither particularly difficult nor particularly simple.
First, candidates must possess a certain degree of spiritual power aptitude and basic cultural literacy.
These are mandatory conditions.
Then, scores are assigned based on combat proficiency, such as physical ability and sensitivity to Kido, and the top dozens of candidates are selected from highest to lowest scores, divided into Class One and Class Two for admission, while the rest are eliminated.
Those who are eliminated simply aren't skilled enough, so there's nothing to feel wronged about.
In a sense, not letting them pass is actually for their own good.
The same applies to illiterates.
The Headmaster wanted to change the admission method and expand the scale, but he never considered lowering the difficulty.
On this point, he firmly stood on the same side as the sages of Central 46.
Mentioning the changes, the Headmaster couldn't help but exclaim, "The detection device from the Technical Development Bureau is much better than the old system!"
"As soon as a person sits in the chair, all the data comes out, which not only solves labor costs but also eliminates errors from misjudgment."
It could be said that it was the convenience brought by scientific technology that gave the Headmaster hope for a successful reform, but Central 46 did not see it that way.
"It's good, but it's too expensive," Uryunahara Gengo muttered. He strongly suspected that the Technical Development Bureau had inflated the price and heavily overcharged the Spirit Arts Academy.
"Hmm… that face looks a bit familiar."
They were currently standing inside the testing room, observing the candidates through a glass window, much like in a laboratory.
The Headmaster looked at the orange-haired young man and couldn't help but stroke his chin.
Suddenly, an examiner exclaimed, "Spiritual Pressure Level Four?! Potential ability data failed, unable to assess?!"
The Headmaster and Uryunahara Gengo were stunned, then looked at each other, catching the undisguised surprise in each other's eyes once they reacted.
And the surprise wasn't over yet.
The next candidate to enter brought even more shock to everyone present.
"Spiritual Pressure Level Four… Potential ability data failed… Also unable to assess…"
The examiner swallowed, looking somewhat helplessly at the Headmaster.
At this moment, the Headmaster himself was also frozen in place, only snapping out of it after a while, taking a deep breath to barely calm himself.
"Have the background checks on the two candidates been completed?"
"Yes, they were two souls who were guided to the Soul Society yesterday. They are currently staying in Junrinan, and obtained their entry permits through a local elder as their introducer. The preparation tickets and procedures are all in order."
The examiner quickly responded.
"It's good that there are no problems, it's good that there are no problems…"
The Headmaster murmured to himself, appearing relatively calm, but Uryunahara Gengo couldn't help but glance at him.
What the hell do you mean, "no problems"?
They aren't native residents from Rukongai, nor are they from the Four Great Noble Clans.
They are merely deceased human souls, yet they possess such high concentrations of spiritual power. Is this supposed to be normal?
Spiritual Pressure Level Five and Spiritual Pressure Level Four are only possessed by Shinigami of Lieutenant level.
They haven't even obtained a Zanpakuto, nor have they touched Shinigami power, yet they can already rival Lieutenant level Shinigami. Is this supposed to be normal?!
How embarrassing for people like Abarai, who worked hard for decades to reach the position of Lieutenant!
Uryunahara Gengo's emotions were complex.
On one hand, there was the heartache of his proud students being surpassed by "mere" humans.
On the other hand, he was excited because these two monstrous candidates would certainly enter Class One, replacing people like Abarai and becoming his most proud students in the future.
"However, Headmaster…"
At this moment, the examiner stammered, seemingly having something difficult to say.
"What's wrong?"
The Headmaster frowned.
"Please see for yourself."
The examiner handed over a report.
The Headmaster took it and glanced at it, and Uryunahara Gengo also leaned in curiously.
"Kurosaki ichigo… Kurosaki, a surname I haven't heard of. It seems looking familiar was just a coincidence. Spiritual Pressure Level Four, overall evaluation excellent."
"Shimiya Takeru, Spiritual Pressure Level Four, overall evaluation excellent."
"All points deducted for Kido talent… but compared to other Freshmen, they are still far superior. Where in the world is there a perfect genius? I believe that when they become Captains in the future, they will certainly be impeccable."
Wait!
The Headmaster suddenly noticed a note under Kurosaki ichigo's report card that read "Cultural Literacy Failed" and couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Uryunahara Gengo adjusted his glasses, his face also filled with astonishment.
"This…"
The two exchanged glances; the shift from extreme excitement to extreme depression was instantaneous.
"Didn't you say the Human World is very developed now…?"
"Headmaster, Teacher Uryunahara, the Human World is developing too quickly, and there might be some small differences in grammar."
The examiner explained tactfully.
"Then why isn't the other one affected?"
"Well… perhaps there's also a small difference in their cultural levels."
"Is that so? Is there a difference?"
The Headmaster asked, puzzled.
"…"
The examiner blinked, somewhat bewildered.
"Ahem, Headmaster, your insight is sharp. These two candidates differ in age by three years. The so-called difference wouldn't exist if their ages were the same. It's like you can't compare a teenager to an adult; the former certainly won't have as much life experience as the latter."
Uryunahara Gengo explained earnestly.
"However, the Spirit Arts Academy is a place for teaching and imparting knowledge. We cannot turn them away simply because they lack experience; rather, it should be the opposite."
"Furthermore, the mission of the Spirit Arts Academy is to cultivate Shinigami, and their Shinigami talent is unparalleled. Moreover, child prodigies are intelligent and quick-witted, so this level of backwardness can be quickly caught up."
"That's right! We cannot miss out on excellent students due to stereotypes and formalism. That would go against the original intention of Head-Captain Yamamoto when he founded the Spirit Arts Academy."
The Headmaster casually put the report into his robes and instructed the examiner, "Once you've finalized the grades, file them directly. Also, don't mention such erroneous remarks again in the future, or I'll have to consider giving you a different position to reflect on your actions."
"…Headmaster is wise."
The examiner was about to say, "Didn't you take the report card?", but upon hearing the latter part of the statement, his eyelids twitched.
…
"Why do you understand Ancient Japanese?!"
In the corridor outside the Spirit Arts Academy examination hall, it was a common phenomenon for candidates to discuss the exam content and their respective performances.
And discovering with surprise that one's roommate was a top student inevitably led to frustration.
"I am a cultured person."
Facing a dejected Ichigo, Shimiya Takeru appeared very straightforward.
"Am I not? My grades were among the best in school."
"But I'm planning to become a folklorist in the future. The Archaeology Research Lab of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Letters has already opened its doors to me."
"…Then I have nothing to say."
Ichigo had to concede.
"By the way, I won't fail because of this, will I? I just wrote down random answers based on feeling for many questions."
"Trust your feelings; your instincts are definitely fine. If there's a problem, it's the Spirit Arts Academy's problem, and they should solve their own problems."
"I hope so. I don't want to go through the Eleventh Division's route. Dealing with battle maniacs, please spare me. I dislike fighting the most."
"Exactly, we're both honest people. The higher-ups of the Spirit Arts Academy are also well-versed in the art of education. Wielding a teaching whip, they must also be of noble character and certainly wouldn't mind making appropriate exceptions."
Shimiya Takeru nodded in agreement.
Chapter 4: Which High School Boy Can Refuse a Big Toy?
Three days later, the Spirit Arts Academy Auditorium held its new entrance ceremony as scheduled.
Shimiya Takeru, needless to say, and Ichigo "as expected" also successfully passed, even ranking on the list with a score second only to the former.
From the moment the announcement was posted, the two became highly anticipated prodigies.
Rumors even began circulating within the Gotei 13.
The Headmaster, feeling honored, spoke with exceptional enthusiasm from the podium.
He completely failed to notice that his two highly esteemed students—one was staring blankly, lost in thought, and the other was trying to keep a straight face, afraid he would yawn.
However, Shimiya Takeru wasn't actually spacing out; he was exploring his golden finger.
[Great as you are, you not only harmed the Son of Destiny but also broke the Soul Society Spirit Arts Academy's admission record with the best score in history. You have obtained a 'Compound Potion']
「Compound Potion」: Upon consumption, restores a small amount of spiritual pressure and stamina. Usable twice. Refreshes the next day.
Setting aside the slander of murdering the Son of Destiny, Shimiya Takeru had already initially figured out the principle of his golden finger over the past few days.
In short, it could be regarded as an "achievement compendium."
Completing a certain feat or triggering a specific event would cause ink-wash painting-style narration text to appear, like a bard singing an epic.
Then, perhaps it was spoils of war, perhaps a reward from destiny, or perhaps a tribute offered to a legend.
The name didn't matter.
In any case, he would gain some benefits.
Therefore, Shimiya Takeru decided to call this golden finger the [machine soul], which sounded very fitting for the Soul Society.
Regarding the second admission gift given by the [machine soul].
He was quite satisfied.
After all, how much advantage he could gain from the miracle of transmigration, and what his talent ceiling was, remained an unknown.
Although he had temporarily surpassed the numerical monster beside him with a superior score, he would still need to put in two hundred times the effort to avoid being left behind.
A potion that could help with training progress was worth a fortune.
"Phew, I'm alive again."
The ceremony ended, and on the way back to the dorm, Ichigo walked while stretching his neck and shoulder joints.
"It was only an hour."