Turning his head to look at the scowling boy, Kazuma's voice lost its playful edge.
"You keep saying you want to stay here to take care of your grandmother, but it is precisely because you don't know how to control your massive spiritual power that you're making her suffer like this. If I'm not mistaken, the cold in this room is growing more intense by the day, isn't it?"
Tōshirō bit his pale lip and looked away, saying nothing.
"If this goes on, her frail body will eventually give out," Kazuma continued, his tone softening slightly as he watched the boy's internal struggle.
"Is freezing her to death what you call protection? Join the Academy! Learn to control this curse, and both of your lives will improve."
Seeing the deep hesitation and contemplation in Tōshirō's eyes, Kazuma decided to force his hand.
He stepped forward and added, "I won't force you right now, but I am going to place a temporary seal on your core to prevent your spiritual power from going completely out of control. However, my seal won't last forever. The day it shatters, your Reishi will erupt so violently that both you and your grandmother will freeze to death."
Drawing his Zanpakutō just an inch from its scabbard, Kazuma tapped the pommel against the boy's chest and murmured a silent command to Hokushin.
Heavy, starlight-infused Reishi flared from the blade, wrapping around Tōshirō as it exerted a crushing, localized gravitational pressure directly on his Hakusui.
The wildly leaking spiritual power was forcefully suppressed, and only then did the biting frost in the room finally stop spreading.
Feeling the agonizing cold recede from his own skin, Tōshirō let out a shaky breath and muttered a low, "Thank you…"
"You're welcome," Kazuma said with a smile, gently patting the boy's frozen shoulder. "I trust you'll make the right choice before time runs out. We'll be back."
...
Leaving the small hut behind, Kazuma and Rangiku stepped back out into the quiet streets of the Rukongai.
As they walked toward the Seireitei gates, Rangiku kept glancing sideways at Kazuma, looking as if she desperately wanted to ask something but did not quite know how to bring it up.
Catching her troubled expression, Kazuma's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Don't worry, Rangiku. We can talk more openly once we're back in my office."
Knowing the Vice-Captain was bursting with questions about his ruthless ultimatum, Kazuma wanted to wait until they were behind closed doors.
Rangiku gave him a puzzled but compliant nod, trusting that a senior Captain had a logical reason for his seemingly cruel words.
When they finally returned to the Seventh Division barracks, Rangiku followed Kazuma into his private office.
Her sharp eyes immediately landed on an elegant set of sake cups and a familiar ceramic flask displayed on the low table.
Examining the set closely, she tilted her head in confusion, absolutely certain she had seen the expensive craftsmanship somewhere before but unable to pinpoint the exact memory.
Seeing Rangiku staring so intently at the sake set, Kazuma laughed and sat behind his desk.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" he asked, a teasing hint of humor in his voice. "I swiped the entire set from Captain Kyōraku a few weeks ago when he wasn't looking."
A sudden realization washed over Rangiku's face, and she let out a bright chuckle.
Her mood lightened considerably upon realizing that the notoriously terrifying Captain Kazuma was actually laid-back enough to casually rob Shunsui of his favorite drinking set.
Pouring a generous cup of sake for his guest, Kazuma leaned back and asked, "Now, what was it you were dying to ask me back in the slums? Go ahead."
Taking a grateful sip of the stolen liquor, Rangiku set the cup down, her expression turning serious.
"Captain Kazuma, you told Tōshirō that your seal was temporary and would eventually shatter, endangering him and his grandmother. But as a Captain, shouldn't you be perfectly capable of suppressing a child's Spiritual Pressure permanently?"
Kazuma chuckled, swirling the sake in his own cup.
"Rangiku, do you remember what the Captain-Commander's primary objective was?"
"Of course. It's to persuade Tōshirō to join the Gotei 13," Rangiku answered, hitting the essential point before her eyes widened.
She slapped her forehead in sudden understanding.
"I get it now. You lied to him on purpose, didn't you? By creating a ticking clock, it'll be much easier to force his hand the next time we visit."
"Exactly," Kazuma said with a slight nod, setting his cup down. "If he is truly unwilling to join, we can't physically drag him to the Academy without breaking his spirit. Doing this places immense pressure on him while proving our sincerity, because we genuinely need him to realize that mastering his power is the only way to save his family."
Rangiku sighed heavily, tracing the rim of her cup.
"But isn't a death threat a bit cruel for a child? What if he stubbornly refuses to make a decision in time? Wouldn't that psychological burden crush him?"
"That won't happen," Kazuma said breezily, waving a dismissive hand. "My gravitational seal is perfectly stable and will last indefinitely, so we only need to return at the right moment and claim he's out of time. However, I still want you to keep a close eye on the boy's condition. Notify me immediately if his Reiatsu spikes."
Rangiku nodded solemnly.
"I understand, Captain Kazuma."
Raising his cup, Kazuma drained it in one gulp.
"I believe the kid will make the wise choice."
....
When Kazuma and Rangiku visited the dilapidated hut again a few days later, they were met by a much calmer, more resolute boy who opened the door before they even knocked.
"I've thought it over," Tōshirō said, looking directly into Kazuma's ancient eyes without flinching. "I want to join the Gotei 13."
Kazuma smiled warmly and nodded.
"Welcome aboard, kid."
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Tōshirō crossed his arms defensively.
"But I have one condition. I want to bring my grandmother with me."
Pondering the logistical nightmare for a moment, Kazuma gently shook his head.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Tōshirō. The Seireitei's atmosphere is incredibly dense with Reishi, making it toxic for an ordinary soul to live in. The ambient pressure would crush her."
"Then could you let my grandmother live in a safe district nearby?" Tōshirō quickly countered, desperation leaking into his voice.
"Somewhere close to the walls, so I can go back to visit her every day."
Looking down at the fiercely protective boy, Kazuma could not help but admire his filial devotion.
"That shouldn't be a problem," he agreed easily. "I'll pull some strings and do my best to arrange a comfortable home for her in the First District."
...
On a bright, sunny morning a few weeks later, Kazuma walked a highly bewildered Tōshirō up to the sprawling gates of the Shin'ō Academy.
"Hey, old man, didn't you want me to join the Gotei 13?" Tōshirō asked curiously, looking around at the massive campus.
"Why did you bring me to a school?"
Kazuma's face instantly darkened at the disrespectful form of address.
He glared fiercely down at the white-haired boy and snapped, "Don't call me old man, you brat! Call me Captain Kazuma!"
Shrinking back slightly from the terrifying Captain's glare, Tōshirō still could not help muttering under his breath.
"But you act exactly like a lazy old man…"
Sighing helplessly at the boy's sharp tongue, Kazuma pointed toward the towering lecture halls.
"This is the Shin'ō Academy, the mandatory institution every Shinigami must graduate from. Here, you will learn how to properly contain your Spiritual Pressure while mastering the four essential combat arts: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō. Only after surviving systematic training can you actually put on a uniform."
Tōshirō's eyes sparkled with sudden, intense excitement as the reality of mastering his ice finally sank in.
"Oh, so that's how it works! Then stop dragging your feet and let's hurry up and go in!"
Watching the boy eagerly march toward the admissions office, Kazuma shook his head in fond exasperation.
"This kid sure is impatient."
Although the Academy's formal term had started months ago, Kazuma's status as a veteran Captain meant that any day he personally marched a recruit through the front gates was officially the first day of school.
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