Chapter 17: The File of Letters

After bidding farewell to Aizen and Gin Ichimaru, Shinji and Rukia returned to the Student Council office.

“That Captain Aizen is truly kind,” Rukia couldn’t help but say. “I was a little nervous at first, but being around him gradually put me at ease.”

Shinji looked at Rukia as she shared her impression of Aizen and thought to himself: You’re not nervous at all, yet I’ve been on edge the whole time.

But now, reflecting on it, he felt his own worries were unnecessary. After all, he was just an ordinary student of the Spiritual Arts Academy; what reason would Aizen have to pay attention to him? Perhaps he had been overthinking from the start.

If he wanted to act normal, he should approach Aizen with the same attitude as Rukia did.

The more fearful and cautious he was, the more likely he was to arouse suspicion.

“Thank you for your hard work, Rukia.”

Rukia shook her head repeatedly. “No, I didn’t really do much, and I attended one of his classes. I learned a lot. Captain Aizen’s philosophies are quite different from what our teachers teach.”

She was referring to Aizen’s lectures for Class A; since she was in Class B, she wouldn’t have had such an opportunity if not for the Student Council.

Shinji guessed what she was thinking and said, “If you work hard, you can enter Class A next year too.”

“I will!” Rukia nodded earnestly.

Renji and Momoiro were in Class A, and she wanted to join that class as well.

“If you ever have questions about your studies, feel free to ask me anytime. I may not be as good as Captain Aizen, but I might be able to help clear things up.”

“Really?” Rukia seemed pleasantly surprised.

[Affinity: 37]

Shinji suddenly smiled and reached out to gently stroke Rukia’s head. She was petite, only reaching his chest, so it was effortless.

Rukia instinctively shrank her neck but didn’t pull away, letting his hand rest on her hair.

“Of course, as long as you’re willing.”

[Affinity: 38]

The touch felt really nice, Shinji thought.

#

Fourth Division Barracks.

“Vice-Captain, this is a student file suddenly sent over from the Spiritual Arts Academy.”

“The Spiritual Arts Academy?”

Vice-Captain Soifon had just entered the barracks when a squad member stopped her. Though it was a day off, it was also the female Soul Reaper Association’s team-building event, held conveniently at the Fourth Division.

Soifon took the file with some surprise. It had only been a month since the semester started—why was a student file arriving now?

“Alright, I understand.”

Soifon had a somewhat stern appearance, but her expression was always gentle. Her silver-gray short hair was adorned with a few delicate braids, presenting her as a very kind woman.

Yet this gentle and beautiful woman stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, towering over almost all the male squad members, which made her somewhat self-conscious.

She carefully examined the file: a profile of a student from the Spiritual Arts Academy.

“Tachikawa Shinji…”

She murmured the name, feeling a vague familiarity. Then she recalled seeing it when the Fourth Division reviewed graduating students near graduation season.

At that time, Shinji Tachikawa was listed among the top students eligible for early graduation.

Recently, the student council at the Spiritual Arts Academy had gained significant attention, and their president was also named Shinji Tachikawa.

The Fourth Division was the medical unit, responsible for emergency treatment and daily healthcare. Compared to other divisions, they had a natural disadvantage in recruiting new members because many Soul Reapers did not choose the Fourth Division as their preferred squad when filling out their applications.

The students’ squad preferences were a crucial reference for their assignments, so many Fourth Division members were assigned based on their performance in the academy’s recovery path courses.

After Soifon finished reading all of Shinji Tachikawa’s information, she suddenly froze.

Putting aside the impressive perfect scores in swordsmanship and movement technique, the last entry concerned his Zanpakutō.

“Specific abilities unknown; possesses healing powers, tentatively classified as recovery type…”

Soifon was stunned and reread the file.

Zanpakutō with healing abilities were exceedingly rare. Even as the Fourth Division’s vice-captain, her own Zanpakutō was ice and snow-based.

Moreover, this was the academy’s top student, excelling in all courses without any weak points. When had such a student ever been assigned to the Fourth Division?

Soifon quickly grabbed the file and hurried to her captain’s resting room.

Upon entering abruptly, she immediately stopped herself.

Inside were not only their captain but also the vice-captains of the Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Divisions: Nanao Ise, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Yachiru Kusajishi.

One of Retsu Unohana’s hobbies was flower arranging, and the women present were core members of the female Soul Reaper Association. Each had a vase in front of her, and the floor was covered with various flowers.

“Soifon, you’re here,” Unohana said with a gentle smile, unfazed by Soifon’s sudden entrance.

“Captain.”

Soifon nodded briefly to the familiar vice-captains. Nanao was attentively following Unohana’s flower arranging, while Rangiku lounged casually, tossing daisies to Yachiru, who was constantly chewing on petals.

The scene was somewhat strange, so Soifon withdrew her gaze and approached Unohana.

“Sorry to interrupt. This is a file sent over from the Spiritual Arts Academy. I thought you should take a look.”

Unohana paused her work, thoughtfully taking the file.

“Soifon, you’ve worked hard,” Rangiku teased, despite her usual disinterest in flower arranging.

“Isn’t today a day off? Why are you still busy?”

“Are you implying I’m an unfit captain?” Unohana smiled softly as she looked at the file.

“…Absolutely not!” Rangiku shivered and shook her head repeatedly.

Soifon explained, “I happened to meet the squad member delivering the file on my way here.”

Unohana finished reading and nodded calmly. “A recovery-type Zanpakutō—truly rare. This Shinji Tachikawa could join our Fourth Division after graduation.”

Rangiku blinked in surprise.

“Who?”