"Maybe my Zanpakutō is just a bit special. Even though this attempt failed, thanks anyway, Sōsuke."
Kurosaki Rei got up to wash up. He felt that this 'communication' with his Zanpakutō had allowed him to vaguely grasp something—so it wasn't a complete loss.
After rinsing off, Kurosaki Rei stepped out of the bathroom and looked at Aizen, who was already dressed in his school uniform and ready for class.
"Sōsuke, could you help me try again? I really feel that hypnosis is a viable method."
Aizen paused mid-step. "You're not going to class?"
"No. The Captain-Commander won't be coming anyway, and there's not much you can learn in class. The priority right now is mastering Shikai."
Kurosaki Rei spoke plainly. The Shin'ō Academy didn't take attendance, nor did perfect attendance guarantee a pass—everything ultimately depended on final exam results.
"This method is very dangerous. You've already experienced that yourself, haven't you? Even so, you still want to continue?"
Aizen looked at Kurosaki Rei seriously.
Kurosaki Rei met his gaze and nodded. "Sōsuke, passing the assessment is very important to me—far more important than you might imagine."
"…All right. I'll stay and train with you in the dormitory."
Aizen put down the backpack containing his calligraphy tools and said helplessly, "But let's be clear—if your reiatsu gets out of control, I'm calling a teacher."
Kurosaki Rei grinned. "Thanks, Sōsuke. I owe you a favor."
Aizen smiled back. "You already owe me quite a few."
...
"Still no good?"
Aizen glanced at the sky outside the window. Dawn was approaching, and today was the day of the final exams.
For the past two days, he had been using Kyōka Suigetsu in the dormitory to hypnotize Kurosaki Rei, guiding him again and again to the depths of his soul. Yet every time, Kurosaki Rei said he was being "kicked out."
According to Aizen's understanding of Zanpakutō awakening, it seemed less like Kurosaki Rei was being expelled and more like he was actively leaving on his own.
His original conclusion remained unchanged: Kurosaki Rei himself was resisting that power.
Aizen considered himself somewhat versed in psychology. Based on Kurosaki Rei's descriptions, he believed the cage symbolized Kurosaki Rei's closed-off heart, while the imprisoned demon god represented his self-imposed restraint—his confinement of his own power.
"Rei-kun, if you can't untie this knot yourself, then no matter how strong your reiatsu becomes in the future, you likely won't be able to achieve Shikai."
Aizen sighed. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He had thought that with Kyōka Suigetsu's help, someone as talented as Kurosaki Rei would awaken his Zanpakutō with ease.
There was a trace of regret in the way he looked at Kurosaki Rei. He had thought he'd finally encountered someone as gifted and well-rounded as himself—only to find that Kurosaki Rei couldn't awaken his Zanpakutō. In a sense, this meant Kurosaki Rei's ceiling as a Shinigami was already locked.
After a moment of silence, Kurosaki Rei waved his hand.
"It's fine. You've already helped me a lot, Sōsuke. I think I more or less understand what's going on with my Zanpakutō now."
Aizen was pleasantly surprised. "Oh? You managed to communicate with it? There's still some time—want to try again?"
Kurosaki Rei shook his head. "No. Since there's still time, I'll rest a bit and get myself into the right condition. I don't even know who my special examiner will be today."
"That's true. Then get some rest. You can probably sleep another three hours. I'll go to the cafeteria and bring you some food."
Aizen didn't feel that Kurosaki Rei had given up. If anything, he was now very curious whether Kurosaki Rei could break through this assessment.
"Sōsuke, thanks."
Kurosaki Rei didn't stand on ceremony. He lay down and fell asleep immediately. He had a brutal battle ahead of him today and needed his mind at its peak.
Three hours later, Kurosaki Rei woke up on time. The table was already covered with food Aizen had brought back, though Aizen himself was gone—he had probably gone to the exam hall first.
After a quick wash, Kurosaki Rei devoured the food to replenish his energy.
Once he finished eating, he checked the time and jogged toward the examination venue.
Yesterday, the dormitory instructor had informed him that although he was challenging early graduation, he still had to attend the regular exams. Only after completing all compulsory assessments would he face the "final trial."
Just as he had anticipated, aside from the final trial, there was one absolute requirement for early graduation—Shikai.
Even if he passed the examiner's trial, if he couldn't learn his Zanpakutō's true name and release Shikai, he still wouldn't be allowed to graduate.
Kurosaki Rei glanced at the black-sheathed, white-hilted Asauchi at his waist.
Getting you really isn't easy, huh.
Items obtained within mission worlds couldn't be taken out unless they were mission rewards. If he wanted to take this Asauchi with him, he needed to learn its true name and complete Shikai—essentially binding it to himself.
As he entered the exam hall, Kurosaki Rei checked his current status.
[Explorer No. 404040404, your unequipped attributes are as follows:]
Constitution: 18 (+1)
Strength: 17 (+1)
Agility: 18 (+1)
Spirit: 24 (+2)
Charisma: 6
Luck: 1
Over the past month, he had devoted a great deal of time and effort to his Zanpakutō, so his physical attributes hadn't increased much. His Spirit attribute, however, had risen by two points. At this point, he should be considered a fairly solid sixteenth-grade reiatsu.
"As expected of a genius aiming for early graduation. Showing up this late—you're really taking it easy."
The teasing voice belonged to Yoruichi.
Kurosaki Rei stretched his shoulders. "It's not a timed written test. Coming a bit late doesn't matter."
The first exam was Hakuda, directly evaluated and scored by the examiner.
Soon, it was Kurosaki Rei's turn. The instructor responsible for Hakuda looked at him with a complicated expression and, without even testing him, directly gave him full marks.
Kurosaki Rei wasn't surprised. During previous Hakuda classes, that instructor had sparred with him—and lost.
Next came the swordsmanship exam—full marks, as expected.
Hadō: full marks.
Bakudō: full marks.
Kaidō: full marks.
Shunpo: full marks.
Spiritual Pressure: Sixteenth Grade.
Because many students were eager to see how he'd fare, they courteously let him go first. Even so, by the time he finished all his courses, it was already afternoon.
Following the final examiner's instructions, Kurosaki Rei headed toward the ultimate examination room on the top floor of the academy.
Few people ever came to the top floor. Most instructors' offices were located there, along with several locked rooms that were normally inaccessible.
Kurosaki Rei now stood before one such room. Above the door hung a massive plaque that looked quite old, likely an antique. Two bold characters were inscribed upon it:
"Yuan Flow."
After Kurosaki Rei knocked, the sliding doors parted, revealing the interior—and the woman seated cross-legged at a tea table.
The Captain of the Fourth Division.
Unohana Yachiru.
Sōsuke… this really is the "best possible draw."
The corners of Kurosaki Rei's mouth lifted unconsciously. He could feel the battle blood in his veins beginning to boil.
From a mission standpoint, this was undoubtedly the worst possible draw. But from a personal standpoint, calling it the best wasn't wrong at all.
Sure enough, his single point of Luck was actually quite impressive.
Kurosaki Rei removed his wooden sandals and stepped into the tatami-lined room. The doors slid shut behind him and locked.
At the same time, he sensed a peculiar force field permeating the room—likely the handiwork of Hikifune Kirio from the Twelfth Division.
Once inside, one's reiatsu would be restricted. Unless someone forcibly destroyed the preset device with an explosive surge of reiatsu, the maximum output allowed in this room was fixed at sixteenth grade.
It seemed the Captain-Commander had given the order, and the subordinates had executed it diligently. This exam was being taken very seriously, providing him with a degree of "fairness."
At the very least, he didn't have to worry about a captain getting carried away and forgetting to restrain their reiatsu, crushing him outright.
At Unohana's indication, Kurosaki Rei walked over and sat by the tea table, his expression calm.
"This is the examination room I chose, and also one of the Captain-Commander's tea rooms," Unohana said gently, her hands deftly arranging the tea utensils.
Kurosaki Rei glanced around. It was well known that the Captain-Commander enjoyed tea gatherings, reportedly hosting them monthly for the First Division. But this didn't seem to be one of those venues.
Though the room was large—around two hundred square meters—there was only a single tea table placed in the center.
On the wall beside them hung a massive painting depicting a fierce tiger and a malevolent oni locked in combat. The brushwork was bold and powerful, grand yet sharp, suffused with killing intent.
In ancient times, dragons and tigers clashed. Today, tiger and demon slay one another.
Kurosaki Rei sat on the side of the tiger, watching Unohana prepare the tea without speaking. For a time, the room was utterly silent.
Unohana seemed well-versed in the way of tea. Every movement carried an artistic elegance.
She wiped the tea caddy and scoop with a silk cloth, warmed the bowl, sifted the powder, cleaned the chawan…
It was as if she wasn't here as an examiner to fight Kurosaki Rei, but simply to share tea with a friend.
In the spacious tatami room, fragrant tea simmered over the hearth. Wisps of steam rose from the kettle, drifting between the two seated across from one another.
Within this small space, there was no scent of blood or killing intent—only the calming aroma of tea.
Unohana rotated a freshly brewed cup and gently pushed it toward Kurosaki Rei. Neither spoke. The silence was like an old black-and-white film, imbued with an inexplicable Zen-like tranquility.
Kurosaki Rei took the cup, blew on it lightly, then drained it in one gulp, placing the empty cup back on the table.
The sound of porcelain touching redwood seemed to break the silence—yet somehow made it deeper.
Unohana did not drink the tea before her. Instead, she set another kettle of water to boil. Her half-lidded eyes slowly opened as she met Kurosaki Rei's gaze across the table.
Like ancient swordmasters meeting on a narrow path, invisible pressure was already colliding between them.
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