"I am your homeroom teacher, Ounabara Gengoro. Our Class 1-1 is the Special Advancement Class, gathering all students with outstanding exam results! We hope that in the future, not only will you join the Gotei 13, but through continuous training, you will advance toward the center of power! Therefore, every day you must..."
Toshiro and Momo stood outside the classroom, listening to the homeroom teacher's speech, feeling somewhat helpless… they were still late.
"This is a headache. No matter what excuse we come up with, he'll probably be angry." Momo said with a worried frown. Judging by the voice, their homeroom teacher wasn't someone easy to deal with.
"Whatever, Hinamori, let's just go in." Toshiro said indifferently.
With that, Toshiro pushed the door open and walked in.
"That concludes my introduction." The stern-looking homeroom teacher had just finished speaking when he saw Toshiro and Momo enter.
"You are... Hitsugaya Toshiro?" The homeroom teacher, Gengoro, hesitated.
"Yes. My apologies, sensei. We were delayed due to some matters." Toshiro said sincerely.
"This time is fine, but come earlier next time. Find a seat and sit down for now." The homeroom teacher nodded.
Without hesitation, Toshiro chose the seat by the window in the second-to-last row.
This was the legendary protagonist's seat.
Momo sat next to Toshiro.
The first day of school didn't involve formal classes. After explaining the school's situation and teaching schedule, the homeroom teacher left.
As soon as the teacher left the classroom, the students in Class 1 couldn't help but sigh in relief. This homeroom teacher was too strict.
Toshiro observed the people in the class and spotted some familiar faces: Kira and Renji.
Add Momo and Rukia from Class 2, aside from himself, students from this cohort accounted for four of the thirteen Lieutenants in the Gotei 13.
Moreover, Rukia eventually became a Captain.
This showed the quality of this cohort was quite good.
For the next few days, Toshiro didn't continue training his Reiatsu. The gap from Lieutenant-level to Captain-level was immense. Even with Toshiro's talent, reaching it in a short time was impossible.
After all, not everyone could cheat like Ichigo.
What Toshiro urgently needed to improve now wasn't Reiatsu but skills like Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido that Shinigami must master.
So, over the following week, Toshiro diligently studied theoretical knowledge and analyzed the operational principles of various abilities.
One week later, during Hoho Class.
"Alright, everyone, begin Shunpo practice now. First row, step forward." The Hoho teacher shouted loudly.
Toshiro stood up and stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the finish line ahead.
"On your marks... go!" The moment the Hoho teacher's voice sounded, figures shot forward like arrows from a bow.
Toshiro's mind flashed with the principles of Shunpo. Reiatsu gathered at his feet in a specific flow pattern, then erupted instantly.
Afterimages flickered, and in mere seconds, Toshiro was the first to cross the finish line.
Shunpo primarily tests a Shinigami's control over Reiatsu… controlling Reiatsu to gather at the feet in a special way and controlling its eruption rhythm.
Due to his powerful mental strength, Toshiro had more precise control over his Reiatsu.
The second to cross the finish line after Toshiro was Kira.
Although the other students weren't as fast as them, they successively crossed the finish line without incident. They were, after all, students of Class 1.
"Hitsugaya-kun is truly amazing. I couldn't even see his movements clearly just now. He's indeed a genius." A student from Class 1 exclaimed in awe.
"Yeah, Hitsugaya-kun is a once-in-a-millennium genius. Let's not compare ourselves to him. But Kira-kun is also good. If we work hard, maybe we can reach his level." A nearby student said.
Hearing his classmates praising Toshiro and Kira, Renji felt somewhat unconvinced.
'Oh, they did really well, Hitsugaya Toshiro and Kira Izuru. Being in the same class with them is a bit pressuring, but I, the great Abarai, won't lose to you!' Renji thought to himself.
"Next, second row, step forward." The Hoho teacher's voice rang out again.
Renji stood up and stepped forward, assuming a starting stance. The moment the teacher's voice fell, he erupted his Reiatsu all at once and charged forward recklessly.
Renji's figure flickered repeatedly, soon crossing the finish line.
"Haha, I'm first-"
Bam!
Just after crossing the finish line, Renji laughed triumphantly, only to realize he couldn't stop and slammed headfirst into the wall.
"Hahaha..."
The entire class laughed until their stomachs hurt.
"Abarai, Shunpo isn't just about erupting Reiatsu blindly. Stay after school for remedial lessons." The Hoho teacher said, also barely holding back laughter.
…
During Kido class.
"Students, we will now begin practicing intermediate-level Kido, starting with the simplest: Shakkaho. First row, step forward." The Kido teacher said.
Kido from numbers 1 to 30 are low-level and not difficult. Class 1 students had already mastered them, so starting today, they practiced intermediate-level Kido.
The first row of students stepped forward, stopping at a certain distance from the targets.
Momo stood before a target, extending her right hand toward the wooden target, and recited solemnly: "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado #31, Shakkaho!"
As she chanted, a red sphere of light appeared before Momo's palm, then shot toward the target, destroying half of it.
"Good, pass. Next." The Kido teacher nodded.
"Yes." Momo replied and returned to her seat.
"That's amazing, Hinamori. Hit it in one shot." A twin-tailed girl beside her said.
"It was just luck, and it only barely passed." Momo said modestly.
"Even so, it's impressive. Others didn't even hit it." The twin-tailed girl praised.