"Teacher Davis."
Originally, Ichigo Kurosaki and Ishida Uryū—both visibly anxious as they desperately tried to deal with the giant Hollow before them—had even resorted to a ludicrous stunt in order to take down Jili An: they'd placed Ichigo's zanpakutō atop his own head and instructed Ishida to somehow use it like a bow and arrow.
But before they could even put their plan into action, the giant Hollow's head suddenly exploded. In its place appeared a very familiar figure—the school's P.E. teacher. Although he was still dressed in his ordinary clothes, the golden chain clutched in his hand was unmistakably identical to the one that had just impaled the giant Hollow's head.
"You two sure know how to slack off," Teacher Davis remarked with a wry glance at the somewhat comical sight of Ichigo and Ishida. His gaze then shifted to the three people huddled off to the side—Rukia Kuchiki, Kisuke Urahara, and Waling Tiezai.
"Teacher Davis, who exactly are you?"
Seeing the giant Hollow vanish and Karakura Town return to peace, both Ichigo and Ishida let out a relieved sigh. They had truly been terrified that the massive creature, emerging from that black fissure, might simply stroll around—its sheer bulk capable of wreaking untold havoc with even the slightest movement.
While Ichigo, Ishida, and Rukia watched Teacher Davis with curiosity, Kisuke Urahara fixed him with a deep, penetrating stare. Having spent over a hundred years in Karakura Town, Urahara might not have every minutiae memorized, but he certainly knew what needed to be known—even regarding those Complete Manifestation Technique users like Ginjō Kūgo. After all, this is a man who's once gone toe-to-toe with Aizen and even managed to outmaneuver him. Not exactly a run‐of‐the‐mill character.
In some ways, he was even smarter than Aizen. While Aizen eventually leapt from behind the scenes into the spotlight, this guy has always operated from the shadows—just as he did even during the days when Gamyadai Shitan was stirring things up.
"Like you can see, I'm just a teacher. But you, Ichigo—as a proxy Shinigami, facing such a massive problem—why didn't you contact someone from the East Branch Bureau for support? And with this huge commotion in the real world, the East Branch Bureau should have certainly taken notice. Yet, up to now, not a single soul has come to your aid. Are the folks in the East Branch Bureau getting a bit too slack?"
"Support?" Teacher Davis's remark made Ichigo scratch his head, and he then glanced over at Rukia. As a proxy Shinigami, he'd been thrown into the role without proper preparation, following Rukia's every command—when it came to matters like 'Soul Society' or 'Shinigami,' all he really knew were those few words.
"I don't know what's going on, but I can't get through to the Soul Society."
With the giant Hollow's appearance, Rukia had naturally reached out to the Soul Society—even though she knew that doing so would expose her crime of turning Ichigo into a Shinigami. Yet, compared to the destruction wreaked by the giant Hollow in the real world, those sins hardly mattered to her.
As Rukia began to speak, Urahara, upon hearing the term "East Branch Bureau," once again scrutinized Teacher Davis intently. The phrase "East Branch Bureau" isn't something just anyone knows; even within the Soul Society, very few truly understand its meaning.
"I can't get through—you folks in the East Branch Bureau really need to upgrade your communication methods," Teacher Davis murmured softly as he glanced at Rukia, who was casually waving a command device in her hand.
"Alright, now that the problem's been solved, why don't you all go get some rest?"
"Wait a minute, Teacher Davis— you kept saying 'East Branch Bureau, East Branch Bureau.' What does that mean? Shouldn't it just be the Soul Society?"
Just as Teacher Davis was about to leave, Ichigo suddenly spoke up, glancing at Rukia. Unlike slackers like Naruto or Luffy—who rely solely on brawn and seldom use their brains—Ichigo was nothing if not thoughtful.
"East Branch Bureau? This is the first time I've ever heard of it," Rukia said, a note of puzzlement in her voice.
"East Branch Bureau—that's your Soul Society. How can you not know that? Surely your Soul Society textbooks mention it, unless you were daydreaming in class."
"I'm an excellent student—the textbooks simply don't refer to it as the East Branch Bureau," Rukia replied, her eyes turning inquisitively toward Urahara.
"East Branch Bureau, huh? That's not something you're supposed to be involved with right now. Pardon me—but are you, by any chance, from the West Branch Bureau?" Rukia's gaze shifted over. After a brief silence, Urahara finally spoke.
"Is this something that needs to be kept secret?"
Urahara's question prompted Teacher Davis to feign confusion instead of answering directly. He had given it some thought—finally deciding to discuss his identity in terms of the East and West Branch Bureaus. From Urahara's reaction, some of his suspicions were confirmed: while Ichigo, Rukia, and Ishida wouldn't bat an eye at his background, Urahara was an entirely different matter.
"It's not exactly something that must be deliberately concealed; ordinary Shinigami simply don't need to know this much," Urahara said slowly.
"Is that so? It seems I misspoke—my apologies."
"May I ask what brings you here?"
Although Teacher Davis didn't directly answer Urahara's question, Urahara seemed convinced that he was from the West Branch Bureau. Even if the Soul Society currently branded him a traitor, Urahara's continued concern for its affairs naturally made him very curious about someone from the West Branch. Under normal circumstances, communication between the East and West Branch Bureaus is extremely rare.
"I don't have any particular purpose—I'm here on vacation, and I'm also looking for someone."
That statement wasn't entirely false.
"Looking for someone, huh? I'm pretty familiar with things around here. Who is it you're trying to find? Perhaps I can be of some help," Urahara said slowly, resting his paper fan against his chin.
"That would be great. The person I'm looking for is a Complete Manifestation Technique user named Daohane Auwula."
Daohane Auwula is a name Teacher Davis recalled from Ginjō Kūgo's memories—a tremendously powerful Complete Manifestation Technique user. Like Teacher Davis, she doesn't rely on any particularly cherished item to fuel her unique technique; yet even with just the basics, her abilities are extraordinarily formidable.
Upon hearing the name, Teacher Davis immediately knew who she was—the very person who later caused trouble alongside Gamyadai Shitan. Even without a treasured item, she had evolved her own unique form of the Complete Manifestation Technique to the point where her body could essentially become mist, rendering her nearly immune to physical attacks.
In the world of the Shinigami, there aren't many names Teacher Davis could recall in full—mostly those of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad members and a few Hollows. As for other groups like the Star Cross Knights of the Extinction Cult or additional Complete Manifestation Technique users, he only remembered a handful of easily recalled names—in the case of the Star Cross Knights, only two: Youhabakh and Hasward; for the others, he merely had a rough idea of their abilities.
"Daohane Auwula, huh? Understood. If I hear anything, I'll let you know."
After chatting briefly with Ichigo and Ishida, Teacher Davis departed together with Ishida. At this point, Ishida still maintained his typical tsundere attitude toward Ichigo. Once they left, Urahara took Rukia and Ichigo to his shop.
"People from the West Branch Bureau—this is quite interesting, isn't it?"
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society's 5th Division Captain's Office, Captain Aizen was practicing calligraphy. Upon hearing a report from someone by his side, the pen in his hand veered slightly off course—introducing a flaw into what should have been a perfect piece of calligraphy.
Beside him stood Captain Ichimaru Gin of the 3rd Division, his trademark squint and mischievous smile unmistakable. This time, he had been tasked with overseeing the giant Hollow's mission to test Ichigo. Although Aizen had made the final call, he didn't need to monitor every detail personally—Ichimaru Gin was keeping a vigilant eye on everything.
Yet what surprised him was that a slight ripple had emerged in what should have been a completely controlled plan. For Aizen, having someone step in to handle Ichigo's predicament was hardly unexpected; after all, Karakura Town is brimming with strong individuals, and like Urahara, Aizen is intimately familiar with its affairs.
Even Urahara, for all his knowledge about the long-hidden masked army, was well aware that its members hadn't been dealt with—not out of neglect, but simply because Aizen had deemed it unnecessary. Otherwise, if Aizen truly intended to eliminate them, he could have struck when the masked army was being hollowfied years ago.
"Are we going to take him out?"
Ichimaru Gin's voice, unusually laced with a hint of murderous intent, broke the silence.
"There's no need—Gin, I'd say this makes things all the more interesting, wouldn't you agree?" Aizen replied, casually tossing aside his calligraphy brush as he regarded Ichimaru Gin with a gentle smile.
For Aizen, an unexpected twist in his plans was exactly what he had been waiting for; otherwise, he wouldn't have considered cultivating an adversary for himself, nor would he have kept someone as scheming as Ichimaru Gin close by.
One had to admit, Aizen and Ichimaru Gin were an intriguing pair. Aizen knew full well that Gin harbored ulterior motives in aligning with him, yet he didn't mind keeping Gin at his side. Likewise, Gin was aware that Aizen was well aware of his hidden agenda, but as long as he was in Aizen's presence, he displayed nothing but absolute loyalty.
"Now, let's proceed according to the plan," Ichimaru Gin stated, his expression unchanged—as if that earlier murderous glint had never existed.
"Indeed. It's about time you exposed them to the Central 46 Division."
Rukia's decision to turn Ichigo into a Shinigami would be a capital offense for any ordinary member of the Soul Society—but Rukia is no ordinary Shinigami. After all, she hails from the illustrious Kuchiki clan. Just look at how nonchalantly someone like Gamyadai Shitan from the Kuchiki family conducts himself; it shows just how potent the privileges of the Soul Society's four great noble families truly are.
Frankly speaking, if it weren't for Aizen's scheming behind the scenes, Rukia's transgression could have easily been swept under the rug.
"The real show is about to begin."
Ichimaru Gin said this with a slight, almost sinister smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Honestly, with that naturally villainous face of his, it's no wonder he isn't well liked in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads—whenever something goes awry, he's always the first person everyone suspects.
By contrast, Aizen—sporting his black‑rimmed glasses and a gentle, affable smile—has managed to garner widespread support within the Soul Society, not to mention a legion of devoted fangirls.
It's just like if the Third Hokage and a bandaged Danzo Shimura were to stand side by side—at first glance, you'd immediately recognize the bad guy as Danzo, but without the Third Hokage's approval, Danzo wouldn't be able to pull off half the things he does.
After the giant Hollow incident, Rukia and Ichigo quickly returned to their daily routines. Perhaps because of that ordeal, the relationship between Ishida and Ichigo had improved considerably—whereas before, the two barely spoke at school.
Although Ichigo's grades were good, there remained a significant gap between him and Ishida, who was top of their class. Moreover, while Ichigo still had the rough, delinquent look, Ishida was remarkably handsome and remarkably dexterous.
Thanks to his prowess as an Extinction Cultist, Ishida had become an exceptional tailor. If any of the schoolgirls had a doll or toy outfit that needed mending, they would seek him out—and after his repairs, the items often looked even more beautiful than before, to the point where many girls would deliberately damage their own toy clothes.
That is, Ishida never attended fan conventions, or else he would undoubtedly have been immensely popular.
"Next, we should soon be heading to the Soul Society. As for whether to train our zanpakutō, that all depends on our trip there."
Teacher Davis continued dutifully in his role as a teacher, and his rapport with Ichigo, Rukia, and the others steadily improved. Yet Teacher Davis now faced a vexing problem of his own—namely, the issue of his zanpakutō.
After all, he was a being with a body and considerable strength. Even if he were to face Aizen now, he wouldn't back down. And it isn't just Aizen—even the monk from the 0th Division, Youhabakh, poses little threat. The only power truly to be feared is Captain Yamamoto's Bankai; that captain is simply unstoppable.
Whether it's Aizen, Youhabakh, or even Teacher Davis himself, everyone was already contemplating how best to counter him. If that monk weren't bolstered by his special zanpakutō abilities, he might not even stand a chance against the captain.
Although almost every Shinigami possesses a zanpakutō, there are exceptions. For instance, that black cat—Yoruichi Shihōin—who sometimes appears quietly by his side, rarely uses her zanpakutō.
Ever since Teacher Davis revealed his identity to Kisuke Urahara, he'd occasionally noticed a black cat accompanying him wherever he went.
Apart from Yoruichi Shihōin, there's also Aizen. Aizen has never once used Bankai. As for whether he even possesses it, that hardly needs to be said—one of the prerequisites for becoming a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is having a Bankai, along with another, less-discussed condition.
However, given that Aizen is currently in a dormant phase, he certainly wouldn't be inclined to do so—it's something that only someone like Gengmu Jianba of the 11th Division would be prone to attempt.
Even though Aizen possesses Bankai, he has never once used it. Is it because he doesn't want to? That's unthinkable. The only possibility is that he simply can't use it.
And why can't he? Teacher Davis had his own theory: Aizen has absorbed the power of Bankai. His spiritual pressure is nothing short of astonishing—so immense that even Youhabakh is wary of it. Possessing such overwhelming spiritual pressure without the aid of Bankai is, frankly, almost superhuman.
Perhaps for the Shinigami of the Soul Society, having Shikai and Bankai is the norm, but Teacher Davis held a different view: since the power of one's soul is inherently one's own, why would one need Bankai to unleash it? Otherwise, one would remain in a perpetually sealed, dormant state.
Having practiced Kamataiji magic extensively, he was well aware that the power of the soul is his true power—no explosive measures are needed to enhance it, unless one resorts to forbidden techniques, and Bankai clearly comes without such drawbacks.
Ultimately, a Shinigami's true strength is determined by one thing alone: the magnitude of their spiritual pressure.