Today, the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy was bustling with activity, filled with students and families coming and going.
There were students from the Rukongai wearing patched-up clothes, and there were also noble heirs in luxurious robes. Many students were accompanied by their parents, who carried large and small bundles of luggage—resembling the scene of college move-in day from Asano Kiyoshi's previous life.
Asano Kiyoshi glanced behind him, finding no one there. He sighed lightly. Tch, he thought, It's a bit lonely after all.
Shaking his head to drive away the negativity, Kiyoshi began walking toward his classroom.
The Shin'ō Academy was vast, but signposts were placed every few meters, and senior students appointed by the academy were stationed throughout the grounds to help guide new students.
Especially for someone like Kiyoshi, wearing the "A-Class" badge on his chest, there were many who wanted to offer him assistance.
Though the students here appeared young, their experiences were rich. They knew whom they should befriend—even a single good impression could be valuable.
But strangely, no one came forward to help Kiyoshi. The reason was simple—two people were standing in front of him.
One had a shiny bald head and narrow eyes lined with fierce red eyeliner like fire.
The other was tall and slender, with delicate features and a feminine appearance, but his gaze was sharp, locking directly onto Kiyoshi. His beautiful eyes reflected the slightly awkward expression on Kiyoshi's face.
Kiyoshi found himself momentarily awkward, then cautiously asked,"Um... do you two need something?"
Madarame Ikkaku grinned with an unmistakable fighting spirit, his narrow eyes narrowing even more, gleaming with a dangerous light.
"Let's fight! You're strong! I want to have a man-to-man duel with you! If you can beat me, I'll admit your top rank is the real deal!"
As he spoke, his face twisted into a slightly crazed smile, scaring away all the upperclassmen who had wanted to come help.
Kiyoshi could only sigh in exasperation. He had just enrolled, hadn't learned any offensive techniques yet, and his basic stats were average at best. If he really fought Ikkaku right now, Ikkaku would end up kneeling and begging him not to die...
So he didn't hesitate to respond:
"Um... I can't beat you. Also, you can have that first place title if you want. We're all classmates—getting along is more important than fighting, right?"
Hearing that, Ikkaku clicked his tongue. "What a boring guy."
And with that, he turned and left. Yumichika, however, gave Kiyoshi a slightly apologetic smile, then tugged on Ikkaku's arm and said kindly:
"Sorry about that. This guy's a battle maniac—he can be rude sometimes. If you don't mind, shall we walk together?"
Yumichika's attitude was much more pleasant than Ikkaku's—he immediately lowered the tension and gave everyone a way out of the situation. Kiyoshi, of course, didn't mind. He wasn't a kid—there was no need for prideful drama. He smiled and agreed to walk together.
So, the three of them walked together, chatting casually. To Kiyoshi's surprise, when they passed by the cafeteria, Ikkaku suddenly went in and bought three flatbread pancakes. He handed one to Kiyoshi, muttering:
"Here. I admit I was too aggressive just now. Think of this as an apology. Eat it and we'll be friends."
Kiyoshi took the pancake, looked at Ikkaku—who now had a slight blush on his face and was looking up at the sky—and smiled. He took a big bite and said:
"Thanks, Ikkaku."
Hearing the friendly way Kiyoshi called his name, Ikkaku bit hard into his own pancake and grumbled:
"You're way too familiar, geez!"
Yumichika and Kiyoshi both laughed, which only made Ikkaku more flustered. A vein popped on his bald head as he swung a punch at them, yelling:
"Bakayarō! What the hell are you two laughing at?!"
The breeze at Shin'ō Academy was soft, and the warm morning sun cast the trio's silhouettes onto the ground.
The three walked into the classroom together, and Kiyoshi was quite pleased with the outcome. He never understood why, in so many novels from his past life, the protagonists were always so vengeful over the smallest insult—killing people's whole families just for a harsh word. Clearly, most things could be resolved more peacefully...
Ah well, whatever.
As soon as the three entered the classroom, they drew everyone's attention. But most of the gazes were far from friendly.
Three street rats from Rukongai had taken the top three spots among the new students? That was a huge slap in the face for the noble-born students.
Many of them carried an ingrained sense of superiority toward commoners, so naturally, they had no good feelings toward the trio.
To make matters worse, because nobles were typically born with higher spiritual power, most of the A-Class students were from noble families. Among the few commoners who made it in, some had already pledged loyalty to the nobles, becoming their lackeys, while others just kept their heads down and stayed silent.
The moment the trio entered, the classroom quieted. Leading the nobles was Kanameida Kojirō, who stared at them with a mix of coldness, arrogance, and disdain—all of which Kiyoshi calmly observed.
Then came an invisible weight in the air—Kanameida Kojirō had released his Reiatsu, directing it toward the three.
In response, Ikkaku grinned and narrowed his eyes with excitement. With a rush of spiritual pressure even stronger than Kojirō's, he countered the oppressive force!
Faced with this pushback, the noble students dropped their haughty expressions. They weren't fools—if their top representative Kojirō got humiliated now, it would be a disgrace to all of them. One after another, the nobles began to release their own Reiatsu.
Sweat appeared on Ikkaku's face. Facing so many powerful spiritual pressures alone was tough even for him.
Just then, two more strong Reiatsu surged up beside him.