{A/N: The story will progress through a firdt person POV now!}
The gates of the Shin'ō Academy were larger than I expected.
Not just in size, in presence. They radiated order, power, history. And behind them, a future most souls in Rukongai would never see.
I was going to walk through them.
Quietly.
Without a ripple.
I stood at the back of the crowd, a swarm of desperate souls from every slum between District 50 and 80. Some wore patched robes. Some wore pride. All of them wanted in.
Me? I needed in.
Not for glory. Not for a sword or a haori.
For leverage.
The outer courtyard buzzed with nervous energy. At the front, on stone steps overlooking the flood of hopefuls, a robed instructor raised his hand. His voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"You are here to be tested. Not to be welcomed."
The crowd stilled.
His gaze swept across us like we were insects. Unworthy. Disposable.
"Only those with spiritual potential may join the Shin'ō Academy. This is not a place for dreams. This is a place for discipline. Power. Control."
Then he raised his hand again and let out a pulse of Reiryoku: subtle, elegant, and completely intentional.
It was a test.
Those without awareness flinched. Some collapsed. One kid started crying.
I didn't move.
Didn't blink. Didn't breathe too hard.
I let it roll over me like fog. Like I didn't even feel it.
[System Notice: Minor Spirit Pressure Detected]
Suppression Successful – No System Shield Triggered
Good. My control was holding.
A few guards noted the ones who stayed standing. I made sure I wasn't near them. Too many eyes.
"If you can still stand," the instructor said, "proceed to the next gate."
---
We moved in lines. Herded like animals toward the next platform, a wide courtyard with three lanes and a row of black-robed examiners. Each one held a wooden scale and a blank charm.
Simple enough.
"Step forward. Take a charm. Channel your energy."
I took mine without a word. It was basic Kidō paper: designed to react to spiritual flow. Burn, glow, or stay blank.
I pressed my fingers to it.
Just enough Reiryoku. Barely a flicker. A light glow, weak and unremarkable.
The instructor examined it. Grunted.
"Passable. Next."
Perfect.
I moved on.
Behind me, another soul shredded the charm by pushing too much power. One failed to activate it at all.
I watched them all out of the corner of my eye.
So many tried to show off.
So many failed.
The nobles were easy to spot. Good posture, clean robes, polished sandals. Some of them activated the paper without even touching it. A few whispered names, Kuchiki, Shiba.
I didn't react.
Didn't approach.
The third test was a physical baseline: stance, flexibility, basic Kidō resonance. I performed like someone who had just enough potential to get by. A little off-balance. A little slow.
And they bought it.
All of it.
---
By the time the sun touched the horizon, the crowd had shrunk to maybe two hundred.
The courtyard emptied. Some passed. Most didn't. I sat alone near the edge, far from the noble clusters and louder cliques. Watching.
A woman in an instructor's robe stepped forward. Her voice was like steel on stone.
"You are no longer citizens. You are students. Fail, and you'll be dismissed. Or killed."
No one laughed.
She pointed to the dorm buildings behind the Academy walls.
"Find your assignments. Classes begin tomorrow."
I stood, slowly.
[System Update: Entry Test Complete]
Status: Passed
Rank Assigned: Class C (Unranked)
(Performance Suppressed – Status Masked)
[New Quest: Academy Year One]
Attend 90% of classes
Pass semester evaluations
Maintain spiritual output concealment
Reward: +20 Stat Points + System Skill Upgrade
(Failure Penalty: System cooldown – 30 days)
I felt a dozen eyes scanning the crowd. Instructors. Maybe a few lieutenants. Watching for the next prodigy.
They didn't see me.
They weren't supposed to.
Let the nobles play in the spotlight.
I'd work from the shadows.
Because when I graduate from this place… no one will understand how they missed the storm forming under their noses.
---