"Well…"
Yoshio gave a mysterious smile. "Maybe I'm just more talented in this area."
"If I ever get tired of the division, maybe I'll transfer to the academy and teach."
Hitsugaya gave him a long look. He felt Yoshio wasn't telling the truth—didn't look like it either.
There was something deeply hidden about him. Though Hitsugaya hadn't met many Shinigami, Yoshio gave him a very particular impression.
Still, Yoshio had led him to become a Shinigami. He believed Yoshio wasn't a bad person.
Maybe… he just doesn't want the spotlight.
Hitsugaya hadn't come tonight for coaching—he wanted to thank Yoshio—but during the evening class, he was shocked to find that under Yoshio's instruction he improved massively!
Most things he learned as soon as they were taught.
It was… frightening.
That only strengthened his earlier impression: Yoshio definitely wasn't the ordinary Shinigami he claimed to be!
The other three didn't overthink it; they just trained hard.
Yoshio's favorability with them rose steadily. He felt that as long as he spent a bit more time with Renji, he could permanently acquire Renji's "Star Chaser."
After tonight, though, he couldn't keep doing these private lessons.
His "Strict Teacher Produces Outstanding Students" state was about to expire. Without it, he couldn't teach others effectively.
That night, Yoshio saw the four off.
Tomorrow he wouldn't have to patrol the Rukongai; he'd be free for a while to train properly at the division.
And he'd make nice with Tanimoto Toru, too.
[Special Beam Cannon] was powerful—he'd blown out Metastacia's brain with it—a very aggressive technique.
Much better than a Hollow's Cero.
And the more reiatsu he poured in, the stronger it got. He liked those scalable offensive skills.
…
The next morning, Yoshio headed to Fifth Division quarters bright and early.
He could hardly wait to train.
[Child of Kirin], once activated, lasted three days, then needed a one-day cooldown before it could be used again.
A bit inconvenient, but fine—call it a rest day.
Beyond Zan-Hak-Ho-Ki, he was most eager to boost reiatsu, and with Hitsugaya's talent blessing, he felt his absorption of ambient spirit particles was extremely fast.
He'd only been transmigrated for three days, but he felt he'd already reached seated-officer level.
Without counting soul abilities, he was about eighth or ninth seat.
"Yoshio-kun, quite diligent."
While training, he suddenly heard Aizen's voice.
He turned quickly and saw bespectacled Aizen approach with a gentle smile.
"Captain Aizen!"
Yoshio bowed respectfully. "I have to. My Shinigami talent is too weak, so I need to work harder than others."
"Very good. If every member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had your mindset, the Seireitei would be unassailable."
"I don't deserve that," Yoshio said modestly. "I just want to revive my family—no grand ambitions."
Aizen gave him a thoughtful look, then suddenly asked, "Yoshio-kun, are you interested in becoming a seated officer?"
"Hm?" Yoshio blinked.
"A seated officer? But… the division…"
"Minamida-kun was attacked by a Hollow last night," Aizen sighed, looking pained. "His seat is now vacant."
Minamida—the Fifth's Ninth Seat—attacked by a Hollow?!
Yoshio couldn't help but think Aizen had arranged it.
Hey, you know losing a seated officer means I lose a potential ability, right?
Oh, you don't? Then never mind.
Though his mind raced, outwardly Yoshio beamed. "Then thank you very much, Captain Aizen!"
"It's just… with my current strength, am I really fit to be Ninth Seat?"
"It's alright," Aizen said softly. "I believe you'll work hard to become a qualified seated officer."
"I'll redouble my efforts!" Yoshio said loudly.
Some nearby Shinigami looked on enviously. See? That's the benefit of showing your best in front of the boss.
Captain Aizen shows up, sees someone training hard, and there's a vacant seat—who else would he promote?
After Aizen left, Shinigami gathered around, congratulating him.
"Congrats, Yoshio! You're our Ninth Seat now!"
Yoshio didn't care much for these small fries without soul abilities—but who could say whether they wouldn't grow strong later and gain one?
So he set his life goal: "Make friends widely, avoid enemies."
No matter who they were, he'd befriend them—collect as many friends as possible!
Yoshio said, "We have to thank Captain Aizen for the promotion. Tell you what—tonight drinks are on me!"
"Whoooa!"
The place erupted. A free meal and drinks were real benefits.
Some seated officers who'd just arrived heard the cheers, asked what was happening, and, learning Yoshio had become Fifth's Ninth Seat and was treating everyone, were happy for him.
Before transmigrating, the original Yoshio was a friendly nice guy and got along well with the division.
Seeing him become a seated officer, most felt envy or genuine happiness; few felt jealousy.
All the more since he'd said he was treating the division to drinks.
That wasn't cheap!
The Thirteen Court Guard Squads had about six thousand members; a division averaged four to five hundred. Even with absences and missions, at least a hundred would show.
Treating a hundred people wasn't something even a high-ranked seated officer could afford—unless, like Yoshio, you came from a minor landed noble family with some assets.
But if it bought goodwill…
For Yoshio, that was the best deal.
Already, he could see many favorability bars spiking upward.