Soul Society, Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy.
At this moment, the grand assembly hall of the Shin'ō Academy was filled with students and even teachers dressed in academy uniforms.
Because today was the Academy's annual graduation ceremony. As one of this year's graduates, Minami Yorujo was among the graduating class, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
"Yorujo, which squad are you planning to join?"
The one asking was a man with narrow eyes, a fierce expression, and a head that shone like polished steel balls.
The glare from his bald head reflected so brightly under the sun that, aside from Ikkaku Madarame's close friend, Yumichika Ayasegawa, almost no one else dared to stand near them.
"I've said this back when I was still at the Academy, haven't I?
My ideal squad is the Fourth Division. If that doesn't work out, then I'll join the Thirteenth Division. Anyway, there's no way I'm going to lose my mind like you guys and sign up for the Eleventh Division!"
The Gotei 13—one of the most important institutions in Soul Society. A special military force that maintains order between the living world and Soul Society. Any soul accepted into its ranks was basically set for life within the system, and only then qualified to be called a "Shinigami."
The Shin'ō Academy was one of the key training institutions in Seireitei. Souls from Rukongai with strong potential and spiritual energy were generally brought here to study the Shinigami's "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō," becoming apprentices on the path to becoming full-fledged Shinigami.
Once their training ended, each year the captains or representatives of the Gotei 13 would come to the Academy to recruit new members.
In Soul Society, whether ordinary souls or Shinigami, all were spiritual beings in essence, generally without a natural lifespan limit.
But being spiritual beings didn't mean they couldn't die. For the poor residents of Rukongai, becoming a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 was indeed a cushy government job. But wielding a sword for a living almost always came with an extremely high mortality rate.
That was exactly why, every year on graduation day, divisions short on manpower would come to the Academy to recruit.
Inside the vast hall, the graduates crowded together, their eyes scanning the banners of each division, already lost in deep thought about their futures.
On the surface, getting placed directly into the system right after graduation looked great. In reality, though, most Academy students were well aware of the risks—joining the Gotei 13 was extremely dangerous. A single mistake, and they could end up cremated on the spot.
So when it came to choosing a division, Academy students were cautious to the extreme. After all, once assigned, an ordinary Shinigami could almost never switch squads midway.
In this world, there was no such thing as absolute fairness. Wherever you went, there would always be class divisions.
They weren't one of the Four Noble Houses, nor did they have any powerful connections. Right now, they were nothing but small fry. Just being able to land a stable post within the organization was already good enough. They had no qualifications to be picky.
At the very least, compared to the ordinary souls in Rukongai who went hungry two meals a day, the job of a Gotei 13 Shinigami—though dangerous—still came with excellent benefits.
"No way! You're seriously planning to join the Fourth Division or the Thirteenth? I always thought you were joking!
You're so good at Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, and you're really going to pick the Medical Division or the Purification Division? That's ridiculous!
You should just join the Eleventh with me and Yumichika instead. The Eleventh is the combat division—hot-blooded battles are a man's true romance! With your skills, if you go to the Medical or Purification Divisions, are you just planning to retire early?"
Yorujo had met Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa back in Rukongai.
Because of Rukongai's chaotic order, Yorujo and the two of them had initially clashed and even fought.
But it was precisely because of that fight that they forged a certain friendship, and eventually came to the Shin'ō Academy together.
Ikkaku was a man of loyalty, but he didn't admire many people. Back in Rukongai, he'd always been something of a top dog—until he encountered Yorujo, and another man named Zaraki.
His battle with Yorujo had been fine; though he eventually lost, at least he'd been beaten after a fairly even fight.
But when he faced that man called Zaraki, Ikkaku was utterly crushed without the slightest chance to resist!
Later, Ikkaku heard that Zaraki had gone to Seireitei and even become a Shinigami of the Gotei 13. So when Yorujo suggested entering the Shin'ō Academy, Ikkaku didn't hesitate to agree, and even brought along his close friend Yumichika.
"Who's joking with you? Do you think I've been training my Kidō for nothing? It's to become an excellent medical ninj—cough, I mean, an excellent member of the Medical Division.
Meatheads like you don't understand a thing. Charging into battle is just empty heroics. My ideal is to become a quiet, devoted support worker."
As Yorujo said this, his face carried a solemn, almost sacred expression, as though he bore a heavy yet noble duty. To anyone unfamiliar with him, it might even have been inspiring.
But since Ikkaku and Yumichika had known him for years, seeing this act only made them both retort at once.
Ikkaku: "You're just afraid of trouble, aren't you?"
Yumichika: "No, I think he's afraid of dying… Honestly, I really don't understand. Yorujo's strength is clearly among the very best of this graduating class.
And yet every single time, in every exam, he deliberately suppresses his scores to somewhere below average. What's so bad about standing out for being excellent? Or are you afraid of something?"
Compared to Ikkaku, who was a muscle-brained idiot, Yumichika was clearly the intellectual type. He'd noticed this ever since they'd entered the Shin'ō Academy together.
The Shinigami's "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō"—setting aside the latter three, Yumichika knew from experience that Yorujo's swordsmanship was already at an extremely high level. Yet every time in the exams, his performance was always below the average line.
Whenever Yumichika and Ikkaku asked why, Yorujo would spout baffling nonsense that made no sense at all.
Things like: "If you're not the protagonist, don't draw attention to yourself," or "If you're too outstanding, you might get targeted by some research-obsessed madman."
At first, Yumichika thought Yorujo must have had some personal enemies in Seireitei. But after years at the Academy passed in perfect peace, with no one ever coming to bother him, Yumichika began to think Yorujo was simply paranoid.
Not that it was surprising. After all, how many people who grew up in Rukongai came out with completely normal personalities?
Yorujo had strong abilities, and his looks were—so far—the only ones Yumichika had ever seen that could rival his own. Having a few quirks on top of that was only natural.
°°°
A/N: New fic, hope y'all like it. Comment down any thoughts or questions you have, I'll try to answer it.