Chapter 93: Early Graduation
"Captain Aizen, congratulations on the huge success of the Fifth Division's film. What are your thoughts on this?"
"For everyone's achievements to be acknowledged, for their effort to be rewarded, there is nothing more gratifying."
"Some viewers feel the film is excellent, but they worry that putting recent heinous incidents on screen may be inappropriate. What do you say to that?"
"I hoped to use this opportunity to create a film that encourages people to be brave and face the future, and my disciple has given a satisfactory answer. Those so called concerns only prove why this film was necessary."
"Was that really the intention? Even so, the antagonist was not defeated. He showed an even stronger presence than the protagonist and the others, and his popularity is even higher. Does that not conflict with the theme?"
"Do you truly think he is an antagonist destined to be defeated?"
"Huh?"
"While I am confident in my own performance, I believe the popularity you mention mostly comes from recognition of the character itself."
"If I had to put it into words, he is an antagonist, yet he does not feel malicious at all. Why is that?"
"Perhaps because he spoke what was in everyone's hearts, and did what everyone wanted to do."
"Wait…!"
"Relax. I am not referring to inciting rebellion or harming others. I mean the understanding of God, and the belief in wanting to become God."
"Phew, I see… Huh? God? That sounds even worse, does it not?"
"When my disciple and I were discussing calligraphy, he recommended a philosopher from the World of the Living. Though that philosopher was a powerless human, his inner self was strong. He longed to transcend himself and become his own God. I was deeply moved after reading his great work."
"His own God… Does that mean the antagonist's final words were not simply about becoming a god, but about expressing a principle that also aligns with the film's theme through that method? To become as strong as possible, gain power, and fulfill one's wishes like a transcendent god? Is that why the film is named Boundary?"
"Ahem. Another question. Does the Fifth Division plan to make a second movie?"
"Though I know it will disappoint everyone, there are no such plans, barring unforeseen circumstances. By the way, how are the other divisions' film projects progressing?"
"…It seems not optimistic."
"…Then please share some behind the scenes stories from the production…"
"…"
"Takeru!"
Hearing the shout, Takeru turned off the latest Seireitei Bulletin Movie Special report on his Denreishinki and slipped it back into his pocket.
He straightened, no longer leaning against the tall stone pillar.
This was the Fifth Division's Senkaimon plaza.
The place looked like an open air forum modeled after an ancient Roman palace, linked to the division barracks by a grand avenue. Towering stone columns lined the way, and a glowing gate rose between them, majestic and solemn enough to make anyone instinctively stand up straighter.
Takeru glanced over and saw Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime, each hauling an absurdly large bag.
"Where did all that luggage come from?" he asked, genuinely confused.
Ichigo dropped his load, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and gave a helpless sigh. "Because Orihime insisted she didn't want too many people seeing her off, everyone somehow agreed on the same solution. They gave her even more parting gifts."
"Kurosaki kun, Kuchiki san… I'm sorry for causing trouble." Orihime bowed, her voice small.
"It's nothing," Ichigo said. "Just helping out."
Rukia smiled brightly, but Orihime's eyes were already starting to sting.
"No, I meant these past few days," Orihime said, her voice trembling as she forced herself to continue. "Thank you for taking care of me. Even though it was only half a month, it was the happiest summer vacation of my life."
"I met so many new friends, and everyone was so kind."
"Hitsugaya kun, who complained the whole time but never minded my clumsiness, and Rangiku san, who let me stay and looked after my food and daily life."
"The enthusiastic Kurosaki kun. Kuchiki san, who helped me so much. Yoruichi san, who came with us on the adventure to Soul Society."
"Captain Komamura, Captain Ukitake, Captain Aizen, Captain Unohana, Kūkaku san…"
"Everyone wanted to come see me off, but I really couldn't agree. I was scared I wouldn't be able to bear leaving Soul Society."
By the end, Orihime's eyes were red, and tears slid down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to hold them back.
Snap.
Under the quiet gaze of Takeru and Ichigo, Rukia placed both hands firmly on Orihime's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes, deadly serious.
"Don't put yourself down like that."
"Even though you're a human, you still came to save me when you didn't understand anything. We all saw your strength and your resolve. That's why we recognize you, and why we want to be your friends."
"The Captain Commander has formally appointed you as a Substitute Shinigami. Rangiku gave you a Denreishinki. You can contact us anytime, and you can come visit Soul Society whenever you want."
"That's right." Takeru nodded. "When you come back, I'll make you work first. Then, as your host, I'll treat you to a meal. So don't carry some heavy burden in your heart."
"Takeru kun…" Orihime whispered.
"What is it?"
"The one who gave me the courage to save Kuchiki san… was you."
Her sudden confession made Takeru pause.
Ichigo and Rukia both looked confused, not sure where she was going with this.
"My brother… he also died in a car accident," Orihime said softly. "And that day, we had our biggest argument ever…"
She had long accepted it, but the sadness still slipped into her words.
"I used to think… it would have been better if I had died in that accident too."
"Orihime…" Rukia's brows drew together.
"It's okay, Kuchiki san." Orihime shook her head. "I don't have those thoughts anymore, because even if I really had died and a Shinigami had sent me to Soul Society with my brother, that still wouldn't have been the best outcome."
Through tears, her smile was strangely radiant.
"Because no matter what, I couldn't have fought alongside you and Kurosaki kun. In the end, my brother would still have had to protect a weak me, right?"
"So even though we had just met, after I heard you talk about your experiences and I saw how you fought… I suddenly realized you were the version of myself I always wanted to be, but couldn't."
"The me who wished she had died with her brother. The me who didn't want to be protected anymore, but wanted to protect him instead. The me who could fight beside him for a new life. Smart, brave, someone others could rely on and trust."
"From that moment, I stopped dwelling on it. I decided to cherish what I have now, and use the power I worked so hard for to protect everyone."
"That's why, when I heard about Kuchiki san's execution from Urahara san, I decided immediately."
"Even if it was just once… I wanted to be like my ideal self, and fight to protect others, even in the afterlife."
The words were not polished or eloquent.
But they were honest enough to cut straight through everything else.
"Orihime…" Ichigo's voice turned hoarse.
Rukia's eyes softened, deeply moved.
Takeru raised an eyebrow, finally understanding where her subtle closeness toward him had come from.
"I see," he said quietly. "Then keep working hard. I'll leave the World of the Living to you."
"Mm!" Orihime nodded hard.
Just then, a black cat appeared as if she had been waiting for the cue.
"Oops. I'm not late, am I?"
"Yoruichi san?" Orihime blinked. "Why are you here?"
"What do you mean, why?" the cat said, sounding offended. "We came together. Did you think you could ditch me? I didn't realize you were such a mean little crybaby."
"Ah? No, that's not what I meant…"
While the cat teased her, Takeru cut in.
"Are you returning to the World of the Living because of Urahara?"
The name Kisuke Urahara made the air go still.
The betrayal of Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen could be turned into a movie.
But Urahara's creation of the Hogyoku, and the Hollowfication incident from a century ago, were absolute taboos.
"Yeah," Yoruichi replied casually, as if she had not just thrown a landmine into the conversation. "He lives in Karakura Town, running a little shop. He ran off, and even though someone's watching the store, I still need to go back and let them know what's going on."
Ichigo immediately frowned. "So that guy was hiding in Karakura Town? Seems Tosen and Gin accidentally did something useful. Otherwise, knowing someone that dangerous is living so close to my house would make it hard to sleep."
"Well… Kisuke isn't that bad," Yoruichi said, and the weakness in her own defense made her sigh. She shook her head, dropped it, then leapt onto Orihime's head and patted her forehead.
"Alright, let's go. Better to get back early and clean up. By the way, school starts tomorrow, Inoue. Did you finish your summer homework?"
"?!"
Orihime's eyes went wide with pure horror, and her tears looked ready to return on command.
"…" Takeru, Ichigo, and Rukia exchanged a look and wisely said nothing.
"Everyone, I'm leaving first!" Orihime blurted.
Maybe it was the pressure of homework, but she snapped into action with terrifying decisiveness.
She wiped her face, grabbed one huge bag in each hand, hoisted another onto her back, and left Ichigo and Rukia staring.
"You can carry all that?!" Ichigo gaped.
"Um… Urahara san said my abilities require a lot of physical strength, so he focused my training there," Orihime admitted, looking embarrassed.
"There's nothing strange about a girl being strong," Ichigo said immediately, then smirked. "It's definitely better than Rukia, with those thin arms and legs."
"Oh?" Rukia's smile turned sharp. "Ichigo, your physical strength is impressive. Why don't you come back to the Thirteenth Division with me later and help out? Captain Ukitake would be delighted."
While they bickered, Orihime waved goodbye, stepped into the Senkaimon, and disappeared.
"That's great," Ichigo sighed as the gate closed.
"What are you sighing about now?" Takeru asked as he turned to leave.
Ichigo walked beside him, hands clasped behind his head, staring up at the sky like he was trying to read something there.
"Actually, I envy Orihime too," he said. "I feel like she's the ideal version of me."
"Oh?" Takeru neither agreed nor denied it.
"I'm not joking," Ichigo continued, his voice growing heavier. "If I hadn't died, and I was still in high school in Karakura Town, I'd definitely still be just an ordinary student."
"The world keeps changing. It's changing in places I don't even know. But the one thing that doesn't change is my helplessness."
"If fate is a gear, then we're the sand getting crushed under it. We're powerless. We just need strength."
"If I can't protect things by reaching out with my hands, then I want to hold a sword."
"And the power to break fate should be like that blade when it strikes."
Takeru glanced at him and scoffed lightly. "I didn't realize you became so articulate."
"It's just a random burst of inspiration," Ichigo said, then grinned like he was trying to look cool on purpose. "I'm still far behind you and the teacher. Besides, I gave up on arguing a long time ago. If someone's running their mouth, I'd rather cut them down so they can't make a sound."
"And then, while they can't speak, you'll point at their nose and lecture them anyway?" Takeru shot back.
"Huh? How did you know?"
"…Because you hold grudges."
Rukia followed behind them, neither too close nor too far.
She walked at an easy pace, like an ordinary passerby, letting their voices drift into her ears.
Her gaze rested on their backs, the two of them blending into the scenery of Soul Society as they talked.
A relieved smile appeared on her lips.
Fate… huh?
"If fate is a gear, we will move forward, believing logic is flawless."
"…Advancing toward the destination where two competing forces collide."
The heated discussion sparked by the Seireitei Bulletin's latest movie feature was still going strong.
But none of that mattered to Takeru for now.
As a director, he was still, in the end, only a first year student of the Spirit Arts Academy.
Summer vacation was over.
He and Ichigo needed to return to the Academy.
And they did.
Only they did not appear in the Class One classroom.
They appeared in the Headmaster's office.
"Takeru kun, Kurosaki kun…"
The Headmaster picked up two documents from his desk and solemnly handed them over.
"After extensive review by the Academy, and after obtaining formal permission from the Captain Commander and Captain of the First Division of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, we have decided to exempt you from all examinations and issue your graduation certificates."
"Congratulations."
"Graduating six months early is, without question, a new achievement."
"You are the most outstanding students since the founding of the Spirit Arts Academy. As Headmaster, I am proud to have students like you."
"Thank you for your continued support." Takeru accepted the graduation certificate and bowed slightly.
Ichigo bowed as well.
When they first enrolled, they had been broke. They relied entirely on the Headmaster's special allowance just to live.
And beyond money, the Headmaster had given them countless conveniences.
When they needed to go to Rukongai late at night, it had been the Headmaster's personal stamp on the Seireitei pass that made it possible. Otherwise, they never would have made it through the procedures.
Leaving the dorms freely, staying at other divisions, all of it had been allowed under the Headmaster's umbrella.
Every small thing, both of them remembered.
The Headmaster gave a wry smile and shook his head. "The care I can give is limited to this."
"Considering what the Spirit Arts Academy is supposed to be, I am ashamed."
"That said, if someone connects your achievements to the Academy's teaching ability, overestimates the Academy and my capabilities, and expects me to cultivate talents like you again, that will give me an even bigger headache."
"No more chatter. You still need to return to the dorms and pack, so I won't waste your time."
"Especially you, Takeru kun. If you stay in the Academy too long, it might cause a riot among the students."
Ichigo clicked his tongue and stared at Takeru like he was looking at an exotic species. "Is this guy really that popular? Logically, I played the protagonist. My popularity should at least beat his for a little while, right?"
"Because the First Division just released a piece of news," the Headmaster replied.
Ichigo was about to ask what news, but the Headmaster handed him a separate letter, stealing his attention instantly.
"A letter of appointment for the Thirteenth Division's Vice Captain."
The Headmaster watched Ichigo's stunned face and smiled.
"Congratulations, Kurosaki kun. You joined immediately after graduation, without even taking an entrance exam, and you became Vice Captain directly. Your life's resume gained another glorious line."
"Captain Ukitake is way too impatient, isn't he?" Ichigo groaned, then shoved the letter into his chest.
He turned with Takeru, ready to head to the dorms.
Then he remembered what he had meant to ask earlier.
"Oh, Headmaster. That news you mentioned… what was it?"
"You'll know when you return to the First Division," the Headmaster said, tone maddeningly calm.
They were ushered out like that.
Walking down the corridor, Ichigo's expression turned thoughtful, like he had pieced together a puzzle he didn't even like.
"Takeru… do you think that news is about your appointment? I'm already Vice Captain, so you…"
"Who knows," Takeru replied.
But his eyes gleamed faintly, as if he had already seen the answer waiting ahead.
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