Chapter Five: The Graduation Reaper

Chapter Five: The Graduating Shinigami

Mao Spiritual Arts Academy—Graduation Plaza.

“Hey! Renji, slow down! There are so many people here; don’t walk so fast! We’ll get separated! That would be a huge hassle...” A blond young man with bangs covering his left eye pushed through the crowd and called out to the red-haired man ahead.

“Oh! Kira, hurry up too! We finally graduate today! No more of those damn Kido exams! How could I not be excited?” The red-haired man, Asano Renji, said with enthusiasm. The thought of becoming a Shinigami today filled his heart with overwhelming excitement... Turning around in his excitement, Renji shouted, “Hey! Rukia! Momozono! Where are you?”

“Here! Here! Over here!” A very cute girl squeezed through the crowd, exhaling deeply. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she tugged on the hand of another person beside her, pulling hard while calling out, “Renji... Kira... come over quickly... help...”

“What’s wrong, Momo...” Kira looked at Momozono Momozono’s weary expression and hurried over.

“Sorry, I was looking for someone... found them!” Just as Kira was about to reach out, a cheerful voice sounded from the spot. Then, Shuster appeared, single-handedly lifting someone out of the crowd. Is this really safe for finding someone?

Shuster stepped forward, holding the person out in front of him. “Yo, little sister Rukia...”

“I thought I was going to die in there...” Rukia first sighed at her fate, then looked at her feet dangling about 30 centimeters off the ground. She glanced at Shuster and twitched her eyebrows. “Brother, why do you like carrying me around so much? Put me down! This is embarrassing!”

“Ha ha, a little lady like you treating your lifesaver like this?” Shuster shrugged and gently set Rukia down.

“Yo, isn’t that Shuster? Picking up your sister today?” Renji greeted the pair who had just appeared.

“Yeah, by the way, which squad do you plan to join?” Shuster adjusted Rukia’s Shihakusho and asked Renji.

“I don’t know. By the way, which squad are you planning to have Rukia join? It must be the Sixth Division, right?” Renji scratched his head.

“My brother said to have Rukia enter the Thirteenth Division.” Shuster answered without hesitation.

“…Thirteenth Division? What does that mean?” Renji paused, then questioned Shuster carefully. After all, the Kuchiki family traditionally joined the Sixth Division, and Rukia’s situation seemed unusual. He suspected Rukia was being treated unfairly.

“It’s not what you think, Renji! No one is bullying me; I’m doing fine... Actually, joining the Thirteenth Division isn’t bad at all...” Rukia quickly understood Renji’s concern and immediately explained.

“According to my analysis, brother means to keep Rukia away from the highest dangers...” Shuster pondered aloud.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The three—Renji, Momozono, and Kira—expressed confusion.

“Oh, the Gotei Thirteen has a specific role for each squad. The First Division is the brain of the Gotei Thirteen, responsible for issuing orders. The Second Division is the covert forces and military police. The Third Division supports other squads by filling personnel shortages. The Fourth Division handles medical care. The Fifth Division provides support. The Sixth Division specializes in protecting the nobility. The Seventh Division is the Royal Guard, directly under the First Division. The Eighth Division handles intelligence. The Ninth Division manages prisons, interrogation, torture, and detainment of ordinary prisoners. The Tenth Division is the patrol and security unit, maintaining order within the Seireitei. The Eleventh Division is the combat unit, responsible for frontline attacks and is the most elite fighting force in Soul Society. The Twelfth Division is the research and development bureau, responsible for analyzing spiritual energy and monitoring the average spiritual pressure in the human world, as well as developing new high-tech products. The Thirteenth Division is the purification squad, the main force combating Hollows, with many members dispatched to the human world for long-term Hollow battles. I’ve been to the human world before; the Hollows there are quite weak, and once you’re skilled, you can easily slay them. The Thirteenth Division isn’t usually called for major Hollow exterminations, so it’s a way to protect Rukia.” Shuster explained.

“Is that so? I misjudged you guys... But the Eleventh Division?” Renji scratched his face and said awkwardly.

“Whoa!” “Ah!!” “The captains of each squad!”

...

Amid the exclamations, everyone looked up as the captains of each division descended from the balcony. Since today was the day to recruit and fill new blood for the divisions, they were eager to find promising new Shinigami among the graduates.

“The Sixth Division already has enough personnel, so my brother didn’t come today. Rukia, go to your division. I’ve spoken with Captain Hyō, so good luck, Rukia!” Shuster patted Rukia on the shoulder with a bright smile.

“Mm!” Rukia nodded but glanced back to see Shuster’s figure still lingering.

“Ah! Captain Aizen!” Momozono’s eyes sparkled. “I wish I could join the Fifth Division.”

Back to Shuster—

“You’re back, Shuster.” Kuchiki Byakuya spoke without any change in expression.

“Yes, I’ve examined everything; no abnormalities. Rukia already has the strength of an officer. Sending her to the Thirteenth Division is the best choice.” Shuster appeared in a flash of lightning before Byakuya’s desk.

“Hmm, let her train there. Things haven’t been peaceful lately.” Byakuya said as he reviewed documents.

“Oh, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go train.” Seeing no other duties, Shuster decided it was best to leave. Besides, he hadn’t fully understood his own lightning abilities yet and wanted to practice.

Byakuya said nothing, subtly nodding.

Seeing this, Shuster left behind a shadow clone and returned to his room.

A moment later, a knock was heard.

“...” No response, continuing to handle paperwork.

“#! Bang bang bang!!” The visitor, wearing a red cross on their head, knocked harder.

“...” Still ignored.

“###! ...” Shuster’s clone confirmed the visitor had no fewer than three red crosses on their head and strode in aggressively.

The visitor pressed a finger to their lips, signaling silence, then approached behind Byakuya and reached out...

“Whoa? The ‘Noble Security Adjustment Plan’?” The visitor quickly snatched the document Byakuya was staring at and said, “Hey, how can you focus so intently on such a troublesome thing? The nobles who came up with these demands are ridiculous. Just reject them all; you don’t need to waste time on this!”

Byakuya was momentarily stunned, then looked at the visitor, snatched back the document, and replied, “If we did that, those nobles would keep making unreasonable demands endlessly. Rather than wasting more time arguing, it’s better to satisfy some of their requests to shut them up. But why are you here? ... Hyō!”

“I came to see why you haven’t gone to recruit any new graduates!” Shiba Hyō said cheerfully.

“Is that so? I’m touched...” Byakuya replied calmly, pen moving on the paper. “By the way, you just got married a few days ago. Why aren’t you spending time with your wife, Miko?”

Just a few days ago, Shiba Hyō and Miko had gotten married. Thinking back on the lively day... well, it was lively, but Hyō still felt annoyed. “You really have the nerve to say that? At the wedding, you and Sorazuru and Kirio teamed up to sabotage me! You got me drunk to the point I couldn’t get out of bed for two days! Didn’t you ever hear the saying ‘a moment is worth a thousand gold?’ Compensation! At least buy me a mansion as big as your family’s!”

“Ha ha, I’ll write and send the deed in a few days...” Byakuya said dismissively, continuing to write.

Shuster’s clone stifled a sarcastic urge, thinking, “Write and send the deed? How? Even if you write it, how will you send it? Draw a picture? Add a scale? Can that even be lived in?”

“Tch, your attitude really annoys me!” Shiba Hyō lounged lazily in a chair like it was her own home, flicking her gaze toward Byakuya. “Are you sure it’s okay to leave your family’s girl in our division?”

“...” Byakuya paused his writing and looked at Hyō. “What’s wrong with that? Captain Ukitake isn’t well, and you’re the only one who can handle so many tasks in your division. Rukia’s ability to manage things is quite good. Isn’t it better for her to be with you?”

“Tch, you might as well say Captain Ukitake’s health means we don’t get dangerous missions, so your girl won’t face any danger where she is... You’re really not honest. You care so much about her, yet you won’t admit it.” Hyō said lazily from the chair.

Byakuya stopped writing and looked at Hyō. “I’m counting on you from now on...”

“Acting as a nanny?” Hyō stood up and said, “Well, taking care of her isn’t a problem! But at least buy me dinner as a courtesy, okay? And don’t skimp on your liquor stash...”

“Don’t worry, drink as much as you want tonight...” Byakuya flexed his wrist.

“Then, what about me?” Suddenly, a voice came from the window. The three turned to see Kirio sitting by the window, raising a hand. “Yo, didn’t expect to hear about drinks right when I got here...”

P.S. I’ve been getting dumber these days and have no backlog saved. Wuwu, I can’t even finish a chapter and a half a day...