"Success!"
The fish on Hoshino Rie's desk came back to life.
A Shinigami from the Fourth Division stepped forward to inspect it. After confirming there were no issues, he smiled and said, "Test passed. Congratulations on joining the Fourth Division. Report in after the break."
The Fourth Division's Kaido test was simple—if you could reconnect a fish cut in half and keep it alive, you passed.
Sure enough, Hoshino Rie smoothly passed the Fourth Division's Kaido test and officially became a member of the division.
"I did it!" Hoshino Rie rushed out of the classroom. Yoruichi was waiting right outside the door. "Eh, where's the teacher?"
"Congrats, congrats! I knew you'd pass for sure!" said Yoruichi. "I ran into Headmaster Kotetsu earlier. She called the teacher away."
Headmaster's Office
"Katori-kun, your performance has far exceeded my expectations." Kotetsu Ayane poured Nanatsuki a cup of tea and continued, "Your Sixth-Year class originally had twenty-six students, right? Except for the two who unfortunately died, all the others graduated successfully."
She had been uneasy at first about entrusting a graduating class to a brand-new teacher. If they hadn't been severely understaffed, she wouldn't even have considered it. But to her surprise, Katori Nanatsuki had performed far better than expected.
Especially impressive was his leadership during the Field Training Assessment.
Most instructors at the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy weren't capable of handling the unexpected incident in Karakura Town.
Nanatsuki nodded. "Except for Ōno Kōta and Kan no Ki Homura, everyone else's names are on the list."
The results from the field assessment were key. Because of the Karakura Town incident, every surviving student received a passing or higher grade.
As long as one passed the field assessment, they qualified to become a Shinigami.
Even students who had applied for the Fourth Division would be assigned to other divisions if they failed the Kaido test.
"You're already an excellent teacher, Katori-kun. The reason I called you here is because I'd like to ask about something else..." Headmaster Kotetsu paused, then continued, "How is the swordsmanship level of that First-Year class you're currently teaching?"
"The class is progressing well. I think the overall results in next semester's swordsmanship match will be quite impressive." Nanatsuki took a sip of tea, his confidence apparent. "I believe a few of my disciples may even achieve outstanding individual scores."
The Patient Guidance trait also took effect during his teaching. The students of the Spiritual Arts Academy benefited from that boost as well.
That's why his students progressed so quickly—they'd already solidified their fundamentals in swordsmanship.
Most of these students had talent in the C to D range. Without the trait bonus, it would've taken them at least two or three years to reach this level.
Kotetsu Ayane said, "The Swordsmanship Department Head position is still vacant. Vice Headmaster Tsunayashiro plans to nominate Tsunayashiro Tokinada as the new department head."
Department Head Asido had already gone to Hueco Mundo, so the position was currently empty.
Kotetsu Ayane continued, "I rejected the nomination for now and shelved the proposal. But in the second month of next semester, the Autumn Exam will be held. If Tokinada-sensei's class performs well again, I may not be able to reject it a second time."
Vice Headmaster Tsunayashiro saw Katori Nanatsuki gaining momentum. With such a high graduation rate from his Sixth-Year class, the Vice Headmaster didn't want to drag things out and risk change—he was accelerating the process to get Tokinada into the department head seat as quickly as possible.
"My class has a good chance of outperforming Class 1 overall. In terms of individual results, I may even be able to surpass them in the top four placement ratio..." Nanatsuki frowned. "But Class 1 has Kuchiki Sōjun. Taking first place in the swordsmanship assessment won't be easy."
Kuchiki Sōjun was being raised as the next heir to the Kuchiki Clan. His abilities across the board were excellent. He had ranked first in the Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō assessments.
"Kuchiki Sōjun is indeed strong... but individual student scores make up half the weight in selecting the department head," said Kotetsu Ayane.
The Academy existed to train Shinigami for the Gotei 13. Personal combat ability remained the most important metric.
"I'll take them for extra training during the break," Nanatsuki said, determined to do his best.
As of now, his disciples were still behind Kuchiki Sōjun in both swordsmanship and Reiatsu. But summer training should narrow the gap somewhat.
The biggest difference was still in Reiatsu.
Rumor had it that Kuchiki Sōjun had already achieved Shikai this year. His Reiatsu was likely far beyond what it used to be.
Still, Nanatsuki remembered how Zanpakutō Meditation Training had helped Yoruichi communicate with her Zanpakutō. Maybe he could use those techniques to help his students achieve Shikai sooner.
"Do your best—but don't put too much pressure on yourself or your students," Kotetsu Ayane advised.
If possible, she still didn't want a member of the Tsunayashiro family leading the Swordsmanship Department.
It had been several centuries since Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto changed the "Gen" character in the name of the "Genryū" Dojo to match the Academy. During those years, the Academy had produced countless Shinigami for the Gotei 13.
The Tsunayashiro clan valued their influence at the Academy, which was why they installed a Tsunayashiro Vice Headmaster.
Before his appointment, the previous Vice Headmaster had been Kotetsu Ayane's late husband.
His death had been suspicious, and she suspected the Tsunayashiro Vice Headmaster had something to do with it. Unfortunately, no evidence could be found.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Nanatsuki opened his Status Interface.
The graduation class feedback rewards had arrived.
[Class Graduated – Homeroom Teacher (One Year) Reward Settlement]
[24 students became Shinigami – You gain 12,000 points of General Ability EXP]
[First graduation as a Homeroom Teacher – Reward Settlement]
[You gained a random Trait: "Unity of Mind and Technique"]
[You gained 30,000 points of General Ability EXP]
[Random Skill Mastery +1 level]
[Disciple Shihōin Yoruichi became a Shinigami – Reward Settlement]
[You gained 10,000 points of General Ability EXP]
[Random Skill Mastery +1 level]
[Disciple Hoshino Rie became a Shinigami – Reward Settlement]
[You gained 10,000 points of General Ability EXP]
[Random Skill Mastery +1 level]
A huge haul!
He had only taught this class for one year, so the reward was calculated based on one year of instruction.
For each student that became a Shinigami, he earned 500 General EXP. If he had taught them for the full six years, that'd be 3,000 EXP per student.
Nanatsuki checked the new trait:
[Unity of Mind and Technique (Universal)]: Your understanding of techniques has deepened. When improving or creating derivative techniques, you enter a state of focused flow, making it easier to spark inspiration.
Nanatsuki realized this was a universal trait—it applied not only to swordsmanship, but also to Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo. While he had keen instincts for swordsmanship and could integrate it into his combat system, his sensitivity toward Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo was much lower.
With this new trait, perhaps he could try combining various sword techniques with Shunko, and build a unique Shunko combat style.
He checked his skill list. The skills that gained a level in mastery were all sword techniques. After leveling up, they were now:
Crimson Tide: MasteryWave Break: ProficientFrostfang Wild Dance: Proficient
This time, he earned a total of 62,000 points of General Ability EXP—more than enough to level up his Reiatsu again!
After this round of upgrades, his Reiatsu would reach the level of a Vice-Captain!