Chapter 6 The First Student Union President
Life during the holidays was leisurely, so much so that it became monotonous.
Tachikawa Shin had nothing to do every day except for cultivation; Shūhei often sought him out for sparring, only to be defeated by him again and again.
He would verbally claim he didn't want to fight Tachikawa Shin anymore, but the number of times they sparred never decreased.
[Reiatsu Level: Lv: 14]
[Zanpakuto Unlock Progress: 7%]
[Spiritual Power Reserve: 20%]
The efficiency of self-cultivation alone was not high; this time, it took him half a year to advance one level.
If he could consistently advance one level every six months, he wouldn't be in a hurry; he would be max level in a few decades.
However, when he first started cultivating, he could advance one level in just a few days.
It would only get harder the further he went.
Just as this monotonous holiday was nearing its end, Tachikawa Shin finally received a summons from the Spiritual Arts Academy's higher-ups.
Sawataku Minamida personally came to call him and led him directly to the door of the principal's office.
Sawataku Minamida didn't say much throughout, but his gaze towards Tachikawa Shin was somewhat strange; perhaps he also didn't know what had happened, only that he was suddenly told to call Tachikawa Shin over.
"Go in; the principal is waiting for you."
After knocking on the door, a strong, resonant "Enter" came from inside.
Pushing open the door, Tachikawa Shin saw that there was more than one person in the principal's office.
He recognized most of them at a glance.
He had naturally met the principal of the Spiritual Arts Academy, who gave a public speech every year at the Freshman's opening ceremony, and the other three were:
Squad Ten Captain Shiba Isshin.
Squad Thirteen Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, and Vice-Captain Shiba Kaien.
There was also a well-dressed middle-aged man who wasn't wearing a soul reaper uniform or a captain's haori, and his expression was impassive, or rather, somewhat serious; it was clear he was a nobleman.
Such a gathering was quite significant.
Tachikawa Shin remained calm, stepped inside, and first bowed to everyone.
"Are you Tachikawa Shin?"
Shiba Isshin was the first to speak; his face was somewhat kindly, and his gaze lingered on Tachikawa Shin, seemingly very interested in him.
"Tachikawa student."
It was Chojiro Sasakibe, the principal of the Spiritual Arts Academy, who spoke.
"You should know why you've been called here, right?"
Tachikawa Shin mused, "Is it about the Student Council?"
Chojiro Sasakibe was a white-haired old man with an uncharitable face, dressed in a wide kimono, carrying an air of authority.
"When did you have this idea?"
"A year ago."
"Why?"
"At that time, I found that the teachers in the school were personally handling many miscellaneous and minor administrative tasks.
While the class representatives in each class could help the teachers share some of the burden, what one or two people could do was ultimately limited, so this idea came to me."
"Is that all?" Chojiro Sasakibe asked, "I see that your concept for the Student Council is very mature; it could be said that it could be established and operational immediately."
Tachikawa Shin said, "Since I had the idea, I naturally had to put it into action, so I spent a year refining this concept.
If you esteemed sirs deem it feasible, wouldn't it reduce many trial-and-error costs? This also perfectly aligns with the idea of sharing the burden for the teachers."
He knew that Chojiro Sasakibe wanted to ask more than just these things, but these were all he could answer.
The establishment of the Student Council would undoubtedly be more beneficial than detrimental; no matter how some people might view it, it couldn't erase the fact that its existence would greatly reduce the burden on the Spiritual Arts Academy's faculty and staff.
Moreover, students who held positions in the Student Council would gain much management and practical experience after graduation.
Such an organization, beneficial to the Spiritual Arts Academy and to the students, left those present unable to find a reason to refuse.
They had all reviewed Tachikawa Shin's file; a commoner from Zaraki District, the mere fact that he could survive coming out of Zaraki District was enough to make him stand out.
The Seireitei's attitude towards that area could be described as turning a blind eye, only sending Shinigami to clear out Hollows when they caused trouble.
"It seems you are very well prepared," Chojiro Sasakibe said, unsure if he was referring to Tachikawa Shin's concept for the Student Council or something else.
Tachikawa Shin's grades were already sufficient for him to graduate from the Spiritual Arts Academy, yet he chose to stay.
He didn't directly report his idea for the Student Council to the Spiritual Arts Academy teachers but instead sought out Thirteenth Division Vice-Captain Shiba Kaien.
Chojiro Sasakibe only learned of this matter through Squad Thirteen Captain Jūshirō Ukitake.
Soon after, he was called to attend a meeting of the Central 46. The Central 46 held a special meeting for this matter, which was then passed by a majority vote.
He, the esteemed principal of the Spiritual Arts Academy, had been completely unaware of this matter until then.
For this, he specifically spoke with Tachikawa Shin's homeroom teacher, Sawataku Minamida, who was equally bewildered by it.
Chojiro Sasakibe immediately realized that this Tachikawa Shin was not simple; at the very least, he understood the rules of the Soul Society's upper leadership.
Among those who came to meet Tachikawa Shin this time, Squad Ten Captain Shiba Isshin had volunteered to come, and the other was a current Central 46 councilor, a member of the Kasumioji.
"What are your thoughts on the recruitment requirements for the Student Council?"
This was not written in Tachikawa Shin's document, nor were the rules and regulations of the Student Council.
Tachikawa Shin said, "Select the best from each term's students at the Spiritual Arts Academy, arrange interviews, with grades being secondary, mainly observing whether they possess management and operational abilities..."
"No."
Tachikawa Shin was denied before he could finish speaking; it was the nobleman who spoke.
"Grades are the primary assessment standard.
If a student's basic grades are not good, they won't be much better as a Shinigami."
Tachikawa Shin chose not to argue with him.
Chojiro Sasakibe said, "Regarding the recruitment threshold for the Student Council, we will formulate a complete plan, as well as the various regulations of the Student Council and the specific duties it needs to be responsible for."
"One last question."
"Tachikawa Shin, do you want to be the first Student Council President?"
This should also be Tachikawa Shin's goal.
Chojiro Sasakibe knew that this boy had gone through such a roundabout way, using the Thirteenth Division's Vice-Captain and Captain to facilitate this matter, all for this very purpose.
At the Central 46 meeting, both Captain Jūshirō Ukitake and Captain Shiba Isshin were strongly advocating for this boy to be the first Student Council President.
If, as previously stated, Tachikawa Shin had reported it directly to the teachers.
Then this position of president would not have fallen to him.
Fortunately, this student, Tachikawa Shin, besides some records of skipping classes, had excellent grades in all subjects, and the talent he displayed left people speechless.
Jūshirō Ukitake held a high position within the Seireitei; although his family background was not prominent, he had been a Captain for several centuries, and his teacher was the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13.
Shiba Isshin, on the other hand, came from the Shiba family, and everyone was well aware of Shiba Kaien's talent.
This boy...
Facing the varied gazes of those present, Tachikawa Shin was not afraid; instead, a confident smile appeared on his face.
"I am confident I can do this position well!"