Time flew by.
After class, Shigū Takeru and Rindo Itaru ran into Ichigo right as they were leaving the classroom.
"Yo. How was class? You didn't fall asleep holding a calligraphy brush, did you?"
"If someone can sleep through Teacher Aizen's class, their brain must have been hit with a 'Bengdian'," Takeru retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"A 'Bengdian'?" Ichigo was puzzled.
[A powerful anesthetic,] Rindo Itaru wrote, his expression unchanged. [It's said that even the highest-ranking Shinigami can't easily resist its effects.]
"...Injecting an anesthetic into the brain... only you would think of that. But that means the teacher is really good, right?"
"If I had to describe it, it's like listening to a speech by the greatest philosopher of our time. If he'd been born in Germany half a century ago, humanity might have already been unified."
"That's a philosopher?! That's clearly a deeply calculating, silver-tongued ambitious schemer!"
"If you don't want to get jumped in your sleep tonight, you'd better keep your voice down."
Takeru hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing back at the classroom.
Ichigo instinctively looked and saw, through the window, a crowd of male and female students surrounding the podium. He could vaguely make out the tall figure of the person he was looking for, dressed in a different style of robes.
Whether Aizen was a fraud or not, if he spoke ill of a popular teacher, this group of students definitely wouldn't stand by. On the other hand, Shigū Takeru definitely would stand by!
"It's all your fault for exaggerating... Forget it, I'm going!"
Watching Ichigo's retreating back, Takeru mused, "Rindo, what do you guess his first words will be when he gets back tonight?"
[I don't know,] Rindo Itaru shook his head.
Takeru smiled. "I bet he'll say, 'Shigū, you were so right. I was too arrogant.'"
[Actually... I also don't approve of getting too close to that person.]
"?"
Takeru turned in surprise. Rindo Itaru's gaze was serious, a rare sight for him.
[Because I can barely sense Teacher Aizen's emotions at all.]
"Rindo, have you ever considered... that this is actually the normal state of things?" Takeru said calmly.
Rindo Itaru paused.
"We can't tell if a person is good or bad at a single glance. It often takes long-term observation and familiarity to reach a conclusion. And even then, the possibility of misjudgment is high."
"So, here's the question: why isn't everyone paranoid of each other? Why do people focus on building relationships?"
"The reason is simple. Because everyone is in the same boat."
"Think about it. If you couldn't sense my emotions, and I couldn't sense yours, you would naturally be wary of me. But that's just the appropriate reaction to a stranger, right? You wouldn't immediately treat me as a bad person and put up huge defenses, would you?"
Faced with Takeru's question, Rindo Itaru nodded hesitantly.
"So, the Teacher Aizen who seems terrifying to you because you can't sense his emotions... looks no different from anyone else to me. I don't know what they're thinking either, and I don't need to know. It's not important to me."
[Then what is important?]
Takeru clapped him firmly on the shoulder, as if his actions were the answer.
"What they do. That's what's most important."
...
Dorm Room 001. Shigū Takeru's room.
Just as the sunset clouds outside were at their most fiery, Ichigo pushed the door open and walked in.
"Shigū, I have to admit, you occasionally say some weird things that actually make sense."
Takeru, who was sitting at the low square table, glanced at Rindo Itaru across from him as he closed his book, giving him a "See? What did I tell you?" look.
[It seems you two got along well.]
After Takeru's words, Rindo Itaru had also set aside his "prejudice" against Aizen and took the initiative to respond to Ichigo's thoughts.
"Yeah."
Ichigo swapped his shoes for indoor slippers, walked onto the tatami, and sat cross-legged in the empty spot at the table. He unceremoniously picked up the barley tea Takeru had just poured and downed it in one go.
"Man, I'm thirsty. I was so engrossed in the lesson I didn't drink a single drop of water."
"Normally, I should be happy for you. But I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to see your grumpy face at the next test," Takeru said, picking up his Asauchi and shaking his head as he began his daily blade maintenance.
"Don't underestimate me! I could have passed even without tutoring, okay?"
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Why don't you tell us how Teacher Aizen changed your mind?"
Ichigo wanted to argue, but he let it go with a huff. As Takeru wished, he recounted what had happened.
In short, it could be summarized in one sentence.
He was moved by Aizen's sincerity and won over by his outstanding teaching methods.
"At first, I thought he was some sinister, crafty guy in glasses. I never expected him to be such a gentle, reliable, good-natured person. He not only helped me map out a self-study plan but was also concerned about my other classes and any problems I was having... I really owe him a big one."
Ichigo sighed, clearly ashamed of his earlier, instinct-driven suspicions.
Takeru asked curiously, "From the sound of it, did you also tell him about you being a 'Kido Nuke'?"
"Who are you calling a Kido Nuke!?"
Ichigo exploded.
"I knew it! People have been whispering about me lately. It was you, wasn't it?! You're the one spreading rumors!"
"Brother Kurosaki, you know me. If I'm going to talk bad about you, I do it to your face. It's called 'low EQ'."
"Using that as an excuse... You bastard, just you wait until I get the chance. I'll see how you like it when I mock you!"
"Then you'd better ask Teacher Aizen to help you supplement your vocabulary while you're at it. You know me. Your insults are too weak to have any effect."
"..."
Looking at Takeru's perfectly self-righteous expression, Ichigo desperately wanted to punch him.
"Hmph. Go ahead and be smug. You guessed it. Teacher Aizen invited me to the 5th Division this weekend. He said he can help me solve my Kido problem."
"The weekend? I happen to be free. I'll go with you." Takeru nodded.
"Wait, you don't have any problems that need solving."
"But Teacher Aizen probably asked you to invite me too, didn't he?"
"How did you guess that?" Ichigo was astonished.
"Isn't it obvious? There's no way he'd give private lessons and leave out the guy who got first place, right?"
"..."
Ichigo didn't want to talk to Takeru anymore. He turned to Rindo Itaru.
As expected, Rindo wrote a line in the air.
[Shigū performed exceptionally well in class and was praised by Teacher Aizen.]
"No wonder he sounded so enthusiastic when he mentioned you," Ichigo realized.
"Geniuses are drawn to each other."
"Then I guess I'm a genius, too," Ichigo said smugly, thinking he had caught Takeru in a boast.
"You're not?"
Takeru's surprised tone made it sound like Ichigo had just said something anti-common sense.
Ichigo froze, then broke into a wide grin. "Of course I'm a genius. Both of us, and Rindo, and Yayahara—we're all geniuses."
"Speaking of Yayahara, where is she? She sent a text on her 'Denreishinki' (Soul Pager) telling us to meet at your place, but she's not here."
Just as he finished speaking, the door slid open again.
Yayahara Kumanaru burst in with ferocious energy.
Before anyone could kick her out for being "too loud," she triumphantly held up a large food container.
"Ta-da! Look what I brought!"
"Whoa, let me see... Is this... pizza?"
Takeru put away his Asauchi and maintenance kit, stood up, and took the container. He placed it on the table and opened the top layer, surprised to find a familiar food from the human world.
"They sell pizza in the Soul Society?" Ichigo's eyes went wide.
"There's more!"
Yayahara, extremely pleased with their reaction, opened the other containers.
It was clear they had been surprised too early.
Besides pizza, there was tomahawk steak, cream pasta, fried chicken, hamburgers, and fries...
None of it was rare in the human world, but the Seireitei was dominated by traditional pre-20th-century Japanese cuisine. They didn't even have curry, let alone ramen, which was introduced to Japan in the same era, or the later-arriving fried chicken and hamburgers.
"Is this the result of your afternoon?" Takeru's mind was sharp.
"Bingo!" Yayahara gave a thumbs-up.
"You know I love 'gyaru' culture. I got it from my family. They have special channels... they can order goods from the human world through black market merchants. Don't tell anyone, okay? It's a trade secret."
"Don't worry, I'll take it to my grave!"
Ichigo swallowed, his eyes glued to the dazzling array of food. He now deeply understood Yayahara's greatness.
This was currently the only way to eat food from the human world in the Soul Society.
Even setting that aside, he would never reveal a friend's secret.
"Even with the channels, it must have been a lot of trouble to get all this. Thanks, Yayahara," Takeru said, genuinely touched.
"No biggie! We're friends! In the human world, it's proper to treat friends from out of town to a good meal. Don't be polite, dig in!"
Suddenly, Yayahara slapped her forehead, remembering something. She pulled two large bottles of liquor from her bag.
"I almost forgot! What's a party without booze!"
"Hey, hey, I'm still a minor!" Ichigo's jaw dropped.
"You're already dead, who cares about the laws of the human world? Just pretend you've already lived for a hundred years. That Shinigami who sent us here looked like a middle schooler, remember?" Takeru scoffed.
"That's true... Ah, what the hell!"
"That's the spirit! To celebrate our bright future as souls... I even special-ordered the liquor known as the 'Water of Life'! How about that? Super meaningful, right!?"
At these words, even Takeru's expression stiffened for a second.
Ichigo's mouth fell open.
"'Water of Life'... No, it couldn't be the one I'm thinking of... Hey, do you know what the proof is on that?! If we drink that, we won't be feeling any meaning at all!"
"Oh? Are you scared, Ichigo?"
"!?"
Pushed to the edge by that one sentence, Ichigo had no choice left.
Takeru, on the other hand, was very open-minded. If he could face Aizen with equanimity, what was a mere 96% vodka?
"Cheers!"
The four of them sat on the floor of the 4.5-tatami mat room. Even with each taking a corner, it didn't feel crowded. Instead, it felt just right.
Rindo Itaru sat quietly to the side, but it didn't stop him from blending into the fiery atmosphere, raising his glass with his friends.
Outside, the sunset clouds had faded, and the encroaching night was filled with warmth and intoxication under the bright lights of the room.
-------
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