Evening had settled over the Shin'ō Academy dorms.
Hisagi Shūhei lay on his bunk reading, relaxing after the long day. The bed next to his—Nobu's—remained empty.
He had no idea where Nobu had gone. But given Nobu's status as the student council president, nothing he did would really come as a surprise anymore.
Shūhei didn't think much of it—until, in the midst of his reading, a wave of intensely familiar spiritual pressure suddenly swept across the campus. It was so powerful, it yanked him upright in a flash.
That reiatsu… it's Nobu's!
As a fifth-year student, Shūhei was long accustomed to sensing and identifying spiritual energy—and there was no mistaking Nobu's.
But the strength of it… it was far beyond what he had imagined.
The sudden surge rippled across the entire Shin'ō Academy. It stirred immediate unrest. Some recognized whose reiatsu it was. Others wondered if a teacher or even a seated Shinigami had suddenly unleashed their power on campus.
Shūhei frowned, thought for a moment, then set down his book and quickly left his dorm, heading straight toward the source of the disturbance.
---
Outside the swordsmanship hall.
The first person to arrive was Nanada Hideaki. The moment he realized the surge had come from Nobu, he made a beeline for the site.
It was nearly curfew, so the only one likely to still be in the swordsmanship hall at this hour was Nobu—the student council president.
But by the time Nanada arrived, the pressure inside had already calmed.
Focusing his senses, he could tell someone was still in there.
Others were beginning to arrive too, so after a moment of hesitation, Nanada decided to push open the door and step inside.
The dojo was quiet and empty save for one person sitting cross-legged at its center: Nobu, alone, with a plain black asauchi resting across his knees.
Nanada paused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. A flicker of realization passed through him.
"Nanada-sensei?"
Nobu looked up in surprise, then smiled. "What brings you here, sir?"
Nanada closed the door behind him. "I should be the one asking that. What kind of stir are you trying to cause?"
"Stir?"
Nobu thought for a second. He hadn't been paying attention, but looking back now, he realized—he must have let his reiatsu spike by accident.
Did it really cause that much trouble…?
Nanada noticed that Nobu's spiritual presence had already withdrawn noticeably—almost too neatly. Was it just his imagination?
His expression grew serious. His eyes dropped to the blade resting on Nobu's lap—an asauchi, but…
"Let me ask you straight," Nanada said, voice low. "Did you just awaken your zanpakutō?"
At that, Nobu glanced down at the weapon and gave a small chuckle. "You could say that."
"…I see."
Nanada exhaled slowly. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, only one word made it out:
"Excellent."
As Nobu's instructor, he couldn't have been happier. It was a rare and remarkable achievement. Even those so-called "genius" students only awakened their zanpakutō after graduating from Shin'ō Academy.
But Nobu had done it while still a student—a truly astonishing surprise.
Compared to Nanada's excitement, however, Nobu himself seemed quite calm.
To him, awakening his zanpakutō was just a matter of natural progression—nothing to fuss over.
And the blade in front of him wasn't even his real zanpakutō. It was a standard asauchi from the armory, chosen to keep up appearances. His actual zanpakutō had been hidden away—its unique appearance too attention-grabbing to risk revealing openly.
[Spiritual Pressure Level: Lv. 18]
[Zanpakutō Unlock Progress: 12% (Partial Awakening)]
Still, with the earlier invocation of its true name, the progress bar had ticked up again on its own.
"Let's go," Nanada said. "Any student who awakens their zanpakutō must register it officially. Since this asauchi has now become your blade, you're allowed to carry it from now on."
The two left the swordsmanship hall together—only to find a small crowd already gathered outside. Students and teachers alike.
Shūhei and Kanisawa were among them. Nobu waved at them with a casual grin.
"Nanada-sensei, what happened here?" one of the faculty members asked, walking over quickly.
Nanada pulled the teacher aside and quietly explained. As they listened, more and more eyes turned toward Nobu—filled with a mix of shock, curiosity, and awe.
"What's going on?" Shūhei and Kanisawa approached Nobu directly.
Nobu gestured to the sword he held and said with a wry smile, "Just this."
The two of them blinked.
And then, almost in unison, they processed it.
"You mean… you actually—?"
Nobu scratched the back of his head, feigning annoyance. "Yeah. And now Nanada-sensei's dragging me off to file paperwork. What a pain."
"Let's go, Nobu!" Nanada called.
Nobu followed without protest, and the rest of the students were promptly dispersed by nearby teachers.
Still, the reiatsu surge had made too strong an impression to ignore. The moment Nobu stepped out of the dojo with a sword in hand, the truth became obvious. And so, the news that Student Council President Tachikawa Nobu had awakened his zanpakutō spread like wildfire across Shin'ō Academy.
Nobu and Nanada arrived at the faculty office building. Nanada told him to wait there and left briefly. About ten minutes later, he returned—now accompanied by two senior instructors.
"Tachikawa-kun."
Nobu recognized both of them—highly ranked teachers at the Academy.
"This is your zanpakutō now?" one of them asked, pointing to the sword in Nobu's arms.
Nobu gave a small nod.
The two teachers exchanged a look. One of them said, "For a student to have already awakened a zanpakutō… that's truly rare. No wonder the headmaster speaks so highly of you. Congratulations, Tachikawa-kun."
A pleased smile tugged at the corner of Nanada's mouth.
One teacher pulled out a register. The other continued:
"Can you please state the name and ability of your zanpakutō for the record?"
All zanpakutō had to be formally registered. Aside from Nobu's verbal declaration, they'd probably ask for a demonstration too.
Nobu looked down at the blade in his arms. Its form was no different from a standard asauchi. He hadn't made any cosmetic changes—not yet. Fortunately, zanpakutō came in all shapes and forms, so no one would question a simple-looking sword.
As for its ability… how to explain that?
That part he hadn't prepared. After a brief moment of silence, he finally opened his mouth.
"Its name is…"
"[Shigan, Higan]."