Hinamori Momo's home was located in Junrin'an, District 1 of West Rukongai—a far better background than many of her peers at Shin'ō Academy.
The environment there ranked just below Seireitei itself. Security and food were never issues.
On a rest day from the Academy, Hinamori had returned home for a visit and stopped by to see the boy next door.
"Anyway, Shin'ō Academy is such a great place. Our student council president already gets to meet with vice-captains and even captains all the time. And he's a really great person too—no arrogance at all when he's dealing with underclassmen or subordinates. Honestly, I wish I'd been chosen as his assistant back then... Ugh, are you even listening, Shiro?"
On the wooden veranda, a silver-haired boy was busy demolishing a giant wedge of watermelon. When the girl beside him called him by his nickname again, he promptly spit a mouthful of seeds at her.
"I told you, don't call me Shiro! Why do you always come back on rest days? Is being a Shinigami student really so easy?"
"I came all the way back just to see you!" Hinamori huffed. "The student council has a ton of work to handle every day, you know."
Hitsugaya Tōshirō tossed the watermelon rind aside and picked up another slice.
"You've already told me about that president of yours a hundred times."
"Because he really is amazing!"
Tōshirō's expression soured. Clearly, he had no interest in hearing more.
Hinamori let out a sigh. "It's a shame, though. When the Fifth Division's captain visited, I was stuck on assignment and couldn't attend. People say he's really easygoing too. Shiro, Soul Reapers aren't at all like we imagined—there are so many kind people."
She turned to him with hopeful eyes. "Shiro, why don't you try taking the Academy entrance exam too? I bet you'd pass easily. And once you're in, you could make lots of new friends."
Tōshirō continued eating, unbothered.
"And if you joined the student council," Hinamori added, "we'd get to see each other all the time again."
"What's so great about being around you all the time?"
"Shiro, that's a really hurtful thing to say."
"Stop calling me Shiro, bed-wetting Momo!"
Tōshirō had no intention of entering the Academy anytime soon. The main reason was his grandmother—her health had been poor for a long time, and he couldn't bring himself to leave her behind. He felt he needed to stay close and take care of her.
The summer heat clung to the air, and cicadas shrieked endlessly from the trees overhead.
Hinamori idly nibbled her watermelon, her legs swinging gently off the edge of the porch. She gazed up at the crystal-clear sky, a quiet determination rising in her chest.
"I'm going to work really hard and become a great Soul Reaper."
---
Nobu had skipped class one too many times again and was called in for a talk by Nanada-sensei.
"You little punk, did you already forget what you promised me? Just because you're in the student council doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! If anything, being president means you should be setting an example!"
"But the council really does have a lot of work," Nobu said with a face full of innocence. "Nandaa-sensei, I know I've missed a few classes, but I still make time to train! My grades won't suffer!"
"Save it!" Nanada wasn't buying it for a second. He knew this student of his all too well.
"Good grades don't give you a free pass to break rules. Do you even realize how many absences are being recorded on your file? What do you think your future squad's going to think when they see that?"
Nobu grinned. "Naturally, they'll think I'm a rare genius worth investing in."
"Be serious!" Nanada snapped. "I'm warning you—starting today, you'd better show up to every class. Skip one more and I'll report you to the headmaster myself. Let's see if he still lets you keep that cushy student council title!"
Nobu groaned. "But what if there really is something urgent with the council?"
"Then come ask me for leave. I'll decide if it's worth excusing."
"..."
That afternoon, Nobu actually showed up to class—for once. His appearance surprised quite a few students. It had been ages since the class president had graced them with his presence.
"Nanada-sensei gave you a talking-to?" Hisagi Shūhei glanced at Nobu slumped beside him and asked with a faint smile.
Nobu responded with a lazy grunt.
It wasn't that he disliked attending class—he just found the Fifth-Year curriculum offered little challenge. The instructors rarely delved into advanced material. To Nobu, it was a better use of time to dig into high-level Kidō texts in the library and continue self-study.
By the fifth year, most of the training had shifted to practical fieldwork. Soul Burial missions to the human world had increased noticeably, and sometimes even included underclassmen tagging along.
Nobu had gone before too. Back in his first year, his first trip to the human world had filled him with excitement.
But this was still decades before the era of Kurosaki Ichigo. The level of technology in the human world was unimpressive, and there wasn't much to see. After a couple of visits, he'd lost interest.
Today's class was Kaidō.
Since both Hisagi and Kaisawa had stepped down from their class leader positions to focus on student council duties, the new class rep was a vaguely familiar face. Right before the lesson began, he stepped up to the podium and announced:
"Today's class won't be taught by Ōizumi-sensei. We'll have a substitute: Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane of the Fourth Division."
The Fourth Division?
Nobu blinked in mild surprise. It was rare for a vice-captain of the Gotei 13 to teach a fifth-year class personally.
"The Fourth Division—so that's the one you'll be joining after graduation, huh?" Hisagi said with a smirk.
Nobu gave no reply, but his interest visibly sharpened.
When the bell rang, the classroom fell silent.
A tall figure stepped through the front door of the lecture hall.
"She's… so tall!"
Low murmurs broke out across the room as students whispered to one another.
Kotetsu Isane's height stunned many of them. Standing nearly 190 centimeters, she towered over most male students—a rare sight even in all of Shin'ō Academy.
Clad in a black shihakushō with the vice-captain's insignia of the Fourth Division on her sleeve, she cut an impressive figure. Despite that, she was strikingly beautiful.
Isane heard the whispers, and while she could guess what they were saying, it made her a little uncomfortable. Being under this kind of scrutiny only reminded her of her greatest insecurity—her height.
Still, she walked calmly to the podium and addressed the class.
"I am Kotetsu Isane, Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division. I'll be filling in as your instructor today. Pleased to meet you all."
As she spoke, her eyes swept across the room. Within seconds, she locked on to Nobu's presence—he stood out easily among the small crowd of students.
He was already looking right at her.
[Kotetsu Isane]
[Affection Level: 9]