Asano Kiyoshi's head felt foggy, like he had just pulled an all-nighter. His whole body ached, his throat was dry, and with a furrowed brow, he slowly sat up from the bed.
The environment was unfamiliar—an unfamiliar bed and decor that resembled a hospital room from his previous life. A glance out the window revealed the starry night sky—it was already evening.
Noticing the time on the clock, Kiyoshi held his aching head with a helpless sigh.
"If I had known it'd feel like this, I wouldn't have poured in so much spiritual pressure... So this is what it feels like to run out of reiryoku, huh... o(╥﹏╥)o."
Just then, a cheerful male voice called out:
"Yo~ kid, you're awake? Hahaha, you're really a reckless one, huh? Injecting that much spiritual pressure all at once."
Startled, Kiyoshi looked up instinctively. A man stood there smiling—wearing a captain's haori, his hair styled in spiky tufts, with sharply defined features and an overall sunny disposition.
Kiyoshi's memory flipped through his mind rapidly, and he quickly realized who the man was—none other than Shiba Isshin, currently the captain of the 10th Division.
At the sight of him, Kiyoshi immediately lowered his head, hiding the flicker of recognition in his eyes, and began considering what to say next.
The reason he didn't want Isshin to see his eyes was simple—he still couldn't suppress the odd sense of familiarity that surged up whenever he faced a character from the original story. And that kind of unexplainable familiarity was sure to raise suspicions, especially from someone observant. While Isshin might appear carefree, the manga later revealed him to be far more astute than he let on.
Dealing with someone like that, Kiyoshi dared not rely on his godlike "reader's perspective." Fortunately, he had already prepared his explanation. To avoid giving Isshin any reason to be suspicious, Kiyoshi immediately said:
"Captain, sir, hello. I'm terribly sorry to have caused so much trouble."
He kept his tone humble. Kiyoshi may have great potential, but right now, he had no grounds to act arrogantly. Besides, he wasn't the type to be prideful. Life in his previous world had already tempered away all youthful defiance.
Seeing how mature Kiyoshi was acting, Isshin scratched the back of his head awkwardly and laughed.
"You're really stiff, kid—just like those old geezers. Relax a bit, will ya? I'm Shiba Isshin. You can just call me Brother Isshin, hahaha!"
Kiyoshi gave a helpless smile. He tried, but couldn't quite bring himself to casually call this larger-than-life figure "big bro." Instead, he awkwardly settled on:
"Uh… alright then, Captain-Brother Isshin."
Isshin chuckled and teased, "What kind of weird combo title is that?"
Kiyoshi smiled awkwardly, rubbing his nose. "Sorry..."
Isshin could tell the kid was naturally reserved, so he didn't push it further. Instead, his expression grew a bit more serious as he said:
"Asano Kiyoshi, resident of Rukongai's 37th district, no prior infractions, once gave money to two 11th Division members with instructions to care for your relative Asano Miyako—is all of that correct?"
Kiyoshi was a bit surprised at how thoroughly his background had been investigated. So this is the level of action and efficiency the thousand-year-old Seireitei can really operate at. The manga had certainly glossed over a lot of details. He reminded himself again: just because he knew the plot didn't mean he could afford to be careless. I must be cautious. Always cautious.
Although his mind was racing, Kiyoshi didn't hesitate in his reply. He respectfully answered:
"Yes, that's correct, Brother Isshin."
He slightly adjusted his wording. He wasn't about to miss the opportunity to climb the social ladder a little—water flows downward, people strive upward. If calling him "brother" helped, why not?
Isshin's lips curled into a smile at the new title, and the severity in his tone relaxed. He continued:
"No need to worry. This was just part of the background check for admission into Class A. Graduates from that class are usually guaranteed at least a seated position in one of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. So a thorough check is standard procedure."
Kiyoshi nodded. It made sense that they'd investigate students entering such a prestigious class. But what really grabbed his attention was that phrase—"you're in Class A."
After Isshin finished speaking, Kiyoshi couldn't help but break into an uncontrollable grin. His voice carried a tremble of excitement as he asked:
"Brother Isshin! I really got into Class A?!"
Seeing the boy so thrilled, Isshin smiled as well, secretly breathing a small sigh of relief. Good. He still reacts like a kid. If he were totally emotionless even after hearing that, then I'd really be suspicious.
"Hahaha, of course you did! Congratulations, Asano Kiyoshi. You ranked first in the third interview round and were officially accepted into the 2050 first-year Class A of Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy! Here's your academy uniform—and your first month's bonus stipend. Look, 5000 kan. Not a single coin short."
As he spoke, two bundles appeared on the bed—one a package of clothes, the other a pouch of coins. But Kiyoshi wasn't focused on those at all. Instead, with a puzzled tone, he asked:
"First place? Brother Isshin, is that... is that a mistake? My spiritual pressure isn't as high as some of the students who went before me…"
Isshin scratched his head, expression a little complicated, and replied:
"Yeah, your spiritual pressure is lower than theirs. But after discussing it with the other examiners, we all agreed you earned the top score."
Still confused, Kiyoshi asked:
"Because of my Zanpakutō?"
Isshin nodded and sat a little straighter. His tone grew more solemn:
"Exactly. Your Zanpakutō. You are the first student in the history of Shin'ō Academy to spontaneously achieve Shikai just by touching an Asauchi. The first whose Shikai defies classification. And the first academy student to be personally requested for a meeting by the Captain-Commander himself."