~ Next Bonus, 100!
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Rukia Kuchiki stared at Shin in astonishnt. Her brother had asked Shin to look after her?
'That makes sense,' she thought. 'Why else would Teacher Shin give special attention? I'm not particularly special, and my grades aren't that outstanding.'
"Don't overthink it. Just focus on your training. Your brother is paying good money for this, so if you don't apply yourself, you'll be wasting his investnt."
Shin reminded her.
'He must be talking about my brother,' Rukia thought to herself, trying to stifle a laugh.
She wondered what her stoic, stone-faced brother would look like if he heard Shin's casual tone.
Although Rukia hadn't been a part of the Kuchiki clan for long, she had a good grasp of Byakuya's personality. He rarely showed any emotion—he was like a block of ice. He was also obsessed with rules and decorum, sothing Rukia was still struggling to adapt to.
Still, her life now was a world away from what it used to be. Back then, even finding enough to eat was a daily struggle.
"Your Reiatsu is way too low."
Shin watched as Rukia collapsed, exhausted, after casting only a few Kido spells. He couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
Indeed, for many Soul Reapers, Reiatsu was a critical issue. Not everyone could afford to be as wasteful with their spiritual energy as Shin.
Rukia lowered her head in embarrassnt, knowing she hadn't t his expectations.
"Well, just keep practicing."
Shin sighed. It seed earning Byakuya's money wasn't going to be easy.
"Co on, let's go get sothing to eat," Shin said to Rukia. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What, you don't want to go? If not, then forget it," Shin said, seeing her shocked expression.
For Soul Reapers, eating was more about satisfying a craving than a necessity. They could survive by simply absorbing Spirit Particles from the air. Of course, that only applied to Soul Reapers. Ordinary souls would still starve if they didn't eat; they couldn't survive on Spirit Particles alone.
"I'd love to!" Rukia nodded eagerly. Shin was her idol. How could she possibly refuse a chance to eat with him? She imdiately followed after him.
Shin led Rukia out of the Shin'ō Academy.
In the days that followed, Shin's ti off was filled with the new task of tutoring Rukia. Although her skills were still lacking, she was an eager and diligent student.
"Captain Shin, it's been a while."
One day, Shin ran into Aizen, who occasionally ca to the Shin'ō Academy to teach a class.
In fact, other captains would sotis guest-lecture at the Academy, partly at the request of old man Yamamoto, but also for their own reasons. It was simple, really. By teaching at the Academy, they could scout for promising new talent and recruit them into their squads ahead of ti. It was a win-win.
"Captain Aizen, I'm not a captain anymore," Shin replied.
"Heh, in my heart, you will always be Captain Shin. It's a real sha you stepped down. You might have even had a shot at becoming Captain-Commander," Aizen said, shaking his head as if genuinely disappointed for Shin's sake.
"Heh, you really think it's a sha? I imagine if I did beco Captain-Commander, you'd be the one losing sleep at night."
Shin clapped Aizen on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.
If Shin had beco Captain-Commander, Aizen would have probably fled the Soul Society overnight. He wondered how far along Aizen's research on the Hōgyoku was.
Shin was looking forward to Aizen completing his work. Only then could he copy the Hōgyoku's abilities for himself. He truly coveted its power. Honestly, in the world of Soul Reapers, the Hōgyoku was a ga-breaking item—it was just that powerful.
Aizen watched Shin's retreating figure, then turned and left.
Returning to his office, Shin found Yoruichi sitting there, waiting for him. She looked up as he entered.
"So you've really decided to make this place your ho, huh?" Yoruichi said, looking at Shin.
Ever since Shin had co to the Shin'ō Academy, he had been living here, never leaving.
"What brings you here?" Shin asked her.
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "Can't I co just to see you?"
"Of course you can. It's not like I own the Shin'ō Academy."
"And if you did own it, would you really try to stop from coming in?" Yoruichi rolled her eyes.
"That's a definite yes. If this place were mine, you'd be banned for sure," Shin nodded.
"Hmph. You should be helping Soi Fon with her work right now. That poor girl is probably drowning in paperwork all by herself. If I were her, I'd have replaced an incompetent lieutenant like you ages ago."
"I wish she would. You think I actually want to be a lieutenant?"
Yoruichi retorted.
Honestly, Yoruichi had no attachnt to her position. She didn't particularly care about power or authority. If she had, she could have beco a captain when Shin stepped down, but she didn't.
"So how long are you planning on staying at the Academy?" Shin asked her.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. How about I leave when you do?" Yoruichi had already made up her mind to stay at the Academy for a while.
"You'll leave when I leave?" Shin glanced at her.
"What, is that a problem?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow.
"Not a problem, but since you're here, I can't just let you sit around. I'll have to find sothing for you to do." As Shin spoke, a smile played on his lips.
Yoruichi's expression flickered for a mont, but she wasn't particularly bothered. "Sure. You can arrange whatever you want for ."
"Really?" Shin looked at Yoruichi in surprise. He had said that mostly to get her to leave, thinking she'd run off at the ntion of work.
But to his surprise, she had actually agreed. Well, since she agreed, there was no need to be polite. It was a good thing she was here to help.
With Yoruichi around, teaching would be much easier. He was already getting tired of it. It seed she had co just in ti to solve his problems.
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