Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

Looking back, I met a pair of eyes filled with resentment.

It is Shihōin Yūshirō.

"..."

"..."

Shinomiya-no-Mikoto and Ichigo exchanged a glance.

Including Hachihachihara and Rindou, they instantly understood where their resentment came from.

"Shinomiya-kun..."

Ichigo.

"what?"

The sudden interruption from the Four Palace Master startled Ichigo.

"You saw your family whom you hadn't seen for a long time, right?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Is not this nonsensical?

Faced with Ichigo's astonished look that seemed to say, "Are you stupid?", Shinomiya asked with feigned curiosity, "I remember you have brothers and sisters. What's your relationship like?"

"That goes without saying. Although I don't like to boast, I'm much more responsible than Kuchiki Byakuya. I don't think I'd be disliked by my family. However, as I get older, my two younger sisters... Karin and Yuuko, have started to rebel, which gives me a headache about how to get along with them. But after being separated for a while and meeting again, I can clearly feel that things are different from before."

Ichigo didn't realize that when he said those words, not only were Hachiman and Rindou listening intently, but even Yushiro's attention was drawn to them.

The original intention to complain to the Four Palace Master about why he came back so late was gradually forgotten.

"Really? Unlike you, I also have a younger sister. Although her name is very nice, Kaguya, my relationship with her is actually quite similar to that of Captain Kuchiki's family."

The Four Palaces Lord shook his head.

"It's rare to see you fail in interpersonal relationships."

Ichigo was a little surprised, and a little proud.

"I'm not a perfect superman. By the way, does Shihouin have any brothers or sisters?"

"Have!"

Yushiro quickly picked up on the topic thrown at him by Shinomiya-san, appearing as excited as a puppy with a tail wagging behind him, but his mood instantly plummeted.

"I have a very close older sister who ran away from home. I came out this time hoping to find her..."

"No need to rush. Reunion is an incredibly wonderful thing. Perhaps you need some advice from those around you to help you eliminate the barriers between you as soon as you find your sister. Brother Kurosaki happens to have a lot of experience in this area."

The Four Palace Masters stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and then walked past him toward the interdimensional gate.

"What?"

"Ichigo-kun! Please teach me!"

Before Ichigo could react, he was already entangled with Shishiro.

They wanted to call for help, but the Four Palace Masters had already gone far away.

Hachihachihara and Rindou quickly followed.

Hey! You guys...!

Ignoring Ichigo's shouts, on the way through the Dangai, Hachiman said sarcastically, "Ichigo still hasn't noticed that Shinomiya only calls his name when he's trying to trick him. This time he's been thrown out to attract attention again. He's so cunning... no, I should say Ichigo is too easy to fool."

"What are you saying? Do you think I'm the kind of person who likes to cheat or deceive my friends?"

The four palace officials frowned and looked over.

"Shihouin is one of the four great noble families of Seireitei. Given Ichigo's temperament, he'll inevitably cause trouble and create chaos when he becomes a captain. It's better to build a good relationship with the head of the four great noble families in advance, as it's an extra layer of insurance. I'm doing this for his own good."

"It would be even better if he could marry into the Kuchiki family."

“With the backing of two major factions, and with me becoming the Captain-Commander in the future, he can completely roam freely in Soul Society.”

"Oh, really... wait a minute, why are you so sure you'll become the Captain-Commander?! Isn't that a bit too ambitious?"

"Hachihara, what you should do now is not to question me, but to support me. As your best friend, I know very well your unique abilities. Even if others don't appreciate you, I will give you a special title in the name of the Captain-Commander to prove your worth! What title would be better? That's what you should be considering."

"Hmm, a special title... like 'Kamaitachi' or 'Flash God'? I really need to think about that."

Hachiyahara was deeply shaken, and couldn't help but immerse himself in the future depicted by the solid and powerful words of the Four Palace Master.

He muttered something to himself, and his steps slowed down.

Luntang's eyelids twitched at the sight.

The next moment, a strong arm wrapped around her.

"Luntang, do you have any ideals?"

【…】

He was met with the elder brother-like concern of the four palace statues.

Luntang chose to remain silent.

A short while later, a bright light appeared ahead.

We've arrived at the export point.

After a brief moment of dazzling light, a familiar scene came into view.

It was still on the roof of the Spirit Arts Academy.

There were more people gathered here than over there, including the academy president and a faction of high-ranking officials, as well as people from the Covert Mobility and Technology Development Bureau.

After all, such a major accident has occurred, and it is not something that one or two departments can handle behind closed doors.

The Fourth Prince spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

The other person also saw him.

To be precise, they were specifically waiting here.

"Welcome home, Shinomiya-kun."

"It feels like it's been years since we last met, teacher."

"Battles filled with crisis make people cherish the passage of time even more."

Aizen adjusted his glasses and agreed.

"But all in all... well done, I'm proud of you. Don't worry about the investigation on the covert operations side, leave it to me. Now get some rest, that's the treatment you deserve for someone returning from the battlefield. By the way... where's Kurosaki-kun?"

"He's made a friend from a nobleman, and they're having a great time chatting right now. He probably won't be back for a while."

"Oh, I see. They all seem to be in good spirits. That puts my mind at ease."

"By the way, teacher, the Spirit Arts Academy is about to have its summer vacation, so... I might be troubling you for quite some time to come."

The Four Palaces Venerable said softly.

Upon hearing this, Aizen was slightly taken aback, but quickly smiled and responded in his usual gentle and tolerant tone:

"—You're welcome anytime."

Chapter 40 Summer Tutoring Plan: Bankai

There were no school trips, no Golden Week holidays.

Fortunately, the long holiday was retained.

In the sweltering summer season, when chilled watermelon is indispensable, the Spirit Arts Academy opens its gates, allowing people from Rukongai to travel back and forth to visit their families.

Only a few elective courses remained throughout the day, injecting vitality into the spiritual arts academy through club activities.

Midsummer has passed, and we've arrived at the first day of July.

Temperatures rose instead of falling.

It got light earlier.

So much so that just as the patrolmen were about to hand over their shifts, they saw someone running along the main road.

"That is……?"

Some people are curious.

"newcomer?"

"Ah? Yes! Senior, I was just transferred from the 10th Division to the 7th Division!"

"It's normal not to know."

The senior yawned and said leisurely.

“That’s the strongest prodigy in the history of the Spirit Arts Academy. He’s destined to become a big figure in the Soul Society, and his career will span your life, your children’s life, your children’s life, and your entire family’s life.”

"I go out to exercise almost every morning, running for at least two hours around the main road surrounding the Academy of Spiritual Arts, as if I don't need to sleep."

"Although I don't think there's anything special about running, perhaps the other person has unique training techniques, and for some reason, seeing him every day makes me more motivated to patrol at night."

"You've gained a little sense of involvement in the great mission of the Gotei 14. Well... in a few days, I believe you'll feel it too. Keep up the good work, newcomer. You're also someone else's senior, so put in some effort and don't let anyone look down on you."

"……Yes!"

Yes, in terms of seniority, I am the other party's senior.

That being said.

The team member, however, couldn't help but cast a hopeful glance.

Shinomiya no Takeru was unaware that he had become the subject of others' conversation.

but……

He was wearing a gray tracksuit that was different from the style of Soul Society.

The Zanpakuto is carried on his back.

I went out for a run around the Spirit Arts Academy as soon as it was light.

Overall, it is indeed difficult to ignore its existence.

"what……"

Two hours of steady running had left Shinomiya-san nearly exhausted, so he stopped, leaning on his knees and panting heavily.

My muscles were trembling, and sweat was pouring out uncontrollably.

He looked like he had been pulled out of the water.

Under normal circumstances, his physical strength wouldn't be this weak, given that he possesses the blood of a fairytale dragon.

But... that's under normal circumstances.

Da da.

The Four Palace Master barely managed to raise his hand and lightly tapped the hilt of the sword behind him with his fingers.

I felt so much more relaxed instantly.

This is a training method that Aizen summarized based on the characteristics of Shikai after he mastered it.

In a nutshell.

It involves using the spiritual power of the Zanpakuto to exert pressure on the wielder.

So-called spiritual power.

According to Kisuke Urahara, it is "the power that acts on objects that possess spirit."

And Chentuoyemi is particularly skilled in this area.

It's less about "relative spiritual pressure release" and more about "spiritual pressure release".

Rather, it's more accurate to say that he excels at "applying spiritual energy to the wielder's body, causing some incredibly terrifying spiritual particle phenomenon."

So just keep the knife with you.

Then let the sword spirit release its spiritual power, displaying an attitude of resisting its master.

The master himself did not try to suppress it with his own power, but allowed the spiritual power released by the sword spirit to fill his body.

It continues to maintain this state similar to "initial solution failure".