Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

The Eight-Eight Original Bear burst in with a fierce aura.

Before anyone could chase them away for being "too noisy," they proudly raised their large food box high and showed it off.

"Ta-da! Look what I brought!"

"Oh, look... this is, a pizza?"

Shinomiya put away the asagi and toolbox, stood up, took the food box and placed it on the table. When he opened the top layer, he found that it was actually familiar food from the present world.

Do they sell pizza in Soul Society?

Ichigo's eyes were opened to a whole new world.

"Anything else!"

Hachihara was very satisfied with everyone's reaction and took the initiative to open the other food boxes.

It's fair to say that the surprise came too early.

Besides pizza.

There's also tomahawk steak, creamy pasta, fried chicken burgers and fries...

These wouldn't be rare items in the modern world, but the Seireitei only serves traditional Japanese cuisine from before the 20th century. There's no curry, let alone ramen, which was introduced to Japan around the same time, or even fried chicken and hamburgers from later periods.

"Is this all you've accomplished this afternoon?"

The Four Palaces are wise and insightful.

"Bingo!"

Ba Ba Yuan gave a thumbs up.

"You know I really like modern culture, but this isn't something I started with. My family is the same. They have special channels to order modern goods from black market merchants. Don't tell anyone, it's a trade secret."

"Don't worry, I'd rather die than tell anyone!"

Ichigo swallowed hard, staring longingly at the dazzling array of food, and deeply realized the greatness of Hachihachihara.

Currently, this is the only way to eat human-made food in Soul Society.

Even putting that aside, he would not reveal his companion's secret.

"Although there are channels, it is not easy to specially purchase so much food. Thanks, Ba Ba Yuan."

The four palaces were deeply moved.

"Not at all~ We're friends, so it's only right to treat our friends from out of town to a good meal, as is the way things are these days. Don't be shy, enjoy yourselves!"

Suddenly, Ba Ba Yuan slapped his forehead as if he had thought of something, and pulled out two large bottles of wine from the bag.

"I almost forgot, what's a party without alcohol!"

"Hey, I'm still a minor."

Ichigo was dumbfounded.

"What do you care about worldly laws when you're dead? Just pretend you're a hundred years old. The Grim Reaper who sent us here looked like a middle school student."

The four palace officials scoffed at it.

"That's true... Never mind!"

"That's how it should be! To celebrate the bright future of our souls! I even specially ordered a wine called 'water of life,' isn't that incredibly meaningful!"

Upon hearing this, even the Four Palace Masters' expressions froze for a moment.

Ichigo's mouth dropped open.

"Life... no, it can't be the one I know... Hey, do you know how strong that is?! You won't feel anything after drinking it!"

"Oh my, Ichigo, are you scared?"

"!?"

Having been pushed to the brink by a single sentence, Ichigo had no other choice.

Shinomiya-sensei took it all in stride. He could treat Aizen with a calm mind, so what was a mere 96-proof vodka?

"cheers!"

The four of them sat on the floor of the four-and-a-half-tatami room, each occupying a corner without feeling crowded; on the contrary, there was a just-right harmony.

Although Luntang sat quietly to the side, it did not prevent him from immersing himself in the lively atmosphere, raising his glass and drinking heartily with his companions.

The fiery clouds outside the window had faded sometime ago, and the quiet night was filled with warmth and intoxication under the bright lights.

Chapter 8 The Fifth Division's Darling

The first Sunday of April.

The weather was exceptionally refreshing after the rain.

Shinomiya-no-Mikoto and Ichigo were invited to the Fifth Division.

When I met Aizen, he was standing under the corridor of the barracks, his hands clasped in his sleeves, gently comforting his subordinate who had probably made a small mistake.

Shinomiya-no-Mikoto and Ichigo waited for him to finish his business at the other end of the corridor before they went up to greet him.

"Shinomiya-kun, Kurosaki-kun, welcome to the Fifth Division. Did you encounter any trouble on your way here?"

"No, it's just that the journey is a bit far. It would be more convenient if there were a means of transportation, like a bus."

Ichigo scratched the back of his head and smiled wryly.

“This is a very pertinent suggestion. I will give it to the Captain and the 46th Division at the next team leader meeting.”

Aizen pondered for a moment.

This made Ichigo a little guilty.

"No... there's no need to make such a fuss. It's not that I can't accept it at all, right, Shinomiya?"

"To be honest, I don't think buses are very good; trams are better. By the way, is it worthwhile to build subways underground in various districts? It seems like a good investment project."

The way Shinomiya-sama pondered was exactly the same as Aizen's.

"Hey!"

"It's a very bold idea, but if it were you guys, you might actually be able to do it."

"Aizen-sensei, shouldn't you be advising your students against having unrealistic ideas at a time like this?"

"Kurosaki-kun, I need to correct a misconception of yours. As a teacher, what you should be advising students is not to give up on their ideals, no matter how reckless they may seem, because they are a privilege of geniuses."

Aizen said meaningfully.

Ichigo vaguely sensed that the second half of the sentence was a bit extreme, but before he could figure it out and refute it, Shinomiya interrupted him, saying, "We can talk about this investment project later. Let's talk about serious business."

"Just as Shinomiya-kun said, but let's change the location before we begin."

Aizen then led them to the outside of a building that could be described as either a thatched hut or a dojo.

It looks simple, but it occupies an entire independent courtyard and is located in the heart of the team's quarters. It is obviously not as shabby as it looks.

"What are your thoughts on the journey so far, Fifth Division?"

Aizen suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Shinomiya-no-Mikoto and Ichigo exchanged a glance.

The latter answered first.

"As for my impressions... if I had to say, although the uniforms are different from those at the Spirit Arts Academy, the atmosphere here seems to be similar."

"You mean 'academic atmosphere'?"

The Four Palaces Venerable took over the conversation.

"Yes, yes, yes! It feels like an educational institution."

Ichigo's eyes lit up.

"Actually, I have a similar feeling, but I know roughly where the reason lies."

Shinomiya-no-Tsurugi looked at Aizen, who was smiling but remained silent.

"From my observation, I found that the members of the Fifth Division are all in stable condition. Although they do not deliberately conceal their spiritual pressure, it is not very real to them. It is like breathing and heartbeat. You would not care if you noticed it. Rather than saying they lack aggression, it is more accurate to say that they intentionally avoid affecting others."

"This is completely opposite to the situation where Brother Kurosaki is still unable to completely suppress his spiritual pressure."

"You can say whatever you want, but don't use me as an example. I feel like I'm doing pretty well now. Even the instructor of the Kido class praised me a few days ago."

Ichigo was somewhat dissatisfied.

"Given your situation, even the slightest improvement would be enough to make your teacher happy... Don't interrupt me, where was I? Anyway, if you want to know my thoughts on the Fifth Division, my conclusion is that the Kido level of the Fifth Division members is most likely above average."

The Four Palaces Venerable made a startling remark.

Even Ichigo, forgetting his anger and embarrassment, immediately exclaimed, "You're kidding me!"

He, who was undergoing a baptism of knowledge at the Spirit Arts Academy, was not that clueless substitute Grim Reaper. He knew very well what the value of the so-called above-average Ghost Path was.

To put it simply...

Over the course of six years, at least half of the students who passed the graduation exam did not meet this standard.

Under these circumstances, unless the Fifth Division only recruits students with expertise in Kido (demon arts), it is absolutely impossible for all members to be proficient in Kido.

But won't doing this get you reported by the Ghost Path members?

Oh, the Great Ghost Master and the Deputy Ghost Master have defected. Now that no one is leading a protest, it's alright.

Soon, Aizen personally denied what seemed to be the only possibility.

"Shinomiya-kun's observations are very meticulous, and his ideas are also very bold. All I can say is... that's right, most of the members of the Fifth Division have considerable Kido skills."

"And the reason is related to the building behind me."

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya-no-Mikoto and Ichigo instinctively looked towards the thatched hut dojo.

Aizen didn't deliberately keep people in suspense; he directly revealed the answer.

"—It has a name: 'Ghost Power Recovery Room'."

"As the name suggests, it is a training ground that can accelerate the recovery of a certain kind of spiritual energy consumed by using the Ghost Path."

"With its help, the team members can practice the Kido Path intensively during a certain period of time, and combine it with the theoretical knowledge they have acquired on a daily basis to truly improve their Kido Path lower limit."

"Even if one is limited by their talent and cannot further master the more difficult Kido, I think that if one can abandon the chanting but retain most of its performance, and combine it into a new Kido, and then combine it with tactics and make good use of combat experience, it would still be a remarkable achievement."

"The hope that even those who are not geniuses can become strong is the support that keeps the team members' emotions stable."

"It's no exaggeration to say that the current Fifth Division's overall strength in Kido is second to none among the Gotei 13. Of course, it is still slightly inferior to the Kido Sect."

He even added a touch of self-deprecation at the end.

Even though there were no members of the Ghost Path Sect present.

"I didn't expect the Fifth Division to have such a good thing."

The Four Palaces Venerable sighed.

The cost of excessive mental exertion in daily practice is far more troublesome than overdrawing physical strength.

Therefore, the benefits of having a training ground that helps people quickly restore their mental energy are self-evident.

Having the "compound potion," the Fourth Prince, who can complete high-intensity training every day without fear of exhausting himself, deeply understands this.

It seems the Fifth Division will have to come here more often from now on.

"So, Aizen-sensei, this place can solve my problem, right?"

Ichigo was getting impatient.

Aizen shook his head: "I'm sorry, I can't."

"what?"

"Its function is to restore the spiritual energy consumed when using Kido, not to help people control their spiritual pressure. Although it can have a supporting effect, it is not at that stage yet."

"The more I listen, the more confused I get."

"Fine, let's just get straight to the point... Kurosaki-kun, give up on Kido."

Chapter Nine: Teacher and Student, the Gravity of Fate

"what are you saying?"