Eri knew that Jidando, the giant, was a powerful warrior, possessing brute strength comparable to the freaks of the 11th Squad — the battle-hungry Shinigami squad led by Kenpachi Zaraki. That didn’t mean his Reiatsu was weak; he was easily comparable to a Seated Officer if he went all out.

Of course he wasn’t allowed to go all out and massacre everyone with his Reiatsu alone.

The gatekeeper showed mercy when it came to people in Rukongai. He had a big soft spot for everyone here. Eri let this favoritism slide since the second test was there to weed out the unworthy.

As Eri looked at her book, she heard footsteps and raised her gaze to a silver-haired man. Seireitei was certainly not lacking in handsome men, but this man made her heart skip a beat.

‘Not even a minute. Did he use a movement technique?’

With disbelief painting her features, Eri scanned the others who, unlike him, were struggling to cover the distance. Some had even succumbed to their knees before taking four measly steps. The closer one was to an overwhelming Reiatsu, the tougher it was to hold ground. Yet, the man before her stood in the full-blown proximity of Jidanbo’s Reiatsu.

He even had the leisure to show a refreshing smile. “Examiner, do the honors.”

And his voice blew away every bit of confidence she had mustered. Taking another deep breath, she calmed herself down. “Speak.”

“Kazuya Ishihara,” he said with a smile as he sidestepped to reveal two figures. “Momo Hinamori and Toshiro Hitsugaya.”

The bespectacled examiner nodded in acknowledgment to the pair behind Kazuya. She then handed him a translucent crystal. “Please focus on this… try to fill it with Reiryoku. This is the second test you must pass.”

She watched with bated breath as Kazuya handled the crystal that measured one’s Spirit Class. The device was made by Ōetsu Nimaiya to make the tests easier.

After what felt like an eternity, a string of words materialized on the crystal, making Eri's eyes go wide. “S-Spirit Class Rank one!”

A collective gasp echoed from the distant souls. Though ninety-nine percent of them were clueless about the Spirit Class Ranking, the one percent that did know about it caused a commotion that would put a market square to shame.

A hint of a frown shadowed Kazuya's features. He had only released enough Reiatsu to qualify as Rank 4, the pinnacle of the Vice-Captain Class, same as Kaien's. After all, his goal was to score a Vice-Captain seat at most to fulfill his plan.

Yet the Spirit Class measuring device accurately gauged his maximum Reiatsu, putting him on the same level as Senior Captains.

He innocently tilted his head. “Did I pass?”

The examiner dropped her book out of sheer panic before hurriedly picking it up. “I-I’m sorry but can you try again? I-It could be a mistake.”

Kazuya's brows furrowed, displaying evident annoyance. “Don’t you have faith in your own equipment?”

Momo, with her wide-eyed curiosity, peeked from behind Kazuya. “Is Rank 1 the highest?”

Eri responded with a trembling nod, “I-It’s comparable to a Captain. Of course, it’s just potential… but Ishihara-sama will be able to release this Reiatsu under stressful conditions.”

She didn’t remember anyone getting Rank 1 during this test in the last few hundred years. 

Momo had stars in her eyes as she gazed at Kazuya’s back. “Kazuya-kun is amazing…”

Eri gave a pleading gaze to Kazuya. There were even tears at the corner of her eyes as she thought Kazuya would accidentally release his Reiatsu out of annoyance. With such a massive difference in Reiatsu class, she wouldn’t faint but straight up die.

“P-Please.”

He sighed and repeated the test, achieving the same result. Eri didn’t bar his admission any longer and directly wrote his name under the column for Class 1, the class filled with aristocratic geniuses. He easily qualified for Class 1.

Eri penned something else at the book's end, tearing the page out with a cheeky grin. Extending it towards Kazuya, she cooed, “That's my address. Feel free to visit if you need 'assistance' in any regards.”

In a world where souls lived for centuries, establishing ties with a potential authoritative figure, especially one who could make it to the Vice-Captain or even a Seated Officer’s position, was an easy decision for Eri. His charming face and voice also made its way deep into her heart, making the choice of sleeping with him easier.

Kazuya could accurately guess everything from the devious smile on Eri’s face. Still, he gave a polite smile and accepted her gesture. He may or may not decide to humor her depending on his mood.

Then it was Momo and Hitsugaya’s turn to take the second test.

“Rank 5! R-Rank 2!!!”

Eri almost fainted from surprise. She came looking for souls with Spirit Class below Rank 9 but ended up with a group of potential monsters. Two cream of the crop geniuses and one elite talent.

After Kazuya saw that Momo and Toshiro were taken to the same class as him, he nodded and went to stand by the side.

“Both of them have the same silver hair as Gin Ichimaru-sama. Is this a coincidence? I-I’ll dye my hair silver after this.”

Hearing Eri’s crazy but funny rambling, he chuckled and signaled Yoruichi to follow him. They found solace by Jidanbo’s side, who began talking to Momo. Nami’s idle comments also made things less boring overall. Jidanbo, despite his size and might, was endearingly awkward in conversations, making him the ideal chat partner for a rather shy Toshiro.

By day’s end, out of the swarm, only three hundred souls registered their names, with two hundred clearing the second round. Only five of them made it to the illustrious Class 1.

The rest had to return home disappointed, leaving Jidanbo with a sad face. Momo did her best to cheer him up, which didn’t take more than a minute. The giant was gullible like a child despite possessing the power to destroy a dozen Hollows with a swing of his ax.

Eri took some time in writing more details about all the students before she cleared her throat. “You've done well today, but your journey is just beginning. Cherish tonight with your families and loved ones. Tomorrow, a new chapter awaits. An instructor will meet you here in the morning, guiding you into the Seireitei and onwards to the Shin’o Academy.”

As she finished, Eri sent a playful wink in Kazuya's direction before making her graceful exit through the gate. Yoruichi wasn’t even in the mood to retort to his budding relationship with the instructor.

‘He didn’t even try… shouldn’t I just let him seduce Captain Unohana?’

Despite Captain Unohana’s past dripping with bloodshed, she was still a woman. Perhaps she’d fall under his charming spell. It was better to let him work his magic on Captain Unohana then use her to warn Captain Commander.

‘Getting into the fourth squad should be easy with his Kaido skills.’

She felt relieved that she taught him the branch of Kidō that specializes in healing — Kaido.

Toshiro blinked in confusion, scratching his head. “Hey, I thought they would take us to the Seireitei right away.”

He wouldn’t have wasted so much time gathering flowers if he knew that the instructor would give them some time.

Momo, with puffed cheeks, murmured, “Uh huh. It’s a consolation for the time we can’t spend with Oba-san for the next few months.”

Kazuya rubbed their heads. “You guys know Jidanbo. He will let you slide out of the gate without questions.”

“Don’t corrupt them!” Yoruichi retorted. “Just don’t teach them bad stuff.”

Momo giggled before she looked at her fellow district people leaving with drooping shoulders. “I feel sad for them…”

“Those who are denied should be grateful about this,” Yoruichi said in a stern voice. “Reiatsu plays a huge part in battles for us souls. We can’t have Shinigami who can’t withstand the minimum-level Hollows on the battlefield.”

Kazuya nodded. “Yoruichi, which was your Spirit Class before entering the academy?”

“Rank 2 like Toshiro,” she said and looked at Toshiro. “Don’t let this get to your head. This is merely your potential. To become a Vice Captain-Class candidate, you’d need hundreds of years of practice and master the Shikai release of your Zanpakutō. To qualify for the Captain seat, you’d need the mastery of Bankai release as well. Having high Spirit Class ranking means nothing on the battlefield.”

Toshiro intently listened to her serious lecture. While Kazuya took a calm and playful approach in teaching, Yoruichi adopted a serious demeanor, unlike her usual laid-back style. Toshiro was grateful to both of them since he got to learn so many new things from them.

The mood lightened as Momo enthusiastically declared, “Shiro-chan will be a Captain and I’ll be his Vice-Captain!”

Yoruichi let out a sigh. “Kazuya, you handle her… my words don’t get through her.”

Kazuya chuckled. “It’s fine. She’ll learn in her academy time.”

While he looked forward to observing her progress, he didn’t intend to spend his full six years in the academy. His time in the academy was whimsically dependent on his mood.

{Let’s fucking goooo and wreck havoc in the academy.}

As the group strolled towards Toshiro’s home for a cozy sleepover, the night sky suddenly burst alive with fireworks. Dazzling images of Kazuya’s chibi face and a cheeky cat dancing filled the sky.

“Classic Kūkaku,” Kazuya said with a chuckle. “I love her.”

Yoruichi laughed heartily. “Me too.”