"Lord Akira, this is as far as we can take you."
In front of the Shinō Academy, a girl dressed in a white kimono and scarlet hakama bid farewell to a reluctant-looking boy.
"You're on your own from here."
Her smile was radiant, brimming with anticipation for what lay ahead.
"Geez, Shizune, that's pretty cold of you," the boy said, smirking with mock indignation. "I mean, I am your shrine master, aren't I?"
"Yes, yes, Lord Shrine Master," Shizune replied, her tone playful but firm. "Just promise me—promise me—you won't stir up any trouble while you're at the academy. There are upper nobles and even members of the Five Great Families studying there. Cross them, and with our status? We'd be hauled off to the execution grounds faster than you can blink."
For once, the boy didn't argue. He nodded gently, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Got it, Shizune."
Her eyes widened briefly at his rare compliance, then softened into a grin. With a wave, she turned and left the academy's vicinity behind.
Today was enrollment day at the Shinō Academy. Teens like him were everywhere—some decked out in the flashy garb of nobility. This was the Soul Society, the world of the Soul Reapers.
His name was Akira Kisaragi, shrine master of the Bonebreaker District's temple in the Rukongai. How long he'd been in this world, he couldn't quite recall.
Life had been brutal at first—scraping by, barely eating—until he stumbled into the temple. Leveraging his knack for playing the holy man, Akira climbed the ranks until he became the shrine master. Sure, it was just him and Shizune Ise running the place, but that didn't diminish his clout. As the only shrine master for miles around, he held sway in the nearby districts. Rituals, exorcisms, prayers—he handled them all, with Shizune as his trusty assistant.
Of course, when things got dicey—bandits, rebels, riots, or even Hollows sneaking into the Rukongai—Shizune had to step up. Akira? He'd never trained a day in his life. No clue how to fight. Talent or not, he couldn't turn it into real power.
Sick of the close calls, Shizune made the call: send Akira to the academy. It'd cost the temple some prestige, but for its future—and his—she insisted. Akira, though? He wasn't thrilled. He had no grand ambitions, no desire to get tangled in the Seireitei's mess. All he wanted was to protect his little corner of the world—a pipe dream in a place this dangerous, sure, but he clung to it.
Why? Because a year ago, his cheat code unlocked: the Sign-In System.
Just check in daily, and boom—strength. No grueling effort required. But when he dug into it, Akira realized it was a total crapshoot. Daily sign-ins, monthly sign-ins, yearly sign-ins—all varying degrees of useless.
Day one? A fancy broom—swept like a dream, at least.
Day two? A pair of stone lanterns—perfect for sprucing up the temple entrance.
Day three? A top-tier miko outfit—gifted it to Shizune, earning some major brownie points.
That last one was decent, but most rewards were junk. Occasionally, he'd score something useful—like Yamamoto's secret roasted sweet potato recipe, premium konpeito candy, sweet persimmon cakes, or a bound collection of Seireitei Communication. Still, actual game-changers? Rare as hell.
That is, until his first monthly sign-in.
[First Monthly Sign-In: Success]
[Reward: Unique Trait - Spirit Affinity]
[Spirit Affinity: Spirit particles see you as a friend, boosting your spiritual energy training speed by double!]
Thanks to that, Akira started practicing. He wasn't genius-level—far from it—but among regular Rukongai folk, he was a standout. Months of grinding and sign-in rewards later, on the eve of heading to the academy, his stats looked... respectable:
[Name: Akira Kisaragi]
[Status: Bonebreaker Temple Shrine Master, Rukongai Civilian, Shinō Academy First-Year]
[Reiatsu: Lv. 10]
[Swordsmanship: Lv. 10]
[Hand-to-Hand: Lv. 10]
[Shunpo: Lv. 10]
[Kido: Lv. 10]
[Unique Trait: Spirit Affinity]
A perfectly balanced, jack-of-all-trades setup. By his reckoning, he was about as strong as a standard Soul Reaper grunt. Problem was, he'd been here so long he could barely remember the Bleach plot details—and he knew grunt-level wasn't even cannon fodder. Hell, he probably couldn't take Shizune in a fight.
Still, it was enough to get him into the academy—and not just that, but the elite class. Spirit Affinity for the win.
As Shizune's figure vanished into the distance, Akira shook off his jumbled thoughts and turned to face the academy's massive, imposing gates.
[Location Sign-In: Shinō Academy]
[Reward: Unique Trait - Danger Instinct]
[Danger Instinct: You're naturally attuned to threats, especially lethal ones, with razor-sharp awareness.]
The sudden trait hit him like a jolt. His senses sharpened—everything snapped into focus. Danger lurked everywhere, prickling his skin, tightening his nerves. With his meager strength, the world felt like it wanted him dead.
Until—
A calm voice cut through from behind. "Excuse me, are you a new student here too?"
Akira turned. Standing there was a boy in the same blue-and-white academy uniform. Warm smile, short brown hair curling slightly, brown eyes, and a frail frame that looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over.
"Yeah," Akira said. "Name's Akira Kisaragi."
The boy's lips curved up gently. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sosuke Aizen."