A chill shot up his spine.
It felt like his temples were about to explode.
The name Sosuke Aizen hit Akira Kisaragi like a freight train.
For a moment, his face went slack, lost in a daze.
He never expected to land in the Bleach world at a completely unknown point in time. So much for his supposed foresight—half of it was useless now.
He'd planned to steer clear of Aizen, lay low, and grind his way up. But nope—straight out of the tutorial, he'd smacked right into the final boss.
"Kisaragi, you look a little…"
"No, I'm fine!"
Akira snapped out of it, shaking his head hard to pull himself together.
He glanced at Aizen, catching the other boy's faintly concerned gaze.
Weirdly, his Danger Instinct didn't pick up even a hint of threat from Aizen. Nothing.
In fact, that warm, humble smile radiated a strange friendliness—enough to make Akira feel a flicker of goodwill toward the guy.
Maybe this was the famous Aizen charm?
"Good to know," Aizen said with a smile. "Enrollment's almost over. We should hurry."
Akira nodded, shoving down everything he knew about Aizen, and followed him into the Shinō Academy.
Class 1-A
After sorting out the paperwork, the two sat in a pristine classroom, eyeing the other students with the same curiosity they got in return.
Everyone here was a prodigy—top scorers from the entrance exams. Akira figured he'd only squeaked into Class 1-A by dumb luck, so he wasn't about to strut around. Especially not with a real genius sitting next to him: Sosuke Aizen.
"Akira, that's the thirty-seventh time you've stared at me," Aizen said without turning.
They'd gotten chummy fast after some small talk, even switching to first names. Mostly thanks to Aizen's infectious charisma.
That charm was exactly why Akira couldn't stop wondering: Is this guy faking it, or is he actually like this right now?
"I'm wrestling with a question," Akira said.
"Oh? What's that?"
"Who's better-looking—you or me?"
Aizen froze for a second.
Before he could answer, Akira's eyes drifted to the figure stepping up to the podium.
"Huh, that's our teacher?"
His go-with-the-flow attitude had already accepted being classmates with Aizen. No running now—just deal with it.
"I'm your homeroom teacher," the man said.
"Junya Kaede."
The stern, middle-aged guy launched into a standard opening speech—endless droning, the kind every teacher seemed born to give.
"I hope you'll not only join the Gotei 13 but also climb toward the heart of power through diligent training…"
Up front, he rambled. Down below, whispers buzzed.
"Sosuke, you aiming to join the Gotei 13 too?" Akira asked, curious. "Or do you have bigger dreams?"
This kid didn't match the Aizen he remembered—not yet, anyway.
Aizen tilted his head, thinking it over. After a pause, he replied softly, "I'd guess most students here share that goal, right? The Shinō Academy exists to feed fresh blood into the Kido Corps, the Stealth Force, and the Gotei 13."
Akira leaned back, hands behind his head, and grinned. "Not me. I'm different. Getting by and graduating—that's my big dream. Keep it simple."
Aizen gave a slight nod, his expression calm. To each their own. Dreams were just what you wanted most right now—people changed with time. Maybe soon…
But then he noticed Akira's face turn dead serious.
"Murderous intent!"
The words barely left his mouth when a sharp whoosh cut through the air from the podium.
Crack!
A crisp smack rang out.
Akira tilted his head just in time—a piece of chalk grazed his cheek and nailed the kid behind him square in the forehead. The force left a white streak between the poor guy's eyes.
"Tch, always some punk trying to take me out," Akira muttered with a smirk, beyond pleased with his Danger Instinct. Mid-chat with Aizen, he'd sensed the threat coming and dodged it like a pro.
Aizen chuckled and shook his head. This new buddy was starting to grow on him. Weak as he seemed, there was something quirky about him.
Junya Kaede had noticed too. He'd caught the dodge but didn't dwell on it—Aizen had seen the move coming as well. Still, for a fresh enrollee like Akira to pull that off? Intriguing.
"Kisaragi Akira. Sosuke Aizen," Kaede said, barely fazed. "Keep it down. Let's get back to it."
Junya Kaede didn't sweat Akira's chatter. A teacher needed patience—otherwise, some smartass kid would send his blood pressure through the roof. He'd learn soon enough how wrong he was about this kid's limits.
Day one was light—no real lessons, just academy rules, the curriculum rundown, and a bunch of "work hard" pep talks. To Akira, a modern slacker, it was all motivational garbage. Not that he'd argue—just tune it out.
Right now, his priority was digging into his Sign-In System. If he could crack it, maybe he'd snag some real power and chase that half-baked dream he'd just cooked up.
The Shinō Academy sign-in had scored him Danger Instinct, sparking ideas. Beyond daily check-ins, location-based rewards might be the fast track to strength. Problem was, regular spots didn't seem to trigger anything.
So he started racking his brain for special places in the Soul Society.
"Sosuke, you know much about the Soul Society?"
"Enough," Aizen replied, modest as ever.
"What's out there like the academy—big, important stuff?"
Dead-end on his own, Akira lobbed the question at Aizen. Future mastermind, certified genius—this should be child's play for him.
"A lot," Aizen said. "The Gotei 13 headquarters, Kido Corps base, Central Underground Assembly Hall, Central Great Prison, Repentance Cell, Central Execution Grounds, noble estates… They're all bigger deals than the academy."
"Oh. Great."
Akira slumped. A first-year like him couldn't touch those spots. Location sign-ins were a bust—he'd have to grind daily ones and pray for better luck.
You can't stay unlucky forever, right?