Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Ideal is to Join the Retirement Squad
Chapter 1: The Ideal is to Join the Retirement Squad
Soul Society, Central Spiritual Academy
At this moment, the grand hall of the Central Spiritual Academy was bustling with students and teachers dressed in the academy's uniform, all gathered here.
Today was the annual graduation ceremony at the Central Spiritual Academy, and Naya Makoto, as one of this year's graduates, was among them, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
"Yecheng, which squad are you planning to join after graduation?" The one asking Makoto was a man with narrow eyes and a rather fierce expression, his head as shiny as a steel ball.
Because the reflection of the sunlight off his bald head was so glaring, no one except Ayasegawa Yumichika, who was very close to Ichikaku, dared to get near them.
"Didn't I already tell you at the Central Spiritual Academy?
My ideal squad is the Fourth Division. If that's not possible, then I'll join the Thirteenth Division. But I absolutely will not join the Eleventh Division like you guys, who seem to have a death wish!"
The Gotei 13, one of the key components of Soul Society, is a special force that maintains the order of Soul Society and the World of the Living. Joining the Gotei 13 is akin to securing a position within the system, and only then can one be officially called a "Shinigami."
The Central Spiritual Academy is an institution in the Seireitei that trains Shinigami. Souls from Rukongai with good potential and strong spiritual power generally enter here to study the "Zanpakuto, Ho, Kyo, and Kai" techniques, becoming apprentice Shinigami.
After completing their training, the Gotei 13's leaders would arrange for new recruits to be selected each year.
Beings in Soul Society, whether they are souls or Shinigami, are essentially spiritual bodies and generally do not have a lifespan.
However, being a spiritual body does not mean they are invincible. For the poor souls in Rukongai, becoming a Shinigami in the Gotei 13, though a prestigious position within the system, often comes with a very high death rate when it involves combat duties.
Due to this reason, every year on the graduation day of the Central Spiritual Academy, the Gotei 13 squads that are short of members would come here to recruit new members.
In the spacious hall, the graduates were bustling about, looking around at the flags representing the various squads, deep in thought about their future.
On the surface, it might seem great to secure a position within the system right after graduation, but most graduates from the Central Spiritual Academy were well aware that joining the Gotei 13 came with a very high risk. One wrong move could result in being cremated on the spot.
Therefore, when choosing a squad, the students of the Central Spiritual Academy were extremely cautious. Once a squad was chosen, it was almost impossible for an ordinary Shinigami to switch to another squad halfway through.
There is no absolute fairness in the world, and there are always class differences, no matter where you are.
Without being from one of the four noble families or having any influential connections, they were just small fry. Getting a position within the system was already a good outcome, and they had no right to be picky.
Compared to the ordinary souls in Rukongai, who often go hungry for at least two meals a day, the work in the Gotei 13, though dangerous, offered much better benefits.
"Are you serious? You really plan to join the Fourth Division or the Thirteenth Division? I always thought you were joking.
Your skills in Zanpakuto, Ho, Kyo, and Kai are so good, and you want to join the Healing Division or the Purification Squad? That's just ridiculous!
Why don't you join the Eleventh Division with me and Yumichika? The Eleventh Division is a combat squad, and passionate battles are the true romance of men. With your strength, joining the Healing Division or the Purification Squad would be like going there to retire."
Yecheng met Splotch-eye Ichikaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika in Rukongai.
Due to the chaotic order in Rukongai, Yecheng and the two had some conflicts back then, and they even had a fight.
But it was also because of that fight that Yecheng and the two formed a certain friendship and came to the Central Spiritual Academy together.
Ichikaku was a righteous person who didn't admire many people. In the past, he was always a leader-like figure in Rukongai until he met Yecheng and another man named Kuchiki.
The fight with Yecheng was still okay; although he ultimately lost, it was after a fair match.
However, when facing the man named Kuchiki, Ichikaku was completely overpowered without any chance to fight back!
After that, Ichikaku heard that Kuchiki had come to Seireitei and became a Shinigami of the Gotei 13. So, to follow him, Ichikaku readily agreed to come to the Central Spiritual Academy when Yecheng proposed it, and he even brought his good friend Yumichika along.
"Who's joking with you? Do you think I've been training all this time for nothing? It's to become an excellent medical ninja... ah, no, an excellent member of the Healing Division.
You, with your muscle-brain, don't understand a thing. Rushing into battle is just heroism, while my ideal is to become a dedicated logistics worker."
When Yecheng said this, his face showed a sacred and determined expression. If someone unfamiliar with him saw this, they might even be inspired by his spirit.
However, Ichikaku and Yumichika had known Yecheng for many years. Seeing his act, they couldn't help but mock him at the same time.
Ichikaku: "You're just afraid of trouble, aren't you?"
Yumichika: "No, I think he's afraid of dying... Sometimes I really don't understand. Yecheng's strength is already among the best in this graduating class.
Yet, in every assessment, he always keeps his scores in the middle or lower range. Isn't it good to stand out because of your excellence? Or are you afraid of something?"
Compared to the muscle-brained Ichikaku, Yumichika was definitely the intellectual one. He had noticed this since they first entered the Central Spiritual Academy.
The "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido" of Shinigami, aside from Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, Yumichika knew from personal experience that Yecheng's Zanjutsu was already at a very high level. Yet, in every assessment, his performance was always below average.
When Yumichika and Ichikaku asked him the reason, Yecheng would always say something they couldn't understand, and it would sound completely absurd.
For example, "Don't show off your presence if you're not the main character," and "Being too excellent might get you noticed by research fanatics."
At first, Yumichika thought Yecheng had some enemies in Seireitei, but after many years at the Central Spiritual Academy, everything remained calm, and no one ever bothered Yecheng. Yumichika started to believe that Yecheng just had a simple case of paranoia.
However, this wasn't strange. After all, how many people who lived in Rukongai could have completely normal personalities?
Yecheng's strength was not to be underestimated, and his looks were the only ones Yumichika had seen that could match his own. It would be normal for him to have some other flaws.
(End of Chapter)
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