Morning dew condensed on the grass and evaporated again. The copper bell beneath the eaves swayed until its edges had been worn smooth.
The small sapling in front of the door had now grown tall enough to touch the second-floor windowsill, and its bark was filled with rings no one had ever carefully counted.
One morning, Harry stood before the mirror and studied his reflection. At some point, the childishness that had once lingered on his face had faded away, and now he looked exactly like his self in the multiverse.
At that moment, Harry suddenly heard someone calling his name from outside the window. He said goodbye to his mother and walked out of the wooden house.
When he arrived outside, a gust of wind suddenly blew past.
The wind was still the same wind, the street was still the same street, and the people were still the same people, but in the blink of an eye, eighteen years had passed. Harry's soul fragment in the Bleach universe had grown up.
When he first designed this plan, Harry had already considered the issue of time flow.
In truth, traveling between worlds was very simple, but controlling the flow of time was extremely difficult.
However, because the Time Stone existed, Harry had saved himself a tremendous amount of effort.
That was why he had been able to complete all his preparations within a short period of time.
Now, under the control of his time array, the time flow of the multiverse world was only one percent that of the Bleach universe.
Eighteen years had passed in the Bleach universe in the blink of an eye, but in the multiverse world, barely two months had gone by.
And now, his soul fragment in the Bleach universe had reached the turning point of his life.
Harry had just stepped out of the door. He did not see the person he wanted to see, but he was not surprised. He walked a few steps along the road and arrived next door.
On the steps in front of the neighboring wooden house, two figures sat there, talking to each other.
The cherry tree in Junrinan had shed another layer of petals, and a few had drifted onto Toshiro Hitsugaya's white hair, looking like scattered snow.
He stood beneath the stone steps, looking up at Momo Hinamori, who was sitting on the porch.
Momo Hinamori was tying a red cord around her packed bundle. Inside were a few changes of clothes and a worn secondhand copy of Introduction to Basic Kidō, its corners already rubbed smooth.
"You're really going?" His voice was lower than usual, and his fingers unconsciously picked at the edge of his wooden sandal. "Shin'o Academy is in the Seireitei. It's far from here."
In truth, the Seireitei was not actually far away, but the distance Toshiro Hitsugaya spoke of was not a physical distance. It was the distance in status between the two places.
Once Momo Hinamori entered Shin'o Academy, she would have to live there, and for a long time she would not be able to return to Rukongai.
By then, the two of them would be unable to see each other for a very long time.
When Momo Hinamori raised her head, the wind lifted the loose strands of hair by her temples, revealing her smooth forehead.
The red cord in her hands had been tied into a neat bow, and her eyes shone brightly, like little stars. "Yeah. Miss Matsumoto said I have talent for Kidō. If I go to the academy, I'll learn much faster."
She hugged the bundle to her chest, leaned down, and looked at him. The hem of her skirt brushed over the moss in front of the steps. "Toshiro, why don't you come with us? Your talent is way stronger than mine. You and Harry are both geniuses, so you'd definitely graduate quickly.
"When you become seated officers, you have to remember to take care of me. I don't have your monstrous talent."
Hitsugaya's gaze shifted toward the small house not far away. His grandmother was sitting at the door, basking in the sun, and the fan in her hand moved so slowly it seemed about to stop.
He was silent for a moment. His throat moved before he finally said in a low voice, "I'm not going."
"Why?" Momo Hinamori's voice fell slightly. The red cord slipped between her fingers and swayed over the bundle.
"Grandma is old. She can't be left alone. Someone has to stay by her side." He kicked a pebble at his feet, and it rolled to the root of the cherry tree. "You and Harry should go. Harry's talent is very strong. He hasn't even become a Soul Reaper yet, but he already has great strength, and he can even help me control my Reiatsu.
"He'll definitely become a seated officer. He might even become a lieutenant or a captain. He'll definitely be able to look after you."
Harry walked over. On the way there, he had heard their conversation.
Without treating himself as an outsider at all, he sat down on Momo Hinamori's left. "It's just going to school. Why are you making it so serious? It's not like we're parting forever.
"And it's only the lower grades where students can't leave whenever they want. Once we reach the upper grades, as long as we have a proper reason, we'll still be able to come back to Rukongai for visits."
Toshiro Hitsugaya was still a little down. "That will still take years."
Those words made all three of them fall silent. It was true. The three of them would be separated for a long time.
However, unlike his two friends, Harry was not too sad.
Although these two friends of his were older than him, there was too little entertainment in Rukongai, so they had experienced less than he had.
After learning that they would be separated from their only friends, their emotions naturally fluctuated greatly.
Harry, however, did not only have these two friends. In the multiverse world, he still found time to accompany Gwen and Wanda.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached from afar.
A woman with wavy orange hair, bright blue eyes, and a shihakusho slowly walked toward them.
Her figure was graceful and striking. Among the many women Harry had seen, only a small number of women, such as Tsunade from the Naruto world, could compare to her.
She was the Soul Reaper who had discovered Harry and Momo Hinamori's talent, Rangiku Matsumoto.
Rangiku Matsumoto stopped in front of Harry and Momo Hinamori, her face full of anticipation. "How are you two doing? We should get going. It's time for Shin'o Academy's recruitment."
Harry and Momo Hinamori nodded. "We're ready. We can leave right away."
Rangiku Matsumoto smiled with satisfaction. But then she suddenly thought of something and stared at Toshiro Hitsugaya. "White-haired brat, are you really not joining Shin'o Academy? You have such good talent. You can't waste it."
Toshiro Hitsugaya shook his head. "Before, my Reiatsu hurt Grandma too much. It was only after Harry taught me how to control it that Grandma's health gradually recovered.
"Even if I want to join Shin'o Academy, I need to wait until Grandma's body has fully recovered."
Rangiku Matsumoto shook her head and stopped trying to persuade him.
In any case, because of his relationship with Harry and Momo Hinamori, if Toshiro Hitsugaya joined Shin'o Academy in the future, then after graduation there was a high chance he would choose their Tenth Division.
With these elites joining, her workload would definitely drop sharply. When that happened, she would be able to slack off.
Thinking of that wonderful future, Rangiku Matsumoto could not help curving her lips into a smile.
Before leaving, Momo Hinamori looked at Toshiro Hitsugaya's tense profile. Suddenly, she jumped down from the porch and stuffed a charm embroidered with cherry blossoms into his hand. "Then once I learn everything, I'll come back and teach you. And once I become a Soul Reaper, I'll come pick up you and Grandma and bring you to live in the Seireitei. The houses there are made of stone, so they won't be afraid of wind or rain."
Hitsugaya clenched the charm tightly, the texture of the fabric pressing into his palm. He did not raise his head. He only squeezed a quiet "yeah" from his throat.
Harry also came to Toshiro Hitsugaya's side and handed him a sheet of paper filled with writing. "These are the techniques I wrote down for controlling Reiatsu. Practice them properly. Maybe by the time you enter Shin'o Academy, your Reiatsu will have risen another level. When that happens, you'll definitely shock everyone."
Toshiro Hitsugaya gave another heavy nod.
Harry and Momo Hinamori had already said goodbye to their families yesterday. Now, to avoid the pain of another farewell, they did not return home to notify them again.
The two of them walked beside Rangiku Matsumoto, smiling as they headed toward the white gates of the Seireitei.
At that moment, a sudden gust of wind swept petals between them and Toshiro Hitsugaya, like a silent boundary.
Toshiro Hitsugaya watched their figures gradually disappear into the distance with envy. He could not help clenching his fists and secretly made up his mind.
In a few more years, I'll apply to Shin'o Academy too.
In Shin'o Academy's spacious testing hall, spiritual lamps hung high overhead, releasing a faint blue glow that shone over the ancient spiritual pressure testing platform at the center.
The testing platform was made of dark stone. Its surface was carved with mysterious runes, and above it floated an enormous crystal-clear orb. Inside the orb, Reishi flowed like a river of stars, with faint lightning flickering within.
This tool, known as the Spirit Orb, could accurately test the strength of a soul body's spiritual pressure, also known as its Reiatsu level.
And a student's Reiatsu level upon enrollment was an important standard for judging their potential.
The first student walked onto the stage nervously, his hands trembling as he pressed them against the crystal orb.
In an instant, light flashed inside the crystal orb, and a soft pale green Reiatsu glow slowly lit up.
The testing instructor glanced at the intensity of the light and wrote "beginner-level Reiatsu, average potential" in the record book.
The student looked somewhat disappointed and silently stepped down.
One new student after another went up to test. Most of the new students' Reiatsu levels hovered between beginner and advanced, which was the normal level for incoming students.
Although Reiatsu could not represent a Soul Reaper's true strength entirely, it still represented most of it.
Unranked Reiatsu was the standard for ordinary souls. Souls at this level only needed to drink water to survive.
But souls with beginner-level Reiatsu or higher needed to eat. Only souls at this level had the potential to become Soul Reapers.
A twentieth-class Reiatsu level was the minimum standard for joining the Gotei 13 and becoming a Soul Reaper.
If someone reached that level upon enrollment, they could already be considered a genius.
Above that, fourth to fifth-class Reiatsu was the standard for lieutenants, while third-class and above was the standard for captains.
Starting from sixth-class Reiatsu, the gap between different levels increased severalfold. Each level was separated by a vast difference.
After dozens of people had been tested, a vigorous young man strode onto the stage.
This boy had bright, fiery red hair and goggles on his forehead, giving him a rebellious air.
He took a deep breath and pressed his palm heavily against the Spirit Orb. Immediately afterward, the Spirit Orb burst with unprecedented light.
The testing instructor stared at the dazzling light from the Spirit Orb in shock, his expression changing dramatically. His voice trembled as he said, "This... this is ninth-class Reiatsu. He has ninth-class Reiatsu right after entering the academy. This child has the potential to become a lieutenant."
In an instant, this new student named Renji Abarai immediately became the focus of every teacher in Shin'o Academy.
A new student who possessed ninth-class Reiatsu the moment he entered the academy would probably be the top student of this year's class.
Renji Abarai was also very satisfied with the result. After the test ended, he walked away and smiled at the black-haired girl behind him. "Rukia, you're next. Don't do worse than me."
The cute girl named Rukia rolled her eyes at Renji Abarai, then walked up to the stage as well and placed her hand on the Spirit Orb to begin the test.
The Spirit Orb, which had just dimmed, lit up once again. A dazzling light emerged from within the orb. Although it was slightly weaker than the light released during Renji Abarai's test, it was only a tiny bit weaker.
The testing instructor stared at the scene before him in complete disbelief. "Tenth-class Reiatsu. What is happening today? A ninth-class Reiatsu just appeared, and now there's a tenth-class Reiatsu. This is also talent with the potential to become a lieutenant."
Once the test result appeared, Rukia raised her head and glanced sideways at Renji Abarai, who was standing nearby. "Well, Renji?"
"Amazing, Rukia!" Renji Abarai was genuinely happy for his friend.
All the new students stared at the two of them. Barring any accidents, their futures would far surpass most of the people present.
With their talent, they had already touched the upper class of the Soul Society.
Among the new students waiting in line, Momo Hinamori looked at the two of them with envy, then turned to ask Harry behind her, "Harry, what Reiatsu level do you think we can reach? I'm not asking for much. As long as I reach twentieth-class, I'll be satisfied."
Harry smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry, Momo. Your talent is better than you think."
A new student behind Harry heard their conversation and scoffed. "Give up. From the looks of you two, you're just ordinary Rukongai souls.
"Unless you're a noble like me, born with powerful Reiatsu, it's almost impossible to have twentieth-class Reiatsu, let alone single-digit Reiatsu like them.
"Souls with that kind of talent only appear once or twice a year. Having two of them already is the limit."
This noble student wore undisguised arrogance on his face as he stared at Harry and Momo Hinamori with contempt.
Although he was only a minor noble, and his family had even declined to the point where he had to line up like ordinary souls to test his Reiatsu, he was still proud of his noble status.
At first, seeing two lowly Rukongai souls with such powerful talent had already made him extremely jealous.
However, because those two people's talent had reached a level that could transcend class, he did not dare to express his dissatisfaction toward them.
But what were these two lowly Rukongai souls in front of him supposed to be?
They were nobodies, yet they were actually hoping to possess that kind of powerful talent too. Even a noble like him did not dare dream of such talent.
So he did not hold back at all and directly mocked the two people in front of him.
After all, once his noble clothing brushed against them, he assumed they would not dare say much.
But what he did not expect was that Harry would turn around and glance at him, his eyes filled with unconcealed mockery and disdain.
That gaze felt very familiar to him.
It was exactly the same gaze higher nobles used when looking at him.
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