The preparations during the final days before the early academy assessment passed quietly.
Hasumi Ren visited the training grounds once more to collect a round of shards, and all his abilities steadily increased.
[NAME: Hasumi Ren]
Spiritual Power: Grade 9 (EXP: 305/5000)
Kendo: lv2 (EXP: 1920/2000)
Hakuda: lv2 (EXP: 1845/2000)
Shunpo: lv2 (EXP: 1785/2000)
Kido: lv3 (EXP: 1705/3000)
Zanpakuto: Asauchi Resonance 82%
[SPECIAL ABILITIES]
Hollowification: lv1 (EXP: 10/1000)
Hogyoku (Awakening: 0.05%)
Ren scanned the panel. At this rate, once the large-scale shard collection during the early assessment began, all his abilities—except perhaps Shunpo—should break through to level 3.
That afternoon, as the two walked out of the Kido practice field after training, the setting sun had already dyed the buildings of the Seireitei a golden hue.
"The early assessment is tomorrow," Nanao said, flipping through her notes as they walked. "I should review the section on the duties and workflows of the various divisions one more time..."
Ren let out a yawn and rubbed his growling stomach.
"But for now, shouldn't we go get something to eat first?"
Only then did Nanao realize she hadn't eaten since noon, and her stomach let out a timely, soft rumble.
Seeing Ren's playful expression, her face instantly flushed red.
Feeling a surge of embarrassed annoyance, Nanao made a move to pinch Ren's waist.
She was still quite small, barely reaching Ren's waist, making it a struggle to reach him. Ren took the opportunity to dodge away.
Just as they were fooling around, a somewhat lazy voice drifted over from the side.
"Yo, it's been a while, Hasumi Ren."
The two of them turned to look.
A young man wearing the Shin'o Academy uniform was leaning against a maple tree.
His long black hair was tied loosely behind his head, with a few stray strands falling casually over his forehead.
His features were handsome to the point of being almost feminine, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes and a playful smirk on his lips.
What stood out most was the lining visible beneath his school jacket—garments made of expensive brocade, with intricate family crests embroidered on the cuffs.
Tsunayashiro Tokiying.
A scion of the main branch of the Tsunayashiro clan—one of the Four Great Noble Families—and a classmate of Ren's in the elite class.
"Tsunayashiro-kun."
Nanao nodded politely, though a flicker of wariness crossed her eyes.
"The little girl from the Ise family. Still as serious as ever," Tokiying chuckled, his gaze shifting to Ren.
"Got a minute to chat?"
Nanao looked at Ren, who scratched his head and gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Nanao. Why don't you head to the dining hall first? I won't be joining you today."
Nanao hesitated for a moment before nodding and walking away, clutching her books.
After walking a short distance, she couldn't help but glance back.
She saw Tsunayashiro Tokiying and Ren standing side-by-side under the tree, looking relaxed, as if they were merely having a casual conversation.
'What does that guy want with Ren now?'
She muttered under her breath, feeling inexplicably disgruntled.
'We were supposed to eat together...'
'Dammit.'
Nanao slowly walked away.
Under the maple tree, Tokiying pulled an exquisite gold cigarette case from his robe and shook out a long, thin cigarette, placing it in his mouth.
"Want one? It's a rare item brought in from the World of the Living."
Ren shook his head.
"No thanks, I'm not really interested. What do you want?"
A spark of Reishi ignited at Tokiying's fingertip. He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.
"You know, in the entire elite class, you're the person I'm most interested in."
Tokiying flicked his cigarette ash.
"Those who go out of their way to show off their abilities are nothing but absolute fools in my eyes. But you... have you reconsidered what I asked you before?"
"I'm just an ordinary person with very average strength. I'm not as profound as you imagine."
Watching Ren's calm expression, Tokiying curled his lip.
"You've probably heard that among the noble families in the Seireitei, the Tsunayashiro clan is the most prosperous, and also the one with the fiercest internal competition."
"I've been reading people since I was three years old. Everyone around me is either a sycophant or a schemer. I can tell what's real and what's fake at a single glance."
Ren clicked his tongue. This guy really wasn't easy to fool.
"Do you know how I figured it out?" Tokiying shrugged. "Mostly because I was bored."
"My family insisted I spend a few years here, saying it would look good on my record. I'm not going to the Gotei 13 to fight and die, so what do I need a record for?"
He spoke casually, but Ren could hear the underlying helplessness. For a direct descendant of one of the current Four Great Noble Families to be sent to the Academy to study alongside commoners was indeed a form of torture for someone with low talent.
"To find some fun, I started observing the people around me."
Tokiying took another puff of his cigarette.
"And then I found you. Everyone else is training like their lives depend on it, but you... you're like me. You look down on hard work from the bottom of your heart."
"But I can see that you crave power. Especially when you look at those in the elite class—there's a spark in your eyes. Yet you never spare a glance for those mediocre people who train so diligently."
Ren felt a bit helpless. This was actually true—it was hard to get attribute shards from people significantly weaker than him.
He just hadn't expected someone to notice.
"My confidence comes from the family behind me, but what about you? What is your foundation?"
Tsunayashiro Tokiying stared into Ren's eyes.
"Secondly, your attitude towards me, towards them, towards all the noble children is exactly the same. Neither humble nor arrogant, neither fawning nor distant. That's a rare sight in the Seireitei."
Ren sighed. He truly hadn't expected anyone to study him so closely.
"Keen observation, but what you're saying is just speculation. It doesn't prove anything."
Tokiying chuckled and casually extinguished his cigarette.
"Are you really not going to join the Tsunayashiro family?"
He stared straight at Ren.
"Come be my retainer. I'll give you the treatment of a Lieutenant-level officer. Food, housing, cultivation resources, library access... everything the Tsunayashiro family has to offer, you'll enjoy."
Ren was taken aback.
This offer was even higher than what had been mentioned before.
Lieutenant-level treatment meant a salary of at least several million Kan per year, along with access to resources and knowledge only available to nobles.
For a soul reaper of commoner origin, this was practically a complete leap in social class, let alone for a student still in the Academy.
But for Ren, this held little significance.
He had properties in the Rukongai; he wasn't short on money.
And while it might seem like climbing the noble ladder, the actual benefits he could gain were very limited.
Truly core resources would never be opened to an outsider like him.
Most importantly, the rules and regulations of the nobility would hinder his efficiency in collecting shards at the Gotei 13.
It wasn't worth it.
"It's a very tempting proposal."
Ren looked up at the night sky.
"But I'm sorry. I'm still more inclined towards the Gotei 13."
"Is that so?"
Tokiying's tone carried a sense of expected realization.
The more Ren acted this way, the more certain Tokiying became of his suspicions.
"No need to rush your answer. There's still more than a year until graduation. Take your time to think about it; perhaps you'll have a change of heart."
"In the meantime, if you run into any trouble—say, some blind noble giving you a hard time—just give them my name."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Is that appropriate?"
Tokiying lit another cigarette.
"People lift each other up. Even if you stick to your choice in the end, I'm still willing to make you a friend. I trust my judgment."
He blew a smoke ring and looked at the sunset sinking into the distance.
"That's enough chatting, I'm off," Tokiying said with a wave. "Good luck with the test tomorrow, you genius trying so hard to remain mediocre."
He turned to leave, his black hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze.
After a few steps, he suddenly looked back and winked at Ren.
"By the way, I wouldn't recommend getting too close to that girl from the Ise family. If you have the time, you should look into her family history."