Kōe didn't know that the three of them had long been marked as targets of special attention by the leading instructor.
The instructor already knew the results of the spiritual power level test. One maxed-out level five, one level six, and one bordering on level six. This year had produced three geniuses—the three little brats standing right before him. He was paying very close attention to Kōe's trio.
"Why aren't you going down to pick?" The instructor looked at the three of them with a smile and said softly, "If you keep waiting, the good ones will be picked by others."
To this, Kōe and the other two wore expressions of utter disdain, scoffing one after another. "There's no big difference!"
"Yeah, going early or late makes no difference. They're all useless anyway."
"Instructor, there is no good or bad when it comes to Asauchi, right?"
The last to speak was Urahara Kisuke. After speaking, he nudged Kōe and Yoruichi with his elbow, silently asking if they could try not to make it so obvious.
Kōe finally reacted, realizing he still had to put on an act. He immediately changed his tune, "Yeah, Asauchi are all the same, so there's no big difference!"
Yoruichi also nodded repeatedly, hurriedly explaining, "Right, right, right, that's what I meant too!"
"Even if they are the same, this is probably the only place you can get an Asauchi. Hurry down and pick one. I am very much looking forward to your choices."
This explanation made sense, so the leading instructor only felt a brief moment of awkwardness before brushing it off and letting them go down to choose.
The trio couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If they exposed the fact that they already possessed their own Zanpakutō because of this, they might not be beaten to death by their families, but getting flayed alive was a certainty.
"Can you watch your mouth? If it weren't for Urahara, you would have dragged us down with you just now!"
Yoruichi pretended to browse while walking, softly complaining about how stupid Kōe had been just now, acting as if it were entirely his fault.
"What did I say?" Kōe looked completely bewildered, shrugging his shoulders. "Your line was the most exaggerated one, wasn't it?"
He wasn't wrong. Kōe's words could be understood as a summary of Urahara's opinion. While Yoruichi's words could also be spun that way, thinking about it carefully revealed glaring loopholes. If they were exposed, it would most likely be because of her phrase, *'They're all useless anyway.'*
"I was led astray by you!" Yoruichi turned her head, reaching out to grab Kōe by the collar, gritting her teeth as she enunciated every word. "Do! You! Have! A! Problem!"
"It's all my fault, let go quickly, the instructor is still watching!"
Seeing him yield, Yoruichi readily let go. As long as she could pin the blame on Kōe, it was fine. Clearly, she had achieved her goal.
Normally, Urahara would definitely play the peacemaker, but this time he acted as if he hadn't seen anything, not even letting out a single chuckle from start to finish.
Kōe turned his head to look, only to see Urahara with his head lowered, picking up an Asauchi, swinging it twice, shaking his head, and putting it back, as if he were genuinely picking a sword.
"You don't actually think the same person can have two different Zanpakutō, do you?"
Urahara shook his head and drew another Asauchi. "Just like you said, the instructor is still watching. Actually, it's not just the instructor; many people are watching us."
"So?" Kōe asked in confusion.
Urahara pointed forward. "What does it feel like?"
Not far away were a few students picking out Asauchi. Just like Urahara, they drew one, fumbled around with it, and then put it back, as if the next one would be different—as if it would be better.
"Childish!"
"They look silly... They're obviously all the same."
Kōe and Yoruichi answered one after the other. Even if you swapped through a thousand Asauchi, it would ultimately only become one Zanpakutō. In the end, an Asauchi was just an uncut gem; what it eventually became depended entirely on one's own craftsmanship.
"That is what a proper, clueless person picking a sword for the first time looks like!" Urahara looked at the two of them and said with a serious face.
"So you mean our acting needs to be a bit more realistic?"
"No, no, no, you just need to put on an act first. As for the specifics, just copy them."
That made sense! Kōe and Yoruichi exchanged a glance, nodded in unison, and then began to act with convincing flair. They even added a bit of extra drama for themselves.
"No, this doesn't look like the Asauchi that belongs to me!"
"This one won't do, and neither will this one!" Yoruichi muttered to herself, her tone filled with deep regret.
"This is the one! It really wasn't easy!" Urahara shouted loudly, a wide smile plastered across his face as he looked at the Asauchi in his hands.
*This is only the third one he's picked up,* Kōe silently complained in his heart. *He just wants to slack off, doesn't he? One second he's talking about realistic acting, and the next he pulls this. Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?*
"You're the one! My future partner!"
An even more exaggerated performance appeared—that was Yoruichi. Kōe secretly glanced at the instructor on the stone platform. *Is it really okay to act like this? They're practically treating everyone like idiots!*
At this moment, the instructor on the stone platform was clapping lightly, watching them with a face full of smiles, as if he had picked out his own favorite Asauchi.
*Great, looks like he really is an idiot!*
Since that was the case, Kōe also planned to slack off. Acting was exhausting, okay!
There happened to be an Asauchi stuck in the ground to his front right. *I choose you!* Kōe reached out to grab it, shouting at the same time, "Kept you waiting, huh!"
What he grasped was a burst of warmth, and it was a bit soft. This wasn't a sword hilt; it was a hand.
Kōe looked up. The owner of the hand was a green-eyed, red-haired boy who was staring at him with wide eyes. It was none other than Shikaon Susumu, the one who held a grudge against Shihouin Kōe.
Kōe knew this guy. From the end of the spiritual power level test all the way to the Sword Room, he had been following behind him, staring at him as if he had some sort of grievance.
Geniuses were always prone to being envied. Kōe knew about Susumu's dissatisfaction but didn't take it seriously. *What was youth without a little edgy melodrama?* He could understand.
Besides, having someone desperately trying to chase a peak, only to spend their entire life unable to even see the summit—being that peak was actually a pretty great feeling!
But something was wrong now. According to the normal tropes, shouldn't you view me as your mortal enemy, absolutely refuse to touch anything I've touched, strive to catch up, and swear never to interact with me until the day you die?
What was going on now? Did this mean you wanted everything that was mine? Where was your pride? Where did the arrogance a pursuer should have go?
Kōe couldn't help but freeze, muttering to himself, "Are you kidding me?"
Shikaon Susumu thought this was directed at him and viciously replied, "This sword! I grabbed it first!"
The situation was pretty much as Kōe had thought. Shikaon Susumu did indeed view him as an enemy, feeling that Shihouin Kōe had stolen the spotlight that rightfully belonged to him.
But his thought process wasn't about catching up to Kōe; rather, he wanted to snatch back what he had lost from Kōe. A Zanpakutō was the first thing he wanted to reclaim. The best Zanpakutō could only belong to him!
Seeing that Kōe wasn't moving, Susumu gritted his teeth again and said fiercely, "I said, I grabbed it first! Let! Go!!"
*He's trying to flex on me! I have to flex back!*
Kōe suddenly let go of his hand, reaching out to stop Yoruichi and Urahara who wanted to come over and help, and said with a smile, "I'll bestow this one upon you."
Shikaon Susumu curled his lip. To his ears, Kōe's words were nothing but the barking of a defeated dog, which only gave him a greater sense of accomplishment.
Unfortunately, this feeling didn't last long before it was completely ruined by a single sentence.
"I felt it wrong just now. It seems that one is a bit better." Kōe pointed at the Asauchi by Yoruichi's feet and said, "Toss it over to me!"
"Catch!" Yoruichi directly pulled out the Asauchi by her feet and threw it at Kōe. The latter stretched out his left hand and firmly grasped the hilt.
"I got this one first this time. Do you want it?" Kōe said as he closed his eyes, continuing as if chanting, "But I can't bestow this one upon you. It truly belongs to me. I can feel it."
The smugness that had originally been on Susumu's face had long since vanished, replaced by a liver-purple hue. It seemed he was absolutely furious.
"Hahaha! I can't take it anymore!" Seeing his expression, Yoruichi and Urahara both clutched their stomachs and burst into laughter. Trying to act tough in front of Kōe—one could only say that Susumu had picked the wrong opponent.
"So wicked, so wicked. I really feel sorry for that guy."
"That's just how he is. 'I can feel it'—he says it like it's actually true..." Yoruichi scolded with a laugh, but then she looked at Kōe and her mouth suddenly dropped open. "No way..."
"You've got to be kidding me..." Urahara's mouth also dropped open as he muttered blankly, "This can't be possible, right?!"
The Asauchi that was originally in Kōe's left hand suddenly dispersed into a plume of thick black smoke. The smoke seemed to have a life of its own, sometimes scattering, sometimes condensing, constantly shifting its shape.
Who knew how much time had passed, but the black mist in Kōe's hand finally materialized once again, condensing into a blade—a blade completely different from the previous Asauchi.
The blade was less than two feet long, falling into the category of a short sword. The edge was dark gray and slightly curved, its arc looking incredibly beautiful.
The hilt was wrapped in black, with diamond-shaped ornaments neatly arranged along it. From this, one could see that the original color of the hilt was also black.
The handguard was very peculiar; it was a black Hannya mask. The position of the Hannya's mouth connected perfectly to the blade, making it look as though the mask was spitting the blade out.
Everyone in the room was now staring at Shihouin Kōe, whose eyes were tightly shut. More accurately, they were staring at the short sword in his hand, barely even blinking.
Various emotions could be seen in their eyes, mostly envy, jealousy, and reverence. There were even a few young girls looking on with stars in their eyes. This could probably be considered a kind of adoration, though it was unclear whether it was directed at Kōe or the sword in his hand.
This was a sword of malevolence, a blade meant for killing. No one present would doubt this; just looking at it, one could feel its eerie abnormality.
But this wasn't the reason everyone was stunned. Asauchi were all the same—not just in appearance, but their names were also identical.
At the same time, Asauchi were different. They would follow different masters, and from that, they would take on different appearances and futures.
Zanpakutō. When an Asauchi changed its appearance, its name became Zanpakutō.
The proof of a Shinigami—a Zanpakutō. This was the name of the object Kōe currently held in his hands!