Chapter 2: Chapter 2 ⥤ Surely One's Luck Can't Be Bad Forever?
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His scalp tingled as a vague sensation of explosion burst between his temples. The name Sōsuke Aizen undoubtedly shocked Akira, leaving him momentarily dazed.
He never imagined he'd arrive at an unknown point in the Bleach world, instantly rendering his supposed foreknowledge half useless. He had originally planned to avoid Aizen and lay low, but unexpectedly, right after leaving the starting area, he ran head-on into the big BOSS.
"Kisaragi-kun, you seem to be a bit..."
"No, I'm fine!" Akira snapped back to his senses, shaking his head vigorously and regaining his composure.
He looked towards Aizen, just in time to meet the other's slightly concerned gaze. Strangely, his Danger Instinct didn't detect even the slightest threat. In fact, his gentle and modest smile gave off a sense of warmth, involuntarily making one feel fond of the young man.
Perhaps this was what they called personal charisma?
"That's good then." Aizen smiled, "The reporting time is almost over; we should hurry up."
Akira nodded, suppressing the information about Aizen in his heart, and entered the Shin'ō Academy alongside him.
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First Year, Class 1.
After completing the relevant procedures, Akira and Aizen sat in the neat classroom, curiously surveying their equally inquisitive classmates. The students occupying this room were all geniuses who had excelled in the entrance exams.
Akira humbly attributed his placement in Class 1 to sheer luck, maintaining a modest demeanor. Beside him sat Aizen — a true genius in every sense of the word.
"Akira, you've stared at me thirty-seven times already." Aizen remarked without turning his head.
Their brief exchanges had fostered a growing familiarity, evident in the subtle shift in how they addressed each other. This was largely due to his infectiously charismatic personality.
It was precisely this charisma that piqued Akira's curiosity: Was Aizen's current persona genuine, or merely a façade?
"I'm pondering a question." Akira mused, "Would you rather fight a duck the size of a horse, or a hundred horses the size of ducks?"
Aizen's gaze froze.
Before he could respond, Akira's attention shifted to a figure steadily approaching the podium.
"Hmm, is this our future teacher?"
His adaptable nature allowed him to quickly accept his unexpected status as Aizen's classmate. There was no escaping now; he could only embrace the reality calmly.
"I am your homeroom teacher, Uruoi Kaoru."
The middle-aged man, his face devoid of any smile, launched into the customary start-of-term speech. His endless stream of words seemed to flow with an ease that appeared to be an innate ability of every teacher.
"I hope that in the future, you will not only be able to join any Division of the Gotei 13 but also, through training, continuously advance towards the center of power..."
The podium droned on, while the students below whispered among themselves.
"Sōsuke, is your goal also to become a member of the Gotei 13?" Akira asked curiously, "Or do you have an even loftier ambition?"
The current young man beside him was quite different from the Psycho/Controller/Cynic/Egotist in his impression.
Aizen turned slightly, appearing thoughtful. After a moment's pondering, he answered quietly, "I think all students who join Shin'ō Academy probably have similar ideals, don't you? After all, the purpose of the Academy is to cultivate new blood for the Kidō Corps, the Onmitsukidō, and the Gotei 13."
Akira leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head with a grin, "Nah, I'm not that ambitious. I'm all about taking it easy. My grand aspiration? Simply making it to graduation with my sanity intact."
Aizen nodded slightly, his expression calm.
To each their own. Ideals are merely what one most wants to achieve at the current stage; people always change to different degrees as time passes. Perhaps, in the near future...
Just as he was pondering, he noticed Akira's expression suddenly turn serious.
"Not today!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a whooshing sound came from the direction of the podium.
Akira tilted his head slightly, a piece of chalk grazing past his cheek and hitting the forehead of the student behind him. The exaggerated force left a white mark right between the other student's eyebrows.
Smack!
A crisp collision sound rang out.
"Damn, look at that bald eagle picking on me..." Akira sneered disdainfully, extremely satisfied with his Danger Instinct ability, "I know I'm handsome, but I don't like this much attention."
While conversing, he had clearly sensed the impending danger. Instinctively tilting his head allowed him to avoid the crisis.
Aizen shook his head with a wry smile, gaining a deeper understanding of his newly made friend. Though seemingly weak, Akira always displayed some peculiar qualities. He also had noticed the teacher's earlier movement but hadn't expected this guy to dodge it so effortlessly.
This inevitably piqued his curiosity about his recently met companion.
"Akira Kisaragi, Sōsuke Aizen." Uruoi called out. He was somewhat surprised that a new student could evade his sneak attack but didn't dwell on it. Maintaining classroom discipline, he continued, "Please remain quiet. Let's return to our previous topic."
He chose not to focus on Akira's rule violation. In his view, a teacher should possess a certain level of tolerance; otherwise, rebellious students would inevitably cause his blood pressure to skyrocket.
However, he had underestimated someone's lack of boundaries. Before long, this naive teacher would realize the extent of his mistake.
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The first day of school focused primarily on academy rules, teaching objectives, and motivational speeches about diligent training, rather than substantial learning content.
As a modern-day slacker, Akira viewed these words as mere nonsense. Naturally, he wouldn't voice his disagreement openly.
In his mind, the most crucial task now was to uncover his "cheat abilities" and master more powerful skills as quickly as possible to achieve his newly set grand ideal.
His recent success in meeting the check-in conditions at Shin'ō Academy and receiving rewards had sparked numerous ideas. He wondered if Location Check-ins, in addition to Daily Check-ins, might accelerate his path to strength.
However, it seemed ordinary locations weren't enough to meet these check-in conditions. This realization led Akira to ponder what special locations existed in the Soul Society.
"Sōsuke, are you familiar with the Soul Society?"
"Somewhat." Aizen replied — an extremely modest answer, befitting his current personality.
Having wracked his brains to no avail, Akira decided to pose the question directly, "Are there any important buildings in the Soul Society similar to Shin'ō Academy?"
As the future mastermind and a true all-around genius, such a small question shouldn't pose a challenge for Aizen.
"Many." Aizen replied, "There's the Gotei 13 Headquarters, Kidō Corps Headquarters, Central Underground Assembly Hall, Central Great Underground Prison, Senzaikyū (Palace of Penitence), Central Execution Ground (Sōkyoku Hill), Noble Family Mansions, and more. Their importance even surpasses that of Shin'ō Academy."
"I see." Akira's disappointment was palpable.
As a mere academy student, he had no access to these places, rendering check-ins impossible. He'd have to resort to grinding daily check-ins instead.
He hoped for better luck in the future. After all, surely one's luck can't remain bad forever, right?
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Gotei 13 — 13 Division Imperial Guards or Thirteen Court Guard Companies, main combat unit
Kidō Corps — Separate branch of Soul Society's military that excels in the art of Kidō (Spells).
Onmitsukidō — Secret Tactics or Stealth Force
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone