Chapter 9: The Beginning of the School Year

In the blink of an eye, the day of the school's opening had arrived, and all the new students had gathered in the auditorium on the first floor of the teaching building.

Yamahiko, wearing the blue male uniform, stood in line with the first-year, second-class students, gazing at the teachers on the platform.

Today was the opening ceremony, attended not only by the first-year students but also by students from grades two to six.

Yamahiko was placed in the first-year, second-class, along with Renji Abarai, Izuru Kira and Momo Hinamori. However, Rukia was assigned to the third class, so they weren't in the same class.

Currently, the one addressing the students on the platform was the principal of the Shin'o Academy, an elderly man named Maru Sakaue. He was explaining the history of the Shin'o Academy to the students.

"The Shin'o Academy was founded two thousand years ago by the current Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto. During its establishment, over twenty thousand Shinigami were trained here, making tremendous efforts to protect the Soul Society..."

"I hope that all students of the Shin'o Academy will aspire to become Shinigami, taking it upon themselves to protect the Soul Society..."

The principal spoke for over half an hour, and then other important teachers and staff members of the school took turns, speaking for more than two hours in total.

It wasn't until a particular teacher stepped up to the podium that Yamahiko widened his eyes.

Standing on the platform was a middle-aged Shinigami with short brown hair, wearing black-framed glasses. He had brown eyes, unlike most Shinigami.

What set him apart from other Shinigami was the white haori he wore, which was the emblem of the Captain of the 5th Division Squad.

This Shinigami was none other than Sōsuke Aizen, the future leader of the Espada and the mastermind behind many future events.

How did he get here?

Although it had been nearly sixty years since Aizen's severe betrayal, he had already begun experimenting with incomplete Hōgyoku and was sending his modified Hollows to attack the Shinigami in the human world.

Thinking about this, Yamahiko became wary and kept a close eye on Sōsuke Aizen, his expression filled with caution.

Aizen stood on the platform, smiling, and said, "The previous teachers have covered a lot, so I won't take up too much of your time. I'll just say one thing: if there are any new students interested in learning calligraphy, you can come to my calligraphy class, which I've established here."

With these words, Aizen left the platform.

Calligraphy?

Yamahiko remembered that Aizen had established a calligraphy class at the Shin'o Academy and was even the president of the Seireitei Calligraphy Club.

Yamahiko didn't want to fall under Aizen's spell, so it seemed he would have to avoid him as much as possible.

Beside Yamahiko, Renji chuckled and said, "This teacher is great, not like the others who talk so much."

Another student added, "Aizen is the Captain of the 5th Division Squad, after all."

Momo Hinamori couldn't help but sigh, "Captain Aizen not only looks so handsome, but he's also cultured, good at calligraphy, and the Captain of the 5th Division Squad. What an outstanding man."

Hearing this, Yamahiko frowned slightly. In the original story, Momo Hinamori was a die-hard fan of Aizen. She was a member of Aizen's calligraphy class at the Shin'o Academy, and later, due to her admiration for Aizen, she joined the 5th Division Squad. Even after Aizen's betrayal was revealed, she still blindly believed in him. After being stabbed by Aizen and miraculously healed, she continued to blindly trust him, even clashing with her childhood friend several times.

Thinking about Momo Hinamori's blind actions in the future, Yamahiko couldn't help but feel helpless.

As Aizen's speech concluded, the opening ceremony ended, and the students filed out of the auditorium.

Since formal classes would start tomorrow, those who lived in the Seireitei left the school and headed straight home, while the students who were staying on campus remained.

Yamahiko, Renji, and Izuru didn't immediately return to their dormitory. Instead, they waited outside for Rukia. However, when they saw Rukia chatting and laughing with the other girls from the third class, Renji smiled and said, "Looks like Rukia has made some friends. Let's go."

Yamahiko nodded, knowing that Renji didn't want to confine Rukia to their small circle.

The three of them left and returned to their dormitory.

The next day, formal classes began.

In the Shin'o Academy, first-year students primarily studied history, knowledge about Hollows, Reiryoku, Soul Burial (Konsō), and how to combat Hollows, among other cultural subjects.

In addition to these subjects, they also received training in Zanjutsu (swordsmanship), and Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat).

Swordsmanship(Zanjutsu) and hand-to-hand(Hakuda) combat required relatively low Reiryoku and could help improve combat abilities, making them suitable for new students.

As they progressed to higher grades, they could learn Shunpo (Flash Step) and basic Kidō (spiritual techniques), with a prerequisite of having a fourth-class Reiryoku(Spirit Class). Those who couldn't reach this level before their sixth year would have to drop out.

Furthermore, there were special training programs for the Onmitsukidō (Stealth Force) and the Fourth Division's Medical Team. The Onmitsukidō required high proficiency in Shunpo, Hakuda, and Zanjutsu, while the Medical Team demanded proficiency in Kidō, particularly healing techniques.

Additionally, the Twelfth Division's Research and Development Institute and the Kidō Corps also selected suitable candidates from the Shin'o Academy.

Yamahiko hadn't decided on his future path yet. For now, his main focus was to increase his strength as much as possible to prepare for Aizen's conspiracy sixty years in the future.

Yamahiko, Renji, and Izuru arrived at the classroom. After sitting down, Yamahiko took out his textbooks, and soon it was time for class, with the teacher arriving.

The teacher appeared to be around fifty years old, dressed in a black Shinigami uniform. After writing his name on the board, he began the class.

The first lesson was history, primarily focusing on the birth of the Shinigami, the composition of the world, and the evolution of the Shinigami throughout the long history.

Through the teacher's explanation and the content in the textbooks, Yamahiko learned that the Soul Society had emerged a million years ago. This time coincided with the birth of humans. Human deaths led to the birth of souls, which would eventually transform into either Shinigami or Hollows.

For over a million years, Shinigami and Hollows had been in conflict, engaging in battles with varying outcomes. During this process, Shinigami grew stronger through inherited Reiryoku, while Hollows evolved and became more formidable.

After several generation, the Soul Society finally established a unified system nearly two thousand years ago. Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto founded the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and established the Shin'o Academy, producing numerous talents and curbing the development of Hollows.

Apart from history, the curriculum also covered knowledge about Hollows. Hollows were the souls of humans who, after death, remained attached to the living world due to strong attachments or deep bonds with humans. Filled with resentment and tormented by time, they eventually fell into corruption and became Hollows.

Hollows mostly have a void in their chests, representing their inner emptiness, covered by a skeleton mask. They came in various forms, including ordinary Hollows, Greater Hollows, which were further classified as Gillians, Adjuchas, and Vasto Lordes.

Gillians could only be dealt with by Shinigami who had achieved Shikai. Adjuchas possessed the strength ranging from Vice-Captain to Captain-level. Vasto Lordes surpassed the power of Captains.

In addition to information about Hollows, the curriculum covered how to combat Hollows and how to purify them. Although many Hollows were seen as evil and cruel, simply eliminating them would disrupt the balance between the Human World, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo.

This was also the practice of the Quincy, which led to the conflict between them and the Shinigami.

Furthermore, the curriculum included knowledge about souls, such as their composition, Soul Burial (Konsō), the transformation of pluses into Hollows, and other related topics.

Yamahiko was very diligent in studying these subjects. He took notes of what the teacher explained, reviewed them seriously, and even came up with numerous thought-provoking questions to ask the teacher.

In Renji's eyes, he found Yamahiko's efforts somewhat unnecessary. To become a Shinigami, combat skills were the most crucial. Why bother so much about these cultural subjects?

So, Renji dedicated most of his time to training and rarely spent time memorizing the knowledge in the textbooks.

However, Yamahiko knew that this knowledge was essential. Perhaps he could find a way to counter Aizen among these facts.

Note: This chapter is in its most generic form; I haven't added any GPT-level English. So, what do you guys think? Should I keep this writing style, incorporate GPT, or use a mix of both? Additionally, could you consider donating your power stones? This would help me gain more exposure for this fanfic and attract more readers who can provide reviews.