Chapter 35: The Thoughts of Two Girls

Hinamori seemed to be earnestly savoring the warmth of the touch on her head, though her tightly closed eyelids fluttered involuntarily. Just as Shin moved to withdraw his hand, Hinamori, drawing courage from somewhere unknown, suddenly grabbed his palm with both hands.

"President..."

Shin took the opportunity to lightly graze her cheek with his knuckles, which only left Hinamori looking utterly lost and bereft. She suddenly felt a pang of regret; perhaps she really should have made a more daring request.

"Hinamori?" Shin called out with a light chuckle.

Only then did Hinamori slowly loosen her grip on his hand. She pursed her lips and asked, "If someone else had made a request like this, would you have agreed to it, President?"

Shin thought to himself that certainly not; if Shuhei had asked for such a thing, he would have simply kicked him away. He flicked her forehead lightly and said, "What are you daydreaming about all day?"

Hinamori muttered something under her breath that Shin didn't quite catch.

"What was that?"

Hinamori covered her forehead and shook her head repeatedly: "Nothing..."

[Momo Hinamori]
[Affinity: 70]

Hinamori's affinity had finally plateaued at this number, the highest among all the girls Shin had encountered so far. Rukia had only just reached 60. During this time, as the affinity of both girls steadily increased, Shin had been receiving more and more rewards.

[Reiatsu Level: Lv29]
[Zanpakuto Unlock Progress: 24% (Partial Shikai)]

Through his own practice, Shin had only managed to raise his Reiatsu level by one, and his Zanpakuto unlock progress had only increased by 2%. All the rest of his gains were courtesy of the system rewards.

A Reiatsu level of 29, when converted to the Soul Society's hierarchy, was roughly equivalent to a Level Four Reiatsu. A Captain was at least Level Three, while Levels Four and Five were generally the realm of Lieutenants. In this incredibly short time, Shin had achieved progress that took others decades, or even centuries, to attain. If one were to set the system aside, his current Reiatsu would likely not even compare to Hitsugaya's innate Level Six Reiatsu.

The growth of Reiatsu was different from the four arts of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido. While those four could see rapid, thousand-mile leaps in progress if one possessed extraordinary talent and insight, Reiatsu could only be built through cumulative, day-to-day cultivation. Fortunately, he had the system.

The afternoon class was Kido Theory, held in a large tiered lecture hall shared by several classes. After entering the classroom, Hinamori spotted Rukia sitting alone by the window.

She walked over to her.

"Momo... Momo..." Rukia’s initial joy at seeing her was quickly replaced by hesitation.

Hinamori felt a complex mix of emotions, but she still wore a smile. "Why didn't you wait for me? Have you had lunch?"

Rukia nodded. "I ate with Renji and Kira. I thought you and the President had things to discuss, so I left first."

Renji and Izuru Kira had grown quite close lately. According to Renji, he had accidentally injured Kira during a kendo class when he failed to hold back, but Kira hadn't taken it to heart; instead, he had taken the initiative to reach out and make amends, and the two had become good friends as a result.

Rukia hesitated for a moment before saying to Hinamori, "Momo, there’s something I want to tell you."

Hinamori sat down beside her, interrupting with a gentle smile: "There's no need."

"Eh?" Rukia was startled. "But I haven't even said—"

"I know what you want to say, but it's unnecessary," Momo Hinamori said. "Rukia, there are no misunderstandings between us, nor will there ever be. I know your character well, and I trust you."

Rukia fell silent. She thought of the words she had overheard outside the student council office, involuntarily clenching her hands before slowly relaxing them. "Okay," she whispered.

Just then, a book traced a graceful arc through the air and landed precisely on Rukia's head. Rukia let out a cry of pain, immediately recognizing the culprit behind the prank.

"Renji!"

She glared indignantly toward the two figures standing not far away—Renji and Kira. Renji simply waved at her. "Save a seat for me and Kira!" With that, he and Kira turned and left the lecture hall.

Rukia tossed Renji's textbook onto a nearby desk, grumbling, "That jerk Renji! He’s the worst!"

Hinamori smiled. "But Renji only acts that way toward one person. Rukia, you are special to Renji, and I think he is special to you too. You only ever seem truly relaxed when you're with him."

Rukia stiffened at these words. Hinamori had teased her about her relationship with Renji more than once, but hearing it now, Rukia couldn't help but feel that Hinamori had some ulterior motive. Was she really that eager to play matchmaker for her and Renji?

During the lecture, Hinamori and Kira took notes diligently, Renji dozed off, and Rukia’s mind drifted. She was thinking about the Kuchiki family's interest in her. Rukia didn't know anyone from the Kuchiki family, and there was no one in her class with that surname—none in Class A, either. So, why would someone from the Kuchiki family be looking for her? Could it be that someone from the family had been in the audience during her performance at the school festival?

Because of what Shin had told her earlier, she subconsciously began to view the Kuchiki family's interest in that light. But Momo was surely more beautiful than her, so why would they pick her? Rukia lacked confidence in her appearance and physique; she was the shortest among everyone she knew.

The President told her not to worry, so he would surely protect her, right?

After class, Renji seemed to have finally woken up and stretched lazily. Rukia snapped back to reality, regretting that she had wasted the entire lecture. Renji invited Kira to practice kendo, but Kira declined, saying he was on duty for the student council. Renji shrugged and left on his own.

"Do you want to see my notes?" Hinamori handed her notebook to Rukia.

"Thank you, Momo. You're a lifesaver," Rukia said quickly.

"What were you thinking about during class?" Hinamori asked with a chuckle.

Rukia pondered for a moment. "It’s about the Kuchiki family, one of the Four Great Noble Houses, coming to the student council. The President said they were looking for me, and I’m a bit worried..."

Hinamori comforted her, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. The President is there."

Rukia nodded, though her expression remained troubled. She watched Renji's retreating figure, still having not mentioned the matter to him.

Two days passed. The people from the Kuchiki family returned, heading straight for the student council office once again. As it happened, both Shin and Rukia were there. Upon seeing them, Rukia immediately grew tense and instinctively hid behind Shin.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki, we meet again," Shin said with a light smile.

Byakuya Kuchiki silently watched Rukia standing behind Shin. Over the past two days, he had gathered all the information regarding Shin and Rukia. There was nothing special about Rukia—an orphan from the 78th District of North Rukongai, Inuzuri, who had entered the Shin'o Academy alongside a fellow named Renji Abarai and joined the student council. Her record was unremarkable, and she was only in Class B. In Byakuya's view, a position like assistant to the student council president was certainly nothing to boast about.

This Tatsukawa Shin, however, was quite a surprise.

Byakuya said, his face expressionless, "Tatsukawa Shin, I have matters to discuss with Rukia. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

Rukia tugged at Shin's sleeve upon hearing this.

Shin’s expression remained calm. "Rukia is my assistant, and this is the student council office. There is nothing here that requires me to step out."

Rukia also found the courage to speak up. "Please, just say what you have to say."

There was no sign of emotion on Byakuya's face. He simply signaled to the elderly man beside him, who stepped forward and addressed Rukia.

"Rukia, would you be willing to enter the Kuchiki family and become a member of the house as an adopted daughter from this day forward?"