Chapter 53: Hinamori Desiring a Drink

Boom!

A deafening explosion startled Shibai Kaien and Shin, drawing them to the backyard.

The area was shrouded in thick, black smoke, and the air was heavy with the pungent smell of gunpowder. Shibai Kukaku stood amidst the smoke, covered in soot and coughing violently, with multiple scorched marks on her clothes and skin, looking thoroughly disheveled.

Seeing them approach, Kukaku coughed as she walked toward them, saying, "Just a little accident!"

Noticing she wasn't seriously injured, Kaien said angrily, "You've practically blown the house to pieces!"

Kukaku retorted unyieldingly, "It's not that serious, just a bit more smoke than usual."

Shin looked at her somewhat comical appearance, which earned him a glare from Kukaku.

"What are you looking at!"

With that, Kukaku bypassed the two of them and headed straight for the house, presumably to clean herself up.

The smoke gradually dissipated, leaving charred and scattered remnants of gunpowder all over the ground. Kaien's mouth twitched.

He gave a light cough as well and said, "Pardon the unsightly scene."

Shin chuckled lightly, unfazed. "Having a younger sister like this makes for a lively household."

By dinnertime, Shibai Kukaku had emerged freshly groomed. It appeared she had taken a bath and changed her clothes, making her look considerably brighter and more refined, though her arms were wrapped in numerous bandages that were still seeping blood.

Seeing this, Shin offered, "I know a bit of Kidou. I can help Miss Shibai tend to those."

Kukaku raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to herself that a mere student from the Shinigami Academy had the audacity to claim he knew Kidou.

Kaien chimed in, "Shin has already been pre-selected by the 4th Division."

Only then did Kukaku extend her arm. Looking at the large bloodstains soaking through the bandages, Shin deduced that the skin underneath must be quite lacerated, which hadn't been visible earlier in the courtyard due to the gunpowder residue coating her.

Without even removing the bandages, he let a soft glow of Kidou light up in his palm and touched the wounded area.

"All set," Shin said.

Shibai Kukaku looked skeptical. She gently moved her arm and discovered that the sharp pain had suddenly vanished entirely.

"You... that fast?"

Kaien was equally astonished, as Shin's movements had been extremely brisk, and it was a form of Kidou he had never witnessed before.

What Shin had actually cast was not standard Kidou, but the unique ability of his own Zanpakuto.

"It shouldn't hurt anymore, right?" Shin asked with a gentle smile.

Kukaku nodded. As a pyrotechnist, accidents like today's were not uncommon, and there had even been situations far worse where she had been sent to the 4th Division for treatment. Yet even the 4th Division could not match Shin's speed of healing.

"I merely stopped the bleeding; the wounds will heal gradually," Shin explained.

"...Thanks," Kukaku mumbled grudgingly.

This brat actually had some genuine skills.

[Favorability: 7]

"You're welcome."

Shibai Ganju brought the remaining dishes to the dinner table.

"Vice-Captain Shibai, have you ever considered letting your younger siblings attend the Shinigami Academy?"

During the casual conversation at dinner, Shin brought up the topic.

Kaien laughed. "Being a Shinigami is a dangerous profession after all. One or two people from a household pursuing this path is quite enough."

Kukaku ate quietly on her own, seeming entirely uninterested in the subject.

Ganju, however, looked up toward the two of them.

Judging from the original storyline, both Kukaku and Ganju were far from ordinary people. Aside from her family's secret arts, Kukaku was also capable of using Kido. This showed that even without attending the academy, the Shibai family had alternative paths to becoming Shinigami.

Most nobles in Seireitei did not send their descendants to the Shinigami Academy; they had direct channels to supply Shinigami to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Although the Shibai family's former glory had faded, such foundational privileges undoubtedly remained, especially since the Thirteen Court Guard Squads currently boasted both a captain and a vice-captain bearing the Shibai surname.

However, since Shin brought this up, he naturally had a purpose in mind: "There are also many non-frontline positions for Shinigami. And Vice-Captain Shibai, have you forgotten that you are the honorary chairman of the Student Council?"

Kaien was momentarily startled, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he gazed at Shin.

Ganju chimed in with youthful curiosity, "Big brother, what on earth is a student council?"

Kaien glanced at his younger brother, having finally grasped Shin's underlying meaning.

Currently, the captain of the 10th Division was his uncle, Shibai Isshin, and he himself served as the vice-captain of the 13th Division. One could say this was the Shibai family's finest era in a century. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, his future achievements would not stop here. Neither he nor his uncle possessed grand ambitions, but restoring the family's standing was something he always kept close to his heart.

Shin smiled and explained to Ganju, "The Student Council is a recently established organization within the Shinigami Academy, serving as a bridge between the school and the students. It assists in the joint management of the student body, and its members are all elites among the students."

Ganju nodded with a vague understanding; he wasn't one to ponder deep concepts.

Kaien did not make an immediate decision, feeling that he needed to give the matter serious consideration.

He placed no heavy demands on his younger siblings, hoping only that they could live freely and happily without bearing excessive pressure.

According to Shin's suggestion, if either Kukaku or Ganju were to study at the academy, they would be able to join the Student Council. And regardless of circumstances, they were still nobles...

Kukaku would surely refuse.

That left Ganju...

Ganju asked another question, "Big brother is the vice-captain of the 13th Division, so why are you also the honorary chairman of the student council?"

At that moment, Kukaku tapped him on the head with her chopsticks. "Eat your food, why ask so many questions?"

Ganju grievance-strickenly shut his mouth, holding zero temper against his eldest sister and lacking any courage to rebel or disobey her.

Because his eldest sister would genuinely beat him.

Kaien suddenly looked at Shin with a half-smile. "Why are you suddenly telling me all this? Could it be that you're trying to cash in another favor?"

Shin immediately replied, "What is Vice-Captain Shibai talking about? I still bear in mind the favor I owe you. Even if Vice-Captain Shibai considers this a favor, it just so happens to cancel out the previous one, doesn't it? Let's call it friendly reciprocity."

Kaien burst into hearty laughter. "You rascal!"

Shibai Ganju finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Big brother, can I go to the Shinigami Academy to study now?"

Kaien countered, "Do you want to go?"

Hesitating, Ganju first glanced at his eldest sister, then gave a gentle nod.

Kaien pondered, "We can discuss this matter slowly later."

"Oh."

After dinner, Ganju and Kukaku set out to clean the backyard, and Shin proactively offered to help.

"You're a guest, we can't possibly let you do manual labor."

Ganju wanted to refuse, though he held a favorable impression of Shin because the latter had proposed the idea of sending him to the academy.

Neither his older brother nor sister had ever brought it up. Because both his brother and uncle were Shinigami, their household in Seireitei had few neighboring playmates, and he couldn't get along with the other noble youths. With nothing to do at home all day by himself, he often ran off to the Rukongai to play.

The prospect of attending the Shinigami Academy felt like a wonderfully novel experience to him.

Shibai Kaien looked at Shin with a smiling expression and said, "Since Shin doesn't mind, let's all pitch in together. After all, our family doesn't have much in the way of proper hospitality."

As the four of them worked together to clean up the backyard, Ganju sidled up to Shin again, asking with eager curiosity, "Shin-kun, what is the Shinigami Academy like?"

Shin smiled as he described it: "The academy has nobles, but the majority of students come from the Rukongai. You can make many like-minded friends there, and everyone works hard together every day to study, train, and eventually become Shinigami. I think it's a wonderful place."

Hearing this, Ganju became even more yearning and bombarded him with numerous questions about the academy.

Kukaku walked over to Shibai Kaien's side. "Are you seriously considering letting Ganju go to the Shinigami Academy?"

Kaien replied, "Didn't you see how much Ganju wants to go?"

Kukaku watched the two of them working and talking, her gaze complex.

"If you want to go, you can go too."

Kukaku curled her lip; she had zero interest in such things.

"Just what kind of guy is that Tachikawa Shin?"

"A very talented junior. Originally, I wanted him to join my division or Uncle's division, but because of the special nature of his Zanpakuto, he had to go to the 4th Division. Still, after spending this much time with him, he's a pretty good guy."

A pretty good guy.

That was considered a very positive evaluation.

Although Shibai Isshin was the captain of the 10th Division, the current head of the Shibai family was Shibai Kaien. Even though Kukaku usually treated her eldest brother with as little formality as Ganju, deep down she trusted and supported everything her eldest brother did.

Kaien then added, "I'll go ask Uncle later and see what his thoughts are."

After working together for a long time, the four of them finally cleared the backyard.

Ganju excitedly ran up to Kaien, his expression dead serious. "Big brother, I want to go to the Shinigami Academy!"

Kaien asked, "You've made up your mind this quickly?"

Ganju nodded earnestly. "Big Brother Shin explained everything in detail. I've already decided."

Hearing the way Ganju addressed Shin, Kaien couldn't help but wear a peculiar expression.

Kukaku couldn't help chiming in, "You're calling him Big Brother Shin? Is he even older than you?"

Judging from his appearance, Shin clearly looked younger than Ganju, especially since Ganju possessed a sturdy physique and already resembled a young man.

Shibai Shibai Ganju scratched his head. "I asked him, and Big Brother Shin said his actual age is older than he looks. Plus, he's a fifth-year student at the academy and also the Student Council President. Once I enter the academy, I'll have to call him senior anyway."

Kukaku felt that her younger brother had been swindled, and the gaze she directed at Shin carried a hint of displeasure.

[Favorability: 6]

Shin immediately felt troubled. How did the favorability drop?!

It seemed scoring any rewards from Kukaku on this trip was practically impossible.

Shibai Kaien remarked, "There's no use rushing into this; the next enrollment period for the academy isn't until next year."

"Oh," Ganju responded with a hint of disappointment.

Back in the living room, Shibai Kaien and Shin sat down to drink tea and rest.

"I don't want Ganju to bear too much, and his personality might not be suited to carry such heavy burdens anyway."

"Vice-Captain Shibai has misunderstood," Shin shook his head slowly. "Or does Vice-Captain Shibai think I came here with some ulterior motive?"

Kaien sipped his tea with a calm expression.

If Shin had truly been coveting the Shibai family name, he actually had far better choices available.

That assistant of his, Kuchiki Rukia—even if she was just an adopted daughter—wielded far greater influence than their Shibai family.

"Never mind," Shin suddenly smiled. "Just pretend I never said anything, Vice-Captain Shibai."

Hearing this, Kaien merely smiled and said nothing more.

When leaving the Shibai residence, Shin silently sighed at Shibai Kukaku's still-dropping favorability.

After all, a stranger wouldn't develop favorable feelings toward you for no reason, which was one of the reasons Shin had founded the Student Council in the first place.

Rukia and Hinamori weren't in his year. Without the Student Council as a bridge, there was no way he could shamelessly go out of his way to chat with these two girls every single day.

Kukaku wasn't at the academy, nor was she in the 13th Division. To spark anything with her, he could only start by slowly building friendly relations with the people around her.

It was the same with everyone else. Once he graduated from the Shinigami Academy, a certain distance would inevitably form between him and Hinamori and Rukia, making daily interactions practically impossible.

Though he might meet new people, he was thoroughly coveting the rewards from the "Shinigami Wedge."

Decades sounded like a long time, but to long-lived beings like Shinigami, it was merely the blink of an eye.

#

Inside the Student Council headquarters office, a group of council members were still busy sorting through application rosters.

Ever since the extracurricular clubs initiative was launched, the number of applicants within the academy had far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Most students across all six years were eager to join, which created a problem, given that only a handful of clubs had been approved.

By simple calculation, the membership of each club exceeded a hundred people.

"So tired."

Having finished her share of the work, Hinamori couldn't help complaining as she stretched lazily.

H桧佐木修兵 (Hisagi Shuhei) glanced out the window at the deepening twilight and pondered for a moment before saying, "Everyone's worked hard. You can head back first; the remaining work can be handled tomorrow. When the president gets back, we'll make sure he properly treats everyone."

Hinamori Momo rested her cheek in her hand and complained, "We haven't even caught a glimpse of the president all day. He dumps all this work on us and who knows where he went."

Rukia said, "The president must have had his own matters to attend to."

Hinamori glanced at her and simply curled her lip.

The dusk had deepened, painting the horizon a deep shade of blue.

The two girls walked out of the office building together, looking across the quiet campus and exchanging farewells with their classmates.

"I should be heading back too," Rukia told Hinamori.

"See you tomorrow then..."

Hinamori smiled and raised her hand to wave, but catching sight of something, her eyes lit up. She abandoned the farewell gesture, turned toward the figure approaching behind Rukia, and called out,

"President!"

Shin had just returned when he happened to run into the departing Student Council members.

Hinamori left Rukia behind and trotted over to Shin's side.

"President, we didn't see hide nor hair of you all day! Where did you go?"

Rukia stood in her spot, biting her lip slightly as she watched Hinamori's back, then slowly walked over as well.

"President."

"I had some business to attend to. And you all?"

Hinamori immediately chimed in, "We were busy working! The club activities are going to work us to death!"

"Thank you all for your hard work. How about I treat everyone to a meal?"

Shin turned to address the members who were preparing to leave.

Rukia spoke up at that moment, "President, we've already eaten. And well, I should be heading back."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

Rukia bowed slightly and turned to walk toward the academy gates.

Seeing her leave just like that, Hinamori tilted her head in confusion, then smiled back at Shin and said, "President, after working for so long, I'm actually a little hungry again."

Shin chuckled helplessly. "Then let's ask the others if they want to join us."

Hinamori pouted. "Everyone else has already left..."

Just as she finished speaking, Shuhei happened to step out from the building.

"Shuhei, care to grab some late-night snacks together?"

Shuhei was about to say yes when he noticed Hinamori staring eagerly at him from right beside Shin.

He immediately changed his tune. "I'm not hungry."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Hinamori beamed with delight, grabbing Shin's arm with both hands. "President, let's go eat outside the school grounds!"

"Unauthorized departures from the school are forbidden, especially at this hour."

"It's fine, you're the president!"

"What about you? How are you getting back into the dormitory?"

Hearing this, Hinamori's expression faltered, her voice dropping a fraction of an octave. "Our dormitory supervisor is very easygoing..."

After saying that, she suddenly lacked the courage to look at Shin and lowered her head.

"Alright then, let's go."

"The president is the best! I happen to know there's a pretty good izakaya nearby, let's go there."

"You still want to drink alcohol?"

"President, I've worked hard all day!"