"Kido is an essential incantation-based technique that every Shinigami must learn."
Standing at the front of the classroom was today's Kido instructor—a far more eye-catching presence than any of the previous teachers.
But Shimo wasn't in the mood to admire appearances.
In his role as an "actor," he was focused entirely on completing his daily check-in task.
As a result, he was paying extra attention to the Kido lesson.
Also—because a certain girl had, without asking, taken the seat next to him—Shimo was more focused than usual.
"Each Kido spell has its own incantation. The first thing you need to do is memorize these incantations."
The instructor's name was Asami Ryōko, a seasoned member of the Kido Corps, proficient in Hadō, Bakudō, and Kaidō.
According to her, she'd been teaching Kido at the Shin'o Academy for over a century.
As for why Rukia was sitting next to Shimo and had even been transferred into the Special Class...
Well, to explain that, you'd have to start with the decaying noble system of the Soul Society—a topic better left for another time.
In short: Shimo used his authority to have Rukia reassigned to Class One.
And when that red-haired guy found out, he got... way too excited.
What he didn't expect next, though, was something he couldn't mentally recover from.
Rukia sat next to Kyōraku Shimo.
Abarai Renji was struggling to accept reality.
"What the hell happened over the past couple days…?"
---
"Hadō #1: Shō!"
With spiritual pressure funneled to his right index finger, a burst of force launched forward—striking the wooden target on the training field with a sharp bang.
Smoke rose, and the target disintegrated instantly.
Asami Ryōko didn't look surprised. She quietly scribbled something into her notebook.
The other students began their attempts, imitating the spell's form and chant.
However, only a handful actually succeeded in casting the spell.
One blond-haired student in particular caught Shimo's attention.
"Izuru Kira, huh?"
He quietly noted the name.
He wasn't particularly interested in talking to the future Third Division Lieutenant, but he kept him in mind.
"Shimo, come with me."
Ryōko closed her notebook and approached him.
Shimo was confused but followed her.
The two walked to a quiet corner of the training field.
"Shimo, your performance exceeded all my expectations."
Her tone was firm, direct—not at all delicate or soft like one might expect from her appearance.
"Captain Kyōraku instructed me not to limit your learning."
"So, from now on, you're free to develop your talents however you see fit."
Shimo's eyes lit up. He smiled.
"Well, that's perfect."
From that point on, Shimo's class schedule began to diverge from the other students.
In Zanjutsu(Swordsmanship) class, after a sparring match with Miyano Kaede, he was quickly identified as a top-tier student and granted special privileges.
In Shunpo training, even Sakashita Sekinami—the instructor—fell short in speed compared to him. What guidance could she possibly offer?
As for basic curriculum, he continued to participate as usual.
Shimo had no intention of skipping fundamental training. After all, Shunsui's recommendation carried a lot of weight in the Shin'o Academy.
Thanks to that—and his noble lineage—Shimo received the best support.
But even more than that, it was his personal connection with Kyōraku Shunsui that made the difference.
---
"Ye who would bring ruin upon thyself, hound of Rondanini—burn in a single glance, slit thy own throat and be undone…!"
Shimo extended his palm toward the test dummy.
Scarlet incantation symbols shimmered on his skin, dense with spiritual pressure.
In the next moment, a red glow flared.
The binding spell wrapped tightly around the dummy, compressing with immense force until—
Crack!
A sickening crunch echoed as the dummy was shattered into pieces under the spell's grip.
Watching this, Asami Ryōko's mouth twitched slightly. She rubbed her temple and said:
"Shimo… that's Bakudō, not Hadō."
"Bakudō spells are meant for restraint and immobilization—not destruction."
Shimo simply waved his hand and replied nonchalantly:
"Weak targets don't need to be restrained."
"Just my spiritual pressure alone is enough to disable them."
"If someone can resist my pressure, then I guess it's worth using Bakudo."
"And in that case, the spell won't cause any real harm."
Ryōko hesitated.
"…Right."
Clearly, Shimo's logic was nonsense—but she let it slide.
And just then, the system notification sounded in his mind.
[Check-in complete. Reward distributing…]
[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Kido Mastery!]
An overwhelming surge of Kido knowledge poured into Shimo's mind.
Fortunately, his mental endurance had been greatly strengthened, allowing him to absorb and digest the information smoothly.
"So I've fully mastered all Kido up to #88?"
Shimo sorted through the influx of knowledge, feeling confident.
"And beyond that… I seem to have gained advanced techniques like Anti-Kido Reversal, Incantation Abandonment, and more."
But instead of being obsessed with his newfound power, Shimo's thoughts turned elsewhere:
"This gives me… an even stronger reason to join the Fourth Division."