Bleach : I Need To Rizz To Become Stronger ?!-Chapter 39: The Blade’s Glory

Three days later, at the Senkaimon gate in Seireitei.

"Huh? The student council president is leading us?"

The first-years from Class 1-A—including Hinamori—were clearly surprised to see that the upperclassman in charge of the mission was none other than Tachikawa Shin.

Aside from Hinamori, Kira, and a few student council members, the rest were not just surprised—they were visibly excited.

Tachikawa Shin had become a near-legendary figure within Shin'ō Academy. Many students saw him as a role model to chase after. The chance to do field training with their idol lit up their faces.

"What's so strange about me leading the team?" Shin replied with a relaxed smile as he scanned over the group.

All the familiar faces were there.

Yes—this was it.

He addressed the group. "We'll skip the long introductions. You'll draw lots and be assigned into teams of three for the exercise."

Seika brought over the lot-drawing box, and the first-years eagerly swarmed around it.

Shin meanwhile pulled out the Denreishinki he'd been issued—essentially a Soul Pager. It looked like a flip phone, transmitting data via reishi networks, which actually made it more advanced than the tech in the human world of this time period.

But the downside was that reiryoku-based tech was highly susceptible to interference by high spirit pressure.

Of course, no one would expect any interference during a standard training exercise... right?

The first-years finished drawing their lots.

Hinamori, Kira, and Abarai Renji—three close classmates—just happened to be placed on the same team.

Shin stared at the box.

Was that... just a coincidence?

That was how it happened in the original timeline, too. But he had expected his presence to change things like this—things that should've been random.

This whole exercise had been staged by Aizen from behind the scenes to test the potential of those three: Hinamori, Kira, and Renji. If they proved themselves, he would mold them into future pawns.

And indeed, they had shone. Hinamori became Aizen's fukutaichō. Kira went on to serve under Gin.

Renji? Perhaps too stubborn and honest for Aizen's taste.

As they prepared to pass through the Senkaimon, many of the younger students looked tense. Most had only read about Hollows in textbooks. Now they would face them directly—even if only weak ones.

Shin glanced back at the group, offering a warm smile. "Relax. Fighting Hollows isn't as scary as you imagine. Just put what you've learned into practice—you'll be fine. And with upperclassmen like us here, we'll keep you safe."

He was reassuring without even trying. Just his presence was enough to settle nerves.

The gate opened. Shin stepped through first.

The World of the Living.

Their battlefield was a replica of a coastal town. Technically "real," but actually a pocket dimension created by the Twelfth Division's Kidō barrier team. Had this taken place in an actual city, it could've endangered civilians.

The only inhabitants here were pre-selected Hollows—and the Shin'ō students.

Shin stood atop the tallest building in town, surveying the streets below. Hisagi and Kesa flanked him.

The exercise would last a while. Their role was to observe, ensure the safety of the first-years, and avoid interfering unless absolutely necessary.

Hisagi, still holding his Denreishinki, communicated with the barrier team and turned to report. "All systems green."

"Good." Shin remained expressionless, his gaze taking in every corner of the town.

Moonlight shimmered over the ocean. It was calm.

And then—before Hisagi or Kesa could register it—Shin vanished with a flash step.

A blinding arc of steel split the night.

BOOM!

A massive Hollow, several meters tall, was cleaved in half before it even had time to roar. Its hulking body crashed to the ground before vanishing into reishi particles.

Hisagi and Kesa arrived a heartbeat later, stunned.

"That Hollow..." Hisagi murmured. "That thing was way over the size limit, wasn't it?"

Neither he nor Kesa had sensed it. It had hidden its presence so well. Had Shin not acted, some of the first-years could've died.

Hisagi quickly activated his Denreishinki. "Barrier team, a large-class Hollow just manifested inside the simulation zone. What the hell's going on?"

A few seconds passed.

"We're showing no anomalies on our end," came the response. "Are you sure?"

"Damn right I'm sure! It was at least six meters tall—completely outside the regulation size!"

"Any casualties?"

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Hisagi looked over at Shin. "None. Hollow's been eliminated."

"That's good. There must've been a deployment error."

Hisagi's brow furrowed. "I request a temporary suspension of the training. We need to audit the zone for irregularities."

The silence on the other end stretched.

Finally: "There's no need. It won't happen again."

"...Barrier team?"

"We've reviewed it. The Hollow had a unique ability to mask its reiryoku. It was mistaken for a small-class target during deployment. We've corrected the mistake. There won't be a repeat. No suspension necessary."

Hisagi closed the device with a snap, lips drawn tight in a frown.

That Hollow... if Shin hadn't come, this would've ended in blood.

Kesa muttered, "This kind of mistake... it's playing with students' lives."

She turned to Shin. "Thank you."

Shin remained quiet.

Was that it? Was that the same Hollow from the original timeline?

Maybe. Maybe not.

His interference had already thrown a wrench into someone's plans. Whoever was orchestrating this... they might not be done.

Meanwhile, at the barrier team's outpost.

The last technician collapsed in a pool of his own blood, slain by a silver-haired boy with a blood-dripping katana.

From the flickering monitor in the room, a gentle voice sounded:

"An unexpected result," said Aizen Sōsuke calmly. "The Hollow was eliminated before it could even reach them."

Tachikawa Shin.

Officially set to join the Fourth Division. Not part of Aizen's projected list of tools.

Fourth Division's current captain was a nuisance—older, with unknown combat potential, having never revealed their full strength.

"Well," Aizen murmured, adjusting the gleam of his glasses, his face half-shadowed in the dim room. "Let's include him in the test as well."

"Deploy two more Hollows."

Gin Ichimaru glanced at his bloodied Zanpakutō and smirked. "With the way he cut that last one... you could throw ten more and it wouldn't matter."

"No, Gin." Aizen shook his head.

"This isn't about killing him. It's a test. I want to see how deep his strength goes."

"One more large Hollow," Aizen said calmly. "And one Gillian-class Menos."

Gin's eyes opened slightly.

"...A Gillian?"