chapter 21

Juri joked to the mirror, but she hadn't expected the next name called to actually be "Yuta."

"Student Yuta, please come on stage and introduce yourself."

Yuta walked calmly to the front, stood at the podium and scanned the students below him.

Everyone in the room was among the most elite of Shino Academy. There were both nobles and commoners, gathered in one place for the same reason.

The students looked up at him with curiosity.

From her seat, Mikami covered her mouth in surprise. "Yuta's… a transfer student?"

"My name is Yuta, an ordinary civilian from Rukongai."

He looked plain enough but wore a gentle smile.

His appearance, though, was too striking not to notice.

Several girls were already glancing him over from their seats, some with red cheeks and faint smiles they tried to hide.

Even some noble delinquent girls stared him down in challenge as though testing whether they'd get away with teasing him later.

Yuta returned all their looks without much reaction and returned to his seat.

The plainness of his introduction left others unsatisfied, especially those in the seats reserved for higher-ranked families.

They had assumed he was part of one of the noble houses. It was hard to recognize every commoner by sight, so they'd thought he was from one they hadn't memorized.

They hadn't expected him to be introduced as a transfer student-and worse, an ordinary one?

How could someone without noble status, without any known strength or resources, stand among them?

Was there something special about him?

"Alright, I believe you've all met Yuta now."

"As first-year students, you are already elites in this academy."

"I hope none of you stop at simply joining the Gotei squads-as future Shinigami, you should strive to become their core."

"Now, follow me. It's time to receive your Asauchi."

Kuranosuke Kiyota turned and began walking out of the classroom. The students stood and followed after him.

He led them from the building and continued speaking along the way.

"You should all know that Asauchi are the base form of all Zanpakutō."

"Every Zanpakutō begins as one of these. No exceptions."

"You must bond with yours through training, sleeping beside it, eating near it-you will write your soul into it day by day until it becomes your own Zanpakutō."

Eventually they approached the entrance to a wooden attic structure labeled Hidden Sword Pavilion.

Two Shinigami stood guard outside in black uniforms and white masks. Their faces were completely hidden and their presence cold and unmoving.

Once Kuranosuke handed over a small token to one of them, the doors opened.

The students filed inside to where several rows of sword racks held pristine sheathed blades. Every Asauchi looked identical: long, slender, unmarked by any individuality or decoration.

"You have ten minutes to choose your own Asauchi," Kiyota said before turning and leaving them inside alone. The door closed behind him.

Yuta rubbed his chin and thought of Oetsu Nimaiya from Squad Zero-the man who made every Asauchi in Soul Society personally.

He was called the God of Swords for good reason. Even built his own palatial hall because he hated how poor Phoenix Hall looked. He'd made Zanpakutō spirits take human forms as women-to welcome people in person.

That man had once posed the question every Shinigami eventually faced:

What is your Zanpakutō? Tool? Partner? Family? Pet? Lover?

Each Shinigami had their own answer to give…

Oetsu had declared that Asauchi were the strongest form of Zanpakutō with limitless potential-even without names or personality.

Yuta wanted to see whether that potential truly existed at all within one.

He walked to the edge of the room and drew one blade from the rack, gripping its handle firmly-

-and then it shattered into particles before his eyes without warning. The blade broke down into spirit seeds instantly.

"...Tch. So that's what Oetsu's craftsmanship amounts to?"

At that moment another group of students finished selecting their own swords. Most were nobles already making their way out of the room, confident and assured in their choices.

Several snickered when they saw Yuta standing empty-handed.

"Mr. Kiyota said we could pick our own swords..."

"But everyone knows there's no difference between Asauchi. They're practically identical. Only idiots pick too carefully."

"Civilians'll always act like peasants-they don't know better. Sometimes they get special treatment from teachers or officials but it's always temporary."

Hirano glanced meaningfully at Yuta's vacant rack but assumed someone else had already taken that sword earlier in the process.

"Let's go," he said as they left together down the hallway with swords at their sides.

Yuta laughed under his breath softly.

They'd misunderstood why he had no sword in hand at all-the truth was harder to explain out loud right now.

"All right then… since Oetsu's Asauchi failed me... I'll forge my own."

[You observed Asauchi. You analyzed its spiritual structure and unlocked: "Asauchi Forging."]

Yuta extended his right hand and brought the lingering spirit particles under control using Spirit Particle Manipulation.

The fragments flowed inward toward his palm and slowly shaped into something new: a slender blade paired with a scabbard that looked completely ordinary from outside appearance.

Black formed half the metal-the rest glinted cold and white along its edge and spine like fresh steel exposed to moonlight.

The blade formed straight with a subtle arc running through its core. Even unmoving, it gave off a cutting pressure filling the entire space around him...

…

Back at Phoenix Hall-

Within one extravagant annex brimming with gilded beams and vibrant tapestries-a dozen beauty-shaped Zanpakutō spirits surrounded Oetsu Nimaiya while he danced across polished floors wearing his Zero Division uniform and swinging his hips to music only he could hear-

"Nineteen! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two houses... Oh yeah!"

His black hair bounced with curls shaped into wild punk waves beneath bright sunglasses. He laughed aloud while spinning twice before leaning back dramatically-

"Wow! So awesome!"

"The Lord is so handsome!"

"Sing for us again!"

"Darling! Love you!"

Oetsu blew kisses into the crowd laughing-

And then froze completely mid-pose-

His expression changed instantly as he stared toward some far-off point invisible to everyone else-

His instincts screamed that something unimaginable had happened.

💕💕

READ 45+ ADVANCED CHAPTER AT MY P@TREON! FOR ONLY 10$

at p@treon.com /Zaneninjacat

💕💕

💀💀 gimme powerstones!💀💀

BTW only 5 chapters today.... unless y'all gimme like.. idk.. 150 powerstones? If we reach 150 powerstones i'll post another 20 chapter for an update day.. (ngl, i don't even have much hope in reaching 100 powerstones..)