Luke accepted the fresh clothes from Sosuke. "Thanks. You finished your assessment too?"
Sosuke nodded. Looking at the blood streaks across Luke's bare, muscular body, he said, "Don't be discouraged. It's enough that you're alive. Graduating two years later would be no different."
He had only just finished his own assessment and come over to check on Luke. In the worst-case scenario he'd imagined, he would have been here to collect his roommate's body.
Seeing that Luke was still alive, he inexplicably felt relieved.
"Sosuke, what are you talking about? I passed the assessment. All that's left is the graduation paperwork."
Luke spoke as he got dressed.
Surprise flashed through Sosuke's eyes. "You're saying... you passed? You defeated Captain Unohana?"
When he arrived, he had seen Captain Unohana. Perhaps because the battle had only just ended, some of the aura around her had not fully receded.
After merely meeting her gaze, he realized how absurdly wrong his earlier judgment had been. Captain Unohana had not drawn the best possible examiner. She was a terrifying woman.
When Sosuke saw the large bloodstains on Unohana's body, he had already prepared himself to retrieve Luke's corpse. Yet Luke was unharmed—and now he was saying that he had won.
"I wouldn't say I defeated her. Captain Unohana had her Spiritual Pressure restricted, and she didn't use her full strength during the initial probing stage. Otherwise, I couldn't have held on long enough to turn things around with Shikai."
Luke answered modestly, then looked at Sosuke. "Sosuke, I really owe you this time. Without you, awakening my Zanpakuto wouldn't have been nearly so easy."
Only then did Sosuke notice that the blade at Luke's waist had changed. It was no longer an ordinary Asauchi, but a Soul Reaper's personal Zanpakuto.
Sosuke suppressed the shock in his heart and accepted reality. His roommate really was a monster. He had actually defeated a captain in a battle between opponents of the same rank.
"I hardly helped. This was the result of your own efforts, Luke."
Sosuke smiled. "Congratulations on passing the assessment and setting a new record at Shin'o Academy. I suppose I'll have to call you senior from now on. By the way, have you decided which division you want to join?"
Luke shook his head. "Not yet. Forget that for now. Let's eat."
Which division of the Gotei 13 he joined did not really matter to him. He would be leaving in two days.
Whichever division he joined, he would only be there for a day at most. He could take a stroll through the World of the Living, broaden his horizons a little, and then return to Endspace.
Inside the cafeteria, every gaze directed at Luke carried respect and awe. News of him passing the assessment and defeating Captain Unohana had spread with astonishing speed. No one knew where the rumor had begun.
"If you don't have a specific goal in mind, why not join the Fifth Division? Seated Officer Hirako will look after you."
Sosuke made the suggestion. He himself planned to join the Fifth Division after graduating, and it would not be bad for Luke to go there first and wait for him.
"That sounds like a good choice. Fifth Division it is."
Luke spoke after swallowing a mouthful of steak.
Sosuke looked slightly surprised. "Just like that? You're not going to ask about the Fifth Division's atmosphere, internal situation, or benefits?"
Luke smiled. "I hadn't made up my mind anyway, and I trust your judgment, Sosuke."
Besides, he would be gone in two days. It made no difference where he went. He might as well make his roommate happy.
*
"Well, boy, you really did it."
At Shin'o Academy's graduation ceremony, the Captain-Commander looked at Luke with open admiration. He had thought the task he gave Luke was impossible, yet Luke had actually won.
When Unohana had volunteered to serve as the examiner, he had felt some regret. He had assumed such a promising young talent would most likely not survive.
He truly appreciated Luke's talent, but he was not a softhearted man. This was a trial Luke had brought upon himself. If he overcame it, the sky would be the limit. If he failed, then he would have died because of his own arrogance.
"I should thank Captain Unohana for holding back."
Luke answered humbly. Most captains attended Shin'o Academy's annual graduation ceremony, and Unohana was present today as well.
The captains were not merely there to observe the ceremony and offer congratulations. They had come to select recruits for their divisions.
At that moment, Luke could feel several heated gazes from the various captains. Clearly, he was a highly sought-after prospect.
He had completed Shin'o Academy in only three months, mastered Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō, and even defeated Retsu Unohana in a battle between equals. Though Luke was still technically a student, his name had become known throughout the Seireitei.
The Gotei 13 captains all wanted this promising talent. With some cultivation, he could soon become a qualified seated officer. And judging from the talent Luke had displayed, reaching vice-captain level—or even captain level—was only a matter of time.
"Hahaha, this isn't the time to be modest. But you've certainly caught everyone's eye, boy."
The Captain-Commander was in an excellent mood. He swept his gaze over the captains watching Luke and laughed. "So, boy, how about joining the First Division?"
As soon as he said that, the expressions of several captains changed. Their hopes instantly vanished.
They had come here specifically for Luke. But now that the Captain-Commander had spoken, there was clearly no longer any chance for them.
Everyone at the graduation ceremony was stunned, including the captains. It was the first time they had seen old man Yamamoto personally invite a graduate to join the First Division.
It was obvious how highly he regarded Luke. The Captain-Commander likely intended to teach Luke personally at his side. Perhaps a hundred years from now, another captain-class powerhouse would rise.
"Thank you for the offer, Captain-Commander, but I've already decided which division I want to join."
To everyone's surprise, Luke actually declined the Captain-Commander's proposal.
The other students looked at him strangely. Did he have any idea what he had just turned down?
But Luke had his own plans. Honestly, he could join any division in the Gotei 13—except the First Division. The Captain-Commander clearly intended to continue instructing him and would likely keep him close.
That could become troublesome when it was time for Luke to return.
Once he had obtained the qualification to return, he could choose to leave voluntarily. But once his remaining time ran out, Endspace would forcibly retrieve him without allowing him even a second longer.
And Luke had a faint feeling that he might return to this world someday. He did not want to suddenly "vanish" under the Captain-Commander's watch.
"Oh? You've already made your choice? The Fourth Division, perhaps?"
The Captain-Commander knew Unohana had brought Luke to Shin'o Academy and served as his examiner. She was undoubtedly Luke's benefactor, so it would be understandable if Luke wanted to follow her out of gratitude.
Still, he felt that sending Luke to a medical support division would be a waste of his combat talent.
Luke turned toward the area where the captains stood. When his gaze met Unohana's, she gave him a gentle smile and nodded.
"No. I want to join the Fifth Division."
Luke's answer made Unohana's smile stiffen for an instant. She had already been prepared to train him personally.
It made no sense. Luke had never had any connection with the Fifth Division before. Even if he wanted a combat-focused division, shouldn't he have considered the Eleventh Division?
"Excellent choice! Our Fifth Division has the best待遇!"
At that moment, Yoshitaka Akimoto, the current captain of the Fifth Division, could not help stepping briskly forward. He used Flash Step to appear beside Luke, unable to suppress the joy on his face.
He had assumed that a talent like Luke was beyond his reach. Not only had the Captain-Commander taken an interest in the boy, but Captain Unohana also had ties to him. No matter how he looked at it, Luke should never have ended up in the Fifth Division.
Yet Luke had personally stated that he wanted to join the Fifth Division. It was like a gift falling straight from the heavens.
Looking at the Fifth Division captain who had never appeared in the original story, Luke thought that the man truly had the face of a background extra. In another hundred years, he would probably be replaced by Shinji Hirako.
Seeing that Luke had already made his choice—and that Yoshitaka Akimoto looked ready to cling to him and never let go—the Captain-Commander gave up on persuading him.
In any case, with Luke's talent, becoming captain-class was only a matter of time. He would not remain in the Fifth Division forever.
*
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