Before long, the morning classes came to an end.
Until swordsmanship class was over, no one came forward to spar with Luke. Still, he had not spent the entire time sitting there lost in thought. He had taken the initiative to spar with Aizen.
On the surface, Luke had won decisively. What the truth was, though, was anyone's guess. Aizen might still be young, but who knew how deep his combat mastery already ran?
"You really didn't hold back, Luke. I thought I'd at least last a few more exchanges."
On the way to the cafeteria, Aizen complained with a faint smile on his face. It sounded like a complaint, but his expression revealed nothing of what he was really thinking.
"Still, I get the feeling you're stronger than that, Sosuke. I hope we can spar again when you're in better form."
Luke did not expose Aizen's act. He simply made his desire to face strong opponents clear.
"Then I'll do my best to learn a few more swordsmanship techniques from you."
Aizen smiled as he led Luke around a corner. "You haven't been to the cafeteria yet, have you? I'll show you the way. The academy's food is fairly generous."
Luke's spirits immediately rose. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything—especially an actual meal.
By the time Unohana had brought him to Shin'o Academy yesterday, it had already been late. After giving him a few instructions, she had left a dorm supervisor to handle his enrollment. Then, this morning, Aizen had told him not to eat breakfast and brought him straight to class.
Aizen had probably guessed that Instructor Fujimoto would test Luke's swordsmanship and had told him to skip breakfast for that reason. What he had not expected was how it would end.
"It's huge..."
Luke was stunned when he entered the cafeteria. Rows upon rows of serving counters stretched before him, while the scent of hot food filled the air. He swallowed.
"Sosuke... do we have to pay here?"
Just yesterday, Luke had still been a vagrant from the Rukongai. He did not have a single coin to his name.
Aizen did not slow as he led Luke toward one of the counters. "Don't worry. Since some academy students come from the Rukongai, there are quite a few free-serving counters. And I think the tofu here is quite good."
"Free? And there's no limit?"
At the word free, Luke perked right up. He was starving. During his time in the company's custody, he had not eaten anything remotely resembling real food. Now his stomach was growling indignantly.
Aizen heard it too. Seeing Luke's expression, he felt rather strange. He had initially suspected Luke's claim of being a vagrant, but the man now genuinely looked like someone who had never had a full meal in his life.
"It's free, and there's no limit. Eat as much as you want, but don't waste food. The ladies serving meals here might get angry."
As Aizen spoke, they reached the counter. The cafeteria worker seemed to know him and apparently thought well of him, greeting him with a smile.
"One serving of mapo tofu, please."
"You really do love tofu, don't you?"
The woman smiled as she served Aizen. The portion was neither too large nor too small; clearly, she knew exactly how much he ate.
Then it was Luke's turn. His gaze swept over the dishes behind the counter before he looked at the woman and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
"Ma'am, could I have one serving of everything?"
The woman froze. "Everything? You want a little of each dish?"
Luke shook his head. Under Aizen's curious gaze, he said, "Give me a serving of every dish the size of Sosuke's tofu portion. And a whole basin of rice... would that be okay?"
The woman was dumbfounded. Her eyes traveled over the tall, ruggedly handsome young man before settling mainly on his stomach. Could this kid really eat that much?
Just as the atmosphere turned awkward, Aizen unexpectedly spoke up. "Ma'am, Luke only arrived at the academy yesterday. He hasn't had a proper meal in a long time, and he has a large appetite. Please serve him first. If he can't finish it, I'll help him."
Luke was a little surprised. He had not expected Aizen to help him. He had no idea whether Aizen was simply maintaining his image as a helpful model student or had some other motive.
Either way, Luke truly wanted a good meal right now. He would accept the favor.
"Well, if Sosuke says so..."
The woman clearly liked Aizen, and her tone softened. She began serving Luke, eventually filling several metal trays along with a massive metal basin of rice. She pushed them toward him with a doubtful look. "...Don't waste any of it."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll finish every bite."
Luke thanked her, then pinched four metal trays between his fingers and lifted them. He was about to balance the basin of rice on his head when Aizen picked it up first.
"Come on. There are open seats over there. You'd better be able to finish it, because I won't be able to help with much of that."
Aizen glanced down at the basin in his hands. Just how confident was this guy in his stomach?
"Don't worry. I've got it."
Luke carried his food to a table with Aizen. As soon as they sat down, he nearly snatched the basin of rice from Aizen and began devouring everything in sight.
It was not just Aizen. Nearby students who saw Luke eating from an entire metal basin were so shocked that they forgot to swallow.
Halfway through the meal, Luke seemed to notice Aizen's stare. He swallowed a mouthful, raised his head, and looked at him.
"Sosuke, why aren't you eating?"
"Oh... I was thinking about something."
Aizen came back to himself and scooped up a spoonful of mapo tofu.
He was rarely surprised, yet Luke had startled him several times today. First with his extraordinary combat skill, then with his extraordinary appetite...
Watching Luke bury his head in his food, Aizen thought that among everyone at Shin'o Academy, Luke was likely getting the best bargain out of the free counter.
Before long, every scrap of food in front of Luke had disappeared. He rubbed his slightly rounded stomach in satisfaction, feeling as though he had been reborn.
When the company had imprisoned him, it had given him only nutrient injections. In that era, old-fashioned meals were already difficult to find. This meal at Shin'o Academy was probably the most lavish meal he had ever eaten.
Once he was full, warmth spread through his stomach as energy continuously flowed to every part of his body. That was the remarkable thing about food in Soul Society.
Everything here was made of spirit particles. Eating these meals was equivalent to replenishing spirit particles, making food a fairly effective recovery method. Regularly eating quality food might even help improve one's Spiritual Pressure.
Of course, training was still the primary way to increase Spiritual Pressure. Luke had not attended any relevant classes yet, so he did not understand the details.
On the way back to the dormitory, Aizen walked behind Luke. Light flickered in his deep eyes, like a child who had discovered a new toy.
He felt that his roommate might be a genius like him in some sense. At the very least, he was a genius of combat.
He was so formidable with a sword. But what about Hakuda? Shunpo? Kido?
The corners of Aizen's lips rose without warning, then instantly returned to normal.
Luke... the next few years were going to become more and more interesting.
*
"In complex combat situations, we sometimes require offensive or defensive methods beyond the Zanpakuto..."
The instructor at the front of the classroom was teaching Hakuda theory. Perhaps someone had put in a word for Luke, because the first half of the class covered plenty of basics. This time, Luke was genuinely getting sleepy.
Aizen, on the other hand, looked extremely attentive. He even took notes from time to time, the perfect model student in any teacher's eyes.
"...Now, we'll begin practical training."
As the instructor spoke, his gaze swept across the students. It paused when it reached Luke, then shifted to another girl.
"Miss Shihouin, you have the best Hakuda grades. Help the new student get started."
Luke followed the instructor's gaze. The girl who had been called on sat by the window. She had healthy brown skin, short purple hair, and an appearance that should have radiated youthful energy...
But at that moment, she was leaning back lazily with her eyes half-closed, a faint trace of drool at the corner of her mouth. She was plainly taking a nap. Judging from the silly smile on her face, she was having a rather pleasant dream.
"Miss Shihouin!"
The instructor raised his voice several notches, clearly annoyed. Yet he took no further action. The other students were unsurprised, as if this girl had every right to be a little less than diligent in class.
"Huh? Present!"
Finally startled awake by the instructor's voice, the girl sprang up like a startled cat. Her feet touched down again with effortless lightness.
Luke's eyes changed as he watched. Things were getting interesting. A brown-skinned beauty named Shihouin, and around this age... could she be Yoruichi Shihouin?
He had read the original series, but Bleach was vague about its timeline, and the Captains' ages could only be roughly estimated. Going by the likely range, Aizen and Yoruichi were indeed from the same generation. He simply had not expected them to be classmates.
No wonder Yoruichi had spoken so teasingly when she met Aizen in the original story. They had known each other for ages.
Luke had not seen Yoruichi in the morning's swordsmanship class. He had no idea whether she had skipped it.
Now, seeing the still-damp mark at the corner of Yoruichi's mouth, the instructor could only sigh helplessly. "We have a transfer student today. Spar with him and teach him some basic Hakuda techniques."
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Since I've posted three chapters in a row, please keep reading, everyone! Monthly votes would be even better!
Thanks to I Love Eating Elephant Meat for the 10,000-point tip, Speechless Looking at the Sky for the 500-point tip, and Powerless Northbound for the 100-point tip.
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