Chapter 21: CHAPTER 21
Looking at the name engraved on the wine pot, several people rubbed their temples in exasperation, speechless.
Particularly after hearing what came out of Shiba Kuroba's mouth, even the more eccentric among them found it absurd.
"Haha… Captain Kyōraku, if I were Captain Kuchiki, I wouldn't just draw my zanpakutō—I'd release shikai on the spot," Aizen said with a warm, unreadable smile. "A kiss triggers a breakthrough, and sake grants enlightenment? This kid is brazen beyond belief."
Kyōraku Shunsui barely restrained the urge to kick Aizen for his commentary.
Byakuya Kuchiki's pride was already in tatters. Now, Kuroba's words were like salt on a fresh wound.
And before anyone could intervene, Kuroba tipped the wine jug and poured its contents directly into Rukia's mouth.
The abrupt act caused a stir.
Kyōraku Shunsui, at least, felt a sliver of relief—there was no kiss this time. There was still hope the situation could be salvaged.
Bravado while drunk was nothing new—but this?
Even as a seasoned drinker, Kyōraku didn't believe that sake alone could trigger a spiritual awakening.
BOOM.
A sudden explosion of spiritual pressure rolled out like a shockwave, whipping through the air in a dense, crushing wave.
Kyōraku and the others—Ukitake, Ise Nanao, and Komamura—reacted instantly. Kyōraku flash-stepped backward, dragging Nanao with him.
"Kuroba! Are you trying to give me a migraine?" he yelled. "I know you've got decent reiryoku, but you'll burn out at this rate—"
His words stopped cold.
Because the spiritual pressure wasn't coming from Kuroba.
It was coming from Rukia Kuchiki.
Everyone froze—yes, even Byakuya, whose rigid composure cracked ever so slightly.
The spiraling reiryoku pouring from Rukia wasn't just powerful—it was climbing fast.
"…It can't be…" someone muttered.
"Did she really just break through… from a sip of wine?!"
"Slap me. No seriously, slap me."
"I'm not slapping you, slap yourself!"
The entire square devolved into stunned chaos.
Especially among the students of the Shin'ō Academy.
Many of them had trained for years, sweating blood to cross the spiritual pressure threshold needed for graduation.
And now, Rukia Kuchiki—who had already been under scrutiny as Byakuya's adopted sister—broke through after a sip of sake and a few words from a madman?
Ridiculous. Unbelievable.
And yet…
Many now looked at Kuroba with a new kind of awe. Some even looked longingly.
"If this is real," someone muttered, "I wouldn't mind a kiss from Shiba Kuroba myself."
"Hic… I told you. 'Almost there' means exactly that," Kuroba said, wobbling like a spinning top. He tossed the wine jug in a lazy arc toward Kenpachi Zaraki.
"Even cows wouldn't drink this stuff. Not mine anymore. I figured I'd try it for myself, but whatever—since you're my wife, I gave you the chance."
Kenpachi Zaraki caught the jug mid-air.
He looked like he was about to crush it in his fist out of sheer irritation.
Moments ago, Kuroba had insisted the jug belonged to him. Now he was washing his hands of it.
Zaraki's eye twitched. His hands twitched.
He looked ready to explode.
But… he didn't throw the jug.
Because he noticed a pair of hungry, green eyes watching him from the shadows.
"…Tch."
Instead, he corked the jug tightly and tucked it into his robes with a scowl.
"Ahem, Brother Zaraki," Kyōraku said smoothly. "We've known each other for years. I've never borrowed a thing from you. Lend me that wine, will you?"
His eyes sparkled behind the brim of his straw hat.
Zaraki turned and grinned like a shark. "You want it? Beat me for it."
Kyōraku paused, considered, and then waved his hands.
"On second thought… it's not that good anyway."
He valued his limbs too much to spar with Zaraki over a bottle.
"Captain Kyōraku! Now is not the time for jokes or sake!" Nanao snapped, pulling on his sleeve. "Clean-up first!"
However, remembering his responsibility as the chief examiner, Kyoraku Shunsui sighed and adjusted his hat, forcing a wry smile.
"Alright, everyone, settle down. It seems the Shin'ō Academy has not only produced an exceptional talent today, but even Kuchiki Rukia has made a noticeable breakthrough. That's certainly something worth celebrating."
He paused before adding in a more serious tone, "But due to time constraints, we won't be lingering. Once the Technological Development Bureau replaces the malfunctioning equipment, the entrance examination will resume as scheduled."
With that, Shunsui began walking toward Shiba Kuroba, intending to discreetly remove the young man from the test site and defuse the escalating attention.
However, just a few steps in, two figures—Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin—shifted subtly into his path, halting his progress without overt confrontation.
Aizen's usual warm, unreadable smile spread across his face. "Captain Kyoraku, since the Department of Research & Development will soon be here to recalibrate the monitors, wouldn't it be prudent to wait for a proper re-evaluation?"
He gestured casually toward the testing platform.
"If it truly was a ten-rank spiritual pressure output, that would be unprecedented—not just for Shin'ō Academy, but for the entire Seireitei. A moment like this deserves to be confirmed. Don't you agree?"
"I would consider it a personal honor to witness such potential emerge," Aizen continued, eyes narrowing faintly behind his glasses. "But of course, I only suggest this out of fairness. If the machine was miscalibrated, there will inevitably be doubts, which might tarnish the Academy's credibility."
His tone remained perfectly composed, yet a quiet intensity underlined every word.
"And of course... there's also the matter of verifying whether this so-called 'Shiba Kuroba' truly spoke nonsense... or not."
The test hall grew unnaturally silent. Aizen's smooth, insidious phrasing hung in the air like a fog.
Shunsui resisted the urge to groan aloud.
Damn that fox...
He had tried to wave off the earlier commotion as technical error, a fluke—but Aizen wouldn't let it slide. And worse, he'd wrapped his challenge in polite concern for the Academy's integrity, giving it an air of legitimacy that made refuting it politically costly.
All around them, the assembled examinees were nodding, murmuring. The interest had spread like wildfire.
Shunsui rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was cornered.
Just then, a sneering, high-pitched voice echoed from the main doors.
"Hmph. Are you questioning my instruments, Aizen?"
Everyone turned as Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the 12th Division and head of the Technological Development Bureau, entered the room with a theatrical flourish. His golden eyes gleamed, and his makeup cracked into a manic grin.
The test hall fell into stunned silence.
It was rare enough to see a single captain at an entrance exam.
Now there were six captains present—including high-profile figures like Aizen, Shunsui, Gin, Mayuri, and possibly others watching from the shadows.
Half the Gotei 13 had converged for a mere entrance test.
All signs pointed to one cause: Shiba Kuroba.
The freshman candidates stood rigid, overwhelmed by the suffocating pressure of so many elite spiritual powers in one space. Unspoken tension crackled in the air, and the weight of expectation pressed down hard.
For them, this was no longer an exam. It was a battlefield in disguise.