BLEACH: DRINKING MAKES ME STRONGER

The system's gifts were always unusual, but this time even Shiba Kuroba was baffled.

Hand of the God of Wine – Zanpakutō Brewing Progress: 10%

A visible progress bar had manifested within his consciousness space, and what stunned him most was the term "Zanpakutō Wine."

"Zanpakutō... wine?" Kuroba blinked, momentarily stunned. "What in the name of Captain Kurotsuchi's mad science is this?"

He couldn't immediately understand how the brewing process had begun. Was it triggered by his spiritual energy? His drunken state? Or perhaps, his interaction with other Shinigami? A dozen wild theories raced through his mind.

Still, if it really was a Zanpakutō, and the brewing reached 100%... would that mean he could manifest and wield it?

Before he could explore further, a sharp voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

"Shiba Kuroba! Why are you just standing there—don't run off again!"

The irritated voice belonged to Kuchiki Rukia, who was striding toward him with visible frustration.

As Kuroba exited his inner consciousness, his eyes landed on the white-haired captain beside her.

Ukitake Jūshirō.

Despite all the recent absurdities surrounding his academy assessment, Kuroba was keenly aware that the only reason he had even made it into the Shinō Academy's entrance trials was thanks to Ukitake's personal recommendation.

If not for the goodwill of the Thirteenth Division's captain, the gates of Seireitei would still have been firmly closed to him.

Rukia glared at him. "What did you do to me just now?!"

If not for the crowd on the busy Rukongai street, she might have drawn her Zanpakutō then and there.

Kuroba pretended not to hear her and turned to bow deeply.

"Captain Ukitake. Thank you for your support. I wouldn't even be here without your intervention."

Ukitake chuckled warmly. "Ah, I had thought, based on Rukia's account, that you were some kind of delinquent. But it seems that was a misunderstanding. As Kaien's cousin, you carry yourself with far more decorum than I expected."

Kuroba's face flushed slightly, more from awkwardness than modesty.

"Please don't tease me, Captain. It's because of you that I got a second chance. I owe you."

Ukitake waved it off with a smile. "You don't owe me anything. If anyone owes a debt, it's me—to Kaien. He supported the division when I couldn't. Took care of the newer recruits—Rukia especially. If you're his cousin, you're more than welcome among us."

He paused for a moment, as if recalling something important.

"That said, the Shiba estate within the Seireitei is still under suspension due to... past complications. You won't have official quarters yet."

Ukitake then looked over at Rukia. "Kaien used to keep a spare room in the Thirteenth Division's quarters. Rukia and a few others have helped maintain it. Kuroba, you can stay there temporarily if you don't mind the modesty."

As one of the most compassionate captains, Ukitake's kindness was legendary—even among the nobility. But Kuroba wasn't expecting such a timely miracle.

He bowed deeply again. "Captain, I'm honored. I had thought I'd be sleeping under a bridge tonight."

"Absolutely not!" Rukia cut in, her voice rising an octave. "Captain Ukitake, this man is shameless! Do you know what he did earlier?"

Her cheeks turned crimson.

"He kissed me. In broad daylight!"

Kuroba blinked. "That's a bold accusation, Rukia."

He raised his hands innocently.

"You say I kissed you, but where's the proof? You were leaning pretty close to me too, weren't you?"

Ukitake rubbed his forehead, already regretting the conversation.

Rukia, meanwhile, was fuming. She had long idolized Shiba Kaien, seeing him as an older brother figure—noble, selfless, and kind. Meeting his cousin had sparked hope that Kuroba would be similar.

But Kuroba was nothing like Kaien.

He was loud. Brazen. A drinker. And far too forward.

Rukia's fury wasn't just embarrassment—it was disappointment.

"You're nothing like Kaien-dono," she muttered under her breath.

"I never claimed to be," Kuroba replied, tone softening for the first time. "But I'll find my own way, even if it means stepping in his shadow."

Rukia stiffened, a flicker of unease flashing in her heart, but she still forced herself to nod.

"…Yes. You humiliated me and dragged my name through the mud."

Just the memory of that humiliating scene in the entrance exam hall made her clench her jaw. Her noble upbringing demanded restraint—but even that discipline was nearing its limit.

If she hadn't been a Kuchiki, Rukia might have already drawn her Zanpakutō.

"Ahem… I may have caused a commotion while drunk," Shiba Kuroba coughed lightly, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "But it was all… honestly a misunderstanding."

He paused before adding shamelessly, "Still… you can't deny that I did help you."

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "You helped me?"

"At the time, I'd overindulged in my own spirit brew. I may have said or done things that were… questionable. But listen—when I accidentally brushed against you, your spiritual pressure spiked, didn't it?"

He stepped forward, his tone now oddly serious. "My spirit wine isn't ordinary. It reacts with reishi—amplifies spiritual flow in the body. That contact, however unintended, triggered a resonance in your soul."

He continued before she could interrupt, "Then, when I… borrowed a sample from Captain Zaraki's private stash, the intensity of that spirit wine further catalyzed your internal reiryoku circulation."

"You went from the seventh tier of spiritual pressure to the eighth during the exam. That kind of leap doesn't happen without an extreme catalyst."

Kuroba gave a dramatic shrug. "So yes, I was branded a lunatic and a drunk pervert in front of the entire test hall. But in truth, I helped you reach a breakthrough. If anything, you got the better end of the deal."

His voice, laced with faux innocence, hit Rukia like a slap.

She stared at Kuroba, speechless, blood boiling.

She had been the victim—of his antics, his reputation, and the whispers that followed.

But now, the lunatic was trying to turn the entire thing around?

"You… you shameless bastard—!" she exploded.

In one fluid motion, she reached for the Zanpakutō at her waist. The sharp ring of the blade echoed through the training grounds.

Kuroba's eyes lit up—not with fear, but with anticipation.

Finally.

Just moments ago, he had been puzzling over the cryptic mechanics of the "Hand of the God of Wine" ability in his system. But all of it had remained theoretical—until now.

Rukia's release of her Zanpakutō, charged with the reiryoku surge caused by the spirit wine, would serve as the perfect experimental proof.