Life at the Central Spiritual Arts Academy was peaceful and routine. Compared to his time deliberately keeping a low profile at the Konoha Ninja Academy, this time Ethan didn't bother pretending to be weak—there was no need. Even using his full strength, he was simply an outstanding genius student.

In this world, what determined strength wasn't mastery over Hakuda or Zanjutsu, but the level of one's Reiatsu.

If your Reiatsu was strong enough, you could slice through enemies with ease, even without proper technique. And if your Reiatsu was strong enough, even if you didn't dodge an attack, your opponent wouldn't be able to harm a single hair on your body.

Ethan now existed as a spiritual entity and also possessed Reiatsu. When he first enrolled, his Reiatsu was only considered average, not particularly noteworthy. What earned him attention was his outstanding performance in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, and his quick mastery of Kidō.

As time passed, Ethan's Reiatsu steadily increased, gradually making him one of the most exceptional students in his year—and arguably among all students in the entire academy.

The reason for using "one of" was because, among the students who had not yet graduated, there were two 'plot characters' Ethan was quite familiar with.

Their presence allowed Ethan to confirm the current timeline. It was a bit disappointing that he hadn't landed a thousand years before the story began, but being classmates with Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara was already a great situation.

Around a hundred years before the main story, when many events were beginning to stir, Yoruichi was serving as the Captain of the 2nd Division, and Kisuke had just taken over as Captain of the 12th Division.

Using that as a reference, since the two were still students and hadn't graduated, it meant the current point in time was at least a hundred years before the start of the main plot.

Even for geniuses like them, it was impossible to become Captains immediately after graduation. They would need at least a decade or more of experience. From this, Ethan concluded that he still had plenty of time.

At this point, some plot characters had already appeared, and others were about to. The foundations of the Bleach storyline were beginning to take shape. In that sense, his arrival timing was quite favorable.

"Daydreaming again?"

The person next to him gently nudged his arm, snapping Ethan out of his drifting thoughts. Only then did he notice the helpless expression on the teacher's face nearby.

"Sorry, I zoned out again!"

The teacher sighed helplessly. Ethan was truly a student who made teachers both love and hate him.

He was a "perfect" student—highly talented, yet lacking the arrogance common among geniuses. On top of that, he learned remarkably fast, to the point where many teachers felt they had nothing left to teach him.

The reason for the "hate" was that Ethan often spaced out during class, his mind wandering off who knows where. Sometimes he wouldn't even react when the teacher called him. Normally, such inattentiveness would irritate any teacher, but this particular student was a top performer across all subjects. The teachers could only sigh, realizing the material simply couldn't keep his interest.

What frustrated them most was that Ethan always admitted his faults sincerely. His good attitude made any frustration vanish quickly. After all, geniuses were often granted a bit of leniency—and a genius with a good personality was bound to be treated even better.

"I just hope you don't bring that habit into real combat."

"Teacher, that's a bit much."

Yoruichi, sitting beside him, interjected at just the right moment. "I actually think it's highly likely. After all, you're the kind of guy who starts daydreaming even during sparring."

"But Ethan still won that time."

"..."

Kisuke, who had just opened his mouth to chime in, instantly shut up and hugged his foot with a silent groan.

The surrounding classmates tried hard not to laugh, all worried they'd be the next one to get dragged into the conversation.

Yoruichi had reacted so strongly because the person Ethan had beaten while daydreaming was her. It was her only defeat during her time at the academy. While she acted indifferent, anyone who took that at face value was an idiot.

The teacher clapped his hands a few times in frustration to regain the students' attention, then continued with the lecture. This was just a theory class, covering knowledge needed for Shinigami on missions. The content was dry, and the teacher was already used to students zoning out or whispering to one another.

Most of the students had already put this theory into practice. The lecture was largely procedural, since this group would soon graduate from the academy and join the Gotei 13 as official Shinigami.

After several years of instruction and elimination, those who remained were the elite. There was no doubt about their graduation. Now, their attention was focused on which division they would join.

The teacher understood that. Once he finished the day's content and dismissed the class, he picked up his materials and left. The classroom immediately became noisy.

"Ethan, have you decided which division to join?"

As soon as the teacher left, Yoruichi casually hopped onto Ethan's desk and slapped his shoulder like a bro, then thumped her own chest.

"Haven't thought about it."

"What's with that? You're about to graduate and haven't thought about it? Don't tell me you're thinking of joining the Kidō Corps?"

"No, not really interested in them."

"Knew it!"

Because of his skill in Kidō, the Kidō Corps had indeed approached Ethan. But he wasn't keen on joining because their status in the Soul Society was too low. He didn't want to go somewhere he'd be constantly looked down on.

Yoruichi smacked his shoulder again.

"Your Shunpo is excellent. Why not join the 2nd Division with me?"

"The 2nd Division? Stealth Force?"

"Yeah!"

The 2nd Division had long been under the control of the Shihōin family. Even after Yoruichi later "defected" from the Soul Society, and Soi Fon took over as Captain, the division still remained under her family's influence. Soi Fon herself was from a minor noble family subordinate to the Shihōin clan, and had been promoted by Yoruichi.

Ethan and Yoruichi got along well. While they weren't as close as childhood friends like Kisuke, they were still good friends. If he joined the 2nd Division, with future-Captain Yoruichi backing him, he could likely get away with slacking off a bit—quietly training in peace.

But on second thought, Yoruichi wouldn't stay in the 2nd forever. And more importantly, she was mischievous, always stirring up trouble when things were calm. Other than Kisuke, most couldn't handle her. He had even annoyed her a few times himself. If he really joined, wouldn't she torment him endlessly?

"Forget it. I'm not really into that kind of work."

The 2nd Division handled a lot of assassination and covert execution missions. Not everyone liked doing those kinds of things. When Yoruichi heard that, she didn't push further.

"Then which division are you thinking of?"

"They all seem the same to me."

"How could they be the same? Let me break it down for you."

Yoruichi twisted and lifted her leg. She'd been half-sitting on the desk before, and now she just sat cross-legged on top of it. Ethan was tempted to say, "This isn't your bed," but held it back. She wouldn't care anyway.

"And Kisuke, come help this guy figure out which division he should join."

"Isn't this a personal decision? Isn't it inappropriate to just give random advice?"

"Ethan's our friend. I'm not forcing him to go anywhere. I'm just explaining the options so he can make a better choice."

"Uh… didn't the teachers already give detailed introductions? Plus, each division sent people for briefing sessions. Ethan should know all this, right?"

"This guy zones out in class and spaces out during breaks. Do you really think he paid attention?"

"Uh…"

Kisuke found himself unable to argue and quietly stood off to the side like a tall, silent decoration.

Ethan didn't say a word. He knew it was pointless. Yoruichi just wanted someone to talk to. He'd figured that out long ago, so he didn't waste the effort and let her go on.

"No need to mention the 1st Division!"

The 1st Division was a special case. Under Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the only other official member was Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe. There were no ordinary Shinigami in the traditional sense. All orders were issued directly to other divisions and carried out by the 2nd Division's messenger corps. In a sense, the entire Gotei 13 functioned as the 1st Division's arms and legs.

"The 2nd Division is the Executive Militia. You're not interested, so moving on."

"Next, the 3rd Division. They're like a brick—you put them wherever they're needed. As a support division, they're always on standby and respond to any situation."

"So they need people with all kinds of skills. If you're not sure where you want to be, gaining experience in the 3rd is a solid option."

Yoruichi's suggestion was to treat the 3rd Division as a stepping stone. Transfers between divisions were common, and you weren't locked into the one you joined.

"The 4th Division is the Medical Division. You're probably not interested in that…"

"Wait." Ethan raised a hand. He had originally planned to let her talk, but couldn't stand being dragged around like this. "Who says I'm not interested in the 4th Division? My Kaidō is pretty good too."

"You want to join the 4th Division?"

(To be continued.)