Chapter 75 – 75 ⥤ Akira Goes Astray

1st Division. Captain’s Office.

Genryūsai scrutinized the young man standing in the center of the room, his unfriendly expression filled with careful examination.

It hadn’t even been a few days since the old man’s last warning, and here was Akira, the best priest of all Rukongai, already knee-deep in some wild drama.

It was enough to make one’s blood pressure soar.

{T/N: Unohana will become the most rich person of Seireitei in this fic. Reason? Selling blood pressure pills for old people.}

Although the outcome was positive, this priest had no idea what kind of maelstrom he had stumbled into.

“You seem quite pleased with yourself.” After a long silence, Genryūsai spoke in a deep voice, his half-closed eyes gleaming.

Before Akira could respond, still hanging with his mouth open, he continued.

“You helped the current head of the Shihōin family gain the divine weapon’s approval, reversed their declining fate, earned your friend’s recognition, and even became a great benefactor to the entire Shihōin household.”

Hearing this, Akira’s brows furrowed, sensing there was more to the old man’s words.

“The struggles between noble houses are far more complex than you imagine.” Genryūsai continued, “If the previous assassination attempt was due to the talisman disrupting the course of war, then this Shihōin affair has completely positioned you against certain factions.”

He had reviewed the intelligence about this boy since his time at the Shin’ō Academy. Moreover, Shinji’s report about the Adjuchas incident had heightened his attention even further.

If he were to evaluate him, he would say that Akira was indeed a genius — achieving Lieutenant-level strength in less than half a year as a student, with few in Soul Society’s history showing better talent.

Unfortunately, his actions were too impulsive, lacking necessary caution. To become truly capable of handling matters independently, he still had a long way to go. Without proper guidance, he might very well go astray.

Hearing this, Akira fell into contemplation.

So it turned out that he had been caught up in the factional struggles between nobles long ago. He had thought that by refusing Sōjun’s goodwill, he could cleanly extract himself from the power struggles.

Looking at it now, he had been too naive.

“Then what should I do…” His face fell, “Is it still possible to distance myself from the Shihōin family?”

He wasn’t someone who feared trouble, but who would want an excess of it?

Like the previous assassination — though it hadn’t posed much threat to him, if it happened every few days, it would become incredibly tiresome.

“It’s too late.” Genryūsai said calmly.

Akira heaved a heavy sigh.

Unexpectedly, before he could even be properly discharged, he had already been labeled with factional affiliations. His future life would undoubtedly become more complicated.

Life is hard, the priest thought with another sigh.

Speaking of which, what would Aizen do in this situation?

Lost in this thought, Akira fell into deep contemplation.

Genryūsai, who had been waiting for him to ask for help, looked over in confusion. The young man in the center of the room had completely zoned out, his mind elsewhere, paying no attention to the present.

Seeing this, veins bulged on the old man’s shiny forehead, his fists subtly clenching.

Seemingly sensing the killing intent, Akira snapped back to reality and asked, “Captain-Commander, you’re saying that since I’ve already started down this path, there’s no turning back?”

Genryūsai nodded, not denying this interpretation.

But Akira’s next words showed just how far he could sink.

“Rather than wavering back and forth, I might as well commit fully to this path. Earlier, Yoruichi asked if I wanted to marry into the Shihōin family — I should still be able to accept that offer now!”

As he said this, he wore a troubled expression, as if he were getting the raw end of the deal.

Hearing this, Genryūsai fell silent. He suddenly realized that he had lost touch with how young people think.

Although this suggested method did have a high probability of success.

“It’s not that simple.” Genryūsai spoke, “When you choose to join one faction, their opponents will do everything possible to eliminate you. They won’t allow their enemies to gain new strength. Moreover, with your current talent, if you don’t die prematurely, your future potential is limitless.”

Akira nodded in agreement, then his eyes lit up, “Does the Captain-Commander have any suggestions?”

Genryūsai nodded and said solemnly.

“Genji School!”

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“Akira, you’ve been fooled.”

In a corner of the Academy cafeteria, Aizen put down his chopsticks and spoke with a straight face.

“Oh? What makes you say that?” Akira asked, hurriedly swallowing his meat.

“Actually, it’s quite simple.” Aizen knocked away someone’s chopsticks trying to steal his fried fish and explained carefully, “It mainly comes down to perspective. Neither the talisman nor the divine weapon can prove that you’ve definitively aligned with any particular faction.”

“As long as this point remains unclear, those in power won’t move to eliminate you. They might even extend olive branches, trying to recruit you to become their own invincible weapon. Even your debt of gratitude to the Shihōin could become a valuable bargaining chip, further increasing your worth.”

“There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.”

Akira drew in a sharp breath, suddenly realizing, “Then haven’t I gone astray?”

Aizen fell into speechless silence.

After a sigh, he continued, “You’d better not say that in front of the Captain-Commander, or I might not even be able to collect your remains.”

“Genji School was established two thousand years ago, originally known as the Genji-juku, and is considered the predecessor of the Shin’ō Academy. Strictly speaking, joining Genji is like advancing to a higher educational institution. However, there are drawbacks.”

{T/N: Genji School or Genji-juku (Original Private School) was how the Academy was called before.}

Akira tensed slightly, “What drawbacks?”

“Previously, when you made mistakes, the Captain-Commander might have been limited in his punishment due to policies about nurturing talent. But now…” Aizen smiled slightly, “He can use the excuse of ‘strict teaching produces outstanding students’ to impose severe requirements on you.”

Akira’s eyes widened as he stared at his best friend sitting across from him.

For some reason, he suddenly recognized one single German word in that familiar face’s smile—

Schadenfreude!

Seeing this, he couldn’t help but feel distressed. He never expected that the once-gentle Aizen had unconsciously developed such a dark habit.

Where did it all go wrong?!

“Hurry up and finish eating.” Ignoring the distressed priest, Aizen put down his chopsticks and urged, “We’re going to the back mountain afterward. The inscription of the Kidō patterns should be ready for the next step…”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep