Bleach: Reborn — Chapter 130 - The Assessment — Face to Face

“Yeah, I can’t see.” Wayne kept his emotions locked down tight. Tōsen saw nothing.

“Mm.” Tōsen stepped forward and laid a hand on Wayne’s shoulder.

“Do you mind?”

“Please, go ahead.” As if Wayne would dare refuse. He let Tōsen’s hand rest on his face, fingers tracing lightly over his features.

“Mm. I’ve memorized your face now. And your Reiatsu.” Tōsen nodded. “For a soul who hasn’t yet become a Soul Reaper, your Reiatsu shows real promise. Keep at it. Being blind myself, I understand what the blind think — and I know the struggles better than most. I look forward to meeting you again inside the Seireitei.”

“Thank you, sir.” Wayne dipped his head, voice kept low. Only after Kaname Tōsen nodded in satisfaction and walked off did Wayne finally lift his head.

Tch. Kaname Tōsen. He actually put his hands on me to check whether my eyes were really blind. Good thing I was one step ahead, pumped Reiatsu into the eyes to congest and swell them, faked the whole thing. Otherwise I never would’ve slipped past that one. Wayne kept the grumbling strictly internal. Nothing he could do about it anyway. The man he’d once slashed to the brink of death with a single strike could now crush him without effort.

When you’re standing under someone else’s roof, you bow your head. Wayne couldn’t beat Tōsen in his current state, so he had no choice but to play along.

After seeing Tōsen off, the bearded Soul Reaper wiped sweat from his forehead. He’d nearly offended a Captain. And Captain Tōsen clearly had a favorable impression of this blind man. So the bearded man’s mind started turning, maybe he ought to pull a few strings for the blind candidate.

“Haha, you two take your time with those forms. I’ll go arrange your registration.” The bearded Soul Reaper grinned, dragged two chairs over for Momo and Wayne, then scurried off into the hall and vanished.

“Big Brother, Big Brother — was that a Captain-class just now?” Momo was practically vibrating.

“Most likely. I could feel his Reiatsu. Dozens of times stronger than mine right now. If he hadn’t been holding it back deliberately, every candidate in this building would’ve been crushed breathless.” Wayne’s voice stayed level. He clearly wasn’t sharing Momo’s excitement.

“But why couldn’t I feel his Reiatsu at all?”

“The gap’s probably too wide. You can’t detect what’s too far above you — especially when he’s suppressing it on purpose.”

“Ohh, I see.” Momo scratched her head, then broke into a grin. “So that means Big Brother’s Reiatsu has already passed mine? You’re way stronger than me now? You could actually sense a Captain-class Reiatsu.”

“Haha, well, I’ve never exactly slacked off on training.” Wayne deflected with a faint smile. “Momo, take a look at this form for me, would you? You know I can’t see a thing. I can sense my surroundings, but I can’t read ink on paper. Help your big brother out.”

“Mm, okay~” Momo dropped the question of exactly how strong Wayne’s Reiatsu had gotten. Her big brother, the stronger, the better.

“Name: Momo Hinamori. And... Tsukishiro Hinamori.” Momo read aloud as she filled in the blanks. “Height, weight... Place of origin... Age? Big Brother, what should I put for your age? Three months?”

“Mm... Make it three years,” Wayne said offhand. “Filling it in that way is honestly absurd, but still — three months, as an age for someone born in the Soul Society? I’d draw way too much attention.”

“Isn’t getting noticed by the higher-ups a good thing?” Momo furrowed her brows. “Wouldn’t that give us extra points?”

“No need to be flashy. Passing is enough.” Wayne wasn’t concerned.

“Mm...” Momo puffed out her cheeks. She gave Wayne a verbal agreement, then wrote “three months” in his age column anyway. Wayne rolled his eyes internally but didn’t dare say a word. He just let her fill it in however she wanted.

With the basic information done, the two of them sat at the table and waited for the bearded Soul Reaper to return.

About half an hour later, the bearded man came hurrying back, looking rather pleased with himself. He handed two test forms to the pair, each marked with a special symbol.

“These are your test forms. Next, you’ll undergo some Reiatsu and physical assessments. After that, we’ll evaluate whether you qualify for admission to the Shin’ō Academy, and which class you’ll be placed in.”

“What’s this daisy symbol stamped up here?” Momo pointed to the top row of the form. Thirteen boxes ran across it, and the ninth box already bore a daisy seal.

“That’s the 9th Division’s squad flower. It means that among the 9th Division’s Captain, Lieutenant, and Seated Officers of the 10th Seat and above, one person has taken a favorable interest in you. Stamping their division’s squad flower signifies their approval, and it grants bonus points during admission.” The bearded Soul Reaper chuckled. “Heh, I ran all over the 9th Division for this one. Tracked down the 8th Seat, told him about your encounter with the Captain just now, and only got the stamp after he gave his permission.”

“Big Brother!” Momo’s eyes lit up. Forget exactly how many points that stamp was worth, this had already boosted their odds of getting into the Shin’ō Academy.

“Mm.” Wayne nodded without shifting his expression. “Then we’re in your debt, sir. May I ask your name?”

“Ninzō Matsushita. 9th Division. Hehe.” The bearded Soul Reaper flashed an ingratiating grin. In that instant, Wayne understood exactly why the man had been gone so long.

He saw how Tōsen treated me and pegged me as a promising seed. Figures I might put in a good word for him someday. Wayne kept the thought to himself.

“Understood, Mr. Matsushita. If I ever have the chance to join the 9th Division, I’ll look forward to your guidance.”

“Hehe, likewise, likewise.” The bearded Soul Reaper laughed and bobbed his head at Wayne repeatedly. Seeing that Wayne had grasped his intent, the weight finally lifted from his shoulders.

“You two — right this way, please.”

At Matsushita’s signal, Wayne led Momo into the inner hall. Inside was an enormous training ground. Over a hundred candidates had already gathered, waiting for their assessments. Testing machines of every kind filled the space, clearly the work of the 12th Division.

“We... have to test on all of this?” Momo stared at the packed training ground, feeling a bit overwhelmed. She’d never seen so many people in one place. And every single one of them carried a certain level of Reiatsu. There were even specialized instruments for measuring it. With so many people releasing their Reiatsu at once, the weaker candidates had already collapsed limply to the ground before their tests even began. Along the perimeter, a group sat resting and drinking water, presumably those whose Reiatsu had been overwhelmed by the other examinees, now recovering their strength.

“Looks like this screening is stricter than we thought.” Wayne swept his perception across the venue. Quite a few auras with impressively strong Reiatsu.

“But Big Brother, neither of us seems affected by anyone else’s Reiatsu,” Momo said, looking up at him.

“Well, we did seriously replenish our Reiatsu with food earlier. Our Reiryoku is naturally higher than the average person’s. If we’re talking ranks, our Reiatsu is at least upper-mid-tier among ordinary souls.” As he spoke, Wayne gestured toward the east side. “Over there. I can sense several people with very high Reiatsu.”

Following his finger, Momo spotted a short girl with black hair, blue eyes, and an oval face. Beside her stood a tall man with red hair. The two were currently undergoing a Reiatsu detection test. Waves of pressure radiated from them, forcing the candidates behind them to stumble backward again and again.

“You’re right, their Reiatsu is really strong.” Momo stared blankly in that direction for a moment, then clenched her small fists, expression hardening with determination. “But I’m not going to lose to them either!”

“Haha, of course. Our Momo’s pretty amazing too.” Wayne smiled. “Come on. Let’s go take our exams.”

“Mm!”

Holding onto Wayne, Momo headed to the first stop: the written test.

It was called a written test, but in practice it was just answering questions from the examiners. Their views on the Soul Society. The region they lived in. Their opinions on Hollows. Their future goals. Seemingly trivial, but in truth, it was an evaluation of a person’s fundamental character. Those who harbored ill intentions from the start, or whose personalities were twisted, if their talent was high enough, would be placed by exception into special units: covert operatives, assassins, the Punishment Force. Those with broad knowledge and insight, meanwhile, would be assigned to different divisions where they could make a bigger impact.

“Number 917. Enter for your exam.” A female Soul Reaper examiner stepped out from the testing room and called the number on Momo’s registration form. Wayne’s was 918.

“O-okay!” Momo suddenly went rigid with nerves. Face dead serious, she marched into the small room to face the examiners. “H-hello, examiners! My name is Momo Hinamori!” Even from outside the door, Wayne could hear her voice, tense and practically shouting.

“Number 918. Come with me.” From another testing room, a different female Soul Reaper called out to him.

“Wayne, raise your hand.”

“Blind?”

“Yes.”

“...Come with me.” The female Soul Reaper’s brows drew together slightly. She reached out and took hold of the corner of Wayne’s sleeve to guide him forward. “It’s fine. I can sense my way.” Wayne didn’t make her fuss over him. He walked forward steadily.

“Oh?” The female Soul Reaper murmured in mild surprise, watching as he walked calmly into the testing room. “Impressive spiritual perception.” A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Then she glanced at the assessment form Wayne handed over, and noticed the 9th Division’s badge already stamped on it.

“Interesting.” She smiled faintly and followed him inside.

The testing room wasn’t large, just a simple partitioned booth. A table sat inside, and behind it sat three Soul Reapers, including the woman who’d just escorted him in. Two men, one woman.

“Tsukishiro Hinamori, correct?” The male Soul Reaper picked up the form and, like the others, spotted the badge stamped on it.

“Yes.”

“Region of origin?”

“District One, Junrinan. I’m blind. My younger sister helped fill out the form, she’s taking her exam next door.” Wayne answered preemptively, heading off the question everyone always asked.

“Mm. Why do you want to become a Soul Reaper?”

“To accompany my younger sister.”

“Uh...” The questioning Soul Reaper blinked. Such a blunt answer was rare. Every candidate who came through here launched into grand declarations, serving the Seireitei, maintaining peace in the Soul Society, the usual.

“From the perspective of wanting to protect a specific person, understandable.” The female Soul Reaper smiled gently, then pressed on. “Which do you prefer? Combat personnel or support personnel?”

“Hey... 7th Seat Mizusue, that question isn’t on our list,” the male Soul Reaper beside her cut in.

The woman called Mizusue paid him no mind. She glanced at him, then fell silent, waiting for Wayne’s answer.

“With these eyes of mine, what exactly are you expecting me to write?” Wayne shook his head with a rueful smile.

“Support duties go beyond drafting documents. They include logistical healing, sensory assistance, and similar functions. The fact that you’ve come to take this exam despite being blind tells me your spiritual perception is very strong. That’s why I asked, whether you have any inclination toward becoming a support officer.”

“I’ll go with whatever my younger sister chooses,” Wayne said after a moment. “If she wants a combat unit, I’ll go with her. If she wants support, I’ll serve as auxiliary and protect her.”

“Siscon...” The male Soul Reaper at the far end muttered under his breath. Wayne’s ears caught it.

“Not a siscon. Just a promise I made.”

“Uh...” The man looked embarrassed. He’d kept his voice very low. Only then did he remember, the candidate was blind. His hearing was bound to be far sharper than normal.

“Continuing. What is your view on the current state of the Soul Society?” The female Soul Reaper stepped in to smooth over her colleague’s awkward moment. “Some of the nobles within the Seireitei are rotten to the core. The residents living beyond the 40th District of the Rukongai aren’t living like human beings at all.”

“Insolence!” The Soul Reaper in the middle slammed the table and shot to his feet. “Insulting the nobility! Do you realize that is a grave crime?!”

“See? This is exactly what I mean. People like this, jumping to their feet the moment someone says a few bad things about the nobles. That’s why I said some of them are rotten to the core.” Wayne shrugged, utterly unafraid of the man’s shouting.

“You—!”

“Enough.” Mizusue cut her colleague off. She turned back to Wayne. “Regarding the issues you’ve raised, do you have any suggestions?”

“Strengthen public infrastructure in the Rukongai. Improve residents’ quality of life. Expand land cultivation and farming so everyone has enough to eat, instead of those with Reiryoku snatching up everything while those without just stare helplessly. Provide more workplaces. Strengthen public security to reduce crime. At the same time, reduce the frequency of Hollow attacks. Establish residents’ committees. Address the needs of every district. Also...”

Wayne rattled off a few points, drawing loosely on administrative norms from his human life.

“Mm.” Mizusue looked thoughtful. Then she pressed on. “Next question. What is your view on...”

Wayne was asked a great many questions. Most of them came from the female Soul Reaper. It had already gone far beyond what a normal academy candidate should be assessed on.

“Very well. My questions are finished.” About an hour later, she closed her booklet with satisfaction.

“May I ask a question?” Wayne spoke up.

“Oh? Go ahead.” Mizusue looked curious.

“Regarding public security and management in the Rukongai, which division is actually responsible for that?”

“Public security falls under the 9th Division and the 10th Division. Management is handled by our 4th Division and the 5th Division.”

“So... you’re from the 4th Division?”

“Heh heh~ That concludes today’s exam.” Mizusue smiled warmly. “Take your form and head to the next station.” With that, she drew a seal from her sleeve and, in the fourth box on the top row of Wayne’s form, stamped the squad-flower badge of the gentian.

➤ Next: Mayuri Kurotsuchi