"Good morning Captain!" Mizuiro called out as he walked quickly toward the training grounds. The man in question waved lazily, a friendly smile fixed on his lips as always.
"Morning, Mizuiro. Good luck today." Shunsui Kyoraku called down the hall to the young man.
Today, Mizuiro would be taking his placement test for a seated position within the First Division. On one hand, he was afraid that if he succeeded, his friend Keigo might take it personally. On the other hand, he had postponed this for over a year, and practiced more than he had for anything in his life for this moment. He would not throw it away.
Keigo had been working constantly to achieve a seated position in the Eighth Division, under their mutual friend Ichigo Kurosaki, but had failed every time so far.
Mizuiro halted outside the training grounds and smoothed his uniform. He straightened his sword at his side and took a deep breath, then entered.
The grounds had been rearranged for exam day, the equipment all laid out in the most efficient way by the Division's Lieutenant, Nanao Ise. Nanao smiled warmly at the young man as he hurried to the end of the line, not late, but only a few minutes early. Something caught Mizuiro's eye.
At the edge of the field, a boy with black hair and sharp features sat side by side with a young girl. The girl's hair was dark blonde and pulled back in a thick ponytail. Both carried Zanpakuto, but neither had the red or blue of the Academy students yet. He recognized them immediately.
"What are Kaien and Kirio doing here?" Mizuiro asked Nanao, gesturing curiously to the pair.
"Oh, Lisa is helping with the exam today, so they decided to come along as well. They are under strict orders not to interfere in any way."
Mizuiro nodded his understanding as Nanao stepped back and began giving instructions to the assembled group.
The exam was simple, broken down into the four major types of combat a Shinigami is expected to be proficient in. Swordsmanship, hand to hand, Kidou, and flash step. In addition, there were four sections to test the Shinigami's mental abilities in problem solving and responding under stress.
Each participant took their turn, all the while being watched carefully by Nanao as kidou walls blocked their progress from the eyes of those waiting to take the test. Mizuiro was beginning to feel more nervous by the moment. If Lisa was there, it meant he would have to fight a Lieutenant level Visored. It was ridiculous to think they expected anyone to win, but surviving was going to be tough enough.
His turn came more quickly than he would have liked, and he dived head first into the exam. He passed swordsmanship by the skin of his teeth, shaking with adrenaline as he rubbed his throat. The blade had come far too close to leaving him headless. Hand to hand went only slightly worse, though he escaped with no broken bones that he could tell.
He was relieved to find his studying had paid off and he blew away the Kidou portion without pausing. Finally, the flash step segment left him exhausted but victorious at the end of the first half, without facing the masked woman.
Relaxing, and believing that the woman's participation may have only been as a second observer, the young Shinigami moved into the mental segment. The first challenge reminded him of the video games he had played in the living world. A number of different figured would pop up from behind walls and obstacles, and he would have to quickly judge if it were friend or foe, and whether to dispatch it with sword, fist, or kidou.
The second challenge was a labyrinth with questions at each fork. The right answer would take him through, while the wrong answer would lead him in circles. He was proud that he never had to back track.
The third challenge gave him ten cards, each with information on convicted prisoners. He was given two minutes to determine three of them to accompany him on a mission. He was unsure how he was supposed to judge the trustworthiness of anyone based on a flash card, but he made his best selection with what he had available.
When he entered the last segment, he thought maybe the exam was already over. Lisa sat in a comfortable looking room, her feet up on a desk, reading a magazine that Mizuiro was pretty sure counted as pornography.
"So, you made it this far, huh?" Lisa looked over the top of her magazine.
"Y-yeah..." Mizuiro looked around, hoping for a clue to what was going on. The woman yawned and stretched. As she uncrossed her legs, his eyes widened as he realized the skirt was the only thing she was wearing below the waist. As for above, the bikini top could not possibly count as an apporpriate uniform.
"Well, congratulations." She began walking toward him, her hip swinging enticingly. "You've earned a nice break, don't you think?"
"H-huh?" He swallowed, trying to tear his eyes away.
"The sofa is awfully comfortable... And there's a bed in the back, if you feel like... Lying down." Lisa whispered suggestively as she continued to draw closer. "What do you say, Mizuiro?"
"I... Uh..." He blinked. This was not what he was here for! "No! Please, just give me the fourth part of the mental test and let me finish!"
"Done." Lisa smirked and straightened up, adjusting her skirt a little higher and returning to the desk. "Straight out the back, you passed."
"What?"
"The test was to see if you could put duty ahead of pleasure. Anyone left behind you?" Lisa asked, her eyes not leaving her magazine.
"No... I think I'm the last one..."
"Then congratulations, you probably earned a seat. You're only the third candidate to pass."
"But... weren't there four women making the attempt as well?"
"Yeah, so?" Lisa grinned behind the paper. No need to tell him that Renji Abarai had swapped with her for those four laps. Let his imagination have fun where it pleased.
Mizuiro exited the final room and squinted as the bright sunlight beat down on him.
"You did very well. Please go back to the front so I can announce the results." Nanao motioned for him to return to the end of the field where the competitors had all started.
She read off the results. Five of the twenty candidates made seated positions. Two tied for twentieth seat, a man and a woman who both looked thoroughly embarrassed even half an hour after their turns. Another man made seventeenth seat, Mizuiro was give the fifteenth seat, and a man who had studied with him for the past month go the fourteenth seat.
More than pleased with his accomplishment, it took Mizuiro a moment to notice something amiss.
"Lieutenant Ise, did Kaien and Kirio already leave? I thought Lieutenant Yadomaru was still here?"
"What? They're right... Damn it! They've run off again! You're all dismissed. Excellent work today!" Nanao took off at a sprint before flash stepping out of sight.