The journey to Seireitei took a month.

Aigis was glad she had expected a long trip, and packed accordingly. Unagiya let her take all the coin she wanted from the orphanage's coffer, but she only dared to take a little less than half. It was still enough for staying at the various inns along the trip, coupled with some outdoor camping whenever she was between towns.

She found herself enjoying the scenery on the way, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and the architecture changed from simple to sturdy.

With how traditional Soul Society looked, she found herself surprised when she finally arrived at the gate to Seireitei, as she was greeted with what looked like an attempt to mimic modern skyscrapers using traditional Japanese architecture. Tall white towers stretched into the sky in the middle of the city, surrounded by lower buildings with red clay roof tiles and tall white walls. The roads were incredibly wide, enough to fit multiple cars side by side, yet there were no signs of any vehicles. Shinigami milled about the streets, chatting with others or rushing to different locations. Different from Rukongai, there was much less greenery scattered about.

It seemed exactly what she imagined a bustling city to be like in the Edo era.

The giant gatekeeper (Jidanbo, she learned) kindly pointed her towards the direction of Shin'ou Academy, and after some walking, she arrived at a large building with a smaller stone gate at the front. The entire area was fenced off with a tall concrete wall, but the greenery and buildings beyond were clearly visible. A shinigami was outside the gate, directing throngs of prospective and current students around. With no other visible entrance, she approached the crowd.

"Are you here to take the exam?" the shinigami asked. Aigis stopped to take a better look at him in the morning sun. He was tall and lanky, dressed in the typical shihakusho. His platinum blond hair covered one of his eyes.

She realised with a start that he was the first person who looked vaguely like a foreigner, but he somehow still fit in just fine.

Aigis gave a polite bow. "I am here to attend the Academy," she said. "Here is a letter of recommendation." She produced the envelope, slightly crumpled from the long journey, from her kimono sleeve.

The shinigami raised an eyebrow. "Please let me take a look at it," he said. He scanned the letter, his eyebrows creeping further up his face. "Well, it seems like Akechi-kun was very impressed with you."

She did read the contents of the letter on the way. Her deeds were exaggerated, she had decided.

The shinigami folded the letter up neatly and handed it back to her. "I'll let you skip the normal exams," he said neutrally, "but if you don't mind, I'd like you to take the exams for accelerated students, so that the school can have an idea of how well you can handle yourself."

Aigis nodded. "I don't mind," she replied. "Where do I take them?"

His directions led her to the back of the main building, where she spotted a smaller building surrounded by a carefully manicured Japanese garden. There were less people here compared to the entrance, but there was a steady stream of prospective students entering and exiting the smaller building. Oddly enough, there was a man standing outside the entrance directing each person through. Different from the other shinigami she had seen before, he wore a white kosode with blue accents, along with a pair of deep blue hakama.

"If you're taking the accelerated placement exams, please line up in a single file!" He yelled over the low din of the crowd. People shuffled around, along with plenty of pushing, but they organised themselves into a rough line after a minute. Aigis settled down near the end of the line, where she took the chance to observe those around her.

A few people were dressed in what almost looked like rags, and many had patches of cloth sewn over their clothes. A fair number of them however were dressed in clearly new or well-maintained kimonos, with some looking like they were made from high quality silk.

Even here, the divide between the privileged and the poor was clear. People congregated around those similar to themselves, creating a noticeable split in status within the queue.

"Hey."

Aigis snapped out of her observations, towards the person in front of her. It was a man who looked like he was in his late teens, wearing a plain green kimono. He was rather stocky, but barely taller than herself. Despite the relatively humble appearance, she spotted a pair of gold earrings hidden under his hair.

"What do you think the exam is gonna be?" He asked in an excited stage whisper. "Some people think it's just a reiatsu test, and there's some who think it's an obstacle course or something."

"Why an obstacle course?" She asked curiously.

"Because this building is the training hall, duh." He jerked a thumb to the entrance. "I heard from my cousins that it's big enough to fit all the students inside!"

As he said so, another person walked out of the building, head hung in dejection. The line moved forward.

"I'm not sure yet." Aigis replied. "It's difficult to hear anything from within the training hall, so it either has excellent soundproofing or the test itself is quiet. It might be a combination of different tests."

"Must be pretty hard if so many people are failing huh?" The man noted, as another person walked out, looking rather defeated. "I'm Ebina Noboru, by the way." He held a hand out.

"Aigis." She reached out for a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ebina-san."

"As you should be," Ebina said, a hint of arrogance in his voice. "Since I'm a noble."

She blinked, her hand frozen in place.

It had slipped her mind that with such an archaic appearance, Soul Society would follow an archaic system like noble families, where some are naturally born into high status, and able to use that as a crutch to succeed.

Not to say that the Living World did not have a similar system either, but there were ways for commoners to climb the proverbial ladder to reach such a status, if they were shrewd enough. As she recalled, it was much more difficult in feudal Japan.

"I do not see any reason to treat anyone differently because of status." Aigis said, retracting her hand. "With an exam like this, it ensures everyone in a class is at a similar level, correct?"

"Sure, but there's no way a country bumpkin like you can match up with a noble like me." Ebina waved a hand dismissively. "I've been here an hour, and I've only seen three people pass. There's been over fifty people who took the exam already, you know? But anyway, no shame in being in the regular class either. You just have a less likely chance of becoming an officer, so you'll spend most of your time out and about, instead of staying in the offices."

Something snapped in her.

"By all means, prove your superiority," she replied. "It should be your turn to take the exam, correct?"

He entered the building, laughing all the way.

He exited five minutes later, looking thoroughly downtrodden. She heard mutterings of how unfair the exam was, but before Aigis could deduce more, she was ushered into the building.

Ebina was right, the training hall was massive. The interior was built much like an oversized gymnasium hall in the Living World, with a massive court, multiple windows and shoji door openings to the outside, and a balcony on the second floor overlooking the court. It was currently covered in a thick layer of black cloth, cushioning the sounds emanating from the hall.

No wonder she could barely hear anything from the outside.

A severe, bald man sat in the middle of the hall, though he gave a single nod when she stepped in and dropped her belongings in a corner. He wore the standard shihakusho, but even under the loose cloth she could tell that the man was muscular from long hours of training.

"My name is Onabara Gengoro." The shinigami introduced himself. His voice was, as expected, incredibly deep. "May I have your name please, miss?"

She sketched a polite, shallow bow. "Aigis, sir," she replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

He nodded in approval. "I am the primary instructor for the advanced placement classes, and I will be your examiner today." He rose from his position.

She waited.

"Your task today," he began, "is to touch me in a game of tag."

Tag.

A common game she used in her own training for the Shadow Operatives. It taught decision making skills, speed, flexibility, and creative solutions where violence was not permitted. For all its simplicity, it was deceptively good at developing the skills needed for an accomplished Operative. She had used this tactic at the orphanage too, training the children in a safe manner so they could survive.

She approved of the exam.

With a small push of her reiatsu to her feet, Aigis rushed towards Onabara. She noticed his eyes widen a fraction, before he smoothly sidestepped out of the charge.

"The exam will end when you touch me, or when three minutes have passed," he continued leisurely, his hands placed casually behind his back. "Normally, this is when I'd say start, but you may continue."

With a turn of her heel (and almost slipping on the crumpled cloth surface), she moved towards her examiner again, this time moving in a zig-zag pattern (and most definitely not because of her near-slip). Onabara easily kept up with the misdirection, once again slipping right past her extended hand.

She followed through the motion, somersaulting to a stop some distance away from him, then took a moment to analyse her opponent.

Even boosted by Sukukaja, she was having trouble trying to touch Onabara. He was excellent at reading her body language and cues, which meant that he was able to partially predict where she would strike. On the other hand, him keeping his arms behind him made his body smaller, which coupled with the loose garments that seemed to blend into the ground and his minimal movement, made him difficult for Aigis to predict.

It was probably intentional, she decided. He was experienced, possibly even more than herself, which was such a rarity, she had almost forgotten how that felt.

The thick layers of cloth shifted under her movement as she considered her next step. It was almost impossible to feel the floor beneath, and lumps appeared in odd areas where the cloth gathered.

The cloth. Which was loosely laid on the floor.

It was a juvenile tactic, but if the large hall gave Onabara an unobstructed view from every angle, all she had to do was block it.

Aigis quickly glanced around for the edges of the cloth, which was much more difficult to spot than what she had hoped for. Out of ideas, she began pushing the older shinigami towards the walls, keeping the pressure up with bursts of Sukukaja. As expected, he moved closer towards the sides under the onslaught, still just as light on his feet.

One intentionally overstretched attempt at touching him later, Aigis had her back to the wall. She discreetly slid her foot under the black cloth, keeping her eyes on Onabara.

He still looked as relaxed as he was when the exam began.

She kicked the cloth up as high as she could.

In the instant before the flying cloth obscured her vision, she saw her examiner's eyes narrow ever so slightly.

The black material peeled off the floor as a long sheet, leaving both sides and the top open for Aigis to take advantage of. It only took a moment for her to make her decision, as she readied another burst of Sukukaja under her feet.

Onabara barely had time to turn around before she landed behind him, having flipped over the advancing wall of cloth. She laid one hand on his back.

"I believe this concludes the exam." Aigis commented lightly.

There was a moment of silence as the cloth fluttered down to a heap.

He clapped.

"Bravo." Onabara turned around to grin at her. "You're the first examinee this year to legitimately pass the exam."

"I think the skill level expected of students to pass this exam is rather high," she replied. "Unless you're looking at the potential of prospective students, not at the results."

"Correct." He nodded. "I think you understand the purpose of this test well."

He produced a piece of paper and brush from his sleeve and held it out towards Aigis. "Please fill in your name on this form, and I will let you collect your uniform. Your dorm assignment will be given to you later, after you have your uniform," he instructed.

She held the paper in her left hand, but held the brush gingerly in her right. She of course knew how to write, but she had never used a brush. They were obsolete as writing instruments when she died, and she had never quite managed to understand the subtleties of art.

Nevertheless, she had to try. It took her much longer than usual to paint out her name, and her writing left a blotchy mess on the paper in sharp contrast to the relatively neat script of the ten names above her.

Perhaps it is time to take some calligraphy lessons, she decided.

Aigis handed over the writing instruments back to Onabara. "I hope this will suffice."

He took a look at the paper. "No last name?" he asked.

"I never had one," she replied.

He hummed. "You can create one here, if you like," he stated. "Many people from Rukongai create their own surname by taking the name of the people who took them in, or which district they're from. Of course, this is entirely optional. There have been a few shinigami who never took on a surname, so you won't be alone if you decide to do so."

Aigis put one hand over her chest and pondered. She had never thought about taking on a surname before. It sounded as if Onabara was trying to extend an olive branch to her, for her to better blend into shinigami society, though he was also kind enough to state that it was not mandatory.

"Thank you for the kind offer," she politely bowed, "but I think I'll decline. I am satisfied with my name as is."

He nodded. "That's fine then. The student at the entrance will show you where to collect your uniform."

She bowed again, then collected her meagre belongings tossed at the corner of the hall, and exited the building.

"Congrats on passing the exam!" The male student she saw earlier exclaimed in lieu of a greeting. "Onabara-sensei has incredibly high standards, so good job on meeting them. Oh right, you need to go get your uniform right? Just go to the main building and then go to your left, there will be a room for you to get your uniform there!"

He spoke so quickly Aigis could not get in a word edgewise, so she settled for nodding along the instructions, then left before he ushered in the next examinee.


The uniforms turned out to be managed by a diminutive shinigami who had her hair gathered in a bun. "Here for a uniform?" she asked kindly.

"Yes." Aigis answered. "Is there anything I need to do?"

"Just stand there for a bit, please." The shinigami replied. She examined Aigis from head to toe for a moment, then walked to the back. She came out a few moments later with her arms full of the same uniform she saw the student wear earlier, except it was red rather than blue. "I think this should fit you just fine. Welcome to Shin'ou Academy!"

Aigis awkwardly received the armful of uniforms. "Thank you," she said. "Um, is there anywhere for me to put everything down? I was told to wait for my dorm assignment."

"The dining hall is open, if you'd like to get something to eat." The shinigami waved a hand down the opposite corridor. "Come back here in about…oh, one hour, and we should have your room assignment ready. Don't worry about money, the food here is free for staff and students."

Aigis bowed her thanks, then hurried to the dining hall. She did not realise that she was hungry until the shinigami mentioned it, and now all she wanted was a hot bowl of food to eat.

She was starting to understand why food was considered a comfort for many people.

Some minutes later, she was settled at a bench with a large bento, her belongings at her side. The food was much more luxurious than the grain she usually ate while she lived with Unagiya, with plenty of vegetables, miso soup, a few pieces of fruit and mackerel. Aigis wolfed down the first few bites, before she forced herself to slow down and savour the food better. It was not gourmet food, but it certainly was much better than what she was used to.

An hour later, she returned to the shinigami who gave her uniform for her dorm assignment. Aigis's room turned out to be a tiny closet with barely enough space for a futon, a desk, and a cabinet for personal belongings, with the futon rolled up at the far end of the room.

It was perfect for the amount of items she had for herself.

"Classes begin in two days!" The shinigami had cheerfully informed her. "Feel free to take the time to settle down for now!"

So Aigis spent the next day wandering the campus, and thoroughly cleaning her room so it almost sparkled. She almost accidentally stepped into another examination centre, admired the gardens and cherry blossoms outside the main building, and took a peek at the classrooms, which consisted of low desks and cushions in lieu of chairs, along with a lecturer's podium at the front. The campus was evocative of feudal Japanese buildings, yet there were some odd additions of technology from three hundred years ago — she spotted a whiteboard and a set of erasable markers in one of the classrooms, and a desk projector in another.

It was a strange mix of technologies, and she idly wondered if there was someone who had introduced such things to Soul Society.


The class was, as expected for an accelerated program, small. Aigis counted twenty students, apart from herself. They had gathered in one of the older classrooms for their first lesson, and everyone sat seiza-style at their desk. Many maintained perfect posture, though she noticed a few students who were clearly struggling with the extended period of sitting. Onabara stood at the front as he went through roll call. She did her best to memorise the names of her classmates, but it was a struggle.

"Listen up!" Onabara called. "You will receive your asauchi next week, so for this week, you will be training your basics. That means zanjutsu, writing, hakuda, hohou and kido. Don't think you can relax, because if your basics are lacking you won't even be able to hold a sword!"

A murmur of comments rippled through the class.

"Everyone, to the training hall!" Onabara bellowed again. "Your first class today will be hakuda!"

Aigis briefly massaged her legs, before she rose and headed towards the training hall with her classmates.


It turned out that their class was not the only one there, as another class had occupied half of the hall, separated by dark netting. The wooden floor was covered in cushioned mats, instead of the thick layers of cloth from her exam.

Another shinigami leaned languidly near the doorframe to the entrance. She had striking golden blonde hair that flowed in waves down to her back, and her shihakusho was modified to somehow reveal much more skin than others, yet keep her assets where they belonged. In addition, she wore a pink shawl around herself. There was a prominent mole under her pouty lips.

"Let me introduce you to your hakuda teacher: Matsumoto Rangiku." Onabara announced.

Aigis couldn't help but blink. There were a few low "ooh"s that came from the students.

She smiled like it was the most natural reaction. "Hi everyone!" Her voice was a mix between singsong and sultry, as if she wanted to be casual and charm the students at the same time. "Just call me Rangiku! I will be your hakuda teacher during your time here, so I hope we get along!"

With the greetings out of the way, Onabara left the class to Matsumoto. She snapped her fingers, and a shimmering wall rose up from the netting, cutting the hall in half and separating the loud practice sounds from the other side.

"So!" Matsumoto clapped her hands, grabbing everyone's attention. "Hakuda is what you might call hand-to-hand combat. It's your most basic weapon, and the one to fall back to if for some reason you don't have reiatsu or your zanpakutou. That's why it's important to be good at it, because it forms the foundation of your fighting style."

In contrast to the easygoing aura she gave off, her words were serious.

"To start off…hm," she scanned the class. "Any volunteers for a short spar?"

A multitude of hands shot up from the crowd. Matsumoto picked a burly man, and they stood opposite each other. One glance at his expression informed Aigis that he was hoping for much more than a spar. Meanwhile, Matsumoto kept her easygoing smile.

The student's expression was wiped off his face in five seconds flat, when his back hit the mat from Matsumoto tripping him. Her smile had not wavered one bit.

"Mmm, too short. Any other volunteers?" Matsumoto called out.

There was a pregnant pause.

"I'd like to try." Aigis moved to the front of the class.

"Oh, good initiative!" Matsumoto praised. They took their positions at the front of the class, with Matsumoto taking a loose, relaxed stance, her legs apart and arms in front of her.

It seemed like a loose interpretation of a more rigid stance, which spoke volumes about her experience.

Aigis instead shifted into her favoured stance, with one foot in front of the other, her body tilted away from Matsumoto. One arm was placed in front, while the other was kept back. She ignored the low murmur from the students.

"Come to think of it, you're that student who passed Onabara-san's exam legitimately this year aren't you?" Matsumoto asked.

"Yes." Aigis gave a nod.

"He spoke rather highly of you," Matsumoto continued. "So I'm excited to see what you're capable of!"

She moved.

It did not look like there was any power behind the strike, but Aigis barely managed to parry the hand that reached for her jugular. She readjusted her footing, lashing out with her free hand towards Matsumoto's other arm that was coming in for another strike. There was an audible smack as flesh met palm, neither budging one bit in the contest of strength. A moment later, they disengaged, but Aigis used the backwards momentum as a spring, crouching then releasing her body and shooting towards Matsumoto.

This time, Aigis aimed for the jugular. It was blocked by a raised arm. Her teacher now had her fists balled, and went in for a punch to Aigis's gut, which she blocked with her free hand. She closed her hand on the fist, holding Matsumoto still, then dropped for a leg sweep. The shinigami twisted her fist out of the hold, jumping to avoid tripping herself. Aigis took advantage of the momentum to twist again, kicking higher into her instructor's position, which she responded with a kick from herself.

It was a spirited exchange that continued for almost five minutes, enrapturing the class with its flurry of strikes. The pace gradually hastened, from easily tracked movements to a blur of limbs as the two combatants went all out.

Aigis saw her opportunity when Matsumoto stumbled on her footing, causing her fist to miss its mark. Aigis grabbed the outstretched arm, then with a grunt, pulled Matsumoto to the ground.

The hall was silent.

Then applause erupted.

Aigis extended a hand out to her opponent. "Are you all right, Matsumoto-sensei?"

"I might've sprained something," Matsumoto joked. She gratefully accepted the outstretched hand and pulled herself up. "Okay class, you don't need to be as good as Aigis-chan here, but if you're even half as good you're good in my book! Now pair up! Find someone your size and start hitting each other! If you pick on someone smaller than you I'll make sure you eat the mat!"

The students scrambled to find partners and space for practice, and Aigis was about to join them until Matsumoto tapped her shoulder.

"Been a while since a student beat me at hakuda on the first day." The shinigami said in a lower voice. "From next week onwards I'd like you to help instruct hakuda for your class, but for today, I'd like you to try sparring with someone else."

"May I ask why?" Aigis asked.

"Call it a bit of personal curiosity." Matsumoto winked. "Don't tell Onabara, okay? She's also someone whose hakuda ability far outstrips everyone else in her cohort, and she's on track to graduate early. I'm curious on who's stronger between the two of you."

Aigis gave a bewildered stare at Matsumoto's back as she skipped out of the hall. A few minutes later, she returned with another student in the standard Academy uniform.

Her eyes widened.

Brown hair, cropped neatly above her shoulders. It was adorned with a braided headband that was the same colour as her hair. Her maroon eyes were just as wide as Aigis.

"…Niijima-san?"

"How did you end up here?" Niijima Makoto blurted.


A/N: This chapter was finished two weeks before, but I was busy with some personal stuff and didn't have time to edit until last week. Gave me a chance to edit some stuff so it lined up with later chapters though (next chapter is 90% done).

We finally have more Bleach characters appearing! And a Persona character! Of course, more will appear over the course of this arc, but it is meant to be a relatively low-stakes part before the truly dangerous problems start happening. Can't always throw Aigis to the deep end every time, after all.

I'll also take this chance to answer some questions I got from the comments for the last chapter:

Umbra99: The reason will be alluded to in the next chapter, but it will form an ongoing mystery for the time being (I have a little headcanon theory on the mechanisms, but I will reveal that later down the line).

Raider 301: Informative. I can see why there would be a localisation difference between the two, as from one point of view turning psychotic can manifest in rampaging around.

Anyway, this chapter was beta'd, but let me know if there are any problems!