To say that Ebina was not happy with the arrangement was putting it lightly.
After settling on a schedule for tuition (he needed help on hakuda and writing), he showed up half an hour late on the first day, two weeks after Onabara told Aigis about the extra credit work.
"May I ask why you're late today, Ebina-san?" Aigis asked, her arms crossed. Onabara had helped her rent out a smaller training room in the training hall, where she was waiting.
Ebina had his hands in his pockets and shrugged nonchalantly.
Aigis sighed. "Do some warmup. I will be extending your lesson today by half an hour."
At the very least, he did his warmups properly.
It took less than five minutes to realise where his issues were, when Aigis easily batted away Ebina's obviously telegraphed punch. He did not put any weight into his strikes, and his exaggerated movements wasted too much energy. Within those same five minutes, he was panting.
"Let's take a break," she announced, as Ebina collapsed on the ground. "It's quite clear where your issues are."
He scowled in response, but did not say anything.
"You don't know anything about fighting in the first place, do you?" She cut straight to the point.
"That's what the Academy is supposed to teach, isn't it?" Ebina shot back.
"Yes, they are." Aigis agreed. "But it's been a month, and you still fight like a novice. My classmates are starting to develop battle instincts and their own preferences for combat, and I've heard from Matsumoto-sensei that those from the normal classes are starting to be able to at least react appropriately to danger. You, on the other hand, still fight like you're a three year old."
Ebina's eye twitched.
"You have no sense of danger," she continued, "and all you know is to charge ahead like a bull. Anyone, Hollow or not, will be able to predict your movements half a minute in advance, and you'll be gutted when that happens."
"I'll be fine." Ebina muttered.
"You'll be Hollow food." Aigis retorted. "Why are you even here if you're going to be this stubborn about it?"
He opened his mouth to argue, but she raised her hand. "As a noble, you don't have to do this," she reasoned. "You can stay safe in your own estate, manage your family's internal affairs, or even become part of the Central 46. You don't have to put your life on the line. I am not asking for an answer right now, but I want you to think about why you're attending Shin'ou Academy."
Aigis took a breath. It has been a while since she was this harsh, mostly when dealing with young Operatives recruits who were an active danger to themselves, their allies, or both. At this point, Ebina was a danger to himself.
"Get up," she commanded. "Break time is over."
"Not all nobles are like that," Niijima argued.
They were outside the school today, on a trip to the markets. Aigis had spent the entire semester up until a few hours ago within the school compounds, and she felt a desperate need to do something new. Niijima came along as a guide, and spent the entire two hours lending an ear to Aigis's frustrations.
"I know," she almost grumbled. "I don't want to put a label on all of them just because my first encounter with one was Ebina-san."
"That being said," Niijima continued, "I don't think his viewpoint is uncommon either. From what I know of the Gotei, many of their seated officers are either nobles or have some relationship with them, so it can be seen that being a noble would afford one a better position as a shinigami."
Aigis browsed the rows of trinkets and street food. "As far as I see though, its system of meritocracy is still working well," she observed absentmindedly, "otherwise the advanced placement exams would not be as difficult as they are."
"That's true too." Niijima agreed. She joined Aigis at admiring a delicate hairpin. "But for those with enough influence and money, there are always workarounds."
Aigis moved on to the next stall, which displayed hand carved wooden trinkets. "Do nobles receive additional benefits for becoming shinigami?" she asked.
"Prestige, for the most part." Niijima said. "One can increase their family's social standing by becoming a seated officer, plus the wages are quite high."
"Is that a good enough reason to join the Gotei, even if they make substandard shinigami?"
"Apparently good enough for them."
Aigis sighed. "Their ranks will be filled with people barely better than civilians at this rate."
"I don't think it's our place to criticise them yet." Niijima reminded her. "There are still many areas where I don't think we have a clear enough picture to understand their reasoning for their actions."
"You're right," she exhaled. "My apologies, I let my frustration get the better of me."
"Don't worry," Niijima placated. "It's perfectly understandable."
Aigis was about to move on from the stall she was barely browsing, but she found her friend mesmerised by a candy stall, with an astounding variety of designs.
She joined Niijima, curious about what caught her attention. In the midst of glittering sugar crystals, Aigis found her target.
"A panda-shaped lollipop?" she asked.
Niijima squeaked adorably. "U-um…I think it looks cute?"
"It is cute." Aigis agreed. With its small, scrunched up features, round ears, and light dusting of sugar, it was every part the ideal of a young girl.
"Why don't you buy it?" she continued. "There's no harm in treating yourself every now and then."
Niijima looked at the meagre coins in her hand, her face marred by a small frown.
"Oh miss, you don't have to worry about the money!"
They looked up from the wares.
Somehow, Aigis never quite registered that he was there until he spoke up, especially with the ridiculous outfit he was dressed in. The shopkeeper was flaxen haired, wore a dark green jinbei, and had a green and white bucket hat on top of his hair, which conveniently also shaded his eyes from view.
How did she miss him?
"What do you mean by that?" Niijima asked.
"Just this once, you can pick any candy you want, free of charge!" The shopkeeper cheerfully explained.
"Um, isn't that bad for business?" she eyed him skeptically.
The shopkeeper produced a fan out of nowhere, in the same colouration as his hat, and waved it in front of his face. "Please, it's quite obvious that you're students from Shin'ou, so I know you can't always spare the money," he laughed, his mouth covered by the open fan. "But it's absolutely worth it to me to make the day for you lovely ladies."
Niijima considered it, her hand cradling her chin. "I'll take the panda candy then, thank you very much."
"No problem!" The shopkeeper chirped as he handed the candy to her. "Please come again!"
"That was very kind of him." Aigis commented as they walked away.
"Yes," Niijima agreed, her eyes fixated on the lollipop in her hand and mouth half open.
Aigis almost giggled at the sight. "Maybe you should put it away, if you want to resist eating it for a while."
Niijima's face reddened for an instant, before she turned away and carefully tucked the sweet into her sleeve.
"Is there anything you want to buy, Aigis-san?" She deflected her embarrassment.
"Not yet." Aigis replied. "At the very least, I have not seen anything that I would like to have yet."
"What about that hairband?" Niijima pointed to a stall further down the road, selling a colourful variety of hair decorations. Aigis followed her gaze.
Displayed prominently at the front of the stall was an almost exact replica of the hairband that was part of Aigis's robotic body — a thick black hairband, rimmed with gold lines. They formed a triangular pattern along its length.
"Your hair has grown somewhat since you entered the Academy." Niijima continued. "A hairband will help keep it out of your face."
Aigis considered it. She did not require one, in her opinion, despite what Niijima had said. She was doing perfectly well in her physical classes, and with how she cropped her hair short, she barely felt its existence.
But nostalgia was a powerful feeling. No wonder her inner world manifested as Iwatodai from three hundred years ago.
She examined the hairband closer. It was made of velvet, and the gold decorations were sewn on using gold ribbons. It looked simple, yet delicate at the same time, a testament to the skill of its artist. The price was reasonable as well, which just made it more tempting.
"I don't require a hairband, though." Aigis protested out loud.
Niijima giggled. "Your eyes say otherwise."
So much for lightly teasing Niijima earlier. Karma struck fast.
"I guess I'll get one after all…" Aigis sighed defeatedly.
There were no stall owner surprises this time around, though the seller did try to hassle her to buy more than just the hairband. Aigis stood her ground.
It was just a hairband, but it made her feel more like herself, rather than a role — the director of the Shadow Operatives, a loving sister to the orphans, a star student at Shin'ou. It felt like she reclaimed a little part of herself that had no obligations, only to protect those she loved.
The second tuition session was barely better than the first one, as Aigis worked Ebina to the bone in an attempt to drill some sense of danger into his instincts. So instead of pushing him physically for the next session, she decided to push him mentally.
Onabara did keep his promise of supporting Aigis whenever possible by providing mock papers for her tuition sessions, which saved her quite some effort. Despite his gruff exterior, he took his job of teaching seriously, which Aigis appreciated. She brought some fresh fruit from the market as thanks.
The first thing that stood out to her when she saw Ebina's attempt at writing a report was his incredibly neat calligraphy, a sharp contrast to her own still terrible handwriting.
"You have excellent calligraphy skills." Aigis complimented him, for which he gave a rare, small smile as he stood and stretched his legs.
Though the less said about the contents of the report, the better.
"Is that how you write your report?" She continued sternly, a small frown on her face as she reviewed the sparse words on the paper.
The smile was wiped off immediately.
"They just need to know the conclusion right?" Ebina challenged. "It's not like the things in the middle will matter in the long run."
"The process is the most important part." Aigis countered. "What a person will choose to do in a particular situation, and why they do so is important for people in the future to review, so we can learn from them."
"Will anyone even read them?" Ebina sighed exasperatedly. "They're boring."
"I am reading your report right now, am I not?"
"You're only doing it because you're my tutor right now."
It was easy to hear the resentment in the words that he almost spat out.
"A few hundred years in the future, someone will want to know what happened on that particular patrol, especially if they want to look for specific patterns." Ebina was difficult to sway through logic, but Aigis decided to give it one last try. "A report with only the conclusion but not the process will be practically useless to them."
"So?"
"Do you want to be remembered as a useless person, for being unable to even write a simple report?"
He stilled.
"Your handwriting is excellent," she reiterated. "Much better than mine, in fact. You have talents. I am sure that you can develop them further, even acquire new skills, but you need to work for it."
For the first time since they interacted, Aigis saw a crack in his emotional walls.
"Come and sit down," she continued. "I will explain every part of a standard report to you."
Ebina obediently sat down opposite Aigis at the low table, the light of the candle illuminating the room casting a hard shadow on his face.
"Always begin your report with the date and time of the incident," she began as she picked up her brush to write. However, she only managed a few words in before Ebina stopped her.
"Aigis, your handwriting is shit, and I can't read it."
She blinked.
"Teach me, then," she replied.
It was Ebina's turn to blink. "Huh?"
"This is currently my weakness after all." Aigis shrugged. "I have been trying, but I have not made much progress yet."
He still looked dumbfounded, but found his words after a minute. "You're supposed to be teaching me, not the other way around."
"You can learn from anyone," she countered. "I learned the basics of controlling my reiatsu from a child."
Ebina had no words to refute that.
"Correct me as I write then," Aigis continued.
She barely touched the paper with her brush before she was interrupted again.
"How in the name of the Soul King are you holding your brush?!" Ebina shrieked, roughly yanking the brush out of her hands.
"Hm?"
"Why do you have so much ink on the brush?! Your brush should be straight!" he exclaimed, furiously dabbing the ink away at the ink stone and holding the brush at a perfect ninety degree angle to the table. "Your fingers should barely touch the lower half of the brush! Keep your wrist and elbow off the table!"
Aigis blinked. The contrast between the rebellious young man and the passionate calligrapher was…striking.
"Can you give me a demonstration on how you would write like that?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. "Or better yet: listen to what I say, and write it down. This way we can both learn."
That seemed to shock Ebina out of his outburst, and he looked awkwardly at the brush in his hand. After a moment of hesitation, he mutely nodded.
"Okay, so this is how you would write a report…"
As she talked, Aigis observed her tutee. He seemed to be only half listening to what she was saying, and there were plenty of parts where he misheard or just skipped over what she had said. However, they were making slow but steady progress, even through the incessant, slightly condescending questions, and Aigis's curiosity in just how his arm was cooperating to write the characters.
Then again, her only frame of reference before Ebina on how to hold a paintbrush was Yusuke, and he held it like a normal pencil. Perhaps it was different for calligraphy.
At the very least, she can definitely say she's starting to make progress in his tuition.
"Your handwriting has improved, if ever so slightly." Onabara commented one week after Aigis began tutoring Ebina. It was the end of the school day, and she had stayed behind to hand up her sheet of calligraphy.
"Ebina-san gave me some pointers on calligraphy, sensei," she replied. "While he was learning how to write reports, he was also helping me with my handwriting."
Onabara raised an eyebrow at that. "And here I was worrying about if I had to personally tutor you on that," he mused. "You have done well."
She bowed lightly. "Your materials have also helped me immensely, sensei. They are the only reason I can be an effective tutor."
"Materials only help so much, Aigis," he refuted. "It is your ability to communicate and nurture that completes the tutoring. You may be trying to be humble, but you need to be proud and own your accomplishments, otherwise you spit on the efforts of everyone else that tries to emulate you."
"I also believe in acknowledging everyone who has helped me along the way in some form." Aigis simply stated.
Onabara opened his mouth to say something, paused, then sighed and shook his head. "Well, putting that aside, how have your studies been progressing?"
"They are going well," she replied. "Hinamori-sensei and Kira-sensei have been very patient with me."
It was more work than she had expected as she attended remedial classes to help her make up the difference in experience between Aigis and her seniors, but she was also allowed to attend classes for years above her level, which meant that half of the time, she was not even taking classes with her fellow first years anymore.
The only area she was struggling to some degree with was zanjutsu, but she had a feeling that Onabara was only teaching her the basics of how to wield a sword, and had entirely given up on teaching her more advanced techniques. Though, considering that she did not need to be proficient in all forms to graduate, this might be deliberate to lessen the pressure on her.
The condensed curriculum was a fun challenge, but she was in so many classes that the faces and names were blurring together. She was immensely thankful for the steady companionship that Niijima provided.
Her teacher observed her face. "It seems to be the case," he agreed, seemingly satisfied. "Keep up the good work." He got up to leave, but Aigis stopped him.
"Sensei, may I inquire about Ebina-san's background?"
Onabara was halfway out of the classroom, but he turned back. "For what reason?"
"While I can get the basics of his past, I'd like to know more about his family." Aigis stated. "If possible, I'd like to know about what his family does."
He levelled Aigis with a searching look. "I can only give you knowledge that is publicly available," he replied. "I hope you understand that we do have to keep the affairs of the noble houses private."
She nodded in reply.
"As far as I know, the Ebinas are a small branch of the Kuchiki family." Onabara began. "They're not very powerful politically, which makes them similar to the Rukongai citizens in the inner districts, and are known for sending all of their children to be shinigami for at least some period of time, though from what I understand, none of them ever reached a high seated officer position."
Aigis mused over the information. It was not much, but it was a hint towards why Ebina was behaving the way he was.
"Thank you, sensei." Aigis bowed.
Onabara grunted in response, and left the classroom.
Aigis greeted her tutee with only multiple pieces of paper and two sets of brushes and ink the next session.
"Aren't we writing mock reports today?" Ebina huffed.
"You deserve a break," she replied. "You have been working hard the past week, so it's about time I work hard too."
"On what? Why does a prodigy like you need to work hard?"
"I worked long and hard for my so-called 'prodigy' status." Aigis narrowed her eyes. "Anyone can become one with enough experience and practice."
Ebina scoffed at that. "I'm not talented in any stretch of the word."
"What about your calligraphy skills?"
"That was after a decade of practice!"
Aigis closed her eyes in satisfaction. "So practising diligently got you that far."
Realising that he was caught, Ebina grumpily went to his seat, opposite Aigis on the low table.
"I'd like you to properly teach me calligraphy today," she said, placing a brush and paper in front of him. "Guide me through every step of the way."
Ebina narrowed his eyes, his mouth set in a straight line, rather than his usual scowl.
"Let's start with your hand then," he began. "Don't dip your brush in ink, just hold it upright." He held his brush out as reference. Aigis tried her best to hold the brush in the same position, though her's was noticeably tense in comparison.
"Why are your fingers crimping like that?!" Ebina growled. "Relax your hold!"
She knitted her eyebrows. "I'm afraid if I loosen my hold I will not have enough strength to keep it in place."
"That's because you're using the wrong part of your fingertip! Closer to the tip, not to your joint!"
Aigis used her off hand to hold her brush up as she adjusted her fingers. When she let go, her brush stayed in place, and her hand did not feel like it was about to cramp at any moment.
Ebina squinted at her hand. "Well, good enough for now I suppose."
He dipped his brush into the ink, coating it evenly with black liquid, then dabbed it off at the edge and held it up for Aigis.
"You should have enough ink on your brush to last a while." Ebina lectured further, his brush perfectly coated yet not dripping any ink onto the paper.
She followed his instructions. Her movements dabbing the ink off were shaky, but she managed to keep her grip on the brush.
Ebina nodded once. "Each stroke has different ways of finishing," he continued, quickly writing some kanji on his sheet of paper. "Dots are finished with a round end, straight strokes are finished with a blunt end, and others should be finished with a flourish off the paper."
He put down his brush and held up his piece of paper, which helpfully demonstrated each stroke type.
"Write this."
Aigis followed suit.
Her attempt was…lacking.
"Did you just forget to consider that a brush can produce different thicknesses?!" Ebina yelled, almost spraying spittle at the paper. "Your characters look like they were written with a twig!"
"When am I supposed to press down on the brush then?" Aigis asked back, heedless of the insults thrown her way.
"Middle of the stroke, duh! Again!"
Her second attempt at the same kanji looked oddly like a bloated version of kawaiiko handwriting.
She was quite certain that she never even attempted that style of handwriting before when she was alive.
"I think you just invented a new, terrible handwriting style." Ebina groaned. "I do not want to see that ever again."
"How did you hide where your brush started in your own handwriting?" Aigis asked back.
"Brushed over it, of course." Ebina replied, then demonstrated a lightning quick, but perfect stroke.
Her third attempt resulted in the brush going out of control, splashing ink all over the paper. The characters were slowly starting to take shape though.
"I will absolutely blame you if you ruin my yukata." Ebina growled murderously.
She was almost embarrassed to admit it, but he probably gave Aigis the most intense workout ever, just from his insults and sheer audible frustration.
"Can you break down how you write each stroke into small steps?" she asked instead.
"How small do your steps need to be if you can't even figure out a single stroke for yourself?"
Oh.
She hit eureka.
"From every movement of the hand — every direction where the brush is supposed to go." Aigis stated.
"Are you stupid?!"
Aigis swore that if he got more vocally frustrated, steam would float out of his ears. She put down her brush.
"And there is the core issue why your reports are lacking, Ebina-san," she stated.
The non-sequitur temporarily stunned him, but she did not give him a moment to refute.
"In essence, whenever you consider anything, you consider it from your own point of view." Aigis said seriously. "However, remember that those who read your report are not you, they cannot divine the multiple steps you considered to arrive at your conclusion. So you need to consider the lowest denominator whenever you record anything down. Perhaps it's a fact for the majority of nobles, perhaps it's just you, but you lack empathy."
She never intended for this lesson to be purely a class on calligraphy for herself, after all. It took some consideration and suggestions from Niijima, but she eventually settled on using calligraphy as a method to help Ebina be in a more comfortable position, perceived power wise.
He sputtered at her words, but could not come up with a counter.
"It is true that you will never be able to completely understand someone else." Aigis continued. "But if you want to be better – to be someone that others can respect, you must put effort into respecting other people as individuals with their own feelings, rather than an extension of oneself. That means understanding the background they came from. I want to understand you, so I can be a better tutor and understand areas that need improvement. I hope that you can do the same."
She extended her hand for a handshake.
This time, Ebina took it.
A/N: The little cameo in this chapter was a bit of a "throw it in" moment, because I had started writing about candy and decided he would be a great person to act as the shopkeeper there. Don't worry, he's not important to plot yet.
Another cool fact: I based a lot of the calligraphy stuff here based on Chinese calligraphy lessons I had before. My parents thought I'd like it, and even though I am good at art and appreciate good calligraphy, it wasn't something I wanted to learn for myself, so I never stuck to it for long.
I consider a lot of what I write here as something that I feel I need to listen to, which I hope will resonate with you. Societal problems don't go away overnight even with a radical change, especially in somewhere as stubbornly traditional as Soul Society. It's something that Aigis will keep on dealing with throughout. However, it also made this chapter especially hard to write, which was why these last few updates have been a bit slower than usual. I've hit my stride again lately though, so I will go back to the rougly one chapter every 2 weeks schedule I had before.
In the meantime, enjoy this chapter!