The morning classes ended quickly.
Until the end of the swordsmanship class, no one had approached Hao for a spar. But Hao hadn't just been sitting in deep thought the whole time—he had taken the initiative to challenge Aizen to a bout.
On the surface, he won decisively.
But the reality? Hard to say. Aizen might look young now, but who knew how deep his combat skill actually went?
"Hao-kun, you really don't hold back.
I thought I could last a few more moves."
Aizen said with a wry tone as they walked to the cafeteria. Despite his words, he wore that usual calm smile—one that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"Still, I can't shake the feeling that Sōsuke's strength goes far beyond what he showed. Hopefully next time I'll face a more serious version of you."
Hao didn't bother tearing down Aizen's facade.
Instead, he simply expressed his hunger—for battle and for worthy opponents.
"Then I'll try to learn a bit more sword technique from Hao-kun,"
Aizen replied with a chuckle, leading them around a corner.
"You haven't been to the cafeteria yet, right? I'll show you the way.
The food here at the Academy is actually pretty good."
Hao's eyes lit up. He hadn't eaten anything decent in a long time—especially proper food.
Unohana had brought him to the Academy late last night. After a few brief instructions, she had passed him off to the dorm supervisor to get him settled in. Then this morning, Aizen had warned him not to eat breakfast and taken him straight to class.
Aizen had likely guessed that Instructor Fujimoto would test Hao's swordsmanship—but he clearly hadn't predicted the outcome.
"This place is huge…"
Hao was surprised as they stepped into the cafeteria.
Rows upon rows of food windows, the rich smell of hot dishes in the air—it made his stomach growl uncontrollably.
"Sōsuke… does this place charge money?" Hao asked. Just yesterday, he had been a penniless soul wandering Rukongai.
Aizen didn't stop walking as he replied, leading Hao toward one of the food lines.
"Don't worry. Since some students come from poor backgrounds,
there are plenty of free meal options.
Personally, I think the tofu here's pretty good."
"Free? No limits?"
Hao perked up instantly at the word free.
He was starving. After being imprisoned by the company for so long, he hadn't had a real meal in ages. His stomach was growling so loud it was embarrassing.
Aizen heard it too. Glancing at Hao, he couldn't help but feel a little strange inside.
He had initially been skeptical of Hao's "impoverished background,"
but now the guy really did look like some stray dog that had never had a full meal.
"Yeah, it's free. No limit. Eat as much as you want—just don't waste any food, or the cafeteria ladies might get mad," Aizen warned.
They had arrived at the counter by then, and the lunch lady clearly recognized Aizen. She even smiled and greeted him warmly.
"One order of Mapo Tofu, please."
"You really like tofu, huh?"
She laughed, serving him a portion—not too much, not too little.
Clearly, she knew Aizen's usual appetite.
Then it was Hao's turn.
He scanned the dishes behind the counter, then looked at the lunch lady and asked, somewhat sheepishly:
"Auntie, can I… have one of everything?"
The lady froze.
"Everything? You mean… a little bit of each?"
Hao shook his head.
Under Aizen's curious gaze, he said:
"No, I mean… like the amount of tofu you gave Sōsuke—give me a full serving of that size for every single dish. And also… one big bowl of rice. Is that okay?"
The lunch lady was stunned.
She looked Hao up and down, particularly his stomach, and wondered—could this kid really eat that much?
Just as things were getting awkward, Aizen stepped in.
"Auntie, Hao-kun just arrived at the Academy yesterday. He hasn't eaten in quite a while, and he's got a pretty big appetite.
Go ahead and give him what he asked for.
If he can't finish it, I'll help him."
Hao was a little surprised.
He didn't expect Aizen to back him up.
Was it part of his "helpful model student" image? Or did he have some other motive?
Either way, Hao appreciated it. He really was starving.
"Well… if even Sōsuke says so…"
The lady seemed fond of Aizen and relented.
She started scooping food, piling up several metal trays and a massive iron bowl of rice, which she then pushed toward Hao with a skeptical look.
"Don't waste it, okay?"
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll finish it all,"
Hao said sincerely.
He picked up four trays with his fingers, planning to balance the rice bowl on his head—but Aizen beat him to it, lifting it up himself.
"Come on. There are open seats over there.
You'd better actually finish all this, or I won't be much help."
Aizen glanced at the massive bowl of rice he was holding and wondered to himself:
Just how confident is this guy in his stomach?
"Don't worry, don't worry."
Hao said breezily as he followed Aizen to a table, carrying his trays.
The moment they sat down, he snatched the rice bowl from Aizen like a thief and started devouring everything in front of him like a whirlwind.
It wasn't just Aizen who was stunned—nearby students stared, forgetting to even chew as they watched Hao hug a giant iron bowl and demolish his meal.
Halfway through, Hao seemed to notice Aizen's gaze.
He swallowed a mouthful and looked up.
> "Sōsuke, why aren't you eating?"
"Oh… I was just thinking about something."
Aizen came back to his senses and finally took a bite of his mapo tofu.
He wasn't someone easily surprised, but today had caught him off guard again and again—first Hao's extraordinary combat skill, and now his monstrous appetite…
Watching Hao scarf down his meal, Aizen thought: Out of everyone in the entire Academy, Hao might be getting the most value out of the free food window.
Before long, every tray in front of Hao was licked clean.
He leaned back, rubbing his slightly bulging stomach, feeling as if he'd been reborn.
Back when he was imprisoned by the company, they only gave him nutrient injections.
In that era, finding traditional food was almost impossible. This meal from the Academy might just be the richest, most satisfying meal of his entire life.
Now full, he felt a cozy warmth in his stomach. Energy spread throughout his limbs—it was the magic of Soul Society cuisine.
Since everything here was made of reishi (spirit particles), eating these meals essentially replenished reishi, making it a solid recovery method.
In fact, a long-term diet of high-quality meals might even help increase one's spiritual pressure.
Of course, actual training was still the main method to boost spiritual power—he just hadn't taken those classes yet and didn't understand them.
---
On the way back to the dorm, Aizen walked behind Hao, a strange glint in his deep eyes—like a child who had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
He had a feeling that this roommate of his might be, in some sense, a genius just like him—at least, a genius in combat.
If Hao was already this strong in swordsmanship, what about Hakuda? Shunpo? Kido?
Aizen's lips curled ever so slightly… then returned to their usual calm.
Hao-kun… I have a feeling the next few years are going to be very interesting.
---
"In complex combat situations, sometimes we need offensive or defensive options outside of our Zanpakutō…"
The instructor was giving a theoretical lecture on Hakuda (unarmed combat).
Perhaps someone had given a heads-up, because the first half of the lesson was loaded with basics—so much so that Hao could barely stay awake.
A glance to the side showed Aizen looking the part of a model student: listening attentively, jotting down notes now and then… the kind teachers loved.
"…Now, let's begin practical training."
The instructor's gaze swept across the students.
When he saw Hao, he paused for a moment, then shifted to a girl sitting near the window.
"Shihōin-san, your Hakuda grades are the best—pair up with the new student and guide him through the basics."
Hao followed his gaze.
The girl he'd called out had rich, chocolate-toned skin, short violet hair, and an energetic, youthful look.
Except right now… she was leaning back in her chair, eyes half-closed, mouth hanging open with a tiny trickle of drool, looking like she was having the best nap of her life.
There was even a dreamy little smile tugging at her lips.
"Shihōin-san!"
The instructor raised his voice sharply, clearly annoyed, though he didn't press further.
The other students seemed unfazed, as if this girl dozing off in class was nothing out of the ordinary—and maybe, just maybe, she'd earned the right to do so.
"Huh? I'm up!"
The girl jolted upright like a startled cat, sprang from her seat, and landed lightly on her feet.
Watching her, Hao's eyes shifted slightly.
A girl with the Shihōin name… dark skin, violet hair… could this be… Yoruichi Shihōin?
He had read the original Bleach manga, but the timeline was vague at best.
The ages of the captains were never clearly defined.
Still, based on estimates, Aizen and Yoruichi were indeed of the same generation.
No wonder, he thought, Yoruichi was always so snarky around Aizen in the source material—they're old classmates!
He hadn't seen Yoruichi during the morning swordsmanship class. Maybe she skipped it.
The teacher, meanwhile, was clearly exasperated, staring at the faint trail of drool still on Yoruichi's face.
"Since we have a transfer student today, you'll be sparring with him. Teach him some basic Hakuda techniques."