"Shiro-chan? What are you doing here?"
Kazuma had not expected to run into an acquaintance today, but the moment Momo Hinamori spotted the white-haired boy, she immediately broke away from her classmates and ran over to greet him.
"Bedwetter Momo, you're here too," Tōshirō retorted without hesitation, his tone sharp but lacking any real venom.
Watching the exchange, Kazuma recalled that they both hailed from the Junrinan District, making it perfectly logical that they had grown up together in the slums.
"Are you here to enroll in the Academy?" Momo asked, her brown eyes wide with curiosity. "Didn't you say you hated the Shinigami and only wanted to stay home to take care of your grandmother?"
Tōshirō gave her a helpless, frustrated look. "My Spiritual Pressure is getting more and more out of control. If I stay in the slums, both my grandmother and I will freeze to death, so I had no choice but to come here."
Hearing this, Momo looked genuinely surprised. "Shiro-chan, your Spiritual Pressure has already reached that point?"
Tōshirō nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Bedwetter Momo, how long have you been at the Academy?"
A brilliant, proud smile spread across Momo's face as she puffed out her chest.
"I'm already a third-year student, you know. You'll have to call me Senpai from now on, Shiro-chan!"
Hearing this, Tōshirō frowned and scrutinized her from head to toe before flashing a mischievous grin.
"Hmph. I'm not gonna call you Senpai, Bedwetter Momo!"
Momo's face instantly turned beet red at the childish insult.
She stomped her foot in embarrassment and anger, grumbling, "You… Shiro-chan, you're so annoying!"
Then she chased after him and playfully swatted his arm.
After laughing and fooling around for a few moments, Momo finally seemed to register the terrifying presence standing quietly behind the boy.
Her eyes widened in panic, and she quickly bowed.
"Ah! Captain Kazuma, I failed to greet you! I'm so sorry!"
Kazuma smiled slightly and waved a hand to show he did not mind the breach in etiquette.
"It's fine, Hinamori. I'm just here to drop Tōshirō off for enrollment."
Momo put on a timid expression and cautiously pointed out, "But Captain… the Academy's formal enrollment period ended months ago, didn't it?"
"Don't worry," Kazuma replied confidently, adjusting his haori. "I'm a Captain, after all. Bureaucratic deadlines are nothing to me."
Just then, a senior instructor in formal robes hurried down the corridor and bowed respectfully as he approached Kazuma.
"Captain Kazuma, is this the prodigy you reported?"
"Yes, his name is Tōshirō Hitsugaya," Kazuma confirmed, pushing the boy forward slightly. "He's a genius. He already knows the true name of his Zanpakutō, he simply hasn't learned the control required to manifest it yet."
Momo and the instructor both froze in shock, exchanging a wide-eyed look before the instructor murmured in surprise.
"To know his Zanpakutō's name before ever attending the academy… a prodigy like that is destined to become a Captain."
"Shiro-chan, you're really that amazing?" Momo asked, looking at the boy in pleasant surprise. "I don't even know the first word of my Zanpakutō's name yet, and you've already reached that level?"
Tōshirō scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, looking away as he muttered, "Hehe, I'm not that amazing."
Collecting himself, the Academy instructor offered Tōshirō a warm smile and gestured down the hall.
"Come along, child. Let's head to the assessment chamber and test your baseline Spiritual Pressure first."
"Hinamori, want to come see how strong your friend really is?" Kazuma asked, genuinely curious to see the boy's raw potential mapped on a chart.
"Of course!" Momo agreed immediately, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "I want to know just how strong Shiro-chan is too."
Tōshirō nodded and followed the instructor into a spacious room, with Kazuma and Momo trailing close behind.
In the center of the chamber sat a massive, humming machine equipped with various diagnostic crystals and display charts.
Pointing to a circular platform on the floor, the instructor explained, "This machine measures the raw density of your Reiryoku. Just stand in the center and let the crystals scan your core."
Tōshirō took a deep breath, stepped onto the platform, and closed his eyes in concentration.
A long minute passed in absolute silence.
"This… could the instrument be broken?" the instructor muttered, completely baffled as he tapped the unresponsive crystal screen.
"Why is there zero reaction?"
Kazuma was stunned for a moment before he slapped his forehead in realization.
"Ah, I almost forgot! I forcefully sealed his Spiritual Pressure a few days ago so he wouldn't freeze his grandmother."
Stepping onto the platform, Kazuma placed a hand on Tōshirō's chest and murmured a silent command to Hokushin, lifting the crushing gravitational lock.
The moment the seal was removed, Tōshirō's Spiritual Pressure violently erupted, leaking out uncontrollably in terrifying waves of biting cold air that instantly coated the edges of the machine in frost.
The machine emitted a loud, strained buzzing sound as the diagnostic crystals flared brightly.
The data on the screen jumped rapidly until an astonishingly high grade finally locked into place.
The instructor and Momo widened their eyes, staring at the number in complete disbelief.
"This density value… it's incredibly high!" the instructor murmured, his voice trembling with amazement.
Momo was even more excited, bouncing on her toes as she cheered, "Wow, Shiro-chan, you really are a genius!"
Opening his eyes and seeing their shocked reactions, Tōshirō asked with genuine confusion.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my power?"
Coming back to his senses, the instructor shook his head with a bright smile.
"No, there is absolutely no problem with it. Your Spiritual Pressure is incredibly dense! You possess a Grade 5 level of reiatsu before undergoing a single day of formal training! You truly are a once-in-a-generation prodigy."
Hearing the formal praise, a shy, proud smile finally broke across Tōshirō's face.
Next, the instructor ran Tōshirō through a series of basic physical and mental assessments, testing his Reishi control and innate Hakuda reflexes.
After each test, the instructor offered high praise for Tōshirō's performance, firmly stating that his physical talent matched his spiritual capacity perfectly.
Finally, the instructor patted Tōshirō's shoulder and offered him a word of encouragement.
"Work hard, Tōshirō. With your boundless potential, your name will surely be known throughout the Seireitei one day."
Watching from the side with eyes full of awe, Momo looked deeply envious, while Kazuma simply nodded in satisfaction, knowing the boy was destined to become a Captain-class Shinigami in record time.
Leaving the testing chamber together, Momo excitedly chattered with Tōshirō as they walked down the hall, already mapping out his illustrious future.
"Shiro-chan, you're definitely going to become an amazing Shinigami!" Momo declared, her hands clenched into fists with absolute confidence.
"Have you thought about which Division you want to join after graduation?"
"I…" Tōshirō hesitated, completely at a loss for words.
He only knew the collective name of the Gotei 13 and had absolutely no idea how the military was structured.
Seeing his awkward predicament, Momo finally regained some of her senior pride and puffed out her chest smugly.
"This is where your lack of education shows! Let your Senpai give you a proper introduction to the thirteen squads."
Momo enthusiastically detailed the basic duties and reputations of each Division, finally giving Tōshirō a functional understanding of the military hierarchy.
"But since Captain Kazuma personally escorted you here, you'll probably be drafted directly into the Seventh Division after graduation, right?" Momo guessed, looking back at the Captain.
Kazuma quickly waved a hand, having no desire to babysit the brooding prodigy in his own Division.
"You've misunderstood the situation, Hinamori. I merely provided an escort. It was Captain Shiba and Vice-Captain Matsumoto of the Tenth Division who originally discovered his talent, so he is definitely slated to be drafted into the Tenth."
"Huh? I'm going to the Tenth Division?" Tōshirō asked, his face dropping in horror. "That slovenly, loud idiot and that busty, drunkard woman are the actual commanding officers of the Tenth?!"
It seemed Tōshirō's first impression of Isshin and Rangiku was not particularly good.
"Captain, can I please not go to the Tenth?" Tōshirō pleaded, clearly unwilling to deal with those two chaotic personalities for the rest of his career.
Kazuma offered him a merciless smile and coaxed the boy with a blatant lie.
"No can do, Shiro-chan! The draft assignment is something the Captain-Commander himself already finalized."
"Alright, fine," Tōshirō sighed, his face a picture of absolute resignation.
"Cheer up, kid," Kazuma said, his tone turning surprisingly solemn as he rested a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder.
"From today on, you are a student of the Shin'ō Academy! Train hard, master the ice, and graduate quickly."
Feeling the immense, silent weight of Kazuma's expectations pressing down on him, Tōshirō's teal eyes hardened with sudden resolve.
"I won't let you down, Captain Kazuma," Tōshirō promised, straightening his posture and offering a crisp, formal salute.