Hinamori sat there, seemingly savoring the lingering warmth atop her head—Shin's hand resting gently on her hair—but her tightly shut eyelids fluttered with barely restrained emotion.
Just as Shin was about to withdraw his hand, Hinamori suddenly found a burst of courage from somewhere deep inside. She grabbed his hand in both of hers, clutching it tight.
"President…"
In response, Shin lightly ran his knuckles along her cheek, a playful gesture that made Hinamori look wistful and a little lost, as though regretting not daring to ask for more.
"Hinamori?"
Shin chuckled softly.
Only then did she slowly let go of his hand.
She bit her lip and asked, "If it had been someone else who made the same request… would you have agreed too?"
Shin thought to himself, Definitely not. If it had been Shūhei, he'd have dropkicked him on the spot.
Instead, he flicked her forehead with a finger. "What kind of nonsense are you thinking?"
Hinamori mumbled something under her breath, too quiet to hear.
"What was that?"
Clutching her forehead, she shook her head rapidly. "Nothing!"
[Hinamori Momo]
[Affection Level: 70]
Her affection finally locked in at a number—70—the highest Shin had ever seen among all the girls around him.
Rukia had only just broken past 60.
As their affection levels gradually increased, Shin had also received more and more rewards from the system.
[Reiryoku Level: Lv29]
[Zanpakutō Unlock Progress: 24% (Partial Shikai)]
Through his own efforts, Shin had only managed to raise his Reiryoku by a single level. The Shikai progress had gone up by just 2%.
All the rest of his gains came purely from the system's rewards.
Lv29 Reiryoku, converted into Soul Society's classification system, was somewhere in the Upper Fourth-Class Spiritual Power.
Captains required at least Third-Class. Vice-captains usually ranged from Fourth to Fifth-Class.
Shin had achieved, in weeks, what others spent decades—or centuries—struggling toward.
Without the system, he probably wouldn't even match Hitsugaya's natural Sixth-Class spiritual pressure.
Unlike Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—which could improve rapidly with talent and understanding—Reiryoku growth required long-term, consistent cultivation.
Luckily, Shin had the system.
That afternoon's class was a joint theoretical lecture on Kidō, held in a large amphitheater.
When Hinamori arrived, she spotted Rukia sitting by the window and walked over to her.
"…Momo…"
Rukia's face lit up when she saw her, but then faltered, as if unsure what to say.
Hinamori's expression was conflicted, but she smiled nonetheless. "Why didn't you wait for me? Did you eat lunch already?"
Rukia nodded. "I ate with Renji and Kira. I thought you had something to discuss with the President, so I left early."
Renji and Izuru had become unexpectedly close. Renji had once hit him too hard during Zanjutsu class, but Izuru didn't hold a grudge and even approached Renji afterward. They ended up getting along surprisingly well.
Rukia hesitated, then said, "Momo… I wanted to talk to you about something."
Hinamori sat down beside her and cut her off with a smile. "No need."
"Eh?" Rukia blinked. "But I haven't said anything yet—"
"I know what you're going to say, but it's fine." Hinamori said gently. "Rukia, there's no misunderstanding between us. And there won't be. I know the kind of person you are. I trust you."
Rukia fell silent. Her thoughts drifted to what she'd overheard outside the Council office that day. She clenched her hands… then slowly released them.
"Okay," she whispered.
At that moment, a book flew through the air in a smooth arc and landed squarely on Rukia's head.
"Oww!" she yelped, immediately knowing who the culprit was.
"Renji!!"
She turned and glared at the two figures in the doorway—Renji and Kira.
Renji just waved lazily. "Save us seats!"
With that, the two slipped out of the amphitheater again.
Rukia tossed Renji's book onto the desk beside her, fuming. "That idiot! He's infuriating!"
But Hinamori just smiled, eyes soft. "But he only acts like that around you. Rukia, you're special to him. And he's special to you too. You only seem that relaxed when he's around."
Rukia froze. Hinamori had teased her about Renji before—but this time, it felt… pointed.
Did Hinamori want to match her with Renji?
During class, Hinamori and Kira both listened attentively, jotting down notes. Renji looked half-asleep. Rukia was completely out of it.
Her mind kept circling back to the Kuchiki family's visit.
She didn't know anyone from the Kuchiki clan. No one in her class—or even Class A—had that surname.
So why had they come for her?
Had someone from the family seen her during her performance at the festival?
Maybe, like the President had joked, she'd caught someone's eye…
But surely Hinamori was prettier than she was, right? Why her?
Rukia had little confidence in her looks or figure. Among everyone she knew, she was the shortest.
Still… the President said not to worry. He said he'd protect her.
After class, Renji stretched and yawned like a cat, clearly satisfied with his nap.
Rukia blinked, only just realizing class was over. She mentally kicked herself for spacing out.
Renji invited Kira to go train Zanjutsu, but Kira reminded him he was on duty for the Council today.
Renji clicked his tongue. "Fine, I'll go alone."
"Want my notes?" Hinamori offered her notebook to Rukia.
"Thank you, Momo! That helps a lot."
"What were you thinking about during class?" Hinamori teased.
Rukia hesitated. "The Kuchiki family coming to the Council… the President said they were looking for me. I'm worried."
"Don't worry," Hinamori said. "Nothing bad will happen. The President's got your back."
Rukia still looked uneasy and cast a glance in the direction Renji had gone. She hadn't told him anything yet.
Two days later.
The Kuchiki family came again, heading straight for the Student Council office.
This time, both Shin and Rukia were inside.
When Rukia saw them, she froze, instinctively hiding behind Shin.
"Vice-Captain Kuchiki, we meet again," Shin greeted calmly.
Byakuya's gaze locked on the girl standing behind him. In the last two days, he had learned everything about both Shin and Rukia.
Rukia's background was unimpressive—an orphan from District 78 of Rukongai, came to the Academy with a boy named Abarai Renji, joined the Student Council. Nothing remarkable. She wasn't even in Class A.
To Byakuya, being the Student Council President's assistant was far from noteworthy.
But Tachikawa Shin… he was unexpected.
Byakuya's face remained blank as he spoke. "Tachikawa Shin, I have something to discuss with Rukia. Would you mind giving us a moment?"
At that, Rukia gripped Shin's sleeve.
Shin replied calmly, "Rukia is my assistant. This is the Council's office. I don't believe there's anything you need to say that would require my absence."
Rukia took a deep breath and stepped forward. "If you have something to say, please speak openly."
Byakuya's expression didn't change. He signaled the elder beside him.
The man stepped forward and said to Rukia, "Rukia, do you have any willingness to join the Kuchiki family—henceforth living as one of its adopted daughters?"