Prelude for the Straying Stars

The story opens with Hinamori saying goodbye to a grumpy young Hitsugaya as she heads off to school. Elsewhere, Renji tumbles out of a tree onto Kira, and the three end up enrolling together at the Shin'ō Academy, where instructor Gengorō Ōnabara reminds his top-scoring class of the school's long legacy. Two months later, the elite students are sent to the living world for konsō practice under upperclassman Shūhei Hisagi and his companions Aoga and Hotaru Kanisawa. The drill goes smoothly until a huge Hollow suddenly slays Kanisawa and then Aoga, the monsters having concealed their spiritual pressure. Ignoring the order to run, Renji, Hinamori, and Kira dash back to protect the bleeding Hisagi, but their combined strike barely dents the enemy as more close in. At the brink, Gin Ichimaru's Shinsō spears the giant Hollow, and Aizen apologizes for arriving late as the two captain-class Shinigami finish the rest, leaving the shaken cadets vowing to someday match them.

Renji, Hinamori, and Kira begin their studies at the Shin'ō Academy together. Their first konsō field trip turns fatal when cloaked Hollows kill sixth-years Kanisawa and Aoga. The three cadets disobey orders and defend Hisagi. Gin and Aizen rescue the survivors, sparking the trio's ambition to rise to their rescuers' level.

This bonus chapter closes Volume 15 (BEGINNING OF THE DEATH OF TOMORROW) and predates the main cast's Gotei 13 careers. Its Japanese title reads as a prelude for scattering stars. The events are dramatized in Episode 46. Notable appearances include the future lieutenants Renji, Hinamori, Kira, and Hisagi, along with Rukia, Ōnabara, and a still-benevolent-seeming Aizen and Gin.