A little more than a month of special training was not a particularly long span of time for Gosuke Shigure.
After Soi Fon left, he once again returned to a life that could truly be called retirement. No meetings, no official duties, no need to shoulder the pressure of a captain's authority. His days became quiet, unhurried, and almost leisurely.
Time passed slowly, yet steadily.
Before long, news reached him.
Soi Fon had successfully passed the Captain Proficiency Examination.
She was formally appointed as the Captain of the Second Division.
Upon hearing this, Gosuke Shigure was not surprised in the slightest.
What was truly noteworthy, however, was not merely her success but what it represented.
Soi Fon became the first captain in the history of the Second Division who did not belong to the Shihōin clan.
Since the founding of the Gotei Thirteen, the Second Division along with the Onmitsukidō had always been under the absolute control of the Shihōin family. Every previous captain had been a direct member of that noble house.
Soi Fon's ascension broke a rule that had existed for over a thousand years.
Yet, surprisingly, there was no turmoil.
The reason was simple.
Shihōin Chika, the former head of the Shihōin clan, was still alive.
With his implicit support and acknowledgment, Soi Fon's appointment carried unquestionable legitimacy. No noble house dared raise objections, and Central 46 offered swift approval.
The Second Division accepted its new captain without resistance.
Not long after Soi Fon's promotion, another piece of news spread through Seireitei.
Aizen Sōsuke, formerly the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, had also passed the Captain Proficiency Examination.
He became the new Captain of the Fifth Division.
Once Aizen officially assumed command, his first decision was to promote the Third Seat, Ichimaru Gin, to the position of vice-captain.
Ichimaru Gin was widely recognized as a genius.
He had graduated from the Shin'ō Academy in an exceptionally short time, joined the Fifth Division, and rapidly climbed through the ranks. Even before Aizen's promotion, Gin had already become the Third Seat at an astonishing speed.
On the surface, this was partly due to vacancies caused by casualties within the Fifth Division.
But Gosuke Shigure knew the truth far better than most.
The so-called "death in the line of duty" of the previous Third Seat was no accident.
It had been arranged.
Aizen had orchestrated the situation and used Ichimaru Gin as the executioner.
That incident was the foundation of Aizen's initial trust in Gin, the reason he kept him close at all times.
Yet even so, Aizen was not someone who trusted easily.
In the original timeline, Ichimaru Gin had spent nearly a century lurking beside Aizen, enduring suspicion and danger, just to uncover the truth behind Kyōka Suigetsu.
When Gosuke Shigure heard that Gin had become vice-captain, only one thought crossed his mind:
"If you wanted answers, you could've just come to me directly."
"Why go through all that?"
But of course, he kept such thoughts to himself.
Aside from the Fifth Division, several other divisions still lacked captains.
The Seventh Division and Ninth Division remained vacant, with no suitable candidates in sight.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto clearly had someone in mind for the Tenth Division, but no official announcement had been made yet.
Then there was the Twelfth Division.
After the appointments of the Second and Fifth Division captains were finalized, Captain-Commander Yamamoto finally reached a decision.
He summoned Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
At first glance, the position of captain held little appeal for Mayuri himself.
However, the Captain of the Twelfth Division was not merely a military leader, it was also the Director of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
That changed everything.
Becoming captain meant unrestricted access to resources, personnel, and experimental authority.
That alone was enough to pique Mayuri's interest.
The Captain Proficiency Examination posed little difficulty for him.
Soon after, Kurotsuchi Mayuri officially became the Captain of the Twelfth Division, while simultaneously assuming the role of Director of the Research and Development Institute.
Originally, seven divisions had vacant captain seats.
With the Second, Fifth, and Twelfth Divisions now filled, only the Third, Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions remained unresolved.
The situation was still far from ideal.
But compared to before, it was a significant improvement.
From the sidelines, Gosuke Shigure quietly observed all of this.
Unknowingly, his role had changed.
He was no longer a participant shaping events from within but a witness watching history move forward.
Time truly flowed like an arrow.
One day, Gosuke Shigure sought out Tsunayashiro Ryōna.
"A Senkaimon prototype?"
Ryōna—current head of the Tsunayashiro family and an active Shinigami of the Eleventh Division looked at him in surprise.
"What does Captain Gosuke need such a thing for?"
Though Gosuke Shigure had long since stepped down, some habits were difficult to change. Ryōna still addressed him as "Captain," filled with respect and gratitude.
After all, without Gosuke Shigure, Tsunayashiro Tokinada the true criminal might never have been brought to justice.
Gosuke Shigure smiled faintly.
"As you know, I'm retired now."
"Soul Society is vast, but aside from Seireitei, there's honestly not much to do in Rukongai."
"So, I was thinking of taking a trip to the World of the Living."
He paused, then added,
"But since I'm no longer an active Shinigami of the Gotei Thirteen, using an official Senkaimon would be… inconvenient."
Ryōna understood immediately.
"In the Tsunayashiro estate, we still have several small-scale Senkaimon devices," she said without hesitation.
"I'll have one delivered to you."
"Thank you," Gosuke Shigure replied sincerely.
Devices capable of crossing worlds were not something ordinary Shinigami could create.
Even in the original timeline, Urahara Kisuke's portable gateway was the result of exceptional technical genius.
Without Urahara's expertise, crafting such a device independently was unrealistic.
Fortunately, aside from the official large Senkaimon, many noble houses possessed private, small-scale gateways.
Among them, the great noble families held the most.
The Shihōin clan had used such a device when Yoruichi and Urahara fled Soul Society.
Naturally, the Tsunayashiro family possessed several as well.
Although unauthorized use of a Senkaimon violated Soul Society regulations, enforcement was… flexible.
As long as one was not caught in the act, even Central 46 often chose to look the other way.
Throughout history, many nobles had secretly traveled to the World of the Living for leisure.
Ryōna knew full well that Gosuke Shigure merely wished to wander and relax.
She had no intention of reporting him.
If anything, she was glad to repay part of the Tsunayashiro family's debt to him.
Not long afterward, a portable Senkaimon was delivered to Gosuke Shigure's residence.
After expressing his thanks once more, Gosuke Shigure personally constructed a hidden chamber within his home.
There, in silence, he placed the gateway
A quiet door connecting two worlds.