"Hmm? What did I forget?"
Rangiku blinked in confusion, but the towel deliberately slipped another half an inch.
Arata's Adam's apple shifted, and just as he was about to lower his head, the communicator in the living room suddenly started vibrating wildly.
Both of them froze instantly, and Rangiku giggled: "Ah, looks like Captain Yamamoto is even more impatient than I am!"
…
During the video call, Yamamoto Genryūsai's shadow hovered above the coffee table.
At Arata's suggestion, the Department of Technological Development had already upgraded the communicator to a version capable of video calls, which was much more convenient than the old "mobile phone" era.
The curtains in the captain's residence behind the old man were drawn—he was clearly conducting a confidential conversation.
"I agree in principle with the proposed rule changes." Yamamoto's shadow stroked his beard. "But… I have one condition."
Arata sat upright, lightly pinching Rangiku's thigh with his fingers while she secretly nudged him under the table.
"Captain, please go ahead."
"First, only the top three in the school group will have the opportunity to advance to the official group. The other participants will have to drop out."
Arata nodded without hesitation. That condition wasn't a problem at all. With Tōshirō and the others there, the top three spots in the school group would definitely be theirs.
The only unknown was who would take the title of champion and who would be the runner-up.
"Second…" Yamamoto's shadow suddenly turned toward Arata, his expression becoming a bit more serious. "Arata, you will be in charge of special training for those kids, and you must ensure they don't lose too disgracefully in the official group."
"I guarantee I'll carry out the task," Arata replied solemnly, though a hint of joy could still be heard in his tone, he had achieved his goal.
Fortunately, the old man valued him; otherwise, many things in the Soul Society would have been difficult to push through.
Indeed, when you've got someone on the inside, everything goes smoother.
The old man grunted through his nose, but the corners of his lips in the projection lifted slightly. "In addition, the Department of Technological Development will create appropriate recording devices for the competitors. Captain Kurotsuchi will personally deliver them to the Shinō Spiritual Academy tomorrow."
When the connection ended, Rangiku squealed in excitement and sat in Arata's lap.
"Great! Tomorrow I'll tell Momoko and the others right away… mm!"
Arata grabbed the back of her head and deepened the kiss until they were both out of breath.
"Shall we eat first… or 'celebrate' first?"
"Hm! What do you think?"
Rangiku ripped open his collar and bit his collarbone, leaving a shallow bite mark.
The next morning, Arata stood in the principal's office and handed the revised rules to Yamamoto Genryūsai, which he had rushed to complete all night.
After reading them, the old man suddenly asked: "Arata, did you notice anything unusual yesterday?"
Arata's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "Captain, do you mean…"
"Captain Soi-Fon submitted a report last night that some nobles were lurking near the Shinō Spiritual Academy." Yamamoto's eyes swept over him like a blade.
"Actually, it's not a big deal if nobles visit the academy. But the report states that their movements were covert, as if they were deliberately hiding their presence…"
"Captain, I actually noticed something strange myself last night." Arata tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his gaze sliding toward the IV bags outside the window. "In the afternoon, someone was spying in front of the office, and there were traces of some kind of incense left on the windowsill."
"You see, I come from the Saito family after all, I'm a noble whether I want to be or not. That scent is a type of incense found only on Noble Street, and it's among the more luxurious products there."
Although he couldn't confirm the identity of the shadow, it was entirely possible to pin it on the Kasumioji.
After all, the main instigator behind the Bakkōtō sword story was Yun Jing from the Kasumioji family.
"Looks like Captain Soi-Fon's intelligence report was accurate." The old man's voice became unusually heavy. "What exactly is the Kasumioji family trying to do?"
"If they had something to discuss, they could've come to me openly. Why sneak around like this?" Yamamoto Genryūsai suddenly furrowed his brow, and his cane struck the floor with a dull thud.
Arata took half a step forward. The sunlight passing through the blinds cast patterns of light and shadow across his silhouette. "Captain, I suspect there might be some kind of 'accident' during the kendō tournament. It would be wise for the academy to tighten security."
Yamamoto Genryūsai spent a while stroking the dragon's head on his cane, then suddenly looked up: "Arata, tell me honestly, did you discover something?"
The air in the office instantly froze, and even the rustling of leaves blown by the wind outside could be heard clearly.
"I haven't discovered anything concrete, it's just a feeling." Arata calmly looked away and gently ran his fingertips along the windowsill, as if wiping away nonexistent dust.
"Strange deaths in Rukongai, the sudden appearance of a kendō tournament, and noble espionage from the shadows… When you put it all together, I get the feeling like some invisible net is tightening."
As he spoke, he pulled from his robes a spiritual pressure recorder, borrowed from the Department of Technological Development. The old man's sharp eyes reflected off the metallic surface.
"If you allow it, Captain, I would like the Department of Technological Development to pre-install a few of these 'little devils' around the tournament venue."
"This is Captain Kurotsuchi's latest device for recording spiritual pressure. It can instantly detect and record any abnormal spiritual fluctuation within a three-kilometer radius."
Yamamoto Genryūsai suddenly let out a soft laugh, and in the wrinkles of his face shone a discerning light, as if he saw through everything.
"Arata, it seems you've learned quite a lot from Captain Unohana." He stood up, leaning on his cane, the hem of his haori rustling against the hardwood floor.
"Go ahead. If you run into any problems, come directly to me."
As he turned, the symbol "一" on the back of his captain's haori shone in the sunlight.
…
Although it was already lunchtime, the dōjō of the Shinō Spiritual Academy was still buzzing with people.
Hundreds of students were crowded in front of the bulletin board, checking the newly announced kendō tournament rules. Tōshirō, with his somewhat "unfavorable" height, had to stand on tiptoes while pointing at the new items, and his emerald pupils narrowed slightly.
"Do you see, Tōshirō? The top three in the school group will advance to the official group!" Kusaka grabbed his friend by the shoulders and gave him a good shake. "Then we'll get the chance to fight the elites of the Gotei 13!"
At that moment, a familiar, quiet laugh was heard from behind the crowd.
"Assuming you even make it into the top three of the school group."
All the students turned around at once and saw Arata leaning casually against a pillar, holding a class schedule under his arm. Sunlight bathed his short purple strands, giving them a golden glow.
With the tip of his finger, he gently tapped the shallow part of Kusaka's waist: "Especially you, Kusaki. I heard that during today's Kidō class, you accidentally froze the training dummy into an ice sculpture, and Teacher Aizen called you out in front of everyone…"
The tips of Kusaka's ears instantly turned red, and Tōshirō was trembling with effort trying not to laugh.
"Saito-sensei…" Kusaka's fingers unconsciously brushed the hilt of his Asauchi sword, and his voice was so soft it was barely audible. "How did you…"
Arata raised his hand to interrupt his question, his expression softening slightly. "We all have our ways of gathering information, just like you never tell anyone how late you secretly train every night."
Then he sighed quietly to himself. He hadn't expected Kusaka's Zanpakutō to already be on the verge of awakening. He would have to keep a closer eye on him in the coming days.
Those words made Kusaka freeze, and his light brown pupils suddenly shrank.
He really did secretly train with his sword until three in the morning every night, but not even Tōshirō knew about that habit.
"Don't worry." Arata gently patted his shoulder, and his spiritual pressure silently formed a small soundproof barrier.
"I just want to tell you, if it ever happens that your Asauchi 'gets out of control,' you can always come to me first."
————————
Support me on patreon.com/_BlackRose
Read 30+ advanced chapters
Every 20/50/100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter.