Chapter 153: The Bathing Big Three Reunite
The Gotei 13, now wearing a completely new face, would undoubtedly stir up intense discussion throughout the Seireitei once the roster leaked.
In contrast, Suì Fēng was currently asking someone about the newly appointed members with great curiosity.
"How exactly did you convince Yoruichi to return to the division?"
Shimiya Takeru did not even lift his head from the documents he was reviewing as he replied, "The Seireitei has a hundred things waiting to be done, and we urgently need the help of capable people."
"Huh?"
"Saying that outright would obviously just be dismissed as empty talk, so I took coercive measures, exactly as I said I would."
He signed the last line on a document and continued in the same calm tone.
"Either she comes back as my adjutant, becomes the Captain of the Second Division, or she gets banned from residing in the Soul Society. In any case, I cannot allow someone of considerable strength to casually wander around the Seireitei, otherwise the people who actually work hard would naturally feel a sense of imbalance."
"That's exactly how it should be!"
Recalling Yoruichi's sour expression during the meeting, Suì Fēng instantly felt much better.
"She ran off without a word back then, abandoning both the Second Division and the Onmitsukidō. Now it's only right that she honestly pays back that karmic debt!"
"That said, you still have to concurrently serve as the Commander in Chief of the Onmitsukidō."
Shimiya finally finished signing the document and took a moment to command the Hell Butterfly perched on the desk to pass along an order.
The spacious and spotless office was large enough to be used as a dojo, yet there was only a single desk placed before a wall decorated with an immense calligraphy work. On either side of the desk stood golden lotus torches, making the place bright enough even at night.
The overall layout of the office had not changed much since Yamamoto Genryūsai had moved his workplace to the Spirit Arts Academy.
A pure white creature two or three meters long, something that looked more like a bird than a dragon, lay lazily coiled across the open corridor. When the Hell Butterfly flew above its head, it opened one eye, gave it a glance, then shut it again.
The corridor, built atop the elevated complex, seemed to have become its nest. Whenever it had nothing to do, it would lie there, basking in the sun when the sky was clear or enjoying the wind when it was not.
Even if it rained or snowed, the eaves above the corridor were not there just for decoration.
Suì Fēng curled her lip.
"I really don't understand what goes on in that woman's head."
"You should know that the Onmitsukidō has always been under the control of the Shihōin Clan. Whenever a member of their family became a Captain in the Gotei 13, the previously independent Onmitsukidō would naturally become extremely close to that division."
"Nowadays, in the eyes of most people, the Second Division is practically synonymous with the Onmitsukidō. In the end, Yoruichi was the one who started that trend."
"Later, she left. I became the Commander in Chief, then eventually succeeded as Captain of the Second Division, and that only pushed the situation even further beyond recovery."
"If we tried to split the Onmitsukidō and the Second Division apart now, both departments would immediately fall into chaos. So the best option is still to leave them under one person."
"And since Yoruichi is also a former Commander in Chief and a direct member of the Shihōin Clan, she is much more legitimate than I am. She could have smoothly taken over after I stepped down."
"But she refused that and only accepted the position of Captain of the Second Division. Once she did that, the whole situation became backwards. Instead, I ended up looking like the direct descendant of the Shihōin Clan, while she looked like the outsider."
"But that's not the heart of the issue. The real issue is that the Onmitsukidō and the Second Division now have personnel that overlap to an extreme degree. Having two supreme commanders over that isn't a good thing."
"Even if Yoruichi is cynical and has been wandering around outside for a hundred years, her political sense shouldn't have deteriorated this badly, should it?"
After listening to her criticize Yoruichi for quite a while, Shimiya finally revealed the truth.
"You're overthinking it. Yoruichi simply doesn't want to worry about that much anymore. I made an agreement with her. She'll supervise Yūshirō's growth for the next ten years until he becomes a Shinigami capable of carrying the responsibility. At that point, the authority of the Onmitsukidō and the Second Division will both be handed over to Yūshirō."
"In the meantime, whether it's you or her, you're both only temporarily acting in those positions. Since that's the case, there is no need to pile even more burdens on her. Better to give her a little more time so she can balance division work with training her younger brother."
"If that's the case, then it makes sense."
Suì Fēng finally understood.
"Forget about her for now. How are you adjusting to the new position? Being the First Division's adjutant isn't easy, is it?"
Shimiya asked, clearly teasing her.
"It's nothing difficult. There are a few people who aren't very obedient, but that's not a big issue. Even without relying on the Onmitsukidō, I have more than enough methods to solve those problems without wasting your precious time."
Suì Fēng sounded indifferent, but a dangerous glint flickered in her eyes.
Shimiya had absolute trust in her abilities.
After all, once one stands in a sufficiently high position, especially at the very top, the good and the bad below are both impossible to hide.
It was entirely possible for him to personally cut away every tumor and reform the atmosphere himself. But if there was already a professional willing to handle that, then why not leave it to them?
Suì Fēng was precisely that professional.
She had only taken office for a few days, and already quite a few people had been investigated, had evidence of their crimes collected, and were sent straight to the Underground Great Prison. The most those prisoners had to do was take a few extra steps.
People on the level of those who once framed Kōga posed no threat whatsoever to Suì Fēng.
To put it bluntly, compared to a Lieutenant, she looked more like a discipline officer cleaning up a bunch of delinquent students.
The intensity of it all was about on the same level as a schoolyard dispute.
In the eyes of many, it was not even dark or tragic.
This sort of governing method, so precise it could be compared to laser microsurgery, not only failed to hinder the First Division's daily operations, but actually cleaned up the atmosphere and improved efficiency after those troublesome people were removed.
It had genuinely saved Shimiya a great deal of worry.
"Even so, since dozens of people were removed this time, we still have to replenish our manpower quickly. The new batch of students will graduate in April. Go there yourself and select some energetic, practical, capable youngsters to recruit."
Shimiya gave the instruction.
"Alright... Speaking of Seated Officers, does the Captain Commander have any plans? Lord Genryūsai, Mr. Tsubakabe, and Mr. Okiga all retired, so the vacant officer positions can't just be ignored. I really don't feel comfortable entrusting certain duties to some of those mediocre current officers. I'd rather have someone like Hinamori come over and serve as Third Seat."
"You might as well just say you want the Tiger of Documents to come help you. Unfortunately, I can't grant that request."
Ever since Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname defected, the once stagnant Soul Society had been dragged into one upheaval after another. The overall environment had not necessarily been bad before, but inside the Gotei 13, even the relationships between Captains and Lieutenants had remained rather plain.
But after Shimiya and Ichigo arrived, old hidden dangers began erupting one after another. Fighting through life and death again and again naturally brought people closer, and everyone's understanding of one another was refreshed.
Almost everyone had grown in the fire of hardship, and from time to time, they had shown brilliance as their talents and abilities were fully drawn out.
As a Kido specialist, Hinamori Momo was a well rounded talent. She was also a member of the Female Shinigami Association. It was only natural that Suì Fēng had her eye on her.
But if Hinamori were transferred to the First Division as Third Seat, that meant he would owe Aizen a favor.
And that was no trivial matter.
Besides, things had not yet reached that point.
"Let me think..."
Shimiya tapped rhythmically on the desk with his fingers, the crisp sound filling the room.
The first people he thought of were the ones he had gathered during the Seireitei defense battle.
"Mochizuki and Amagai are already in the Ninth and Third Divisions."
"Mebari has already left the Seireitei, and Kōga, as a convict, cannot hold an important post."
"Ashido also wants to join the expeditionary force to protect peace in the outer regions."
"Yushima, Kagerōza, and Nozomi all already have their own duties."
"Senior Kishinoshin is an option, but he has already retired. Unless absolutely necessary, it's better not to trouble him."
"As for the others..."
Ichinose Maki, who had come uninvited back then, had long since been erased from the records, and he himself had no intention of remaining in the Seireitei as a Shinigami.
Not to mention Kūkaku and Tsukabishi Tessai.
Each of them had their own complications.
"Yūshirō could work."
"That kid?"
Suì Fēng wrinkled her nose, clearly not very enthusiastic.
"Yūshirō is already in his sixth year. In another few months, he'll graduate and join a division."
Shimiya spoke casually.
"And for him, this is also a form of training. Yoruichi would probably be glad to see it. If you think he isn't sharp enough, then the only option left is reemploying Senior Kishinoshin."
"...Why are all of your candidates connected to the Second Division? Are there really no one else?"
"Probably because I'm so familiar with you people that they're the first ones I think of."
"...Fine. Yoruichi's younger brother it is. His strength is fine, and he's obedient enough. He'll be good enough to help me. In ten years, we can replace him with someone smarter and more capable."
Shimiya had no idea which part of that actually persuaded her, but Suì Fēng finally turned her face away and agreed.
Although a Captain had the authority to decide internal postings within their division, by convention, the Third Seat was also the Lieutenant's assistant. No matter how mature or immature the person was, Suì Fēng would have to manage them, so it was best if she approved.
As long as Suì Fēng's work in the First Division went smoothly, then Shimiya, as the Captain of the First Division, would not have to personally handle everything and could preserve more energy to carry out the duties of the Captain Commander.
"By the way... have all the Tsunayashiro people been expelled yet?"
Shimiya suddenly changed the subject.
"The expulsion is complete."
Suì Fēng's expression also turned more serious.
"Under the supervision of the Onmitsukidō, they carried no property with them and were only allowed to keep basic clothing and food as they relocated to the First District of West Rukongai."
"Junrinan? They actually chose Kūkaku's territory... Do they want to pull the Shiba Clan, who are in a similar situation but much closer to the Seireitei, over to their side for shelter, then gather strength and look for a chance to return to the Seireitei?"
A strange light flashed in Shimiya's eyes.
In truth, that was exactly what the Tsunayashiro Clan had in mind.
Now that they had neither money nor power, what could they even do after leaving the Seireitei?
What was ironic was that at first, quite a few of the branch families had been thrilled at the disaster that struck the main house. They had wanted to use the incident as a stepping stone to rise and become the new main family themselves.
They had not cared in the slightest about the sole surviving daughter of the main family. Some of them had even hoped to eliminate that eyesore.
But now that they had lost everything, there was no point in fighting over it.
Instead, precisely to avoid internal strife, the overwhelming majority of branch family members had become eager to place that lone surviving young girl of the main house on the seat of Clan Head.
Then they would use the Tsunayashiro name to seek an alliance with the Shiba Clan.
And they had to succeed as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, even basic survival would become a problem.
Rukongai did not have the luxury of handing out resources for free.
If they wanted to survive, they had to rely on themselves.
But saying that was easy.
Actually doing it was another matter entirely.
Kūkaku was no pushover.
The chance of her truly accepting them was almost nonexistent.
At the same time, she would not necessarily slam the door shut and sever everything outright either.
After all... there were also Shinigami born from the Tsunayashiro Clan who had now been expelled as well.
And they did still possess a certain level of combat strength.
Kūkaku would certainly not allow such a group to stir up trouble on her turf.
Even Shimiya could not clearly predict how things would ultimately develop.
But one thing was certain.
The fall of the Tsunayashiro Clan was inevitable.
Even one of the Five Great Noble Clans, with a history stretching back a million years, with naturally extraordinary spiritual power, and with the potential to produce a Captain level Shinigami in nearly every generation, still depended on one condition above all else.
That they were allowed to enter the Gotei 13.
The great crime of the Tsunayashiro Clan had led to an especially severe hidden punishment.
Unlike the Shiba Clan, after their expulsion, they were not only barred from ever returning to the Seireitei, but their descendants were also forbidden from entering the Spirit Arts Academy to become Shinigami or obtaining any work at all inside the Seireitei.
That had been the judgment personally issued by Yamamoto Genryūsai before he retired.
Shimiya had no intention of overturning it.
And yet the Tsunayashiro themselves were still clinging to the foolish fantasy that one day they might "clear their name"...
As evening approached, inside the large public bathhouse of Shino Ward...
"Haa... bathing in winter really is the best."
It was the same large bath at the top of the slope. And once again, it was the same three people.
It almost felt as if nothing had changed.
The moment they soaked themselves into the hot water, they all seemed to melt, and relaxed smiles spread across their faces.
Ignoring Ichigo, who was sprawled along the rocky edge of the opposite side of the pool, sighing his feelings aloud, Shimiya, with a towel draped across his head, turned to Aizen beside him.
"I didn't expect Teacher would invite us here to bathe as soon as the public bathhouse reopened."
"It was mainly because Hinamori mentioned that the bathhouse had reopened, so I extended the invitation. I also didn't expect both of you to agree."
Aizen smiled.
As before, he was not wearing glasses in the bathhouse. The nourishment from the hot spring made him look even younger than usual, almost the same age as the two disciples beside him.
"If it had been literally anything else, I probably wouldn't have had time. But bathing is different. If I don't relax soon, my nerves are going to snap."
Ichigo rolled over and let out a weak groan.
"I thought things would finally return to normal after we rescued the Captain Commander, but it's exactly the same as last time. No, it's even worse than when we rescued Rukia. The post war reconstruction work got piled on top of all the normal duties... I don't even have a spare moment left for training."
"Shimiya, can't you do something about it as Captain Commander?"
"You just said it yourself. I'm the Captain Commander. If even I have to depend on my subordinates to lighten my own burden, then how exactly am I supposed to lighten yours?"
Shimiya's righteous response made Ichigo's mouth twitch.
"You bastard..."
"Once this period passes and the various reconstruction projects are all on track, division work won't be this heavy anymore. By then, it will be enough to simply assign someone to supervise. If you encounter any problems in the meantime, you can come to me, or to Captain Ukitake."
Aizen gently soothed him.
"I was only joking with Shimiya. It hasn't gotten to the point where I absolutely need help."
Ichigo looked slightly embarrassed, but then his expression hardened with resolve.
"No matter what, I am already a Captain. The moment I took the position, I was prepared to bear the responsibilities that came with it. No matter how exhausting or difficult it gets, I'll grit my teeth and push through it. I absolutely won't drag anyone else down."
Hearing those words, Aizen lowered his eyes and looked at the three reflections wavering on the surface of the water. Their faces were no longer as young as they once had been.
"You really have changed a lot."
"I still remember when the three of us first came here. Back then, you were both just students who had only recently entered the Academy."
"And now, in the blink of an eye, Ichigo has become one of the rare Captains of the Thirteenth Division to appear in a thousand years."
"As for Takeru, there is no longer any need to even mention it."
"To be honest, a year ago, no one believed there would ever be anyone capable of replacing the living Captain Commander Yamamoto. He simply was the Captain Commander. Always had been. So it was impossible to imagine a day when he would personally hand over an appointment letter and formally pass the position on in such a normal way."
"But now, in everyone's minds, you have already become the second true Captain Commander, not merely some simple successor. That fact alone is precious beyond words."
"The dream you once spoke of here has now been half fulfilled, perhaps? As your teacher, I am truly proud of what you have achieved."
"Taking you two as my disciples was probably the most correct decision I have made in my entire life."
Aizen's nostalgic words made Shimiya and Ichigo both think back to everything that had happened before.
"So it really has almost been a year..."
Ichigo looked up at the crimson tinged sky above the Seireitei.
"Maybe it's because we've gone through too much, but it feels more like ten years have already passed..."
"Or maybe it's just because we almost never properly celebrate holidays, so we don't feel the passing of time that clearly."
Shimiya murmured.
That statement resonated strongly with both Aizen and Ichigo.
"Yes. I had promised Hinamori that we'd celebrate Captain Hitsugaya's birthday, but that was in late December, right when we were preparing for the expedition..."
"Ahhh, don't even bring up birthdays. We were literally still fighting during New Year's. Then after that battle ended, things have been like this all the way until now..."
"Next year."
Shimiya sat in exactly the same place as last time, looking out at the same view of the Seireitei from the same vantage point.
"For next New Year... let's make sure we all celebrate it properly."
"...It's only January. There are still plenty of holidays left in the year. Don't skip every single one of them. I don't want to spend the entire year being busy."
"Don't worry. I won't forget your birthday."
"Who said anything about celebrating birthdays? Also, counting the year I spent inside the hyperbolic time chamber, I haven't celebrated one in two years. Besides, what about your birthday? And Teacher's? Speaking of which... what are the dates, anyway?"
Faced with Ichigo's curiosity, Aizen answered without hesitation.
"Mine is May twenty ninth... What about you, Takeru?"
"February seventeenth."
"...Isn't that exactly one month from now? By then, everything should be back on track. I'll gather Hachihara and the others, and we'll celebrate then."
"I don't mind... Speaking of Hachihara and Rindo, they said they plan to graduate early."
"Really? With their ability, I don't think that's a problem. They're already much stronger than most Shinigami."
"But now that the Captain Commander has retired and become the Headmaster of the Spirit Arts Academy, why rush to graduate at all? They should just stay and get drilled thoroughly."
Shimiya shook his head.
"..."
Ichigo could not help showing a sympathetic look.
Although he and Shimiya had been fired up when they were personally trained by the Captain Commander in the First Division, to the point that they worried the training volume still wasn't enough, it was undeniably brutal.
Especially the field duty assignments, which were designed to temper their ability to handle affairs.
With Hachihara and Rindo Yu's talent already impossible to hide, they were guaranteed to become prime targets for Yamamoto Genryūsai, who was no doubt preparing to implement sweeping reforms at the Academy.
Other things aside, being personally guided by the former Captain Commander was definitely a good thing.
But if Yamamoto started applying the same level of "training" he once used on others to them, then the next few years of their life would probably be misery.
Therefore...
"I agree. Once they graduate, they can come help me. I can also look for other geniuses to recruit into Squad Thirteen."
"...Then let me congratulate you in advance on your good fortune."
At the same time, Hachihara, who was currently suffering through training inside the Spirit Arts Academy, suddenly sneezed twice.
"Damn it, who's talking about me behind my back... was it you, Rindo?!"
"..."
Rindo Yu remained silent and simply continued going through a basic sword drill.
The result was that only Hachihara got tapped on the head with a cane by Yamamoto Genryūsai, who was personally overseeing their training.
"Ouch!"
"Focus, brat! Don't think that just because you have some talent you can behave however you like. This level of talent is still far inferior to Shimiya Takeru and Kurosaki Ichigo. And you dare show obvious academic favoritism in front of me? Under my watch, no one is allowed to fail any subject. If anyone does, it'll stain the reputation of the 'Motoji Academy'!"
"..."
"Answer me!"
"Yes!"
Hachihara, trembling under the overwhelming pressure of the old man's aura, could only continue swinging her sword with tears in her eyes.
At this rate, if she followed his schedule, she probably would not be released until after eight at night.
If her physical strength was wrung dry all the way through, how was she supposed to enjoy herself afterward?
"Waa... Shimiya, Ichigo... hurry up and save me... when is my early graduation request finally getting approved?!"
.....
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