In Squad 9, Hisagi Shūhei had a headache.
His captain, Tōsen Kaname, had gone with Squad 3's captain, Ichimaru Gin, to deal with the Ryoka. There was no one left to offer him guidance.
A hundred years ago, Tōsen had introduced modern printing technology to Soul Society. As a result, the Seireitei Communication newspaper was established.
Logically, this task should have belonged to Squad 8, the intelligence division. Their information network was the most extensive—many rumors unknown to ordinary people were well within their grasp.
However, Squad 8's captain, Kyōraku Shunsui, refused on the grounds of information confidentiality and excessive workload.
But the work still had to be done.
After some consideration among the Gotei 13, the responsibility for the Seireitei Communication ultimately fell to Squad 9—on the basis that the printing technology had been brought back by Tōsen.
Thus, the newspaper had always been managed by Tōsen Kaname, who served as editor-in-chief.
For some reason, however, over the past two days, Tōsen had suddenly handed the responsibility over to Shūhei.
He told him that during the Ryoka invasion, he would be extremely busy, so Shūhei needed to shoulder more responsibility. In the future, the Seireitei Communication would be entrusted to him.
Shūhei was troubled.
Previously, all he had to do was gather rumors and reports from around the Seireitei and submit them to Tōsen. Now that he had to write and edit the publication himself, he had no idea where to begin.
After much contemplation, he concluded that the Seireitei Communication should report on recent events within the Seireitei.
In that case—the Ryoka invasion was the perfect topic.
According to rumors, these Ryoka were extremely powerful. There were even Hollows among them. Even someone as strong as Captain Tōsen had been defeated in a single exchange.
Because of that defeat, Tōsen and Ichimaru Gin had to cooperate in handling the incident.
It could be said that the Ryoka invasion was a major event that shook the entire Seireitei.
Even if it wasn't reported, it would inevitably become a hot topic among the Shinigami afterward.
However, as soon as Shūhei began, he ran into a problem.
From start to finish, he had only seen two of the Ryoka.
One was the unconscious Chad (Sado Yasutora).
The other was the imposing Sawada Tsunayoshi.
On his desk lay two sketches—one of the unconscious Chad, and one of Tsunayoshi standing tall above others.
Fortunately, Shūhei was skilled at sketching, allowing him to accurately capture their likenesses.
At this point, he should have begun writing the article and laying out the page with these illustrations—thus completing the first issue of the Seireitei Communication.
But he hesitated.
He had only seen the results of the battles—not the process.
Was he supposed to report that his captain had been instantly defeated and warn everyone to stay safe?
That would be meaningless.
Squad 1 had already issued orders that only captains and lieutenants working together should engage the Ryoka.
Publishing something like that would only disgrace Squad 9 and damage morale across the Seireitei.
What Shūhei really wanted was to interview the Ryoka themselves.
That brown-haired boy with the spiky hair didn't seem like a bad person. He had only injured the captain, not tried to kill anyone.
Shūhei stretched and sighed, shaking his head.
This issue would have to wait until the incident was over.
At that point, he could interview the captains who fought them and gather proper information.
He had also heard that the Ryoka had come for Rukia. Accordingly, his squad had strengthened security at the Tower of Repentance overnight.
Tomorrow would be the execution.
Everything should come to an end then.
Glancing at the sunlight, Shūhei decided that since he couldn't proceed with the newspaper, he might as well go help at the Tower of Repentance.
Those were his comrades, after all.
However, the moment he stepped outside, he heard a noisy voice above him—one that even mentioned a familiar name.
"Kensei, Kensei! Why are we coming back to Squad 9? This is so boring!"
It was clearly a girl's voice, full of playful complaint.
Looking up, Shūhei saw a man and a woman casually sitting on the roof of the squad barracks.
The girl was petite and lively.
The man was muscular—
And that silhouette overlapped perfectly with a figure from Shūhei's memories.
"…Muguruma… Kensei… taichō?"
A tear slid unconsciously down his face.
Before becoming a Shinigami, Shūhei had dreamed countless times of serving under Kensei.
Because it was Kensei who had saved his life at his lowest point.
From that day on, Shūhei had decided that Kensei would be the person he followed for the rest of his life.
He had even carved the number 69 onto his face as a symbol of that admiration.
Unfortunately, his talent had been average. He failed the entrance exam to the Shin'ō Academy twice.
By the time he finally graduated and joined the Squad 9 he had longed for—
Kensei was already gone.
After the Hollowfication incident, he had defected from Soul Society.
No matter how much Shūhei imagined it, he never thought he would see Kensei again here.
Compared to Shūhei's joy, Mashiro Kuna had a very different reaction.
She quickly hid behind Kensei, peeking out nervously.
"Kensei, this is your fault! Of course we'd be spotted sitting on the roof!"
Kensei scratched his head in frustration.
Unlike Hirako, he wasn't the scheming type who would install hidden rooms in his quarters.
There was absolutely nothing like that in Squad 9.
And right now, there weren't many places in the Seireitei they could go freely.
Coming back to Squad 9 had been his idea—he figured there wouldn't be many people around.
He just didn't expect to be discovered so quickly.
Just as Kensei was about to leave, the person below—apparently a lieutenant judging by the armband—not only recognized him but addressed him with respect.
Since he had already been called out, Kensei awkwardly replied:
"…Who are you?"
To his surprise, Shūhei bowed deeply.
"Captain Kensei, I didn't know you had returned. Please, come inside."
At that moment, Shūhei didn't care whether Kensei was a wanted man.
He only wanted to meet his idol.
Seeing such enthusiasm, Kensei couldn't refuse.
Under Shūhei's invitation, he brought Mashiro into the office.
The moment they entered, Mashiro let out a scream:
"Ahhh! What happened to my room?!"
As expected, this had once been her room.
Back then, it had been filled with cute decorations.
Now, it was completely minimalist—desk, filing cabinets, meeting table.
Everything from before was gone.
How could she not be upset?
After pouring tea for his idol, Shūhei awkwardly explained:
"I didn't throw anything away… I boxed it all up and stored it."
Hearing that, Mashiro immediately ran off to retrieve her belongings.
Shūhei was about to follow when Kensei stopped him.
"No need. She knows the way."
"Kensei… Muguruma…?" he corrected himself, then said, "Hisagi Shūhei, right?"
Kensei looked at him.
"You've worked hard all these years."
"It's nothing! It's what I should do. Thank you for saving me back then and leading me onto the path of a Shinigami!"
What Shūhei didn't realize was that Kensei was already speaking to him like a superior.
Only someone as straightforward as Shūhei wouldn't notice.
From Kensei's perspective, Tōsen had sided with Aizen and rebelled—a crime even more serious than what they had done back then.
Kensei himself might not be able to return to Squad 9.
But someone who openly rebelled before the Head Captain?
That person would definitely never return.
Looking at the "69" tattoo on Shūhei's face, Kensei finally remembered.
He had saved many people in Rukongai back then—he never expected one of them to carry that gratitude this far.
"I saw you looking troubled earlier. Anything I can help with? Consider it repayment for the tea."
Shūhei's eyes lit up.
"Yes! Absolutely! With your experience, you can definitely guide me!"
In his eyes, Kensei, as the former captain of Squad 9, must understand the squad's work better than anyone.
Hearing that Shūhei was preparing to write the Seireitei Communication, Kensei gave a wry smile.
"That kind of job… only a hot-blooded rookie like you would take it seriously."
From their brief interaction, Kensei could already tell—Shūhei was straightforward and didn't hide things.
If he were still captain, he would have gladly recruited someone like him.
"Please teach me," Shūhei said earnestly.
"These so-called real-time publications can easily offend people," Kensei said. "Can you write about the Seireitei's flaws? The Central 46 alone could crush you for that."
"But things don't always benefit the Seireitei."
"Take this Ryoka invasion—dragging it out only humiliates the Seireitei… and the Head Captain."
"So editing requires both flexibility and conviction. Your reporting must be truthful—but you also need to know what to include and what to leave out."
"Flexible… yet firm…" Shūhei muttered.
He didn't consider himself flexible.
Then perhaps Tōsen chose him for his conviction.
"I'll do my best—even if I can only complete one issue!"
Kensei smiled.
Squad 9 having a lieutenant like this wasn't bad—easily fired up with just a bit of encouragement.
"So, what do you want to report? Writing some light anecdotes shouldn't be hard."
Shūhei shook his head.
"If it bears the name 'Seireitei,' it should focus on major events. I want to report on the Ryoka invasion!"
His enthusiasm quickly faded.
"But I don't know what actually happened. I only saw captains being defeated… I can't even properly describe the threat. I'll have to wait until it's over and interview them one by one."
"The Ryoka, huh?"
"Yes… I've only drawn two of them."
He handed over the sketches.
Kensei took one look—and instantly recognized them.
"Tsunayoshi… Chad?"
He wasn't surprised to see his friends—but rather impressed by Shūhei's drawing skill.
"You know them? Then can I interview—"
Shūhei suddenly froze.
If Kensei knew the Ryoka, there was only one possibility.
"…Captain Kensei… are you also one of the Ryoka?"
"…Strictly speaking, yes," Kensei admitted after a pause.
Though they hadn't caused destruction, they had still entered the Seireitei alongside Tsunayoshi's group.
Shūhei clenched his fists, suppressing his anger.
He never expected the man he admired to become someone who sided with intruders.
"Captain Kensei… please take your companion and leave. I'll pretend I didn't see you."
His gaze was conflicted—admiration and duty intertwined.
"Otherwise… when Captain Tōsen returns, you won't be so lucky."
In Shūhei's mind, Tōsen's Bankai was invincible in one-on-one combat.
What happened with Tsunayoshi—that had to be an exception.
Kensei watched him quietly, then sighed and set down his teacup.
"Shūhei… do you know?"
"Your captain, Tōsen Kaname… will never return to Squad 9."
Shūhei froze.
What did that mean?
Was Captain Tōsen being promoted to the Royal Guard?
Why hadn't he heard anything?
Seeing his confusion, Kensei couldn't bring himself to lie.
He spoke slowly:
"Tōsen Kaname… has betrayed Soul Society."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789