Reactions within Seireitei were divided.
Some Shinigami believed Nel and the others were a potential threat to Soul Society—if they weren't strictly supervised, serious losses would be inevitable.
Others felt there was no need to worry. Third Division Captain Kyōraku Shimo had already proven his strength again and again. Even a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow would pose no threat in front of him.
There were also those who saw it as a promising beginning—Hollows joining the Gotei 13 meant breaking a taboo that had stood for thousands of years. The ones most firmly holding that view were, unsurprisingly, the Shiba Clan—once one of the Four Great Noble Houses.
...
Third Division — Captain's Quarters
Nel had returned to her full form. Sitting on the tatami with her legs folded beneath her, she stared straight ahead at the person across from her.
Opposite her sat someone whose figure couldn't be hidden even by a loose black shihakushō.
Kūkaku Shiba had thoroughly integrated into life within the Gotei 13.
And the moment Shimo became Captain of Third Division, she immediately filed a transfer request with Unohana Retsu.
Unohana didn't seem to approve it.
But she did grant Kūkaku significant authority within Fourth Division, promoting her to Third Seat.
After a moment of staring, Kūkaku suddenly reached out with both hands and started pinching and kneading Nel's cheeks.
"Mmm—mmph!"
Nel let out a confused, muffled sound, but didn't seem displeased.
Considering that as Nel's spiritual pressure fully recovered, she'd likely spend more time in this form from now on, Shimo had temporarily lent her his shihakushō and captain's haori.
Fortunately, he was tall and broad-shouldered.
Otherwise, with Nel's current build, she might not have been able to wear them at all.
"So this is what a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow looks like?" Kūkaku asked, brimming with curiosity as she finally stopped manhandling Nel's face.
"Nel is definitely Vasto Lorde-class," Shimo replied, half-lidded. "But don't let how harmless she looks fool you into thinking she's weak."
He added flatly, "No exaggeration—if Kaien went all out, he probably still couldn't survive a full combo from Nel."
Kūkaku's eyes widened. "That strong?!"
And with that, she went right back to kneading Nel's cheeks again—her curiosity on full display.
Smack!
Nel slapped Kūkaku's hand away and huffed.
"Hmph! I'm really strong!"
Then she wrapped her arms around Shimo and rubbed against him, clinging with obvious affection.
Kūkaku's chest tightened with a thick, uneasy feeling.
Why do I feel like my competition isn't even losing to a Hollow…?
She looked Nel over again.
Waist-length emerald hair. A beautiful face marked with pale violet Arrancar lines. Her broken mask perched atop her head. And below that… a figure that was impossible to ignore.
Nel wearing Shimo's black shihakushō along with his captain's haori only added to her air of authority.
That "presence" vanished the instant she was in front of Shimo, of course.
But no matter how Kūkaku tried to deny it—Nel wasn't inferior to her in appearance.
A danger-sense rose in Kūkaku's heart.
The infamous sixth sense of women.
Shimo didn't seem to notice what Kūkaku was thinking. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't care. Kūkaku was smart—she wasn't the type to exclude Nel.
Bang!
Just then, Yoruichi Shihōin walked in carrying a thick stack of documents.
"Here, Shimo." She dropped them down. "Today's paperwork is all processed. Sign here."
Ever since Yoruichi joined Third Division, Izuru Kira had stepped back to Third Seat, giving up the lieutenant position to her.
To Shimo's delight, Yoruichi wasn't the laid-back type.
Her administrative ability was honestly better than Kira's.
After a brief adjustment period, Yoruichi cleared all of Third Division's backlog in less than a day.
Shimo flipped the documents open, didn't read a single line, and signed with big sweeping strokes.
With his "work competence," understanding any of this would be an ordeal.
If he had time to spare, he'd rather train his swordsmanship.
Truthfully, if Kyōraku Shunsui hadn't come to pester him repeatedly, Shimo never would've accepted a captain's seat.
Staying in Fourth Division and living quietly as an unambitious gentlemen wasn't so bad.
"Oh, right," Yoruichi added, resting a finger against her chin as she thought. "There's also a captains' meeting today."
Shimo blinked. "Didn't we just have one a few days ago? Isn't that way too frequent?"
Yoruichi sighed. "After that battle—three captains defected, the entire Central 46 was wiped out, and it even dragged up a case from a hundred years ago."
"That's not something one meeting can solve."
Shimo couldn't help but feel speechless.
The Gotei 13 had plenty of strengths—efficiency wasn't one of them.
The other squads were manageable. First Division, though? They constantly did things that normal people couldn't understand.
They could have acted on direct orders, yet Yamamoto insisted they needed Central 46's approval to move forward.
Those stubborn, rigid rules had caused disasters more times than anyone wanted to count.
Now that a new Central 46 had taken office, another captains' meeting was inevitable.
Shimo rubbed his brow.
"Fine. I'll go."
...
First Division— Conference Room
Aside from Fifth Division and Seventh Division, the remaining captains were already present.
It was obvious Yamamoto Genryūsai was taking the newly appointed Central 46 seriously.
"Cough, cough—congratulations, Captain Shimo."
Jūshirō Ukitake—rarely seen at captains' meetings—was here, and he took the initiative to speak with Shimo.
"It's surprising… and wonderful. I didn't expect you to become a captain so quickly."
Ukitake hadn't attended Shimo's inauguration due to his health.
Seeing Shimo again now, he was already a captain.
Shimo smiled politely.
"It's thanks to the captains' approval."
The moment he said it, Kyōraku Shunsui shot him a look.
In Shunsui's memory, Shimo being able to say something that thick-skinned and humble at the same time was… rare.
Soon, all the captains had arrived.
Yamamoto sat at the center, both hands resting on his cane—the one that sealed Ryūjin Jakka—his gaze sweeping over everyone.
Thud!
Silence fell instantly.
"Then this captains' meeting officially begins."
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed as he spoke.
"This meeting concerns the new Central 46's directives—and developments in the World of the Living."
Shimo's brows knit slightly. He hadn't expected that.
What happened in the Human World now? Seriously?
Ignoring the shifting expressions, Yamamoto continued.
"Central 46 views the traitor Sōsuke Aizen as an extreme threat."
"As such, they have expanded the authority of the Gotei 13 and ordered the reinforcement of the Underground Assembly Hall's defenses."
"When necessary, it may be sealed by forbidden Kidō."
He paused briefly, watching everyone's reactions.
"From today onward, your authority has increased."
"But so has the responsibility you bear."
"As for the forbidden Kidō, it will be handled by the Great Kidō Chief and Third Division Captain Kyōraku Shimo."
Shimo's face showed genuine surprise.
"This involves me too?"
Byakuya Kuchiki spoke evenly at his side.
"Who do you think demonstrated a chantless Hadō #99?"
His "friend" seemed to be in a good mood—there was a faint, almost smug undertone.
Byakuya knew Shimo well. He hated work that offered zero benefit.
Shimo sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll go down to the Underground Assembly Hall when the time comes."
[New Check-In Task Issued. Please check in at the Underground Assembly Hall.]
[Quest Reward: Forbidden Kidō!]
What surprised Shimo was that the moment he accepted the order, a new check-in quest triggered immediately.
The requirement was ridiculously simple—no extra conditions at all. Just reach the Underground Assembly Hall.
"Forbidden Kidō…" Shimo's eyes shifted as thoughts raced.
He knew forbidden Kidō well.
As far as he understood, there were only two.
One: Time Stop.
Two: Space-Time Transference.
The former resembled his Zanpakutō release in some ways, but came with numerous restrictions.
The previous Great Kidō Chief, Tessai Tsukabishi, had used both forbidden arts consecutively in order to save the Visored while they were in a Hollowfied state.
And he'd been forced to maintain the Kidō continuously the entire time.
Under the Seireitei regulations set by the former Central 46, these were classified as forbidden because Time Stop and Space-Time Transference could disrupt the flow of time and the stability of space within Seireitei.
Meanwhile, what Shimo had shown to Seireitei so far was only spatial stagnation—a conventional space-type Zanpakutō ability.
So Central 46 hadn't pursued him.
As for whether his spatial severance violated Seireitei's spatial order… Shimo didn't know.
Either way, the previous Central 46 was already dead.
The new batch would likely revise the rules one way or another.
The fact that forbidden Kidō could now be used to defend the Underground Assembly Hall made that much clear.
Yamamoto nodded and continued.
"Next is the other matter discussed in this captains' meeting."
"Compared to Central 46's reforms, this matter is far more important."
Everyone straightened, attention sharpened.
Yamamoto cleared his throat, his brows twitching slightly.
"Several hundred years ago, there was once a genius Shinigami in Soul Society—one I had placed great expectations upon."
"His talent was not inferior to Shunsui or Ukitake. I once intended to take him as my student."
As he spoke, Yamamoto cast a strangely pointed glance at Shimo.
Shimo met his gaze and immediately felt wary.
What's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you're thinking of taking me as a student too.
The look vanished in an instant. Yamamoto shook his head with faint disappointment and continued.
"That genius later became the son-in-law of the Kuchiki Clan."
—
Hold on. Explain that disappointed expression. What exactly was that about?
Shimo remained expressionless.
By now, he'd already guessed the shape of the incident.
He looked toward Byakuya—still as icy and unreadable as ever—trying to catch even the slightest shift.
The "genius" Yamamoto meant was clearly Kōga Kuchiki.
"At the time, due to unfair treatment, that genius committed a grave crime in a moment of impulsiveness."
"Thus, I and the former head of the Kuchiki Clan, Ginrei Kuchiki, sealed him within Karakura Town—a spiritually dense land."
"But two days ago, the seal was broken, and Kōga Kuchiki escaped."
The moment those words fell, the captains' gazes all turned toward Shimo—who sat there looking entirely relaxed.
The timing was simply too coincidental.
Two days ago, Shimo had returned from the Human World, brought back three Arrancar, and absorbed them into Third Division.
That information had already swept through Seireitei.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi let out a bizarre laugh, his expression twisting with manic delight.
"It's obvious. A seal placed jointly by Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the former head of the Kuchiki Clan—"
"There's no way Kōga Kuchiki could have broken it on his own."
"Someone else must have helped him!"
The moment he said it, every spear of suspicion pointed squarely at Shimo.
Shimo's eyes remained calm, his expression barely changing.
After a long pause, Yamamoto's voice sank.
"Third Division Captain Kyōraku Shimo—do you have anything you wish to say?"
-----------------------------///
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