The speech from the 2nd Division briefly silenced the situation.
Several other captains who had originally intended to rejoin the bidding suddenly didn't know what to say.
When it came to money, who could even compare with the 2nd Division and the Ōmaeda family?
Oh, right.
The 6th Division.
But Kuchiki Ginrei would never stoop to something so cheap, not even for such an incredibly talented young man.
Besides, the 6th Division was different from the others.
After hundreds of years of changes, the 6th Division had practically become the private division of the Kuchiki family, and the position of captain was virtually passed down from generation to generation.
Since Byakuya Kuchiki was already there, the next captain of the 6th Division had long been decided.
Because of that, Arata held no crucial significance for the 6th Division. They couldn't just keep him as vice-captain for the rest of his life.
Even if the Kuchiki family were willing, others might not be.
Arata stood in the center, enduring the heated gazes from all directions. He said loudly: "Captain, I have a request that might not be welcomed."
"Speak."
"Can students register with all the Gotei 13 divisions at the same time?"
Arata's words were like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake.
Old man Yamamoto furrowed his brows but didn't immediately reject the idea.
The expressions of the other captains were quite interesting.
"Oh? Why do you have such an idea?" Yamamoto's voice revealed no emotion.
Arata raised his head, his gaze clear.
"Through this graduation exam, students have come to deeply understand one truth, as Shinigami, our abilities should not be limited to just one field."
He looked around, letting his eyes rest on the faces of each captain.
"The 2nd Division excels at high mobility, assassination, and infiltration; the 4th Division in healing the wounded; the 11th Division in pure combat…"
"When we look at the Gotei 13, each division has its own unique role and strengths. Students only want to learn from the strengths of all of them and improve in every aspect."
Those words cast the entire plaza into an eerie silence.
Even Captain Yamamoto, who was usually always calm and composed, slightly opened his eyes and gripped his wooden staff more tightly.
"Nonsense!" Captain Tōsen of the 9th Division was the first to object. "For over a thousand years, since the founding of the Gotei 13, there has never been such a ridiculous precedent!"
Zaraki Kenpachi didn't care, he just grinned.
Kyōraku Shunsui pulled his straw hat a bit lower to hide his playful smile. "Oh, this is truly… an unexpected choice."
Komamura Sajin snorted coldly. "Saito Arata, do you think the Gotei 13 is some kind of children's playground? A market where you can choose as you please?"
"Don't think that just because you have a little talent, you can talk arrogantly in front of the captain!"
Faced with the questions of several captains, Arata remained calm, neither arrogant nor humble.
His eyes stayed fixed on Yamamoto Genryūsai the whole time, awaiting the decision of the most influential person in Seireitei.
Captain Yamamoto was silent for a long time, and then a smile of approval suddenly appeared on his face.
"It's good for the young to have confidence, but Captain Tōsen is right. Since the founding of the Gotei 13 until today, there has never been such a precedent."
The old man lowered his gaze to the others and said: "Why don't we let the captains vote on this decision? What do you say?"
Kyōraku and Ukitake were a bit surprised; it had been a long time since they had seen the old man smile like that.
Zaraki Kenpachi was the first to raise his hand. "I've got no objections! As long as he comes regularly to the 11th Division to fight!"
He didn't care about rules and regulations.
As long as Arata could fight him, it didn't matter what division he formally belonged to.
Soi-Fong, who wanted to win Arata over, was the second to vote yes.
The position of captain of the 3rd Division was vacant.
Unohana Retsu thought for a long time, then finally agreed as well.
Her expectations for Arata weren't that he should join the 4th Division and only study Kaidō, as was customary, but similar to Zaraki Kenpachi, it was enough if he set aside some time every week to train with her.
Aizen smiled and raised his hand in agreement.
Kuchiki Ginrei remained neutral.
Komamura Sajin was openly against it.
After long deliberation, Kyōraku Shunsui also raised his hand in favor.
Because he understood that although the old man formally said they should vote, as long as they didn't reject it outright, it was essentially the same as approval.
He had no intention of going against the old man's will.
Tōsen Kaname originally wanted to oppose it, but as soon as he saw that Aizen had voted "yes", his desire to object suddenly weakened and in the end he abstained.
Shiba Isshin agreed wholeheartedly. Even if he lost the chance to raise a future goldmine… ahem, talented young man, he didn't want his relationship with Arata to become strained.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri raised both hands.
The last was Ukitake Jūshirō. Seeing how his brother had voted, he naturally understood what that meant. He too raised his hand in agreement.
The final vote result was more than clear, the number of "yes" votes far surpassed the "no" votes.
Seeing this, Captain Yamamoto no longer hesitated and solemnly declared:
"From tomorrow onward, Saito Arata, graduate of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy, is officially a member of the special operations unit of the Gotei 13, with the right to access and train in every division!"
…
After the division selection ceremony, Arata was immediately surrounded by a crowd of people.
The Shiba family was the first to break through.
Kūkaku slung an arm around his shoulder in a friendly way, as if they were old friends.
"Saito-kun, I didn't expect you'd have the guts to say something like that in front of the captain! We're throwing a party at our place tonight, you have to come!"
Arata felt a bit awkward due to Kūkaku's overly familiar behavior, and because of their positioning, his arm kept brushing and pressing against her softness.
At that moment, Ōmaeda suddenly appeared behind Arata, leaned in, and handed him a beautiful wooden box.
"Master Arata, this is a small gift from me, please accept it!"
Before Arata could reply and thank him, he already saw him fleeing.
He didn't know how Ōmaeda trained. With that shocking height and weight, he still managed to become vice-captain of the 2nd Division.
Arata hefted the wooden box in his hand and found it quite heavy.
When he shook it slightly, he heard the metallic sound of scraping and clinking inside.
Could it be… gold?
After accepting everyone's congratulations and invitations one by one, Arata finally managed to be alone in peace.
He returned alone to the Kendo Club and took the wooden box full of gold to the lounge.
On the way, he had already checked that the gold inside was worth at least 300 million ryō.
Hm, with that amount you could buy… let's say, two sets of tea wares.
Night had fallen.
Arata found a more casual outfit in the lounge and changed into it.
The Academy uniform he took off would be temporarily left in the Kendo Club.
After all, from today onward, he was no longer a student of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy.
Besides, tonight he was going to dinner at the Shiba residence, and it wouldn't be proper to show up in a school uniform.
Should I bring a gift?
Arata thought for a moment and finally chose two sets of tea wares, several tins of tea, and a few boxes of flower cakes.
Walking through the bustling and lively streets of Rukongai, he arrived in front of the Shiba family's villa.
Unlike the other four noble families who lived on Kizoku Street, the Shiba were the only great noble family that lived in Rukongai.
It was far from the central area, the surroundings quiet, but not at all desolate.
The house was lit up, and waves of delicious food smells mixed with loud laughter drifted outside.
"Hey, Arata! You came?"
———
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