Chapter 42: First Division's Tea Party
"Yawn…"
"Why have you been so out of it these past few days? You even have dark circles now. You are not secretly training at night again, are you?"
On the main road leading from the Spirit Arts Academy to the Fifth Division barracks, Ichigo eyed the tired black haired youth walking beside him with open suspicion.
"Forget secretly training at night. I even feel like skipping my morning runs."
Takeru waved lazily, completely unmotivated.
"So what have you been doing? You have been like this ever since you started going to the Fifth Division barracks. Hachihara even suspects you have been visiting some shady places."
"Your eyes are telling me you are very curious about those shady places."
"Are you kidding me!"
"Unfortunately, I have to disappoint you. But I will remember that Hachihara is talking behind my back."
"I told you I was not looking forward to it at all!"
"Yawn…"
Facing Ichigo's exasperation, Takeru could not even be bothered to keep teasing. As Ichigo said, he was clearly exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes made him look like he had been pulling all nighters for days.
In reality, that was not the case.
He had simply been blown up too many times in the process of "Bankai First Stage: Zanpakuto Materialization." His body was fine, but the mental fatigue was enormous. The continuous strain had left him drained for several days in a row.
Even so, he had to push through.
Because it was working.
At this pace, he could compress ten years of training into a single month at most.
Even if he did not complete the second stage, Subjugation, his spiritual pressure would still steadily surpass the minimum threshold for Captain class.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the Fifth Division.
Aizen and Hinamori Momo were already waiting for them in front of the barracks.
"Being suddenly told we are going to attend a First Division tea party… honestly, I do not even know what kind of event that is. It has me a bit nervous," Ichigo admitted.
"It is really not a grand event," Hinamori said with a gentle smile, trying to soothe him. "They call it a tea party, but in reality it is just the Captain Commander personally whisking matcha for everyone to taste. That said, because of the Captain Commander's prestige, the people who usually attend are only Captains and Vice Captains."
Ichigo's anxiety actually spiked when he heard that.
"Captains and Vice Captains only, not even seated officers. How is that not just a private gathering for the top brass of the Gotei 13? Takeru and I are just first year students. If we go with you, will people complain at Aizen sensei? I feel like that Kuchiki Byakuya guy definitely would."
"You can say that now, but do not say it later," Takeru replied. "I do not want to drink matcha contaminated by the dust from your fights. But if the Captain Commander beats you up for being a noisy brat, I will not mind watching."
As he spoke, the fatigue on Takeru's face eased a little, a faint look of anticipation replacing it.
"You just want to see me suffer, don't you? I still have not settled things with you for dumping that Shihouin guy on me all day."
"By the way, how did you deal with him in the end?"
"I told him to pick out a gift his sister would like. He lit up and ran off right away," Ichigo grumbled.
A reunion gift, huh. Not a bad idea. Looks like Kurosaki is not completely hopeless with people. That is a relief.
"While I want to say it is not that serious, Aizen sensei, you do not think I would mess around, do you?"
"No," Aizen replied calmly. "As the one who recommended you, I am simply mentally prepared for the worst case scenario."
"That is the same thing!"
His Captain's matter of fact tone drove Ichigo up the wall.
Talking as they walked, they reached their destination before they realized it.
Compared to the Fifth and Second Divisions, the First Division barracks in the center of Seireitei was a far larger complex, a true maze of buildings.
Skywalks linked tall structures together. Looking down from them felt like standing on a suspension bridge over a canyon.
That magnificent, imposing atmosphere pressed in on them. Takeru unconsciously straightened his posture.
For some reason, it felt strangely familiar to him, almost like coming home.
The tearoom where the tea party was held faced the garden. Sunlight poured in, filling the space with a warm glow that contrasted sharply with the solemn corridors they had walked through.
Takeru, Ichigo, and Hinamori obediently followed behind Aizen, mostly because none of them were familiar with the layout.
More importantly, several powerful spiritual pressures were gathered ahead. Even though one of them was suppressed to the extreme, it still radiated a presence like a dormant volcano, making anyone think twice before acting rashly.
They passed through the corridor. A large tatami room opened up before them.
Many people were already seated inside.
To Takeru, they were all "familiar faces," even though this was his first time meeting most of them in person.
The Captain Commander was obvious at a glance.
Most of the Vice Captains were present, led by Chojiro Sasakibe.
Several Captains were absent, but some had come.
From the older generation, there were Retsu Unohana, Shunsui Kyoraku, and Jushiro Ukitake.
From the younger generation, Byakuya Kuchiki, Sajin Komamura, and Kaname Tosen were there as well.
And of course, there was Aizen.
Including Captain Commander Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, eight Captains were in attendance.
Soi Fon, Gin Ichimaru, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi were nowhere to be seen.
They probably had no interest in this monthly elderly club activity.
Just as Takeru was thinking that, Soi Fon walked in with Omaeda.
"Takeru?"
Soi Fon paused for a brief moment when she saw him.
"Captain Soi Fon, you came too?"
"What kind of question is that?" she replied coolly. "Tea personally whisked by the Captain Commander is not something everyone is fortunate enough to taste. You are qualified, though. As for that blond brat next to you… hehe."
She shot Ichigo a brief glance, snorted twice, and headed straight into the tatami room.
"What is that supposed to mean, 'hehe'? I was even thinking she was kind of pitiful for letting you fool her," Ichigo muttered, his mouth twitching.
"Do not just stand there. Go in."
Following Aizen's lead, Takeru stepped through the door.
Reactions inside the room varied as the group entered.
Byakuya gave them a faint look, then lost interest.
The Captain Commander opened his eyes slightly, watched them for a few seconds, then let his eyelids droop again.
Unohana still wore her gentle, elegant smile.
Other Captains and Vice Captains who had not met them before were more or less studying the two young men who had stirred up waves in Seireitei ever since they enrolled.
Of course, people like Rangiku Matsumoto and Yachiru Kusajishi did not care about any of that. They simply stared at Takeru and Ichigo with open curiosity.
Under so many eyes, Ichigo felt his whole body go stiff.
Takeru, on the other hand, sat down as if he were in his own living room. His relaxed attitude drew even more attention, which conveniently took some of the pressure off Ichigo.
By coincidence, Takeru ended up sitting beside Soi Fon.
She did not show any particular reaction.
As soon as Ichigo sat down, though, the white haired man next to him greeted him first.
"You are Kurosaki Ichigo, correct?"
"Huh? Yeah, that is me. Um… who are you…?"
Ichigo looked at the dignified, gentle man in front of him. The man's gaze held not only admiration and warmth, but also a strange sense of nostalgia that Ichigo could not quite describe.
"Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Jushiro Ukitake," he said with a soft smile. "You should already know the person beside me."
"Yo, little brother Ichigo, long time no see."
Shunsui leaned over with a grin, hat tilted as always.
"After we parted at the Second Division last time, I thought you two would lie low for a while. Never expected you to go and cause another uproar in the World of the Living and make the old man furious. He said no one has ever dared to cause that much damage to a city before."
"…"
Shunsui's cheerful teasing nearly made Ichigo lose it on the spot. Instinctively, he turned to look at Takeru.
"?"
Feeling that gaze, Takeru immediately closed his eyes and slumped a little, perfectly imitating someone dozing off from exhaustion.
Ichigo's lips twitched. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to hold back his temper.
"Kyroaku san, about that damage you mentioned, I need to explain…"
"Do not worry," Ukitake said gently, cutting in before he could finish. "Shunsui and I, along with Captain Unohana and your teachers, worked quite hard to persuade the Captain Commander not to punish you."
"…"
"But leaving that aside, Ichigo," Ukitake continued, smoothly changing the subject while Ichigo was still stunned, "have you thought about which Division you would like to join after you graduate?"
It was the same question Kukaku Shiba had once asked him.
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