Chapter 45: So, Are You Coming to the Second Division?
"It seems the Captain Commander thinks quite highly of you."
When Takeru returned to his seat, Soi Fon glanced at him from the corner of her eye, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint, teasing smile.
"Congratulations."
"There is nothing to congratulate," Takeru replied calmly. "I will not be joining the First Division after I graduate."
"Oh?"
Soi Fon raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
"Why not? You should know the First Division has the strictest recruitment standards and the highest entry threshold in the entire Gotei 13. Besides outstanding ability, there are many… other factors to consider.
"Just from the Captain Commander's attitude toward you today, if you apply after graduation, your chances of passing the entry test are practically one hundred percent.
"With your capabilities and the Captain Commander's personal praise, you would not only secure a high seated position, you would flourish there.
"This is a rare chance to step directly into the center of the Gotei 13's system. For a newcomer, there is no better choice."
Takeru understood every point she made.
But…
"An option that good comes with enormous interests behind it," he said quietly. "For geniuses, maybe it is nothing. But for most so called 'newcomers,' normal people, as you put it, Captain Soi Fon, it would be unimaginably valuable.
"If someone like that were parachuted directly into the First Division as a seated officer, the pressure they would face would be far greater than anything an ordinary recruit deals with."
He paused, then smiled a little.
"Let me make a bold guess. That genius the Captain Commander mentioned, the one who achieved Bankai while still at the Spirit Arts Academy and then went astray… I am guessing his fall was not entirely unrelated to those interests, was it?
"Even now, those old, stubborn elements are still deeply rooted in the First Division.
"Given my abilities, I am confident I could survive and grow there, just as you said. But why dive into such muddy water at this moment?
"I already feel like I do not have enough time or energy for my own training as it is.
"Have you not seen the dark circles under my eyes?
"As a young man, why should I waste my youth playing political games with fossils who already have one foot in the grave?"
Soi Fon stared at him, momentarily speechless.
Seeing through the First Division's tangled internal ecosystem was one thing.
But correctly guessing how that so called "genius who went astray" had likely been pushed off the path, then following it up with those casual, razor sharp remarks… no wonder her reaction was so strong.
"Hey, Takeru…!"
"Relax. I am keeping my voice down."
Takeru shifted his body about twenty degrees toward her, so subtly that anyone not watching his lips closely would never notice he was still talking.
Soi Fon cautiously swept her gaze around the room.
By now, the Captain Commander had finished serving more cups of tea, and the atmosphere inside the tatami room had loosened again.
Yachiru, especially, looked like a child at a festival, downing her tea in a few gulps before dashing off to run wild around the room.
On Ichigo's side, Ukitake seemed to have been moved by the Captain Commander's words. He was holding Ichigo's hand, speaking earnestly and at length, sincerity in one eye and determination in the other. Whenever he spoke too quickly and his chest tightened, he would pause to cough lightly, then continue persuading him, slowly but surely swaying Ichigo's heart.
Ichigo actually had no real resistance to joining any particular division.
What weighed on him was Ukitake's expectations. They were so heavy it made him want to back away.
He was afraid that if he joined, he would not live up to those expectations and would only cause trouble for others.
Of course, the fact that he thought like this only proved he was exactly the kind of person who valued promises and took responsibility seriously.
Which only strengthened Ukitake's conviction.
A little farther off, the female Shinigami were whispering among themselves.
From time to time, their eyes drifted toward Takeru and Ichigo. It was obvious who they were discussing, but they were too far away for anyone to make out the details.
The male Vice Captains, on the other hand, were wrapped in a gloomy haze. Their confidence seemed to have been shattered earlier. Each cup of tea might as well have been bitter medicine, something to swallow along with their wounded pride.
Seeing that no one was paying particular attention to their corner, Soi Fon quietly let out a breath, narrowed her eyes at Takeru, and whispered a sharp warning.
"Do not say things like that again. If someone wanted to use it against you, they could accuse you of slandering your comrades, and the Onmitsukido would arrest you for dangerous thoughts. I do not want to be the one who personally locks you in the Maggot's Nest someday."
"Thank you for the warning."
Takeru's expression turned sincere, as if he had engraved the words into his heart.
Seeing that he seemed to have listened, Soi Fon also relaxed a little. To change the subject, she deliberately said,
"Since I was kind enough to warn you, how about you come to the Second Division? I can arrange for you to be a Third Seat and a squad leader in the Onmitsukido. In terms of authority and influence, it would not be inferior to the First Division at all."
"…?"
Takeru stared at her, puzzled.
"What is with that look? It is not like I am badmouthing other divisions and then trying to poach their people," Soi Fon muttered, feeling oddly uncomfortable under his gaze.
"No, I am just a little surprised," Takeru said.
"Every division occasionally reaches an agreement with a student before they graduate," she explained. "For example, Eighth Division's Vice Captain Ise, and the current Captain Hitsugaya. The results of doing this speak for themselves. Of course I would do the same.
"It is just that very few people have caught my eye. Some prodigies are talented, but that does not mean they are suited for the Second Division's work.
"You are different. Being recognized by the Captain Commander alone is enough of a reason."
"So I see. So it is all thanks to the Captain Commander," Takeru mused. "Here I was thinking I had earned Captain Soi Fon's personal recognition through my own ability… and maybe a little help from the Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes I had someone bring you from the World of the Living."
Soi Fon cleared her throat and cut him off.
"What nonsense are you talking about? With your ability, you would be more than capable in any division, regardless of any other factors.
"Besides, after thinking it over, I realized the Third Seat position might actually be too low for you. Omaeda is always trying to slack off anyway. Why not have you replace him as Vice Captain and let him become the Third Seat instead?"
"…"
At that, Takeru instinctively glanced over at Omaeda.
The man seemed unusually sensitive to looks coming from this angle. He quickly noticed and turned his head.
Omaeda paused, a complicated mix of pity and gloating flashing across his face.
As if to say, must be rough sitting next to the Captain. But you chose that spot yourself, so do not expect me to help you.
"You see?" Soi Fon said coolly.
"That idiot. Who knows what runs through his head all day.
"If his father, former Second Division Vice Captain Hichiyo senpai, saw him now, he would think I have been spoiling him. And I would not even be able to argue back. If I told him I tried my best and this is still the result, it would only make me look worse."
"Hmm…"
At that moment, Takeru, like Ichigo earlier, could not help wavering a little in his original plan to join the Fifth Division after graduation.
And very likely for the same reason.
Both of them had this inconvenient thing called empathy.
The tea party ended before the setting sun fully melted into gold.
"Hey, you two…"
At the entrance of the First Division barracks, Takeru had just finished exchanging Soul Pager contact numbers with Matsumoto Rangiku when Renji called out to them.
Ichigo was also summoned.
Aizen took one look at the situation, then very considerately led Momo a short distance away to wait, leaving the three of them space to talk.
"Hey what, hey?" Ichigo said. "You could at least call us by name. Your eyebrows are already weird enough. If your memory is just as bad, I really feel sorry for Captain Kuchiki.
"I mean, he is a noble and still chose such a rough looking guy as his right hand. I am honestly a little curious about what he was thinking."
Renji's forehead veins popped.
"…Hmph."
He took several deep breaths in a row, forcing himself to calm down.
"I do not have time to argue with you. I called you because there is something I think you should know."
"Could it be…"
Ichigo seemed to realize what he was about to say. His expression grew serious.
Takeru folded his arms and watched quietly.
"Looks like you guessed it," Renji said. "It is about Rukia."
He glanced over his shoulder at Byakuya, who was already walking away, then allowed a faintly smug smile to appear at the corner of his mouth.
"Apparently, at first, there was strong support for stripping her of her spiritual power and banishing her to the Dangai. But because the Kuchiki Clan personally brought her back and handed her over to Central 46, those esteemed wise men felt that the authority of Seireitei had been upheld.
"After days of discussion, they finally reached a verdict last night.
"Rukia is to be imprisoned for one hundred years, under the custody of the Second Division and the Onmitsukido. Most likely, she will be confined in the Maggot's Nest."
"What? One hundred years of imprisonment?!"
Ichigo had initially sighed in relief, but when he heard the exact sentence, he could not stop himself from crying out.
"What are you yelling for? Why such a big reaction?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing! Why do you look so pleased with yourself? This is a hundred years we are talking about!"
"This is why I keep saying you are still just a kid." Renji snorted. "Your strength might have grown, but your mindset has not changed at all. Shinigami live much longer than you think. A hundred years sounds long, but in reality, it is about the same as the time it takes for a child to grow into an adult.
"Besides, the sentence is not completely fixed. In certain special circumstances, it is even possible to take someone out directly. I have heard the old folks in the division talk about such cases before, though no one ever says exactly who it was."
"…If that is how it is, then I have nothing to say," Ichigo muttered. "I did not help much anyway. Compared to you running around to collect information, I was not helpful at all. I really do not have the right to complain."
Hearing his tone suddenly soften, Renji blinked and let his own teasing expression fade.
"What are you talking about? If you two had not stopped me and the Captain back in the World of the Living, things would not have ended any better than this. That is why, when I got the news, I made sure to tell you first."
"Thanks," Ichigo said. "I did not expect you to be so reasonable under that ape-like face."
"…Hey. Who are you calling an ape?"
"Alright, we should get going."
Before the two could start a proper argument, Takeru hooked an arm around Ichigo's collar and dragged him away.
"Takeru! Let go! I am going to fall!"
"If you hit the back of your head on the ground, you might finally quiet down."
"That is called a concussion!"
Renji watched them head toward Aizen. His irritation slowly dissipated. With a snort, he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
On the other side, when the two returned, Aizen took one look at their faces and smiled.
"Judging by your expressions, I assume you received good news."
"Well… barely," Ichigo answered.
Even so, he still felt the length of the sentence was hard to swallow.
One hundred years. In that span of time, he could do so many things.
"Sensei, Momo, shall we have dinner together tonight?"
Takeru did not address the topic directly. He looked up at the sky and asked in a casual tone.
"That is exactly what I was about to suggest," Aizen replied, pushing his glasses up with a faint, mysterious smile.
"There is a place nearby that I would like to take you and Kurosaki kun to experience. We can also take care of dinner there."
"Captain Aizen, you do not mean the large public bath, do you?" Momo suddenly said, realization dawning on her face.
"Precisely," Aizen nodded. "There is a large public bath near the First Division barracks that is very popular with the squad members. Even the Captains often stop by to relax there for a while after Captain meetings, to relieve mental stress.
"I believe Takeru kun is in particular need of that right now."
"That is true," Takeru said. "Although I would also like to use the Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber to recover before dinner, soaking in a hot spring does not sound bad either."
"Takeru… are you sure you go to the Spiritual Power Restoration Chamber to recover your spiritual power, and not to secretly train your Bankai?" Ichigo squinted at him suspiciously.
"Training Bankai is not something that can be done in a single day," Takeru replied. "One must pay attention to balancing work and rest."
Then his tone shifted slightly.
"That is why I need to make good use of every moment and reach that profound state as soon as possible. The realm where every movement and every stillness is cultivation, where walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are all part of training, fully integrated into daily life."
"…"
"…"
"…"
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