"W-What?! What the hell is going on here?!"
Fūjin Taichi wandered aimlessly across a vast expanse of scorched earth.
The once yellowed wasteland looked as though it had been ravaged by raging flames—
as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but charred remains and ash.
"Kyūjūkyū? Kyūjūkyū! Where are you? What happened here?!"
Taichi shouted towards the gloomy sky, hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone.
"Whooo—"
Gusts of violent wind swept across the empty, pitch-black earth, producing long, mournful howls—
as if someone were sobbing softly from deep within the clouds.
"It's only been a few days… how did my inner Zanpakutō world end up in such a dead state…?"
Taichi muttered as he looked around.
This was the first time Taichi had entered his inner world since returning from the Human World.
He had originally intended to search within himself for traces of a Hollow—
Yet to his utter disbelief, the wasteland that once existed deep within his soul had been completely reduced to scorched earth by an all-consuming fire.
Wherever he looked, there was only black smoke and drifting ash.
"Crash!"
Suddenly, torrential rain poured down from the darkened sky.
In the blink of an eye, the pattering of raindrops merged into a deafening roar as sheets of rain gathered midair like waterfalls and slammed straight into the ground.
"Does the Zanpakutō inner world have weather changes too…?"
Taichi muttered blankly, lifting his head and letting coin-sized raindrops strike his handsome face.
"Tch, trash! You've got the nerve to come back here?"
A strange, unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed through the empty world.
Mixed with the howling wind and raging rain, it was impossible to tell whether the speaker was male or female.
"What?"
Taichi frowned, instantly on guard.
That voice was clearly not the voice of his Zanpakutō, Kyūjūkyū.
Could it be… really that thing?!
"What do you mean 'what'?"
The bizarre voice rang out again.
"Unable even to see where I reside—
and yet you dare return here… to stand before my king?"
"My king?"
Taichi was shaken.
According to the logic of Bleach, whether it was a Zanpakutō or a Hollow—
they were both manifestations of a Shinigami's power.
Which meant… I'm supposed to be your king!
Thinking this, Taichi shouted loudly:
"Hey! Shouldn't I be your king?!"
"Tch, trash. Get out—"
As the strange voice fell silent, a blinding blade of light cleaved down from the sky, ripping the entire world apart and instantly ejecting Taichi from his inner world—
"Holy crap... I actually got kicked out of my own soul by a 'Hollow'... and I didn't even see its shadow!!"
Taichi slowly opened his eyes and found himself back in his division quarters.
Outside the window, the rain was still pouring down relentlessly.
He released his meditation posture, placed the Zanpakutō that had rested across his legs onto the wooden sword rack by the window, then lay flat on the tatami, staring at the white ceiling deep in thought.
"Knock knock knock."
A sudden knock sounded at the door.
Taichi frowned and shouted,
"I'm on leave! Do not disturb!!"
"..."
The knocking stopped abruptly.
After a long while, there was no further sound—it seemed the visitor had left.
"Looks like Seireitei really needs to open a 'basic literacy training class,'"
Taichi muttered to himself.
"I hung such a huge sign outside—can't they even read?!"
Just then—
"BOOM!"
The door to 13th Division Dormitory No. 7 was kicked clean in half.
Shiba Kaien stormed in, furious.
He lunged forward, clamped a hand around Taichi's neck, and dragged him straight to the doorway.
Pointing at a wooden sign in the corner, Kaien roared:
"You bastard—explain to me what the hell 'NO ENTRY FOR SHINIGAMI AND DOGS' is supposed to mean?!"
"Exactly what it says, Captain Kaien…"
Taichi replied guiltily.
"Huh?"
Kaien shot him a sideways glare and tightened his grip.
"Say that again."
"Uh, I mean... no visitors allowed, except for Captain Kaien—"
Taichi said with an awkward grin.
"Hmph. At least you know better."
Kaien released him, then looked around the empty room.
"Taichi, locking yourself in here for an entire day and night—what kind of trouble were you plotting?"
"What are you talking about, Captain? I was just practicing Jinzen!"
"Jinzen?"
Kaien looked at him in surprise.
"Don't tell me… you're training for Bankai?"
"I wouldn't call it training... just the initial phase of communicating with the blade."
Recalling what had just happened, Taichi sighed inwardly.
It was obvious that an extremely powerful Hollow was also residing within him…
If he didn't deal with it first, how could he dare calmly converse with his Zanpakutō?
"Oh! I've got plenty of experience with that sort of thing!"
Kaien said cheerfully.
"In that case, I'll guide your Bankai training from now on!"
"Ah? Then… thanks, Captain Kaien!"
Taichi replied.
At this moment, Taichi still didn't know that Kaien had already mastered Bankai—
so he assumed Kaien was just boasting and didn't take it very seriously at all.
However, he didn't show any of it on his face.
He merely glanced at the heavy rain outside the window and asked in confusion,
"By the way, wasn't today the Captains' Meeting?
Captain Kaien, why are you back so early?"
"Yeah."
Shiba Kaien remembered his purpose and sat down cross-legged on the tatami with a bold, upright posture.
Fixing his gaze firmly on Fūjin Taichi, he said,
"Congratulations, Taichi.
The Central Command has decided to promote you to vice-captain."
"Huh? You're joking, right?" Taichi gasped.
"No."
Kaien frowned deeply, his expression grave.
"This came straight from Captain-Commander Yamamoto himself.
You're being specially promoted to Vice-Captain of the 1st Division!!"
"Oh…"
The moment Kaien mentioned Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Taichi immediately believed seven or eight tenths of what he was saying—
But the very next second, he snapped fully awake and shouted:
"What?! The 1st Division?!"
"Yes. The 1st Division."
"The 1st Division under Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni himself?!"
Taichi asked in alarm.
"Huh? Isn't that obvious?
Is there even a second '1st Division' anywhere in Seireitei?"
"B-But… why?"
Right now, what Taichi feared most was Aizen's 5th Division—
Yet having to face Yamamoto Genryūsai's overwhelming gaze every single day
was no less terrifying in its own way.
"There's no 'why.' It's an order."
Kaien lifted his head slightly and looked toward the rain beyond the window, muttering,
"The appointment letter from the Central 46 should already be on its way to the division.
So, Taichi, starting tomorrow you'll be reporting for duty in the 1st Division.
As for your living and service records in the 13th Division, I've already had them transferred."
"Hey—don't you think this promotion feels kind of… out of the blue?"
The more Taichi thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
It was true that later in Bleach there was a precedent for the 1st Division having two vice-captains—
But that was something Kyōraku Shunsui had forced out of the new Central 46 through a mix of soft and hard tactics.
It wasn't part of Seireitei's original structure at all.
Given Yamamoto Genryūsai's old-fashioned, rigid sense of "blind loyalty,"
he didn't seem like the type of Shinigami who would confront the Central 46 over some nobody—
Especially when the current 1st Division vice-captain, Sasakibe Chōjirō,
was a Shinigami who had mastered Bankai, with qualifications, seniority, and prestige more than sufficient to stand as the foremost vice-captain of the Gotei 13.
By comparison, Taichi himself was nothing more than an unknown Shinigami from Rukongai.
After graduation, he had barely spent any time in the 13th Division before being stationed in the Human World for ten straight years—
As a result, aside from a handful of close friends, practically no one in Soul Society even knew the name "Fūjin Taichi,"
let alone anyone willing to serve under him.
The more Taichi thought about it, the more convinced he became that there had to be some hidden "scheme" behind this decision—
And that this scheme undoubtedly involved the Captain-Commander and the Central 46.
But upon further thought, Taichi realized that none of that was actually the most urgent issue.
What truly terrified him was this:
There was very likely a Hollow dwelling inside his body.
If he were to lose control and undergo Hollowfication right under Yamamoto Genryūsai's watchful eye…
the outcome would be disastrously spectacular.
"Stop overthinking it, Taichi,"
Kaien spoke up, reminding him.
"When you work in the 1st Division, you need to pay close attention to discipline and appearance.
Captain-Commander Yamamoto places great importance on those things—"
"Then… is there any chance I can just not go?"
Taichi had grown used to the laid-back freedom of the Thirteenth Division.
How could he possibly endure the iron-clad rules of the First?
"Idiot!"
Kaien snapped angrily.
"Do you think Seireitei is your daddy's playground?!
You go wherever you feel like?!"
At this moment, seeing Taichi still acting so carefree and flippant,
Kaien felt both angry and worried—
Afraid that Taichi, not knowing the gravity of things, might end up offending Captain-Commander Yamamoto the moment he set foot in the 1st Division.