"It seems to be a distress signal on an unknown frequency… but why is it incomplete?"
Gekko Senpū put away the command receiver and looked toward the pitch-black southwest, thinking to himself:
Still, judging from the signal's frequency band, the source must be somewhere near Karakura Town
And the signal vaguely mentioned 'White' and 'Mountain'—which matches the Mount Hakufusan in the southwest! Then… let's go!!
Whoosh!
Before his words had even finished, Gekko Senpū's figure blurred, and in the next instant he had already leapt dozens of meters away, quickly vanishing into the vast night…
At the same time, in the First Division barracks of Soul Society, Kuchiki Rukia, dressed in a standard Shihakushō, was kneeling properly before the sliding door. After adjusting her tone several times, she finally mustered the courage and called out loudly:
"Taichi-sama… I'm coming in!"
Slide—
Rukia raised her hand and slowly opened the sliding door, only to run straight into Fūjin Taichi, who was just stepping out of a cross-shaped spatial rift.
Her face immediately filled with surprise.
"Taichi! That is..."
"Huh… that's just one of the twelve usesof my Zanpakutō. Nothing special,"
Fūjin Taichi replied casually, then smoothly changed the subject.
"Long time no see, Rukia! I was just thinking of finding some time in the next few days to invite you and Renji to get together."
"Yeah… it's been ten years."
Rukia gave Fūjin Taichi a strange look for a long moment before speaking again.
"If I hadn't come to visit you today, Taichi-sama, you probably would've forgotten about us already."
"How could I, Rukia?"
Fūjin Taichi said with a teasing grin.
"My inner world used to be pitch-black—until I met you, and suddenly there was a pure white moonlight shining inside~"
"Taichi-sama!"
Rukia snapped angrily.
"Please don't use such pointless nonsense to harass a Fifth Seat from another division during working hours, okay?!"
"Fifth Seat?"
Fūjin Taichi froze in surprise.
"Rukia, you've been promoted to Fifth Seat?!"
After all, in the original Bleach storyline, from the time Rukia graduated from the Shinō Academy until she was stationed in Karakura Town, she had always been an unseated Shinigami.
Later, after going through the Soul Reaper Substitute Arc, the Aizen Arc, the Fullbring Arc, and even making guest appearances in several Bleach movies, she was finally appointed Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division by the Seireitei.
Eventually, when the Quincy progenitor Yhwach led the Wandenreich in crushing Soul Society and began the so-called Thousand-Year Blood War, using Schrift powers to massacre the Gotei 13…
After Ukitake Jūshirō's death, Kuchiki Rukia was officially appointed Captain of the Thirteenth Division seventeen months later.
And thus, Bleach came to its conclusion—cue the applause.
Back to the present.
Seeing Fūjin Taichi's visible surprise, Rukia frowned unhappily and said:
"Not just me… Renji has been promoted to Sixth Seat of the Eleventh Division, Momo to Third Seat of the Fifth Division, and Kira…"
She paused briefly.
"Like you, he's now a Vice-Captain."
"Oh?"
Fūjin Taichi chuckled.
"Looks like everyone's been training hard over these ten years—though compared to me, they're still just a tiny bit behind."
He curled his finger and tapped the Vice-Captain badge on his left arm, grinning.
"I'm a legitimate Vice-Captain of the First Division now—an elite among Shinigami elites."
"Ha… maybe so."
Rukia rolled her eyes, then glanced around to make sure no one else was in the room before lowering her voice.
"Taichi-sama—"
"Rukia, just call me Taichi."
Fūjin Taichi waved his hands repeatedly.
"It sounds weird when you keep calling me 'sama'… Besides, if I can't find a wife someday, I might end up marrying into the Kuchiki family."
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Rukia snapped, brushing aside her bangs.
"Ten years still hasn't cured you of this habit of talking nonsense, has it?!"
She then continued more seriously:
"Taichi… you know Saitō Tsukuyomi, right?"
"What?!"
Fūjin Taichi stared at her in shock.
"Saitō Tsukuyomi? Milk-tea girl?! How do you know that name?!"
"Tch… looks like you two are pretty close."
Rukia replied with a mischievous smile.
"That's because she's a sixth-year student of the Special Advancement Class at the Shinō Academy."
Moreover, despite Instructor Saitō's objections, she joined the Thirteenth Division with the top overall score in the entire academy—
among which her Kidō examination score was a completely unprecedented 100 points!
"Hahaha… well, considering that Saitō Tsukuyomi is a descendant of Kidō Professor Saitō Jūshirō, it's only natural that her attainments in Kidō wouldn't be lacking,"
Fūjin Taichi said with a sigh of admiration.
"Idiot! That's not what I'm talking about!"
Kuchiki Rukia shouted, clenching her fist.
"Saitō Tsukuyomi clearly received invitations from many divisions…
yet she deliberately chose to apply only to the Thirteenth Division!"
"Oh… so Saitō has the same taste as me!"
Fūjin Taichi smugly stroked his chin—
then suddenly noticed that Rukia's expression had grown increasingly strange, and even the atmosphere in the room felt awkward.
He immediately realized something and hurriedly explained:
"Hey, hey, Rukia! Don't get the wrong idea—Saitō and I are totally innocent!
And besides, I like women with big chests!"
"Bastard! That's not what I meant either—"
Seeing how blunt Fūjin Taichi's words were, Rukia snapped angrily.
"I meant her… never mind, forget it!"
"..."
Fūjin Taichi showed no change on the surface, but inwardly he couldn't help complaining:
They say a woman's face is like the weather in June—changing at a moment's notice.
Seeing it today, the saying really lives up to its reputation.
"Oh right, Taichi—there's something else I came here for today,"
Rukia suddenly said, turning serious.
"What is it?"
"Tonight, Kaien-sama is treating everyone at Otose Izakaya and has invited us to attend!"
"Huh? Treating everyone? For what?"
"Well… first, it's to welcome you back, and second, it's to celebrate—"
"Celebrate, huh… it's just a hollow title of Vice-Captain. There's no need for Captain Kaien to spend so much money! Ahahaha—"
"Don't say such stupid things."
Rukia smiled slightly and said softly:
"Kaien-sama is celebrating the first birthday of his son."
"What?! Kaien has a son?!"
Fūjin Taichi exclaimed in shock and delight.
"Is that true?! Shiba Kaien finally has a son?!"
To be honest, this news truly stunned Fūjin Taichi.
After all, in Bleach, Shiba Kaien was a complete tragedy—
not only was his fiancée Shiba Miyako murdered, but he himself was killed by the same culprit, and even long after his death, his body was dissected and studied by Arrancar No. 9 of Hueco Mundo, Aaroniero Arruruerie…
Yet now, thanks to Fūjin Taichi's actions,
Shiba Kaien had not only survived, but also had a child with his wife Shiba Miyako, successfully continuing the Shiba family bloodline.
Because this change had occurred right before his own eyes,
this was the first time Fūjin Taichi truly felt the joy of "changing the plot."
"Mm!"
Rukia nodded firmly, then looked at Fūjin Taichi with a strange expression.
"Taichi… aren't you curious what Kaien-sama named his son?"
"What's his name?!"
Fūjin Taichi calmed himself, already sensing a dangerous trope common in hot-blooded Japanese manga from Rukia's look—
"Shin-ta… Shiba Shinta!"
"Oh—thank goodness!"
Fūjin Taichi raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh.
"I thought he had the same name as me! Looks like I misunderstood…
though that name still feels kind of familiar?"
"What are you thinking, Taichi?"
Rukia covered her mouth and laughed, then explained:
"Actually… Kaien-sama took one character from the name of his uncle, Shiba Isshin,
and one from your name. What—does it sound bad?"
"It sounds great! Who knows, this kid might even become the future head of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū!"
As he spoke, Fūjin Taichi looked toward the doorway and suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion.
"Time really flies… in the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed."
"Mm!"
Rukia nodded heavily, then continued:
"That's why, in the days ahead, we have to train even harder!"
"Right, right! Lady Rukia is absolutely correct!!"
"Idiot—"