"One! One! One–two–one!"
"One! One! One–two–one!"
From the direction of the Seireitei's East Gate · Shōryūmon, over a hundred First Division members came running in neat formation.
They silently sprinted beneath the morning sun, their footsteps perfectly synchronized—
Dressed in black shihakushō, they formed two orderly columns, swinging their arms and lifting their legs in rhythm as they advanced toward the West Gate · Hakutōmon, following the loud cadence called out by Vice-Captain Fūjin Taichi.
"Hey, hey—did you skip breakfast?!
Lift your legs higher, take bigger steps, stick your butts out—!"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Fūjin Taichi strolled leisurely behind the formation and shouted toward Saitō Keichirō, who was at the front:
"Jirō, what's going on?! Where's the chant? Get the brothers chanting already!!"
Tch—go ahead and show off, Taichi-sama…
One of these days the Captain-Commander will clean you up himself!
Saitō Keichirō cursed inwardly, but forced an ugly smile and shouted:
"Everyone, the chant! Our chant is—"
"Train hard, improve every day!
Hone the Zanpakutō, protect the Captain-Commander~~"
More than a hundred Shinigami shouted weakly.
"Jirō! Cut the useless thoughts in your head!"
Fūjin Taichi barked sharply, as if he had seen right through Saitō's thoughts.
"You're all elites drawn from various divisions!
And if you're elites, then don't rot away in the barracks like other divisions, eating and waiting to die!
Morning training, physical conditioning, honing your Zanpakutō—
all of it is to protect the Captain-Commander and protect the Seireitei!
Anyone who messes around behind my back is messing with me—
and messing with me means messing with Old Man Yama!
So tell me—do you dare mess with the Captain-Commander?!
Answer me!!"
"We don't dare!!"
This time, the First Division members shouted as if injected with adrenaline, their chant resounding with vigor:
"Train hard, improve every day!
Hone theZanpakutō, protect the Captain-Commander!!!"
"Very good!"
Fūjin Taichi nodded in satisfaction, then turned and shouted toward Okikiba Genshirō, who was lagging far behind:
"Third Seat, Okikiba! Notify the cafeteria—
extra dishes at lunch today! Beef! Kobe beef!"
"Hah… huff… hah… huff…
Vice-Captain… our division's… hah… huff… budget this month… is already low…
There's only enough left for plain rice for the next few days—"
"If it's not enough, apply to the Headquarters!"
Fūjin Taichi said matter-of-factly.
"I already spoke with Vice-Captain Sasakibe—
only when the First Division eats well can we better protect our brothers in Headquarters!"
"Hah… Vice-Captain… just keep stirring things up…"
Okikiba Genshirō thought bitterly to himself:
You've been using that excuse to apply for subsidies for over ten years…
Do you really think Vice-Captain Sasakibe is still as naïve as the first time?!
Tightening Headquarters' finances just to satisfy your personal appetite—
isn't that extortion…
"Third Seat, Okikiba!"
With a sharp whoosh, Fūjin Taichi crossed over a hundred meters in an instant and appeared right in front of him, startling Okikiba so badly that he nearly fell over.
"W–what?!"
"Morning training—meaning the long-distance running, meditation, and the eighth set of radio calisthenics we've practiced every morning for the past ten years—
that was approved by Old Man Yama, right?!"
"Yes!"
Okikiba Genshirō nodded frantically like a pecking chicken, though inwardly he couldn't help thinking:
The Captain-Commander clearly wrote "No action required" on your "Morning Training Proposal"…
How on earth did you interpret "No action required" as "Approved"?!
And you even used that to extort ten thousand kan per month from Vice-Captain Sasakibe—
that's straight-up blackmail…
"Hey, hey! Third Seat, Okikiba!"
Fūjin Taichi stared at him intensely.
"So you're saying Old Man Yama's words carry less weight than Vice-Captain Sasakibe's?"
Hey—Vice-Captain!!
His name is Sasakibe Chōjirō!
How did you turn that into 'Sasakibe · Vice-Captain'?!
Okikiba Genshirō screamed inwardly, but showed nothing on his face as he spoke calmly:
"Vice-Captain, the salaries and allowances of the Gotei 13 are jointly signed by
the Captain-Commander, Central 46, and the Four Great Noble Houses…
How can exceptions be made just for you personally?!
So… please don't make things difficult for me!
And don't make things difficult for Vice-Captain Sasakibe anymore!
Alright?!"
"Heh… to be honest, I don't want to make things difficult for you either!"
Fūjin Taichi raised his head and gazed at the goose-yellow morning sun rising in the east, sighing:
"For the past twenty years, the Seireitei has known no war… and that's made the entire Soul Society far too comfortable."
"Vice-Captain… I don't quite understand. Isn't comfort a good thing?"
Okikiba Genshirō frowned slightly as he looked at Fūjin Taichi, quietly turning the word "comfort" over in his mind.
"Comfort is for the dead," Fūjin Taichi said solemnly.
"Too much comfort dulls us—it numbs our senses, blunts our emotions, until we can't even perceive danger right in front of us."
"..."
Okikiba Genshirō fell silent—not because he failed to understand, but precisely because he did.
As a Shinigami who had lived in Soul Society for centuries, he knew all too well that so-called comfort slowly eroded one's perception, awareness, and emotional sharpness.
"Big brother—!"
A distant shout caught the attention of both Taichi and Okikiba. A female Shinigami in a black Shihakushō was running toward them.
"Oh, Tsukiyomi! What are you doing up so early?" Taichi had reunited with Saitō Tsukiyomi twenty years ago, and their relationship had grown very close over time.
"Heehee—because starting today, just like you back then, I'll be stationed in the World of the Living!"
Saitō Tsukuyomi lifted the bundle on her back—embroidered with clusters of begonia flowers—and grinned brightly.
"Ah, right! I almost forgot… you're a Thirteenth Division Shinigami!"
Fūjin Taichi smacked his forehead and sighed.
"Looks like living too comfortably really has dulled my memory."
"Heehee—big brother, if you ever have time… come visit me in the Living World, okay? I! I'll... buy you a drink!"
Saitō Tsukuyomi tightened the straps of her pack and looked at him expectantly.
"Alright! I promise I'll go!"
Fūjin Taichi patted his chest earnestly, then asked with curiosity:
"By the way, Saitō—what city are you being stationed in?"
"Mm… Karakura Town."
Saitō Tsukuyomi stared deeply at Fūjin Taichi, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes.
Her body unconsciously leaned closer to him, as if waiting for an embrace—
But Fūjin Taichi didn't move at all.
Because only one thought filled his mind:
Karakura Town…
Twenty years later, Karakura Town—because I once saved Saitō Tsukuyomi by chance, the butterfly's wings have finally begun to stir the plot of Bleach.
The assignment that should have gone to Kuchiki Rukia…
has it been given to Saitō Tsukuyomi instead? But then—
"Well then, big brother! I'm heading off!"
Seeing no sign that Fūjin Taichi intended to hug her, a trace of disappointment flashed through Saitō Tsukuyomi's eyes.
She quickly said goodbye and ran off.
"Vice-Captain? Vice-Captain?! That girl has already left!"
Okikiba Genshirō whispered a reminder.
"I know… I was just thinking about something else."
Fūjin Taichi narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Saitō Tsukuyomi's figure fade into the distance, his voice low:
"Cancel the morning training."
"What?!"
"If it's causing you trouble, then cancel the morning training." Fūjin Taichi stretched his limbs lightly.
"I'm heading back."
...
Elsewhere, at Kenkyūzan • Headquarters Barracks • Genryūdō Hall…
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto sat upright before a tea table, eyes closed in meditation. Chōjirō Sasakibe sat formally across from him, an expression of hesitation on his face.
"Chōjirō, if you have something to say, speak plainly."
Yamamoto did not even open his eyes as he spoke.
"Captain-Commander! I once again request that you issue an order to abolish…
Vice-Captain Fūjin's addition of 'morning training' to the First Division!"
Sasakibe Chōjirō bowed deeply before Yamamoto.
"Hmm…"
Yamamoto opened one eye slightly, gazing at Sasakibe for a long while before speaking:
"Chōjirō… has even your capacity grown too small to contain a young soul?"
"No, that's not it! It's just that—"
"There's nothing to worry about, Chōjirō."
Yamamoto slowly rose to his feet and stared toward the eastern horizon, where rosy clouds spread across the sky.
"Our era of slaughter has ended. The current Soul Society needs tolerance and understanding... For now, just listen to the sound of the wind he brings."
"Yes, I understand!!"