"Achoo! Achoo! Achooo!"
Inside Tōsei Izakaya in Seireitei, Fūjin Taichi—who was in the middle of drinking Japanese sake—suddenly sneezed three times in a row.
He rubbed his nose and said apologetically to Shiba Kaien, who was sitting across from him,
"Sorry about that, Captain Kaien. I've caught a bit of a cold lately."
"A cold? What's that?"
Kaien, having grown up in Soul Society, had no idea what an "upper respiratory infection" from the Human World was.
"It means… I caught a chill."
As Taichi spoke, he lifted his cup again toward Kaien.
"Captain Kaien, a toast to the twentieth anniversary of your appointment as Captain of the Tenth Division—cheers!"
That's right! After the former Tenth Division captain, Shiba Isshin, mysteriously disappeared, the one who succeeded him was none other than Shiba Kaien, who had already mastered Bankai and passed the captain's examination at the time!
Meanwhile, Hitsugaya Tōshirō remained the Tenth Division's Third Seat, continuing to handle division affairs for Captain Kaien and Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku.
At the same time, he was unanimously acknowledged by the current and former captains as the ideal candidate for the next captaincy—
which meant he spent every day worrying himself sick over the notoriously laid-back Tenth Division…
"Ahahaha…"
Wearing his white captain's haori, Kaien laughed as he drained his sake, then refilled his cup and turned to Abarai Renji.
"Renji, a toast to your promotion—from Sixth Seat of the Eleventh Division to Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division!"
"Oh, thank you, Captain Shiba!"
Renji clinked cups with Kaien, then gulped the drink down in one go. Letting out a murky breath of alcohol, he frowned and said,
"Speaking of this promotion… it's really strange."
"Hm?"
"Why the Sixth Division?!"
Renji knit his brows and stared at Taichi.
"That's a noble-exclusive division! I'm just a street punk from Rukongai!
And yet Captain Kuchiki—Captain Kuchiki actually invited me to be his vice-captain! Even though after Senior Ginjirō's departure, so many noble brats applied for that position!"
"Oh! Though Byakuya comes from a great noble house, he doesn't really hold prejudice against Shinigami from Rukongai…"
Kaien explained with a smile.
"If anything, he despises mediocre noble Shinigami even more. That's why he deliberately recruited you from the capable and battle-hardened Eleventh Division to be his vice-captain—"
At this point, Kaien paused and lowered his voice.
"It's said that Byakuya's late wife, Hisana, was also from Rukongai.
And Rukia looks very much like her—perhaps that's one of the reasons he insisted on adopting her despite opposition from the Kuchiki family."
"So, Renji," Taichi chimed in teasingly,
"you'd better perform well in the Sixth Division! Master Bankai and become a captain candidate—
At that point, marrying into the Kuchiki family would be completely legitimate! Your direct superior would even be your brother-in-law!
You'd rise straight to the top and reach the pinnacle of life!"
"Cut it out!" Renji snapped.
"I'm determined to become a captain and surpass that man! There's no way I'd let romance hold me back!"
"As the saying goes, 'To achieve great things, one must first start a family,'"
Taichi replied with a grin, waggling his eyebrows at Kaien.
"A capable wife might help you realize your dreams even faster! And anyway… even if you don't marry into the Kuchiki family, you could look elsewhere!
For example—Captain Kaien just so happens to have a younger sister, doesn't he? Fair skin, beautiful, long legs—one of the finest girls in all of Soul Society!"
"Ohhh—!"
Kaien immediately caught on. Having long worried about Shiba Kūkaku's marriage prospects, he suddenly took a keen interest in Renji.
"Taichi's right! Renji, what do you think?"
After all, for a Shinigami from Rukongai to grow strong enough to be chosen by Byakuya Kuchiki, head of the greatest noble family, Renji clearly possessed exceptional ability.
Moreover, thanks to Kuchiki Rukia and Fūjin Taichi, Kaien had grown quite familiar with Renji over the past few decades and knew he had great potential.
"Enough!" Renji said forcefully.
"I've said it before—until I defeat that man, I won't even discuss things like this!"
Though his words were resolute, his bright red face betrayed him.
"Alright… then it's settled!"
Kaien, flushed with drink, lifted his sake bottle, just about to make an impassioned declaration—
when suddenly an even louder voice rang out from the next room:
"Drink! Drink! Today we're not stopping until we're wasted!"
Slide!
Kaien's expression instantly darkened. He dashed over, slid open the door, and roared inside:
"Rangiku! Didn't I tell you to stay in the division and handle the paperwork properly?!"
"Ah—eh?! C-Captain, what a coincidence! Have a drink with us!"
Matsumoto Rangiku, cheeks flushed red, waved a stemmed glass at him.
"Hoko rought some secret-recipe pine nut wine from the Kasumiōji family today!"
"Ahaha… Really? In that case, I should try some—Wait, that's what I always tell you, you idiot!" Kaien nearly gave in to temptation but snapped back to his senses at the last moment.
Kaien, almost tempted by the fine wine, snapped back to his senses. He pointed a finger at Rangiku and growled, "It's precisely because of your carefree, undisciplined attitude that you still haven't learned Bankai!"
"Hehehe, what's the point of Bankai if you're not having fun, Captain~
And besides, weren't you slacking off during work hours too?"
Matsumoto Rangiku, reeking of alcohol, leaned in close to Shiba Kaien and whispered.
"..."
Kaien stammered,
"B-But I told Hitsugaya to focus on handling division duties properly, and I also filed for leave with Headquarters."
"Oh? Did you really, Captain~? You know, liars become Sinners and fall into Hell after death!"
"Of course I did!"
Kaien's face flushed red as he urgently pointed at Fūjin Taichi.
"The Vice-Captain of the First Division, Fūjin, can vouch for me! I really did apply for leave properly—"
"Huh?"
Taichi froze when he was suddenly named. Forget Kaien—had he even reported his own absence to Headquarters?
"Ahem! Lying turns you into a Sinner, Taichi!"
Kaien stared at him intensely.
"Yes! We… probably did apply for leave!"
Taichi lied through his teeth to back Kaien up. As for whether he'd end up in Hell as a result—he'd worry about that later!
"Oho~ Vice-Captain Fūjin really is a 'righteous' man who stands by his friends, huh? Don't you think so, Hoko?"
Rangiku shot Taichi a meaningful look, then turned to Kasumiōji Hoko inside the private room.
"What nonsense are you spouting, Sister Rangiku?!"
Kasumiōji Hoko came out blushing and greeted Taichi.
"Good afternoon, Taichi!"
"G-Good afternoon… Vice-Captain Kasumiōji!"
While Hoko opened the door, Taichi sneaked a glance inside—only to see the small private room packed with female Shinigami:
Eleventh Division Vice-Captain Kusajishi Yachiru,
Eighth Division Vice-Captain Ise Nanao,
Fourth Division Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane,
Twelfth Division Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi Nemu,
Thirteenth Division Vice-Captain Shiba Miyako;
as well as Thirteenth Division Fourth Seat Kotetsu Kiyone,
Fifth Division Third Seat Hinamori Momo,
Thirteenth Division Fifth Seat Kuchiki Rukia—
and even Second Division Captain Soi Fon and Fourth Division Captain Unohana Retsu were seated among them!!
"C-Captain Kaien… we should leave. Now."
The moment Taichi spotted Soi Fon and Unohana, his heart began pounding violently.
Because just moments earlier, when his eyes met theirs, a bone-chilling sensation surged through his body—
even though both of them were smiling warmly on the surface.
"Why?" Kaien asked, confused.
"It looks like… the Shinigami Women's Association…"
Taichi knew all too well that those two captains were not only extremely protective of their own—but also harbored intense hostility toward male Shinigami.
"What?! I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to do!"
Kaien instantly dropped his chopsticks and vanished with a whoosh.
"What happened to Captain Shiba?" Renji asked in confusion.
"Don't ask. Asking is a death sentence!"
Taichi hurriedly called the owner, settled the bill, and forcefully dragged Renji out of the izakaya.
"What's going on, Taichi?!" Renji asked, utterly baffled.
"It's a secret that cannot be told... Renji, once you spend less time being a meathead, you'll understand."
"…Alright."
Renji scratched his head, then curiously asked,
"By the way, Taichi—why have you been so loaded lately?"
"Uh…"
Taichi stiffened, hesitated, then finally said,
"I've been doing some… reselling lately. Made a bit of pocket money."
"Huh? Reselling?"
"Shipping antiques, calligraphy, fine liquor, gourmet food, and the like from the Human World, then selling them to divisions that need them…" Taichi muttered.
"Wait—if I remember correctly… aren't those items and activities explicitly banned under the Soul Society Import & Export Regulations?!"
"Heh. If the shopkeeper can sell them, why can't I? As long as Soul Society has demand, there's a market—"
Growing smug, Taichi continued,
"Anyway, it's pure profit with almost zero cost—ga—!"
His voice abruptly cut off. He coughed a few times, then hastily explained to the dumbfounded Renji:
"I mean—I have exceptional talent in business!
If I hadn't become a Shinigami, I'd definitely be one of the richest tycoons in Soul Society!
I'd open a 'Heng Tai Corporation' right inside Seireitei, buy up land in bulk, develop real estate, and bring Soul Society housing prices in line with international standards—"
"Oh…"
Renji let out an ambiguous sound through his nostrils—half convinced, half doubtful. Who could say?
"Well then, just wait and see, Renji! The journey of my commercial empire is toward the stars and the sea—"