Meanwhile, outside the meeting hall.
All of the Vice-Captains, except for Chōjirō Sasakibe, had gathered together, standing in small groups and hiding in shaded areas while waiting for their captains to finish the meeting.
After all, in the Soul Society, there was no justification for vice captain to idle in their division barracks while their superiors were hard at work in the meeting hall.
Thus, almost every time a Captains' Meeting was convened by the First Division, each captain would bring along their Vice-Captain:
First, it was a matter of respect toward captain-class Shinigami—unless given explicit permission, a Vice-Captain was required to remain at the captain's side while they were on duty, much like a secretary in the Human World;
Second, it ensured that the Captain-Commander's directives were transmitted quickly and accurately to each division through the Vice-Captains, under the watchful eye of the First Division's audit team.
Back to the point—
Over the past fifty or so years, quite a few new faces had joined the ranks of the Gotei 13 Vice-Captains:
For example, Fūjin Taichi of the First Division, Kira Izuru of the Third, Abarai Renji of the Sixth, and Shiba Miyako of the Thirteenth were all relatively new Vice-Captains.
Yet every time a Captains' Meeting was held, the scene outside the hall looked exactly the same as it had a hundred years ago:
Using the main entrance as a dividing line—
On the left side gathered the so-called "Noble Faction," led by Ōmaeda Marechiyo, Vice-Captain of the Second Division. Its members included Kotetsu Isane of the Fourth Division, Kasumioji Hoko of the Fifth, and Iba Tetsuzaemon of the Seventh.
On the right stood the Commoner Faction, led by Hisagi Shūhei of the Ninth Division. Its members included Fūjin Taichi of the First, Abarai Renji of the Sixth, and Kira Izuru of the Third—whose fallen noble status placed him barely above a drifter.
In addition, there was the Harmonious Neutral Faction representing "female independence," led by Matsumoto Rangiku of the Tenth Division. Its members included Ise Nanao of the Eighth, Kusajishi Yachiru of the Eleventh, Nemu Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth, and Shiba Miyako of the Thirteenth.
Chirp... chirp...
The wild cicadas outside Seireitei continued their half-dead buzzing, their fluctuating noise making the waiting Vice-Captains increasingly irritable.
"Senior Shūhei, when on earth is this captains' meeting going to end?!"
Bare-chested, Fūjin Taichi squatted in the shade against the outer wall of the meeting hall, fanning his face with one hand while gulping down cool water from a bamboo flask with loud glug-glug sounds.
"Idiot! How would I know something like that?!"
Hisagi Shūhei, leaning against a nearby wall, snapped back before licking his dry lips.
"Taichi, you're a Vice-Captain now! Could you at least care a little about your image?!"
"Yeah, Taichi—this isn't the academy anymore. If the disciplinary team sees you, they'll dock your pay again!" Kira Izuru, sitting quietly on the opposite railing, offered a soft warning.
"Heh!"
Taichi tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and drained the last drop from the bamboo flask. Smacking his lips, he complained:
"Let them dock it—there's barely anything left of my salary this month anyway!
But if I don't drink water, I'm going to die of thirst! Seriously… did you people pollute Soul Society's ozone layer by burning firewood or something?!"
"Hey! What are you rambling about over there?!"
Abarai Renji wiped the sweat from his forehead and instinctively reached into his robe—only to realize, to his horror, that he had never developed the habit of carrying a water bottle.
Not far away, Kasumioji Hoko clutched a water flask decorated with a crabapple flower motif. After hesitating for quite some time, she finally ignored the strange looks from others, walked over, and handed it to Taichi.
"Taichi… drink mine."
"Huh? Th—thanks!"
Just as Taichi took the flask and was about to drink, a sudden intuition made him glance toward the meeting hall's main entrance.
Creeeak—
The two tall, heavy wooden doors finally swung open.
Tap… tap…
Tap… tap…
The captains, clad in white haori, filed out one by one. Some wore solemn expressions, others looked relaxed, while some bore emotions too complex to describe—all leading their Vice-Captains away in haste.
"Heavens, the meeting's finally over!"
Taichi shoved the water flask back into Kasumioji Hoko's hands and quickly pulled on his Shinigami robes, preparing to return to the Tenth Division together with Matsumoto Rangiku.
This was because the "criminal" Saitō Tsukiyomi, after being escorted back to Soul Society by Shiba Kaien and Fūjin Taichi, had been held in the Tenth Division barracks, awaiting the Central 46 final judgment.
"Long time no see, Fūjin."
Just as they were about to leave, Aizen Sōsuke suddenly stopped walking. His deep, unreadable gaze passed over Kasumioji Hoko and settled on Taichi as he spoke gently.
"What—?!"
The moment Aizen called him out, Taichi felt a bone-chilling cold rise up his spine, instantly dispelling the scorching heat that had clung to his body.
"Captain?"
Kasumioji Hoko put away her water flask and stepped beside Aizen, glancing curiously at Taichi.
"Is there something you need from Vice-Captain Fūjin?"
"Not really," Aizen replied calmly.
"It's just been a long time since we last met, and since we happened to run into each other here, I thought I'd greet him like an old friend."
He gently patted Kasumioji Hoko's head, then—behind the black frames of his glasses—his gaze took on a palpable sharpness as it fixed on Taichi.
"So then… may I have a few words with you, Fūjin?"