Golden Seal Conference

Whether it was his outrageously outstanding grades or the assessments of his character in the file from the Stealth Force officers assigned to monitor him—

"Gentle," "humble," "excellent in both character and academics," "exceptional interpersonal relationships, with no bad habits or extremist remarks."

From a quick look through the entire file, Sōsuke Aizen was practically a saint without a single flaw.

But as the saying went, absolute perfection did not exist in this world. Perfection itself was even the greatest flaw.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Yoruichi asked softly, watching Xuanxin close the file.

"Yes, I found it. Every word in this file proves to me that he's exactly the kind of person I imagined."

Xuanxin handed the file back to Yoruichi, a complex glimmer flashing in his eyes.

A genius who locked his true self deep in the abyss, yet faced the entire world with a perfect smile.

After confirming this, Xuanxin made no unusual moves in the days that followed, lest overly deliberate actions strike a sensitive nerve in Aizen.

He continued to substitute at Shin'ō Academy as often as usual.

When Aizen came to him for advice, he was neither overly friendly and enthusiastic nor deliberately distant and evasive.

Everything seemed so natural, as though he truly admired nothing more than an ordinary top student, patiently answering every difficult question he posed.

Outside Shin'ō Academy, Xuanxin's life remained just as full. Every day, he went to the 11th Division on schedule, worked up a sweat leading that group of battle maniacs, and handled his daily duties as Kenpachi.

That day, Xuanxin had just finished a combat drill with the 11th Division and returned to the Shihoin Clan's main residence in the glow of the setting sun.

But as soon as he stepped through the gate to the inner residence, before he could change out of his sweat-soaked shihakushō, the old steward hurriedly summoned him to Seigen's study.

Xuanxin pushed open the wooden door and could not help pausing at the sight before him.

Inside, Shihoin Seigen, the former clan head, sat behind a wide desk, clutching his head in both hands in apparent agony, looking as though his blood pressure was about to go through the roof.

By the tea table not far from him, the current clan head, Yoruichi Shihōin, sat cross-legged without a care for appearances, peeling an orange with obvious boredom.

Although Yoruichi had now nominally taken over the Shihoin Clan and become its rightful twenty-second head, she was so inconsistent that she was nowhere to be found nine days out of ten.

As a result, the clan's trivial affairs and complicated accounts, which should have been handled by its head, ultimately drifted back onto Seigen's desk like snowflakes.

Seigen had once dreamed of a wonderful retirement, spending his days taking his caged birds out for walks and fishing by the river. Even now, that life remained as elusive as the moon reflected in water or a flower in a mirror, forever out of reach.

Hearing the door open, Seigen raised his head.

When he saw Xuanxin enter, a trace of genuine relief finally crossed his worried old face, and he let out a long breath.

He privately counted himself fortunate that the family still had a capable, levelheaded son-in-law. Otherwise, the residence of one of the Four Great Noble Clans, with its thousand-year legacy, might sooner or later be brought to ruin by that unreliable girl Yoruichi.

"Father-in-law, has something happened?" Xuanxin sat down beside Yoruichi and looked at Seigen.

Seigen lowered the hand he had been using to rub his temples, his expression gradually turning serious. "Just now, the clan received notice that the Golden Seal Nobles' Conference is being convened again."

At the name, Yoruichi, who was eating an orange, curled her lip indifferently and grumbled:

"The Golden Seal Nobles' Conference? Which great noble family is arranging another marriage alliance, or whose family is taking another concubine? For a boring meeting full of wrangling like that, couldn't you just go through the motions in my place, old man?"

Seigen shot his daughter a glare and shook his head, a rare gravity entering his voice:

"I'm afraid it won't be so simple this time. The Tsunayashiro Clan is the one calling for the meeting."

At the words "Tsunayashiro Clan," Xuanxin's gaze sharpened slightly.

Seigen continued:

"Since their clash with us during that uproar last time, the Tsunayashiro Clan has been very quiet these past few years. But recently, for some unknown reason, they've begun making frequent moves behind the scenes, and their actions have been significant."

"Moreover, the notice issued by the Tsunayashiro Clan explicitly requires the 'current heads' of the major clans to attend in person. No representatives are allowed. So it would be against the rules for these old bones of mine to appear."

Seigen looked at the two of them and sighed deeply. "Something out of the ordinary is bound to be a sign of trouble. I'm afraid this meeting won't be a simple matter, so I can only leave it to you two to handle."

Xuanxin met Seigen's gaze steadily and nodded slightly.

"I understand. Leave it to us. Yoruichi and I will go see what the Tsunayashiro Clan is really up to."

Chapter 44: Golden Seal Conference

The next day, Seireitei, Seijōtōkyorin.

This was where the so-called Central 46 Chambers conducted its business, and also where the Five Great Noble Clans held the Golden Seal Conference.

The thin morning mist had yet to fully dissipate as Xuanxin and Yoruichi walked side by side up the long, secluded white stone steps leading to the towers.

All was silent around them, save for their footsteps echoing through the empty passage. What Yoruichi would normally have considered a pleasant walk for two now felt somewhat oppressive because of the buildings.

Yoruichi tilted her head back to look at the white towers soaring into the clouds, making no attempt to hide the disgust in her golden eyes.

"What sickening pomp and ceremony."

Yoruichi curled her lip and grumbled to Xuanxin as they walked:

"Xuanxin, did you know? The original purpose of this enormous Central 46 Chambers was to serve as an institution through which the small and middle-ranking noble clans could check the excessive power held by our Five Great Noble Clans. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Noble, even?"

But then Yoruichi changed tack with a cold laugh, her voice full of mockery.

"But what's the reality? The Five Great Noble Clans' resources and prestige throughout Soul Society are simply too great, so great that they can't be shaken at all.

"Over time, ninety percent of the forty sages and six judges in Central 46 have effectively become vassals and lapdogs dependent on the Five Great Noble Clans.

"That's turned the so-called 'checks and balances' into a colossal joke.

"To some extent, the Five Great Noble Clans can even use Central 46's rulings to place themselves openly above Soul Society's laws.

"Powerless lower-ranking Soul Reapers and civilians can't hope for a fair trial if they so much as touch a noble's interests. How much true justice has been buried in the darkness by such a thoroughly rotten institution?"

As the current head of the Shihoin Clan, Yoruichi was one of the ultimate beneficiaries of this corrupt institution.

But her love of freedom and justice made her despise this bloodstained game of power.

After listening to Yoruichi, Xuanxin nodded in understanding.

Looking at Yoruichi's indignant profile, Xuanxin's deep black eyes flashed with determination.

He leaned closer to Yoruichi's ear and spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear, his tone calm yet carrying immense weight.

"Things will change, Yoruichi. We'll make them change."

It was not merely a word of comfort, but a promise from the eleventh Kenpachi.

Yoruichi paused, then a brilliant smile spread across her tense face.

She nodded emphatically. "Yes! Things will change."

Just as the two were about to continue, steady footsteps suddenly sounded behind them.

"It seems I'm not late." An aged, authoritative voice rang out behind them.

They turned to see Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of the Sixth Division and current head of the Kuchiki Clan, approaching with a steady stride.

Half a step behind Ginrei Kuchiki followed a composed middle-aged man. He wore a shihakushō, and his gaze was sharp and self-assured.

"Greetings, Lord Ginrei." Xuanxin and Yoruichi nodded slightly to him.

Ginrei Kuchiki came to a stop before them and nodded in return. Then he turned slightly to introduce the man behind him.

"Yoruichi, Captain Xuanxin, allow me to introduce him. This is Kōga Kuchiki, a son-in-law of the Kuchiki Clan."

At the introduction, Kōga Kuchiki immediately stepped forward.

His gaze swept quickly over Yoruichi and Xuanxin, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes: So that's how it is.

In Kōga Kuchiki's eyes, though the youth before him had an almost legendary reputation and bore the title of Kenpachi, wasn't he ultimately the prospective "son-in-law" of the Shihoin Clan?

As they were both men who had married into one of the Five Great Noble Clans, Kōga Kuchiki immediately felt an inexplicable affinity and kinship with him.

"I've long heard of you, Captain Fujiwara."

Kōga Kuchiki was extraordinarily enthusiastic. He held out both hands and clasped Xuanxin's hand, speaking with an easy familiarity.

Xuanxin was somewhat baffled by the middle-aged man's sudden warmth.

He was not accustomed to socializing with such obvious ulterior motives, but out of courtesy, he shook the man's hand with a neutral expression. "You flatter me."

Once the three had exchanged greetings, Ginrei Kuchiki glanced up at the tightly shut bronze doors deep among the towers and frowned slightly.

"It's about time. I'm afraid those inside have already been waiting for quite a while."

With that, Ginrei Kuchiki turned to Kōga. "Kōga, I'll go in for the meeting. You may attend to your own business. This is the heart of Seijōtōkyorin; it's perfectly safe."

After speaking, he reached out and gently patted Kōga Kuchiki on the shoulder like an elder.

Kōga Kuchiki immediately showed his understanding and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Father. I wish you a successful meeting."

As Kōga Kuchiki understood it, only the current heads of the Five Great Noble Clans had ever been qualified to take part in this central Golden Seal Conference, where Soul Society's direction was decided.

As a man who had married into the clan, it was only natural that he be left waiting outside.

So he naturally stepped aside beneath a stone pillar and turned to Xuanxin. He was about to exchange a few words with the Shihoin Clan's son-in-law, a fellow man in the same boat, and impart some of his own experience to his junior.

But the very next second, the smile froze on Kōga Kuchiki's face.

Rather than walking toward the bronze doors alone, Ginrei Kuchiki turned to Yoruichi and Xuanxin and made an inviting gesture. "Clan Head Yoruichi, Captain Xuanxin, let's go in together."

"Sorry for the trouble, Lord Ginrei." Xuanxin nodded without any change in expression.

Then, under Kōga Kuchiki's disbelieving gaze, Xuanxin walked naturally alongside Ginrei Kuchiki and Yoruichi, climbed the last few steps, and entered the bronze doors that symbolized Soul Society's highest authority!

Rumble—

The heavy bronze doors slowly closed in front of Kōga Kuchiki, leaving him all alone in the deserted white stone plaza.

Kōga Kuchiki stared blankly at the shut doors. For the first time, he felt a powerful shock, followed by an inexplicable anger.

"Why?!"

We both married into the Five Great Noble Clans! I, Kōga Kuchiki, have devoted myself to the Kuchiki Clan for so many years and rendered outstanding service, yet I'm not even qualified to sit in on the meeting!

Fujiwara Genshin is nothing but a lowborn wretch from Rukongai, so what gives him the right to walk in as an equal to the heads of two great clans?!

The enormous disparity and sense of humiliation twisted Kōga Kuchiki's face for an instant.

But he knew he could not lose his temper here and now, so he could only force down his resentment and walk alone to a corner on the outskirts of the towers, his face dark. The complicated feelings in his heart refused to fade for a long time.

Beyond the bronze doors was a spacious, dimly lit circular conference room.

There were no windows overhead; the only illumination came from ghostly blue Reishi torches burning on the walls.

A huge round table made of precious wood stood in the center of the room. There had originally been places for five, but two chairs had been deliberately placed by the Shihoin Clan's place.

Yoruichi nodded in satisfaction at the sight, then pulled Xuanxin toward the chairs meant for them. At present, only one person was seated around the enormous table.

He was a gaunt old man with a gloomy expression. Dressed in a luxurious kimono, he leaned back in his chair with his hands folded. He was the current head of the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Watching the three enter, the Tsunayashiro clan head's lips curved into a false smile, and his dry, hoarse voice rang through the dim conference room. "Good. It seems just about everyone is here. We can begin."

At those words, a displeased crease appeared on Ginrei Kuchiki's already stern face.

"Clan Head Tsunayashiro, isn't this against the rules?"

Ginrei Kuchiki pulled out a chair and sat down, asking in a low voice:

"Leaving aside the fifth great noble clan, which has long lived in seclusion, why has the head of the Shiba Clan not arrived? Since the matter under discussion is so important, surely there's no harm in waiting until someone from the Shiba Clan arrives before we begin."