Chapter 6

"Huh?"

Hearing that name, Shunsui Kyōraku instinctively touched the two ornate hairpins tucked into his ponytail.

"When did you find out, Little Lisa?"

"You never tried to hide it in the first place, Captain, did you?"

"Ahaha..."

Shunsui casually moved his hand to the back of his head and scratched it.

"Captain, could you at least put a little more effort into pretending? You're making it seem... like I'm as stupid as you."

Lisa Yadōmaru pressed a hand to her forehead in obvious displeasure, speaking with undisguised exasperation.

Seeing that, Shunsui hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, no, no."

"You really are more perceptive than I thought, Little Lisa. I suppose that's to be expected from the lieutenant I chose myself."

Before Lisa could respond, Shunsui lowered the wide brim of his hat, hiding both his eyes and his expression in its shadow.

"It's just that Nanao..."

"It isn't time for her to meet me yet."

Nanao Ise was the child of Shunsui Kyōraku's older brother. For a variety of complicated reasons, she had been adopted by an elderly couple from the Ise Clan. In other words, by blood, Little Nanao was Shunsui's own niece.

As the captain of the intelligence division, Shunsui was second only to Shigekuni Yamamoto in the Gotei 13 in terms of the information he possessed. Add to that his status as Yamamoto's prized student and a member of the Kyōraku Clan, one of the high noble families, and he could be considered the obvious choice for the next Captain-Commander.

Too many eyes were on Shunsui Kyōraku.

Until Nanao had grown to a certain point, Shunsui would rather not expose her identity too early.

Just then.

"Ding!"

"What was that?"

The clear ring of a bell from outside interrupted Lisa's intention to ask further questions.

"It came from the main training ground..."

Shunsui also turned his gaze eastward.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be a live-blade match, right?"

"What's that?"

Lisa stated frankly that she had never heard the term before.

"Well~"

Lisa's words made Shunsui's gaze wander for a moment, as if he had returned to his youth, when he was still a student.

"It was a fairly common way to spar back when we were in school."

"Little Lisa."

Shunsui looked up at his lieutenant beside the desk.

"Hmm?"

Lisa's tone was dismissive, but she still maintained the proper attitude of a lieutenant.

"Leave the work here to me. If you're interested, you can go watch over at the main training ground next door."

Whatever memories had just been stirred up, Shunsui apparently wanted his lieutenant to experience the atmosphere of a live-blade match.

"You hate work, and now you're actually offering to do it yourself, Captain?"

Lisa asked in disbelief.

"But I'm right here, aren't I—"

Before Shunsui could finish, his lieutenant cut him off.

"My dear Captain, you haven't forgotten where I had to drag you here from, have you?"

"Ahaha..."

Shunsui resorted to his classic foolish grin again.

Normally, Shunsui doing that would have effectively ended the conversation, and Lisa would have given up on questioning him out of habit.

Today, however, things were a little different.

"Or are you planning to take this chance to sneak away?"

"Of course not."

"Then please give me a proper reason."

Shunsui evidently gave some thought to his wording (to shift the responsibility) before speaking.

"...Reiatsu."

"Reiatsu?"

"The Reiatsu over at the main training ground is very similar to some of the Reiatsu I sensed on Little Nanao just now."

"What do you mean?"

Lisa was not at all surprised by her captain's keen perception. Throughout the Seireitei, the Eighth Division was the undisputed leader in this area. Pinpointing and tracking Reiatsu was their specialty.

What she was curious about was

why Shunsui had made a point of mentioning a student's Reiatsu.

From what the captain had said, someone must have come into contact with Nanao Ise just now... At this

level, she didn't even need to look to know it was a Shin'ō Academy student.

"..."

"I heard there's a fifth-year student at Shin'ō Academy named Haruto who's close to Little Nanao."

"He should be one of the people taking part in the live-blade match."

"Oh~?"

Lisa drew out her response.

"So. You're. Saying."

Lisa spoke word by word, a playful smile on her face.

"Captain, you know so much about him. Surely you didn't mobilize the Eighth Division's intelligence resources to look into a Shin'ō Academy student?"

Knowing this much meant the captain had already conducted a thorough investigation.

"That falls squarely within the Eighth Division's responsibilities."

Shunsui's reply was positively righteous.

"It's not easy to come up with such a well-reasoned justification... So, is there something wrong with this student named Haruto?"

Lisa remarked.

Shunsui would never act purely out of personal interest. As his subordinate, Lisa knew that better than anyone. Since the captain had investigated this student, there had to be another reason besides Nanao Ise.

"Other than his frequent contact with students from noble families, everything else is normal."

"Mm."

Lisa nodded.

"Since he dares to take part in a live-blade match, he certainly doesn't lack courage... Take a look at his strength for me."

"..."

Just as Lisa was about to revise her opinion of her captain and classify his behavior as "an old father harshly judging the brat getting close to his daughter,"

Shunsui continued,

"It never hurts to gather intelligence in advance."

Shin'ō Academy's teachers had limited discernment, after all. If he wanted accurate firsthand information, it was naturally more reliable to have his lieutenant go in person.

"I have a feeling this guy will bring some interesting changes to the Seireitei."

On the other side of the Shin'ō Grand Hall, at the Fifth Division's "recruitment fair."

"Ahh—"

A listless sigh rang out.

A sly, peculiar smile and a careless demeanor.

Side-swept bangs, a set of brilliant teeth fit for a toothpaste commercial, and long hair hanging past his shoulders in a curtain at the back:

Shinji Hirako, Third Seat of the Fifth Division.

"Shinji."

A gentle female voice came from behind Shinji Hirako.

"You look exhausted. You should hurry and get some rest. I can take over here."

Her vivid red hair was tied into a ponytail at one side of her shoulders. Small, pure white flowers she had picked herself had been fashioned into a hairpin, holding that soft lock in place.

Unlike the usual black outer layer and white lining, her distinctly nonstandard women's shihakusho looked more slender and elegant, and the lining had been replaced with a soft pale pink.

"Lieutenant Ika..."

Shinji lowered his head and rubbed hard at the spot between the bridge of his nose and his brows.

"This is a formal occasion. It would be better if you called me 'Third Seat Hirako.'"

"Huh?"

Ika covered her mouth in mild surprise.

"But, Shin... Shinji, don't you usually call me by my first name too?"

"..."

"Well, that's because I'm worried about confusing you with the captain."

Shinji looked up, a little helpless, and spoke to his lieutenant, who was dependable most of the time but could occasionally be a little airheaded.

The red-haired woman was the Fifth Division's lieutenant, Ika Kyōshiba.

Unlike the stringent requirements for selecting a captain, each division's lieutenant could be appointed directly by its captain. To the Seated Officers and rank-and-file members, a lieutenant's strength was certainly important, but their acceptance of the lieutenant was also a very important factor.

The reason the atmosphere within the Fifth Division remained so good had a great deal to do with Lieutenant Ika:

She was the twin elder sister of the Fifth Division Captain, Seigen Kyōshiba.

It had to be said.

In many divisions, the Third Seat was actually a very interesting position.

Because of the rules for appointing lieutenants, a Third Seat was often no weaker than the lieutenant, and that was the case in the current Fifth Division.

In terms of combat strength, Shinji Hirako was far stronger than Ika Kyōshiba:

She was merely fairly proficient in using her Shikai, while he had already essentially mastered Bankai. Even without using Bankai, Shinji believed he had the strength to fight Captain Kyōshiba.

However...

Shinji hated trouble.

Whether captain or lieutenant, both had far more to do than a Third Seat, and

they also had to go to the First Division Barracks for meetings at the drop of a hat.

For him, accustomed as he was to taking it easy, that was simply far too much trouble.

So.

Shinji had no complaints about his current position as Third Seat.

By the same logic, Shinji felt that the Fifth Division's Fourth Seat, ranked below him, probably had the same desire to coast.