A New Beginning

The atmosphere in Fon Shaoling's office was extremely cold.

Hu stood at the door, his back ramrod straight, the Jiku'a still hanging from his waist. Although his face was expressionless, his heart was pounding. He had gotten into a fight with a team leader on his first day of school; this was going to be a bit complicated.

Byakuya Kuchiki sat on the sofa in the center of the office, his white haori perfectly in place, his face expressionless. Renji Abarai stood behind him, his expression complicated—he had just eaten with this freshman that morning, and he hadn't expected this to happen in the afternoon.

After Marechiyo Ōmaeda tea to Byakuya Kuchiki, Ōmaeda huddled in a corner, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the wall.

Fon Shaoling sat in the main seat, first glancing at Hu, then at Byakuya.

"Who wants to speak first?" she asked.

Byakuya remained silent.

Hu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I struck first."

Fon Shaoling's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"He blocked my way and wouldn't let me in," Byakuya said calmly. "I told him to move aside, but he wouldn't."

"Didn't I tell you the captain wasn't here? And you even tried to take my knife."

"It is against the rules for academy students to carry swords outside." Byakuya's tone remained unchanged.

"Hey! You..."

Hu opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but Fon Shaoling raised her hand to stop him.

"Amber's sword has already Shikai," said Fon Shaoling.

"Shikai?" Byakuya glanced at the Toki Crow at Jiku'a's waist.

The scabbard is made of a special material, but it's common to use it as a decorative sword. Although their Hakuda and swordsmanship are not bad, Soul Reaper unleash their Zanpakuto during their student days are usually quite famous.

Byakuya had never heard of the name Kotori before: Could such an unknown person have truly achieved Shikai?

Byakuya couldn't help but think this.

"According to the rules, the Zanpakuto in its Shikai can be kept by its wielder," Fon Shaoling continued. "Captain Kuchiki should be aware of this."

Byakuya did not deny it.

"He's a freshman who just enrolled today, and he used my family's recommendation spot." Fon Shaoling's voice was calm. But these words were like a bomb to Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai.

Generally speaking, the recommendation quotas for admission reserved for nobles are actually used for those in the clan who fall below the passing grade, which is the so-called back door. Only the recommendations from the academy and the captain represent the elite.

However, there is one exception: the Fon Clan. The Fon Clan's recommended admission quotas are rarely used, and each generation of the Clan Head sets relatively difficult assessment tasks.

The most recent recipient of this spot is Soi Fon Shaoling, also known as Aya Hachisho. Before her, there was a Cilian, Soul Reaper was used only once every few centuries. And now, has another one appeared...?

Byakuya and Renji began to scrutinize Koko, who was standing at the door.

"He's not familiar with the academy's rules yet, and he doesn't know Captain Yui either. I'll have someone provide him with that kind of education later," Fon Shaoling continued.

Byakuya was silent for a moment, then spoke:

"In that case, let's put this matter aside for now." Byakuya's tone remained indifferent, but he didn't dwell on it. Byakuya's gaze shifted from Amber to Fon Shaoling.

"Captain Soi Fon, I need an explanation for bypassing the Sixth Division during the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle."

Fon Shaoling looked at Byakuya and knew that this was his real purpose for coming today. The conflict in the corridor was an accident; the real issue was that the Sixth Division was excluded from the investigation.

"During the investigation phase of the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle, the Second Division did not contact the Sixth Division." Fon Shaoling's voice was calm.

Byakuya's brow twitched slightly.

"Reason?"

"Because I'm not sure if any of their people are in the Sixth Division."

The room fell silent for a moment.

A hint of anger flashed in Byakuya's eyes.

"Captain Soi Fon, are you questioning the loyalty of the Sixth Division?"

"I doubt everyone's loyalty." Fon Shaoling's voice was flat. "I don't believe the Twenty-Four Chambers Alliance could have kept this a secret for so long without any traitors within the Gotei 13. Therefore, for this investigation, I'm only using people I trust."

"Are the so-called trustworthy people those squads that suffered losses a hundred years ago?" Byakuya said with some dissatisfaction.

Yes, that's right!

"Utterly foolish!" Byakuya rarely shouted, "How many Soul Reaper have changed squads in the past hundred years? To count them only by squad is absurd!"

"So that's the squad that suffered losses 'back then'!" Fon Shaoling stared directly at Byakuya. "At that time, Kuchiki Ginrei, the then captain of the Sixth Division, was coordinating with the Captain-Commander to handle the Kuchiki Kōga incident and had almost no intention of disciplining her team members. You often deal with noble incidents, so you know the true nature of those guys..."

Byakuya remained silent for a long time.

"And what were the findings of the investigation?" he asked.

"Everything about the Sixth Division is here," Fon Shaoling, pulling a file folder from under her desk. "If the Sixth Division needs any other files, I can have them sent over."

Byakuya looked at her without saying a word.

Fon Shaoling didn't say anything more.

After a long while, Byakuya finally spoke.

"Captain Soi Fon," he said, his emotions having calmed considerably, "the Sixth Division's duty is to handle noble affairs, and there are many noble sons within the division. You're right, there are indeed villains among the nobles, but if we can't even handle a few corrupt members ourselves, then I, as captain, will no longer be in a good position." Byakuya rose and continued:

"I hereby promise you that I will absolutely not protect any Soul Reaper breaks the rules or commits illegal acts, even if that person is one of my teammates or family members. This is the promise made by the current head of the Kuchiki Clan to you."

Fon Shaoling nodded.

As for Kou, upon hearing Byakuya's promise, she immediately thought of what would happen later in the original story and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "This kind of promise can't be kept. If it is, then later on, we'll have to execute the sister we finally managed to bring back."

Out of the corner of her eye, Fon Shaoling saw Ko's head moving and glanced over. Byakuya saw this and turned around, seeing Byakuya shaking her head. Just now, only she had spoken, and she felt that Ko was disregarding the promise she had made.

When Koko realized that Byakuya was watching him, he immediately stopped what he was doing, but he couldn't stop Byakuya's outburst.

Fon Shaoling could only sigh and rub her forehead. This was something only Aya could do; she had to pray for the best. After all, he was a captain, and while he'd already suffered in big matters, letting him vent his frustrations on small things was acceptable. After all, Byakuya wasn't one of those lunatics; he knew his limits.

"Captain Soi Fon, the new recruit you've chosen is indeed lacking in etiquette. Would you mind if I helped you train her?"

"Sigh..." Fon Shaoling sighed, "Take it easy when you're disciplining them."

Seeing Byakuya nod, Fon Shaoling said to Koko, "Koko, this is a rare opportunity for the Sixth Division Captain to personally instruct you. Go and train hard."

"Alright, let me see what you're capable of," Byakuya said, and started to pull Koko away.

Renji felt it was going too far for his captain to reprimand a rookie and was about to step in to stop him when Marechiyo Ōmaeda pulled him aside. "What are you doing? The conflict between our Second Division and your Sixth Division during this battle was quite significant. Captain Kuchiki wants to downplay the situation and save face, so this matter can just be left behind."

"But Koko..." Renji hesitated, after all, Koko was a freshman.

"Don't worry, that kid's pretty strong. He killed a Vasto Lorde in Bamboo Creek Plains. Look at that scabbard, it's even made from the hide of that Menos Grande."

Is that so?

"You should be grateful. If this could be resolved by Hu alone, I'd be thanking my lucky stars. I was originally thinking that to get this over with, we absolutely had to have a showdown..."

While Marechiyo Ōmaeda and Renji were still whispering to each other, Byakuya had already dragged Koko to the door. Although Koko didn't know what was going on, he usually listened to Fon Shaoling, so he went as soon as she asked.

"Renji," Byakuya opened the door and walked out, "Since you and Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda have so much to talk about, you two can come along too. It makes no difference to me."

Renji, upon hearing this, responded with a "Yes" and gave chase. He was frequently trained by Byakuya and didn't find anything strange about it. Marechiyo Ōmaeda, however, stayed behind, intending to slip away, but was kicked away by Fon Shaoling. "Aren't you going to follow him!"

Having failed to Marechiyo Ōmaeda had no choice but to follow.

World of the Living

A small, unassuming shop, tucked away in a corner of Karakura Town. A sign reading "Urahara Shop" hangs at the entrance, and it looks no different from an ordinary general store.

Cilian stood at the door, dressed in casual clothes, carrying a small box in her right hand.

He knocked on the door.

"Coming, coming--" came a lazy voice from inside.

The door opened.

Kisuke Urahara stood in the doorway, holding a fan in his hand and wearing his signature hat. When he saw the Cilian, his expression froze for a moment.

"Mr. Cilian?"

"Long time no see," Cilian said calmly.

Urahara paused for a moment, then smiled. His smile held a mixture of surprise and nostalgia.

"It's been a long time. Come in and have a seat."

Cilian followed him into the shop. The shop was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with shelves filled with all sorts of items, most of which were psionic artifacts rarely seen in the World of the Living.

"Want some tea?" Urahara asked.

"Um."

Urahara went to make tea, Cilian sat at the low table, looking around.

"You're still the same," said Cilian. "Things are everywhere."

Urahara returned with two cups of tea, sat down opposite him, and chuckled, "I'm used to it. I was like this back in the barracks, didn't you scold me for it?"

"Back then, you had just taken over as the Third Seat, and your desk was so messy you couldn't even find the documents."

"That's why you kept an eye on me while I tidied up every day." Urahara pushed the tea towards him. "After I left, didn't you have a lot more peace and quiet?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Urahara looked at his right arm and left eye, and was somewhat surprised to find that they weren't prosthetics.

"Mr. Cilian, your eyes and hands..."

"Thanks to the Department of Research and Development," Cilian said without going into details.

"Where is Lady Yoruichi?" Cilian asked.

Urahara's expression changed slightly.

"I don't know," he said.

"Urahara, I'm not so old that I can't tell the difference between my old boss's Reiatsu. Lady Yoruichi, aren't you coming out yet?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black cat darted in through the back door, nimbly leaped onto the table, and perched between the two of them.

The black cat glanced at the Cilian and licked its paw.

The sound came from the cat's mouth, carrying a hint of laziness.

"Cilian, you actually found your way here."

Cilian bowed slightly.

"Lady Yoruichi."

The black cat jumped off the table and disappeared for a moment in the corner of the room. When it reappeared, it had transformed into a human.

Yoruichi Shihōin, dressed in a simple bodysuit, sat down opposite the Cilian, casually crossing her legs.

"You old codger, it's been so many years." She looked Cilian up and down. "How have you been lately?"

"Thanks to you," said Cilian.

Yoruichi smiled.

"How is Shaoling?" she asked.

Cilian nodded.

"The princess has been doing well lately, especially after winning a major battle."

He briefly recounted the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle — the Twenty-Four Chambers Alliance of the Central 46, the Completed Form experiment in Withered Bamboo Hamlet, the Nether Abyss Insects of Hongming, and the final battle.

After listening, Yoruichi fell silent, not at all like someone who had just heard of a victory.

"That girl... she's grown up." Her voice was very soft.

Urahara remained silent, simply sipping his tea.

Cilian looked at him.

"Urahara, your suspicion has been cleared."

Urahara's smile remained unchanged, but his grip on the teacup tightened slightly.

"However, the original sentence remains unchanged. You are still exiled and forbidden from setting foot on Soul Society soil. But you are permitted to periodically contact and trade with Soul Society." Cilian took some documents from her suitcase and continued, "Your movements will be monitored jointly by the Second Division and the Thirteenth Division. This is your trading pass."

Urahara looked up and smiled.

"Then I'll accept it. Thank you so much, Captain Soi Fon."

Cilian then looked at Yoruichi.

"Lady Yoruichi, your sentence has been revoked. Central 46 allows you to return to Soul Society."

Yoruichi's expression remained unchanged.

"They must have sent quite a few Hell Butterflies as well, so why are they unwilling to respond?" Cilian said.

Yoruichi didn't say anything.

Cilian didn't press the matter further.

He simply said, "Your Highness has waited many years."

Yoruichi's lips moved slightly.

"She thought that once the truth was revealed, you could go back."

The room was quiet for a while.

Yoruichi spoke.

"I know."

Her voice was calm.

"But I'm here; I still have things to do. I won't go back until those things are finished."

She looked at the Cilian with a calm and composed gaze.

Tell her I'm doing well. Don't worry, I'll come back when the time is right.

Cilian remained silent for a long time, then nodded.

"I will bring it."

He stood up, preparing to take his leave.

He suddenly stopped when he reached the door.

"Urahara."

"Um?"

Cilian didn't turn around. "Who are you hiding from?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Urahara lowered his head, his expression hidden by the brim of his hat.

Yoruichi glanced at the Cilian, then looked away.

"Cilian," her voice was calm, "Some things are better left unknown than known."

Cilian waited for a long time, but no one spoke again.

He nodded.

"Understood."

He turned around, opened the door, and went out.

The door closed gently behind me.

Urahara sat there, motionless.

Yoruichi looked at the closed door and sighed softly.

"He's as perceptive as ever."

Urahara remained silent.

He simply stared at the tea in the cup, now completely cold, and remained silent.

Cilian walked down the streets of Karakura Town, the empty suitcase in her hand feeling light, but her heart felt heavy.

He remembered Urahara's expression, and Yoruichi's expression.

They refused to say anything.

There are very few people in the entire Soul Society who can silence both Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin same time.

Cilian paused for a moment.

He raised his head and looked at the distant sky.

As the sun sets, it bathes the entire Karakura Town in gold.

The Twenty-Four Chambers Alliance couldn't develop the technology for those Completed Form — Parasitic Hollow. There must be someone behind those things.

Cilian took a deep breath.

This matter cannot be rushed.

He needs time, he needs clues, he needs to investigate slowly.

When Cilian returned to Soul Society, she saw Amber, covered in wounds, and Renji escorting Rukia to the World of the Living.

"Amber, isn't today the entrance ceremony? What's wrong with you?" Cilian brushed past Rukia and walked towards Amber.

Kou scratched his head, glanced at the equally miserable Renji, and gave him a thumbs up. "You fought the captain of the Sixth Division!"

Cilian: "..."