Moonlit Chitchat

Because Amber wasn't full yet, Amber and Renji walked side by side on their way back to the noodle stall.

Moonlight spilled onto the stone path, casting long shadows of the two. Amber's uniform was torn in several places, and Renji's Shihakusho wasn't in much better shape.

"Oh, right," Renji suddenly spoke up, "That Instructor Cilian from earlier... was he the one Marechiyo Ōmaeda was talking about?"

Hu nodded.

"He used to be the Third Seat, I think. He was seriously injured during the Hueco Mundo expedition and had to step down. He only recently had his hands and eyes regrown thanks to a powerful Flesh Supplement from the Department of Research and Development."

"The Third Seat?" Renji's eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah. Marechiyo Ōmaeda said, if it weren't for his injury, he might be the captain now. He's not just saying that randomly; after all, he's never used his Shikai when he fought me."

Renji recalled the sharp edge he had felt from Cilian when they met earlier.

How strong is he?

Hu thought for a moment.

"During the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle, he single-handedly held off an enemy of Vasto Lorde caliber."

Renji.

"Vasto Lorde?"

"Hmm." Hu briefly recounted the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle —of course, due to intelligence being blocked, he referred to the Completed Form as the enemy. "The enemy was very strong; neither Shaoling nor I could handle him. Moreover, I was exhausted and fainted at that time. If Instructor Cilian hadn't arrived and single-handedly held off the enemy, who knows what would have happened to us."

Renji didn't speak immediately.

He recalled his time in the 11th Division, when he encountered Menos Grande on expeditions alongside Captain Zaraki Adjuchas. Back then, he wasn't even Seated Officer, unable to even get close, and could only stand at a distance watching his captain resolve the battle alone. He still vividly remembered that feeling of powerlessness.

The person Hu mentioned—that instructor—was actually able to hold off Vasto Lorde by himself.

"Your instructor," Renji's voice was somewhat complicated, "Is really strong. You and that girl named Shaoling are also quite formidable; the two of you dared to take on Vasto Lorde."

Koko then realized that Renji wasn't very familiar with the name: "Oh, you don't know? Shaoling is Soi Fon. Captain Soi Fon's real name. I've never changed my title, and Shaoling has never had any objections." Koko pointed proudly to herself and said, "My exclusive privilege."

Renji moment, then laughed: It seems Captain Soi Fon really dotes on Koko, allowing her to call him by his first name.

Etc!

Since Shaoling is referring to Captain Soi Fon, then this Vasto Lorde- level enemy...

"Isn't that the Hongming that Captain Soi Fon was struggling against, mentioned in the meeting briefing!"

Amber nodded. "Oh, so Abarai knew all along. I was even thinking of using the enemy as a substitute for information blockade."

"I'm the Lieutenant, how could I not know? By the way, you fought a tough battle against Vasto Lorde in Soul Society? Isn't that a bit too much of a show of force?"

"Ah, that's not quite that exaggerated. I remember the first tough battle was against a Gillian. How could we possibly fight Vasto Lorde right after entering the battlefield? That would be too Sparda," Hu said, waving his hand.

"Oh~ it's Gillian ~ that's good... no! Good my foot, Gillian, that's Menos Grande! Fighting Gillian for the first time, that's pretty tough!" Renji retorted.

Hu scratched his head. "I was just lucky, I made it in time."

"What good luck! This is just utterly unlucky!" Renji looked at Kou, completely bewildered that he didn't realize the significance of encountering Killian and then Vasto Lorde within a month of arriving in Soul Society. You might not even encounter a Vasto Lorde in a month in Hueco Mundo...

He recalled Amber's techniques from the training ground— Judgment Cut, Summoned Swords, and the Void Blade Realm that even Byakuya was held back. He also remembered his own embarrassing moment when he first faced Adjuchas.

Amber can still consider encountering Gillian and Vasto Lorde as good luck, but now if she were to face Vasto Lorde, whether she could win would depend entirely on luck.

However, this only highlights the excellence of Cilian's training capabilities. After all, even the most talented person cannot grow so quickly without sufficient guidance.

"That Instructor Cilian," Renji said, "Is currently serving in the Second Division, right? He was the former Third Seat, which means he retired after his injury, right?"

"No, the instructor is currently the Sixth Seat supervisor in the Second Division, responsible for training the members of the Second Division."

"I see. Such a dedicated instructor? I'm really curious about the courses he designs."

Hu glanced at him and smiled.

"Sure. I'll mention it to the instructor sometime and see if he can let you come and have a look. But he can be really fierce when he's disciplining people, so don't be scared."

Renji snorted, "It's not like I'm a country bumpkin."

They exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously. Under the moonlight, they walked together into the noodle stall.

"Boss! A huge bowl of ramen, please!"

Meanwhile, on the side of the Cilian

Cilian walked down the corridor of the Second Division barracks.

It was late at night, and the corridor was quiet, with only the occasional sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps in the distance. He had just returned from the Senkaimon and hadn't had time to change out of his civilian clothes.

He stopped as he passed an office.

The door was ajar, and the inside was brightly lit.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda sat behind his desk, surrounded by piles of documents. His hands moved with an almost invisible speed, turning pages, annotating, stamping, and filing—a series of fluid movements.

The obese figure, surrounded by documents, actually looked somewhat pitiful.

Cilian's lips twitched as she recalled Amber's earlier words, "Marechiyo Ōmaeda was running and shouting, 'Someone save me!'"

He pushed open the door and went inside.

Without even looking up, Marechiyo Ōmaeda, "Put the documents on the left, the reports on the right, and the urgent ones in the middle. I'll process them right away."

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's hand stopped. He looked up and saw Cilian standing in front of him, and his expression changed instantly.

"Thorn Instructor Cilian?!"

Cilian looked at him without saying a word.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's legs began to tremble as he forced a smile and said, "Instructor, what brings you here? Did the captain want to see me? Or—"

"Nothing much, I just heard you were running quite enthusiastically on the training field today?" Cilian's voice was calm.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda broke out in a cold sweat.

"Instructor, that's Captain Kuchiki guiding our training, and I've worked really hard too—"

"Are you practicing calling for help really hard? Like, 'Someone save me!'"

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's face turned bright red.

"That... that was a tactical necessity! It was to confuse the enemy, it was—"

"Tactical requirements?"

Cilian took a step forward.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda shrank back.

"Instructor, please let me explain—"

Cilian didn't listen.

He grabbed Marechiyo Ōmaeda collar and pulled him out of the pile of documents.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda screamed, "Instructor! Instructor, spare me! That was really tactical! Really! You can ask Amber--"

Cilian ignored him.

A series of crackling sounds came from the office, mixed with Marechiyo Ōmaeda's groans.

A moment later, Cilian clapped her hands and walked out of the office.

Behind him, Marechiyo Ōmaeda slumped in a chair, his already thinning hair now disheveled like tangled weeds, his clothes wrinkled, and a red mark on his face.

Cilian walked towards Fon Shaoling's office without looking back.

Cilian knocked on Fon Shaoling's office door.

"Come in."

He pushed open the door and saw Fon Shaoling sitting behind a desk, with documents spread out in front of her. Her hair was loose, and she had changed into her light blue kimono; her face still showed signs of fatigue from the day.

"You're back?" Fon Shaoling looked up.

Cilian nodded and sat down opposite her.

How's Kisuke Urahara doing?

"Overall, things are manageable. He opened a shop in Karakura Town selling general merchandise and also provides some small inventions to the local Soul Reaper. But he's still the same as always, he likes to leave things scattered everywhere." Cilian placed the box on the table. "These are the things he asked us to bring back. It seems to be some new kind of Denreishinki, and he wanted our Second Division to take a look and experiment with it. We've already given him the trading permit."

Fon Shaoling glanced at the box but didn't open it.

"This guy, even in exile he can't stay idle. He's always tinkering with these things, causing Lady Yoruichi to be exiled to the World of the Living with him."

Cilian paused for a moment.

"I saw Lady Yoruichi today."

Fon Shaoling's fingers tightened slightly.

"How is she...?"

"She's doing very well," Cilian said. "She lives in Urahara— "

He paused.

She said she still had things to do in this World of the Living. She wouldn't come back until those things were finished.

The office was quiet for a moment.

Fon Shaoling lowered her head and looked at the documents on the table.

"Anything else?" Her voice was calm.

She told you to take care of yourself and not to worry. She said she would come back when the time was right.

Fon Shaoling's fingers clenched tightly.

That's all?

That's all.

The office fell silent again.

Fon Shaoling raised her head and looked at the moonlight outside the window. Although her face was expressionless, Cilian could see the emotions in her eyes.

"It's always like this." Her voice was soft. "She won't say anything. She won't tell me anything. Even though I've already proven myself..."

She didn't finish her sentence, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts:

If she hadn't encountered Koko during her trip to Bamboo Creek Plain, she would have undoubtedly resented Yoruichi's answer after resolving all the incidents. For a century, she had been holding her breath, climbing higher and higher, constantly honing and improving herself, all so that one day she could catch up with Yoruichi and proudly tell him Yoruichi she was different, strong enough that Yoruichi no longer needed to treat her like a child...

But then, I ran into Hu. This guy, he's usually a bit dim-witted and simple-minded, doesn't mince words, and is very outspoken. Although he often gets into trouble, being with him is quite fun. Being liked by someone like that is definitely one of life's great surprises. Speaking of which, why did I call him here today?

Fon Shaoling gradually remembered: This afternoon she was supposed to tell Hu that after the Fon Clan's training, he was basically one of the strongest in the academy, and he didn't need to attend all the classes. Except for the classes taught by the captain or Lieutenant as guest lecturers, there was no point in attending the other classes. Moreover, the Fon Clan was now too infamous, and she wanted him to keep a low profile and try not to cause any conflicts.

When Byakuya came demanding an explanation, he was so flustered that he completely forgot about it.

She rested her Fon Shaoling.

She glanced at the clock on the table: it was already very late. Hu should have gone home by now, right?

After thinking for a moment, she decided to send Cilian to deliver a message to Marechiyo Ōmaeda, asking him to relay it the Marechiyo Ōmaeda day.

After receiving the order, Cilian left the room.

Then, Fon Shaoling continued processing the documents...

Cilian left Fon Shaoling's office and returned to Marechiyo Ōmaeda's office once again; the door was still half-open.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda was still processing documents. His large figure hunched over the pile of files, and the marks from when Cilian had hit him earlier were still visible on his face.

Cilian pushed open the door and went inside.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda looked up and saw that Cilian had returned; his face instantly turned pale.

"Instructor? Is there anything else?"

"The captain wants you to deliver a message to Hu tomorrow."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda nodded.

Seeing Cilian's Marechiyo Ōmaeda expression, Cilian's anger flared up again. After explaining the general situation, Cilian added:

"Also, tell him to keep a low profile. The Fon Clan has too much of a fearsome reputation now; don't let them cause trouble."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda nodded again.

Looking at him now, Cilian suddenly remembered how Amber had imitated his escape.

"Someone, please save me--"

Cilian's face darkened: This is truly a disgrace to the Second Division, especially in front of another division's captain. If this guy continues to act like that as Lieutenant, the other divisions will think our Second Division is out of talent!

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda."

Marechiyo Ōmaeda's legs started shaking again.

"Instructor, I really didn't do anything this time--"

Cilian didn't let him finish speaking.

He walked over, grabbed Ōmaeda by the Marechiyo Ōmaeda, and lifted him off the chair.

Marechiyo Ōmaeda screamed, "Instructor! Why are you hitting me again!"

"Shut up and take it, you shameless piece of trash! Calling for help on the training field! Are you still the Lieutenant of my Second Division?!"

Another series of crackling sounds filled the office.

A moment later, Cilian emerged from the office again. This time, his expression was much more relaxed.

Behind him, Marechiyo Ōmaeda slumped in his chair, on the verge of tears.

What did he do to deserve this?

He gets beaten up by Byakuya during the day and by Cilian at night, all while dealing with piles of paperwork.

What exactly did he do wrong?

Looking at the unfinished documents on the table, Marechiyo Ōmaeda sighed deeply and picked up his pen again.

"Let's just keep working. I don't want to get yelled at by the foreman again tomorrow for not finishing my work... What a miserable life..."

After finishing the last document, Marechiyo Ōmaeda stretched in his chair.

He glanced out the window; the moon was already high in the sky.

He let out a long sigh.

I have to deliver a message to that kid tomorrow.

He stood up, dragging his aching body, and walked back to his dormitory.

The corridor was quiet.

Cilian has already returned to her room.

Fon Shaoling is the office where the Second Division just left.

At the noodle stall, Amber sucked the last noodle into his mouth and patted his stomach contentedly. Renji looked at him and shook his head helplessly.

You can really eat a lot.

Hu grinned. "Training is very demanding."

The two paid the bill, got up, and walked back the way they came.

In the distance, the lights in the Second Division barracks went out one by one. Marechiyo Ōmaeda's office finally went dark as well.

That night, some ate and drank their fill, some were beaten up again, and some were burdened with worries...

And tomorrow is another new day.