The 1st Division barracks.
The gates of the 1st Division barracks were always open. Perhaps peace had lasted too long, or perhaps, in the eyes of Genryūsai, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, the 1st Division barracks under his protection were the safest place in the Seireitei. There was no need to close the gates, and naturally, no need for guards.
As for the 1st Division's officers, Genryūsai had dispatched them all to assist the other divisions in managing the vast Seireitei.
Yet today, a whole group of Gotei 13 captains had come to the 1st Division barracks—a place that ordinarily received no visitors even with its gates wide open.
That was right. Today was the Captain's Meeting, held again after several days.
"Captain's Meetings are such a pain."
"Just seeing Yamamoto's old face puts me in a bad mood for an entire month. Haven't these meetings been happening a little too often lately? Did another division run into trouble?"
The head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, who was also the current captain of the 7th Division's Inner Court Guard, walked through the corridors of the 1st Division while sighing incessantly. Even with his status as the head of one of the Five Great Noble Clans, he felt immense pressure upon entering the 1st Division, where Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto—the Soul Society's current "strongest Soul Reaper"—resided. Even an accidental glance exchanged with Genryūsai usually made him feel as though his body were being scorched by flames.
"Good morning, Captain Tsunayashiro~"
Just as the Tsunayashiro head muttered to himself, a somewhat stern voice spoke near his ear. He turned and saw an elegant man with long black hair, a Kenseikan in his hair, and a silver-white Fukashiro around his neck approaching him with a nod.
"Well, if it isn't the head of the