"Then, Captains, I'll see you off here..."
Sasakibe led the four captains Captain-Commander Yamamoto had ordered to support Araki in Hueco Mundo—Ōto Kawa Uokihime, Obana Danjirō, Iwahara Kinra, and Katori Bakuunsai—to the strange Senkaimon sponsored by Araki himself. Sasakibe then respectfully bowed to the four captains and gestured for them to pass through the gate before them.
"Understood!"
Katori Bakuunsai put away the novel he had been carrying and gave Sasakibe a slight bow in return.
"You should head back! Captain Yamamoto still needs you. We can handle the rest ourselves!"
Obana Danjirō spoke boldly, making it clear that he fully understood Sasakibe's duties.
"Well then, everyone... safe travels!"
As Sasakibe watched his former companions leave Soul Society for one reason or another, his heart became a tangled mess of emotions. For some reason, sorrow welled up inside him.
"Let's go~"
Ōto Kawa Uokihime and the others did not make too much of a fuss. Since this was an order from Captain-Commander Yamamoto, they only needed to carry it out. As for what lay ahead? What the future held?
They had never considered such things. Ever since these weapons had been scattered throughout Soul Society, living their days in confusion, they had never thought about the future.
"Sigh..."
Only after Katori and the others had completely disappeared into the Senkaimon did Sasakibe snap out of it. Looking at the gate as it slowly dimmed, he let out a helpless sigh.
"Come on! Let's head back..."
Just as Sasakibe was lost in thought, a somewhat cheerful voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Hm? Captain Shihoin, you came too?"
Sasakibe turned around and saw Shihoin Sennichi, who still held the position of captain of the 2nd Division, standing beside him at some point. Sasakibe immediately greeted him.
In Sasakibe's view, perhaps Shihoin Sennichi