The warm spring breeze stirred the old man's grizzled beard slightly. Hazy sunlight filtered through the curtains, scattering flecks of light across his silver-white brows.
Asano Kiyoshi listened to Captain-Commander's words and froze for a moment. He repeated instinctively,
"Captain-Commander? Were you serious just now?"
Seeing the disbelief on the young man's face, Head Captain Yamamoto nodded slightly, then said gently,
"Yes, you heard correctly. I am not joking with you either. The position of Chief Kido Master has been vacant for far too long. Because of that, the Kidō Corps has gradually grown distant from the Gotei 13. Taking advantage of this opportunity, certain dishonest nobles have begun playing tricks within the Kidō Corps again... such as the people you encountered in the Living World before."
Hearing this, Asano Kiyoshi suddenly paused, then said to Captain-Commander with some embarrassment,
"Um, heh heh, Captain-Commander, you already knew?"
Head Captain Yamamoto looked at the foolishly grinning Asano Kiyoshi, shook his head, then flicked him on the forehead and scolded,
"You foolish boy! Do you think I have gone senile?! The Tsunayashiro Family made such a huge move this time. How could I possibly not know? Although the specific situation in the Living World was obscured by a barrier, probably the work of some fellow, even if I could not see what was happening clearly, the commotion within it could be understood seven or eight parts out of ten just by analyzing the spiritual pressure."
Asano Kiyoshi understood at once. Although Urahara had told him that the barrier could block observation from Soul Society, it seemed incapable of properly blocking the Captain-Commander's gaze.
Moreover, if Captain-Commander had always had a view of the Living World, then he likely knew about some of Kiyoshi's actions as well—especially his interactions with the Visoreds and