Surging Undercurrents

Within the Seireitei, a massive mansion steeped in classical Japanese style occupied the very center. Its elegant layout, luxurious architecture, and grounds large enough to rival an entire squad barracks were crowned by a dark green flower—the emblem of the Tsunayashiro Family, masters of the estate.

In the courtyard, Tsunayashiro Kojiro stood outside the main room. Two stern-faced men sat within, looking at him with cool indifference. Then one of them spoke, his voice carrying a faint pressure.

"The Great Spirit Book Gallery has been somewhat unstable lately. You must be prepared to graduate from the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy at any time. According to the elders' collective assessment, that thing will emerge within a year and a half at most."

One of them, a slightly plump middle-aged man, slowly stated this to Tsunayashiro Kojiro with an impassive expression.

Listening to the fat man, Tsunayashiro Kojiro showed neither joy nor sorrow. He merely dropped to one knee, lowered his head, and said to him, "Yes, I understand, Sosuke-sama."

Seeing Kojiro's obedient display, Tsunayashiro Sosuke revealed a slight smile. Yet no matter how one looked at it, there was not the slightest hint of amusement in that smile.

"Very good. I am pleased that you possess such awareness. Remember, for the sake of this family, you must secure that position no matter what. After all, only your Zanpakuto is best suited for that place. Therefore, you are precious—more precious than anyone."

After saying that, Tsunayashiro Sosuke waved a hand and dismissed Kojiro.

Kojiro meekly bowed to the two men before leaving the courtyard. Beneath his seemingly deferential exterior, however, his fingernails had already dug into his palms hard enough to draw dark red blood.

Watching Kojiro depart, the other man—a gaunt old elder—narrowed his eyes slightly before speaking to Tsunayashiro Sosuke.

"Sosuke, everything has its own period of usefulness. You understand that, do you not? Especially for things that require a steep price, leasing them is often the more sensible choice."

Hearing the elder's instruction, a chilling smile appeared on Tsunayashiro Sosuke's slightly plump face. He took a light sip of tea and replied calmly, "Of course. I have always kept your teachings firmly in mind."

The elder looked at the smiling Tsunayashiro Sosuke and nodded without saying anything further. Only the tea leaves, still rising and sinking, continued desperately struggling back and forth in the bitter hot water.

It was another major Central 46 meeting. Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni leaned on his cane as he slowly emerged from the pitch-black, frigid chamber. His face remained as calm and unreadable as ever, but the faintly scorching air around the old man made it clear that he was not in a good mood.

Chōjirō Sasakibe, his small mustache silver-white, approached the Captain-Commander. Seeing the Captain-Commander in such a foul mood, he quietly delivered some good news.

"Captain-Commander, word has come from the Fourth Division. Asano Kiyoshi's recovery ability is extraordinary. His body has fully recovered, and even his spiritual pressure has improved to a certain degree because of this incident."

At that, the somewhat heated air around the Captain-Commander gradually subsided. He looked at Chōjirō Sasakibe and said gently, "Is that so? That boy truly turned misfortune into a blessing. But since his recovery ability is so exceptional, it means I will have to temper him even more strictly in the future!"

By the end, the Captain-Commander's tone even carried a trace of laughter. However, that amusement did not last long before Head Captain Yamamoto turned to Vice-Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe and asked, "Then what caused this accident? Has it been investigated?"

At that, Chōjirō Sasakibe fell silent for a moment before answering, "According to reports from the Twelfth Division and Thirteenth Division, this Hollow arrived in the Living World through a randomly appearing Garganta. It was a purely accidental event. Furthermore, neither the Hollow's autopsy results nor the body of the deceased Bannai Daigo showed any signs of another power leaking out. However, there is one strange point. Judging from the residual spiritual pressure on the two bodies, with Bannai Daigo's strength, dealing with that Hollow should not have been a problem. Even if the Hollow had attacked him directly, his spiritual pressure should have been sufficient to defend against it..."

"However... judging by the wounds on Bannai Daigo's body, when he was attacked by the Hollow, he did not use any spiritual power to protect himself. That is highly suspicious. No matter how careless he was, he should not have died because of such an elementary mistake."

The Captain-Commander listened to Chōjirō Sasakibe's account without speaking. He merely instructed him, "Record this matter in the archives and place it among the First Squad's files. Remember, it is to be an A-Rank File. Also, increase the condolence payment for that deceased squad member by twenty percent. Deduct the additional amount from my own salary."

Hearing the Captain-Commander's words, Chōjirō Sasakibe smiled. Then he said, "Captain-Commander, besides you, someone else said much the same thing. Though he phrased it differently, his meaning was nearly identical."

The Captain-Commander listened to Chōjirō Sasakibe with some gratification and asked, "Oh? Who was it?"

Chōjirō Sasakibe replied with a smile, "It was Asano Kiyoshi, whom you mentioned just now. The moment he was discharged from the hospital, he went to ask Captain Ukitake about Bannai Daigo's family and compensation arrangements. He then voluntarily donated the scholarship he had received and personally delivered it to the deceased squad member's family."

At this point, Chōjirō Sasakibe nodded and said to the Captain-Commander with some emotion, "Captain-Commander, you truly found a disciple very much like yourself."

Head Captain Yamamoto did not say anything, but the slight lift at the corners of his eyes showed that he was in quite a good mood at the moment.

Then the Captain-Commander suddenly said, "No, he is not like me. He is gentler than I am. That child's kindness comes from his very bones. He is not like a thousand-year-old Demon such as myself..."

Chōjirō Sasakibe fell slightly silent after hearing the Captain-Commander's words. Just as he was about to say something, the Captain-Commander ordered him to withdraw.

Leaning on his cane, he stood in the First Squad barracks. Through the half-open wall, a wind heavy with damp moisture mixed with the joys and sorrows of the Soul Society, crashing into the weathered wrinkles of the Captain-Commander's face.

The old man sighed softly and murmured, "The nobles have once again increased taxes on the commoners of the Soul Society. Even most of the Central 46 members born as commoners have chosen to side with the nobles. The Gotei 13's funding has also been cut by a considerable amount under the pretext that it is detrimental to the peaceful development of the Soul Society..."