The Person in My Memories

Watanabe Yuji had not expected Natsuki to turn the question back onto him. He paused for a moment before answering, "I don't want to have too many attachments."

He did not offer any further explanation.

But Natsuki could understand.

Once a man marries, it is as if he has a home and, with it, attachments.

For an ordinary person, this is certainly a good thing.

But for a Shinigami, it is not.

Shinigamis must fight against things like Hollows at every moment. The 11th Division, in particular, is a combat division, facing dangers far greater than those of other divisions. Once one has a home, while there is companionship, one's own death would only bring pain to those left behind.

Rather than burdening others in such a way, it is better to remain alone from the very beginning.

Having understood this, Natsuki did not press Watanabe Yuji further on the matter.

Over there, the party was still in full swing.

Even though the party had been held by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi under the pretext of welcoming Watanabe Yuji back, the guest of honor himself had ended up staying by Natsuki's side instead of heading over to catch up with old friends.

After a while, a somewhat complaining voice rang out.

"Kuruyashiki, you held a party in secret and didn't even notify me."

"If I hadn't smelled the scent of alcohol drifting from here from so far away, I really would have missed it."

Hearing this voice, some 11th Division members turned their heads to look, while others, appearing unfazed, continued drinking with their companions.

Natsuki also looked at the newcomer with some surprise.

The man had long, slightly wavy hair, which he had pinned up at the back of his head with a hairpin. A few strands hung down over his forehead and temples, giving him a carefree and unrestrained air. However, this was not what was most striking; what drew the most attention was the pink haori draped over his shoulders, embroidered with a floral pattern. In itself, pink was nothing unusual, but the style of the pattern was so tacky that it was impossible not to notice. This gaudy attire made it impossible to ignore him.

Beneath the haori, he wore a white garment.

In the Gotei 13, only those standing at the very pinnacle were permitted to wear such a garment.

It was the haori of a Gotei 13 Captain.

"That is 8th Division Captain Kyoraku Shunsui." Fearing that Natsuki, having just joined the 11th Division, might not be familiar with the state of the Gotei 13, Watanabe Yuji leaned in and whispered an introduction. "Captain Kyoraku is considered one of the veteran captains. Back when I was still in the Soul Society, he would often come to the 11th Division to drink. He is a seasoned alcoholic. I didn't expect that after all these years, his personality would remain exactly the same."

Watanabe Yuji had spent decades in Hueco Mundo.

Since his return, although not much time had passed, he had gained a rough understanding of the current state of the Gotei 13. Many divisions had seen changes in leadership; while it was disheartening, it was also a common occurrence.

Within the Gotei 13, there were truly very few who had served as captains for over a century.

However, it seemed Captain Kyoraku was among those with formidable strength, as he had remained unscathed.

Seeing this long-missed scene, Watanabe Yuji became slightly lost in thought.

Natsuki sat to the side, remaining silent.

In truth, he did not need Watanabe Yuji's introduction to recognize Kyoraku Shunsui.

He was one of the few characters from the "anime" he had seen.

Upon reflecting on this world and attempting to understand it, he realized that the timeline he had arrived in was still a long way off from the timeline of the original protagonist, Kurosaki Ichigo.

Popular characters like Aizen, Urahara Kisuke, and Shihoin Yoruichi had not yet made their appearances.

Since arriving in the Seireitei, not only had Watanabe Yuji tried to understand the current state of the Gotei 13, but Natsuki had also made an effort to learn a thing or two.

Aside from the Head Captain, Unohana Retsu, Kyoraku Shunsui, and Ukitake Jushiro, he had not heard of the vast majority of the captains.

Even Natsuki had not expected to see the Kyoraku Shunsui of his memories so soon.

As a character from the story appeared before him in reality, a sensation of blurred lines between fiction and reality surged into Natsuki's heart.

Finally, Natsuki calmed down.

Hadn't I already realized this? While it is true that this is a world created by a manga artist, since I am already here, it is now a real world of flesh and blood.

Natsuki whispered to himself in his heart.

No matter how lively a celebration may be, it must eventually come to an end.

As the night deepened, the 11th Division's party drew to a close.

In the time that followed, the 11th Division did not hold any more parties.

As a newly joined member, and because of his connection to Watanabe Yuji—a seated officer who had returned after decades of expedition in Hueco Mundo—many seated officers took the initiative to greet Natsuki and look after the "junior" whom Watanabe Yuji had brought back from Hueco Mundo. Natsuki's story was no longer a secret; many Shinigamis in the 11th Division had heard of it.

There were many instances of civilians in the Rukon District finding the Zanpakuto of fallen Shinigamis and becoming Shinigamis themselves. To say nothing of others, there were actually several Shinigamis within the 11th Division who had become Shinigamis through such coincidences.

The difference was that after finding their Zanpakuto, they had taken them to apply for the Shino Academy and passed with ease. After enrollment, the only major difference was that the academy did not assign them an Asauchi.

What made Natsuki unique was that he had found his Zanpakuto in Hueco Mundo.

A soul who had accidentally fallen into Hueco Mundo and was on the verge of becoming a Hollow, only to find a Zanpakuto, become a Shinigami, and set out on the correct path.

Such a story of a lost soul finding their way, once spread, was bound to attract attention.

Natsuki felt the warmth from the members of the 11th Division; they were indeed a group of people who were easy to get along with. At first, he was somewhat unaccustomed to it, but as time passed, he gradually integrated into the 11th Division.

In the process, he even participated in several battles.

Of course, the frequency of combat and the level of danger were not particularly high.

After all, this was the Soul Society. Even though the news Ashido had brought back from Hueco Mundo previously claimed that a Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande had appeared within the Soul Society, such Hollows were rare even in Hueco Mundo, and the probability of one appearing in the Soul Society was even lower.

During this period, the Hollows Natsuki faced were mostly those that had accidentally crossed the boundary and wandered into the Soul Society by mistake.

The Soul Society was a world of souls, home to countless spirits. Hollows possessed an instinct to devour, hungering to consume their own kind to fill the void within their hearts and achieve evolution. Aside from Hueco Mundo, which was already in a state of constant mutual slaughter, the Soul Society was also a world that held great attraction for Hollows.

Natsuki's strength was not weak, and he could easily slay the Hollows that crossed over. Naturally, such prowess drew gasps of amazement from many Shinigamis of the 11th Division, giving them a deeper understanding of Natsuki.