The new captain's inauguration ceremony soon came to an end.
Natsuki had been the 11th Division's vice-captain and had attended quite a few captains' meetings. When Kiganjo took office, Natsuki had accompanied him. He hadn't expected that just a few months later, another captains' meeting would be held because of Kenpachi.
And this time, Natsuki had gone from being an observer to the one at the center of it all.
After the ceremony, the captains and vice-captains of the various Divisions dispersed.
Some people had wanted to go greet Natsuki, but when they saw a certain figure reach him first and start chatting with him, they put the idea aside.
"Natsuki, congratulations!"
Like a gust of wind, a petite, slender figure appeared in front of Natsuki. As carefree as ever, she congratulated him.
"What an enviable friendship!"
Seeing this, Kyoraku Shunsui, who had been curious about Natsuki and wanted to go greet him, smiled faintly.
"Shunsui, let's not interrupt them. Come on."
Ukitake Jushiro appeared beside Kyoraku Shunsui and urged him to leave.
Kyoraku Shunsui nodded.
They could greet him anytime. Now didn't seem like the right moment.
Still, it was surprising that Natsuki had such a good relationship with the heir of the Shihoin Family.
There were five great noble families in the Soul Society. They stood at the very top of its hierarchy, and the Shihoin Family was one of them. The woman who had gone to greet Natsuki was named Yoruichi, the heir to the Shihoin Family. She was currently the 2nd Division's vice-captain. Once the 2nd Division's captain, Shihoin Utsusemi, retired, she would become the new head of the Shihoin Family and the 2nd Division's new captain.
Shihoin Yoruichi was a bona fide rising star.
No one doubted that she would become one of the most powerful people in the Soul Society.
"Yoruichi, is it really okay for you to come straight over and greet me like this?"
Natsuki was a very perceptive person. When Yoruichi had come over to greet him, the new Kenpachi, several captains and vice-captains had given him some rather subtle looks.
"Why should we care what they think? Do you really need to worry about other people's opinions to be friends with me?" Yoruichi was straightforward by nature and said exactly what was on her mind.
Natsuki shook his head. "Not at all."
"How about we find somewhere to celebrate you becoming a captain with a couple of drinks?" Yoruichi suggested.
Natsuki had planned to return to the 11th Division after the ceremony, but in the end, he didn't turn down Yoruichi's invitation. After all, he had been the 11th Division's vice-captain, so he wasn't a stranger to its members. He wouldn't need anyone to teach him how to handle the Division's affairs, either; he could get right to work. Compared to an unfamiliar person becoming Kenpachi, someone like him taking the position would be like Gosu at his peak: he could easily adapt to everything, and the Division wouldn't change much.
If anything did change, it was only Natsuki's status.
So Natsuki left with Yoruichi.
Before long, they arrived at a secret base beneath Sokyoku Hill.
Sometimes, it was hard to explain how two people became friends. Natsuki and Yoruichi had barely met a few times, yet they seemed to hit it off exceptionally well. After spending time together, they had become close friends.
Even when Natsuki had been a vice-captain, he and Yoruichi had often sparred and improved together.
Later, Yoruichi had even brought him to the secret base beneath Sokyoku Hill.
According to Yoruichi, she and Urahara Kisuke had dug it out together when they were children. The two of them had often hidden inside to train. Although the Shihoin Family had a huge training ground, the difference in their status had made it difficult for her and Kisuke to train together there.
After talking with Yoruichi, Natsuki had learned who Urahara Kisuke was.
Kisuke was the youngest son of the Urahara House, a minor noble family that depended on the Shihoin Family. It was much like the Fong Family in the original story. Kisuke was around the same age as Yoruichi, and even as a young child, he had shown a maturity unlike that of other children his age. Yoruichi had been very interested in him, and after they met, the two became childhood friends. They had grown up together ever since.
At first, the secret base had been a desolate place. But after years of improvements, it had come to include not only a dedicated training area but also a hot spring, which was used to treat injuries.
Yoruichi said that Kisuke had learned the healing technique from somewhere. It was different from the 4th Division's healing arts, but it worked very well. Especially after a battle, soaking in the hot spring could leave you feeling refreshed from head to toe.
When Natsuki had first seen the hot spring, the first person he'd thought of was Tenjiro Kirinji. Yoruichi might not have known where Kisuke had learned this hot-spring healing method, but as someone who knew the story, how could Natsuki not?
After they arrived at the secret base, they waited for a while.
Then a figure hurried over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
It was Urahara Kisuke.
Kisuke wasn't yet the carefree, irreverent person he was in the original story. He was introverted, and his whole demeanor exuded dejection and insecurity. But he wasn't too reserved around Yoruichi or Natsuki, his new friend, and he did say a few words.
As they talked, he brought out several bottles of wine and set them down in front of him.
"This is wine my family has kept in its cellar for several hundred years. To celebrate you becoming the 11th Division's captain, Natsuki, I had Kisuke get some for us. Today, we're drinking until we drop."
Natsuki smiled helplessly. "You have a lot of faith in me. I'm not much of a drinker."
"You can't be Kenpachi if you can't drink?" Yoruichi looked incredulous. "I've heard that your 11th Division often holds drinking parties. Whenever you win a battle or a member has a birthday, you hold one as long as you can find an excuse. Even the residents near your Division have started brewing alcohol, and the nearby taverns are doing incredibly well."
"And now you're telling me you can't drink? How did you get by in the 11th Division?"
Yoruichi had learned long ago that the 11th Division loved to drink. So, after Natsuki defeated Kiganjo Kenpachi and was about to take over as the new Kenpachi, she had already decided how to congratulate him. She had even stolen some of the wine the Shihoin Family had kept in its cellar and hidden it away herself, all for this very moment.
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