Rukia and Kaien

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"

Finally hearing the name of her Zanpakuto, Kuchiki Rukia shouted it without a moment's hesitation.

In an instant, her Asauchi changed its appearance.

The entire blade turned snow-white, from the hilt and guard to the blade itself, adorned with intricate patterns and a pure white ribbon tied to the handle.

It was a remarkably beautiful Zanpakuto, looking more like a piece of art than something meant for combat.

"Not bad! You finally succeeded!"

Shiba Kaien retracted his own Zanpakuto and offered Kuchiki Rukia his praise.

Rukia gazed at her Sode no Shirayuki and bowed deeply to Shiba Kaien, "Thank you very much, Vice-Captain Shiba!"

Shiba Kaien chuckled, walked over, and gave Rukia a solid thump on the head, roaring, "I told you not to be so formal! Don't you know you're my subordinate?"

Although her head hurt and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, Rukia still smiled.

And she smiled very happily.

"Kuchiki, you've gotten your wish, but I'm the one in trouble!" Shiba Kaien rubbed his own head, looking quite distressed, "There are only three days left until the wedding; what should I do?"

They say brides get pre-wedding jitters, but in truth, the groom is much the same.

After all, their status would change from this point on, so it was only natural to feel uneasy.

Hearing him mention the wedding, Rukia's smile faded, and her expression grew unnatural.

"Yo, so even our Vice-Captain Shiba gets nervous!"

A teasing voice drifted from the nearby woods as Aoto leaned against a tree, calling out to them.

Rukia hadn't noticed Aoto's arrival and was startled by his shout.

Shiba Kaien, of course, had spotted him long ago, but being teased like that still made him "furious."

Rukia knew 4th Seat Hyakume because he was a friend of Shiba Kaien's who often came over for drinks and meals.

According to Shiba Kaien, 4th Seat Hyakume's cooking was currently the best in the entire Seireitei.

Rukia had also been lucky enough to eat the grilled meat that Shiba Kaien brought back from Aoto... it was truly delicious, and it could even restore spiritual pressure; it was more effective than some secret medicines during battle.

The two had been good friends since their days at the Shino Academy, which made Rukia quite envious.

Because the friends Rukia had during her time at the Shino Academy had all grown distant from her.

Of course, that was just her own perception; she didn't know that some people had simply distanced themselves because of their own inferiority complex, feeling they weren't worthy of her noble status.

By the time someone attained a status equal to a noble... perhaps they really wouldn't be able to be "friends" anymore.

"Kuchiki! Kuchiki!"

Shiba Kaien called out twice before Rukia snapped back to reality and immediately responded, "Yes!"

Shiba Kaien said, "We're going to get a drink, are you coming?"

"That's right," Aoto also smiled, "Consider it a celebration for your successful Shikai, Kuchiki! What a beautiful Zanpakuto it is!"

Rukia hadn't intended to go, but hearing 4th Seat Hyakume say that, she naturally agreed.

"That's great!" Shiba Kaien said to Aoto, "Aoto, you'd better bring out some of your stock. Otherwise, it definitely won't be enough for Kuchiki to eat!"

"It's not enough for you to eat, you mean!" Aoto retorted irritably, "Some of those things were prepared for your wedding; if you eat them all now, I can't just conjure more out of thin air."

"Hehe," Shiba Kaien looked sheepish.

Although they were one of the Five Great Noble Families, compared to the other four, the Shiba clan could truly be called quite destitute.

Moreover, Shiba Kaien was currently the head of the main Shiba house, while Isshin Shiba was the head of a branch family.

The branch family head currently held a higher status than the main house head; if it weren't for Isshin Shiba having no ambition, their positions might have already been reversed.

Although Ukitake Jushiro often rested due to his health, Shiba Kaien was in charge of the entire 13th Division, and some division members even addressed him directly as Captain. But until the day he mastered Bankai, his status remained merely that of a Vice-Captain.

However, that day should be coming soon.

After eating so much of Aoto's fine food, if he still couldn't master Bankai, it would be a huge disappointment to Aoto.

It was just that Aoto didn't think Aizen would give him that chance.

In the 10th Division, after finishing his work for the day, 8th Seat Hitsugaya stood up and prepared to head home.

He no longer needed to explosively increase his spiritual pressure; instead, he needed the slow, steady grind to gradually raise it, and perhaps even break through to the third rank on his own.

Therefore, sword meditation had become his daily required course.

Although he didn't necessarily need to have as many variations as his master, possessing a few more would certainly allow him to handle more types of enemies in battle.

But just as he finished his shift, his Command Divine Machine rang.

Thinking there was some emergency mission, he only heard his master's slightly tipsy voice, "Shiro, come over to my place for dinner!"

After he became a seated officer, Aoto would use his full name, "Toshiro," in formal settings, only calling him "Shiro" in private.

Toshiro felt a sense of warmth and immediately agreed, "Alright!"

Toshiro was very happy, having visited his grandmother during the day and now being able to see his master.

However, upon arriving at his master's home, Toshiro saw his master and a friend lounging in chairs like a pair of old men, enjoying the moon.

Another girl stood to the side, looking quite at a loss for what to do.

"Yo! You're here!" Aoto was clearly drunk, pointing at a table covered in leftover scraps. "Eat the rest of that! That way I won't have to clean up! Oh, and no drinking! Kids aren't allowed to drink!"

###!

Veins popped out on Toshiro's forehead.

Give me back my heartwarming moment!

He had come for a meal, so how did it turn into eating leftovers?

Rukia also felt this wasn't quite right. But seeing 8th Seat Hitsugaya actually walking toward the dining table, she followed him over.

8th Seat Hitsugaya had recently become quite famous in the Soul Society, hailed as the most gifted Shinigami in a thousand years.

After all, having been a Shinigami for less than a year, his strength had already reached such a level; it was truly eye-catching.

Had he not declined, other divisions would have used the position of 4th Seat to recruit him.

Rukia had heard of this and held him in great admiration.

Naturally, because of the emergence of this genius, his master, 4th Seat Hyakume, had also gained great renown.

Rukia had even heard Captain Ukitake praise 4th Seat Hyakume, saying he had truly unearthed the full potential of 8th Seat Hitsugaya.

He hadn't even rushed the process, helping him build an incredibly solid foundation. He had even taken the initiative to let him transfer divisions for the sake of his disciple's future.

It could be said that 4th Seat Hyakume had fulfilled his role as a master to the absolute limit.

But Rukia didn't feel envious.

After all, she also had someone she considered the best teacher!

That's right! Her teacher!