"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
At last, she had heard the name of her Zanpakuto. Kuchiki Rukia called it out without hesitation.
In an instant, her Asauchi changed its appearance.
The entire blade turned pure white, from the blade itself to the guard and hilt. It was decorated with patterns, and a white ribbon was tied around the handle.
It was a beautiful Zanpakuto, like a work of art—almost too lovely to be used in battle.
"Excellent! You finally did it!"
Shiba Kaien returned his Zanpakuto to its sheath and praised Kuchiki Rukia.
Rukia gazed at her Sode no Shirayuki, then bowed deeply to Shiba Kaien. "Thank you so much, Vice-Captain Shiba!"
Kaien smiled, stepped closer, and thumped her on the head with his fist. "I told you not to be so formal! I'm your superior, you know?"
Her head hurt, and tears had welled in the corners of her eyes from the blow, but Rukia still smiled.
And she smiled brightly.
"Looks like you got your wish, Kuchiki, but I'm the one who's in trouble!" Kaien rubbed his head, looking troubled. "The wedding's only three days away. What am I supposed to do?"
People said brides got cold feet before their weddings, but grooms weren't much different.
After all, their lives were about to change, so it was only natural to feel nervous.
But when he mentioned the wedding, Rukia's smile faded, and her expression grew awkward.
"Well, well, so even our Vice-Captain Shiba gets scared!"
The teasing voice came from the woods nearby. Aoto leaned against a tree and called out to them.
Rukia hadn't noticed Aoto's arrival, so his shout startled her.
Kaien had, of course, noticed him long ago, but that didn't stop him from "getting angry" when Aoto teased him.
Rukia knew 4th Seat Hyakume because he was a friend of Kaien's and often came by to drink and eat with him.
According to Kaien, 4th Seat Hyakume was the best cook in all of Seireitei.
Rukia had even had the chance to try the grilled meat 4th Seat Hyakume made, which Kaien had brought back... It had smelled incredible. It could even restore Reiatsu, and eating it during battle was more effective than some secret medicines.
The two of them had been friends ever since their days at Shino Academy. Rukia envied them greatly.
That was because her friends from Shino Academy had all grown distant from her.
Of course, that was only how she saw it. She didn't know that one of them had distanced himself from her for now simply because he felt inferior and thought he was unworthy of her noble status.
Once he gained a status equal to that of the nobility... perhaps they really wouldn't be able to remain "friends."
"Kuchiki! Kuchiki!"
Kaien called her twice before she came back to herself. She immediately replied, "Yes!"
Kaien said, "We're going for a drink. Want to come?"
"Yeah," Aoto added with a smile. "We can celebrate your successful Shikai, too! What a beautiful Zanpakuto!"
Rukia hadn't wanted to go, but since even 4th Seat Hyakume had invited her, she agreed.
"That's great!" Kaien said to Aoto. "Aoto, you'd better bring out some of your stash. Otherwise, there won't be enough for Kuchiki!"
"You mean there won't be enough for you!" Aoto retorted. "Some of that stuff is for your wedding. If you finish it all now, I can't conjure up more when the time comes."
"Heh-heh." Kaien looked embarrassed.
Though the Shiba House was one of the Five Great Noble Families, compared with the other four, it was truly rather impoverished.
And Kaien was currently the head of the main Shiba family, while Isshin Shiba was the head of a branch family.
The head of the branch family now outranked the head of the main family. If Isshin Shiba weren't so uninterested in power, their positions might even have been reversed.
Captain Ukitake often had to rest because of his health, so Kaien was effectively in charge of the entire 13th Division. Some of the division members even called him Captain. But until he mastered Bankai, he was still only the vice-captain.
That day should come soon, though.
After eating so much of Aoto's delicious food, if he still couldn't achieve Bankai, he'd really disappoint Aoto.
But Aoto didn't think Aizen would give him that chance.
Over in the 10th Division, 8th Seat Hitsugaya stood up after finishing his work for the day, ready to head home.
He no longer needed to make explosive leaps in his Reiatsu. Instead, he needed to build it up gradually through steady effort, and even break through to the third-class level on his own.
So Sword Zen had become part of his daily routine.
He didn't necessarily need to make his Zanpakuto change in as many ways as his master's, but having a few more forms would certainly help him handle a wider variety of enemies in battle.
But just as he was leaving work, his Command Divine Machine rang.
Thinking there was an urgent mission, he answered, only to hear his master's slightly tipsy voice. "Shiro, come over to my place for dinner!"
Since he had become a Seated Officer, Aoto called him by his full name, "Toshiro," in formal settings. Only in private did he call him "Shiro."
Toshiro felt warm inside and immediately agreed. "Sure!"
He'd visited his grandmother earlier that day, and now he could see his master again. Toshiro was delighted.
But when he arrived at his master's home, he found his master and his friend sprawled in chairs like a couple of old men, gazing at the moon.
A girl stood beside them, completely at a loss.
"Hey! You're here!" Aoto really did look drunk. He pointed to the table piled with leftovers. "Eat whatever's left! That way, I won't have to clean up! Oh, and no drinking! Kids aren't allowed to drink!"
!!!
Toshiro's forehead began to throb with anger.
Give me back that warm, fuzzy feeling!
You said dinner. How did it turn into eating leftovers?
Rukia thought it was a little inappropriate, too. But when she saw 8th Seat Hitsugaya actually heading for the table, she went over as well.
8th Seat Hitsugaya had recently become famous throughout Soul Society, hailed as the most talented Soul Reaper in a thousand years.
After all, he hadn't even been a Soul Reaper for a year, yet he'd already reached his current level of strength. He was truly remarkable.
If he hadn't turned them down, other divisions would have offered him a 4th Seat position to recruit him.
Rukia had heard about it and deeply admired him.
Of course, the appearance of this genius had also made his master, 4th Seat Hyakume, famous.
Rukia had even heard Captain Ukitake praise 4th Seat Hyakume, saying that he had truly drawn out all of 8th Seat Hitsugaya's potential.
He hadn't pushed Toshiro too hard, either, but had instead helped him build a solid foundation. He had even been willing to let his disciple transfer divisions for the sake of his future.
It was fair to say 4th Seat Hyakume had done everything a master could.
But Rukia wasn't envious.
After all, she had what she considered the best teacher, too!
That's right! A teacher!