Events and Interrogations

"Uchiha Yato."

"Present."

"Do you promise that every word you say from here on is the truth, without concealment?"

"Of course."

"Good." In the dim room, the middle-aged Soul Reaper nodded and said sternly:

"Then, Uchiha Yato, please recount everything you saw in Hueco Mundo once more... eh?"

The door creaked open.

A female Soul Reaper with braided hair and a delicate but cold expression pushed open the door to the interrogation room without hesitation.

"Lieutenant Yadomaru? Why are you..."

"You may leave. I am taking over the final interrogation of Uchiha Yato."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

The middle-aged Soul Reaper obeyed and left, closing the door behind him.

Lisa Yadomaru sat down across from Yato, unpinned her lieutenant's badge, and placed it on the table with a sharp clack.

"Lieutenant Yadomaru." Uchiha Yato nodded in greeting.

The female Soul Reaper adjusted her glasses, the boy's entire file flashing through her mind.

Born in District 62 of Eastern Rukongai, top marks in all four disciplines of Zankensoki, his Soul-Cutter Sword suspected to be the extremely rare multi-stage release type, no disciplinary record, sharp and restrained personality...

"Tch." Right in front of Yato, Lisa Yadomaru let out a soft scoff:

"You flawless geniuses are always the most troublesome."

"Us?" Yato caught the information leaked in her words:

"Does that mean Byakuya Kuchiki is being treated specially, just like me?"

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda, the lieutenant of the Second Division, is in charge of the final interrogation for Byakuya Kuchiki."

"My, how strict you are with me and old Byakuya."

"This is both protection and respect." Lisa Yadomaru stared at the boy, taking in every flicker of his expression:

"With the talent you and Byakuya Kuchiki possess, you will become high-ranking seated officers immediately upon graduation. You are the future of the Seireitei, and furthermore..."

"In Hueco Mundo, only you and Byakuya Kuchiki had the ability to kill fifty-three sixth-year students in succession!"

"Now, please recount all your experiences in Hueco Mundo again, Uchiha Yato."

The boy sighed and began to recite the long-winded lie once more.

He had repeated it countless times over the past few days.

He was also certain that the Soul Reaper across from him had read these recorded words many times as well.

Yet, Lisa Yadomaru remained very serious, her beautiful, delicate chin rising and falling as the story unfolded, much like a diligent student listening intently in class.

"...After luckily completing my second-stage Shikai, I killed those Adjuchas and returned to the exercise perimeter."

"Byakuya returned around that time as well. I spoke with him for a few moments, then we each sat down to regulate our spiritual pressure."

"By the time it was time to return to the Soul Society, not everyone had arrived. Captain Shihōin left several times midway, and her expression became quite frightening."

"Finally, we returned to the Soul Society through the Senkaimon, and were brought here immediately after..."

After finishing the long account, Uchiha Yato felt his throat go dry. He picked up the teacup on the table and gulped down the contents.

Lisa Yadomaru finished her notes, comparing them to Yato's previous statements, and confirmed that aside from a few minor discrepancies, they were essentially consistent.

"Very well, Uchiha Yato. The three-day interrogation process is now complete." The female lieutenant pointed toward the door:

"You may leave. Remember to get some rest."

"Yes, Lieutenant Yadomaru." The boy set down the teacup, stood up, and gripped the door handle.

As the door pulled open, Yato suddenly froze in place, not stepping out of the room immediately.

Because standing right outside the door was a man.

He appeared to be in his forties, with light blue stubble, wearing a straw hat and a pink floral haori over his white captain's coat, looking carefree and languid.

This person was none other than the captain of the Eighth Division, Shunsui Kyōraku.

"Captain Kyōraku!" The boy stood at attention like a well-behaved student.

"You must be Uchiha Yato, right?" Shunsui Kyōraku patted his shoulder with a grin:

"You look even better in person than in your portrait!"

"You flatter me, Captain Kyōraku."

"Say, young man, which division do you plan to join after graduation?"

"Uh, I haven't decided yet..."

"Come to the Eighth Division!" Shunsui Kyōraku draped an arm around the boy's shoulder and whispered mysteriously:

"When the time comes, we can go drinking in the red-light district together. There are plenty of wealthy beauties there; they'd surely fight over who gets to pay the bill when they see you..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Behind them, Lisa Yadomaru tapped the table with a face full of black lines, creating a loud noise. She looked at her captain with a gaze full of disdain.

"Oh my, our Lisa is angry." Shunsui Kyōraku acted terrified and raised his hands in surrender:

"Yato, shall we talk later then?"

"Yes, Captain Kyōraku."

The boy remained as respectful as before and walked away slowly.

In the quiet interrogation room, only the captain and lieutenant of the Eighth Division remained.

"Young people these days are truly terrifying."

Shunsui Kyōraku sat in the chair Yato had just vacated, using his straw hat to shade his face:

"A multi-stage release type Soul-Cutter Sword, is it? It seems the day for us old folks to retire isn't far off."

Seeing his captain finally acting somewhat serious, Lisa Yadomaru picked up the report and stated her analysis:

"There are no issues with Uchiha Yato. Throughout the entire interrogation, he remained very candid, though he seems a bit too indifferent regarding the deaths of his classmates."

"However, considering he skipped grades to enter the graduating class, that attitude is understandable... the Byakuya Kuchiki next door has the same attitude."

Shunsui Kyōraku gave no indication of his thoughts. The shadow of his hat firmly obscured his expression, and he seemed to have fallen asleep.

Lisa did not bother with him and continued to herself:

"Therefore, I will issue a joint report with the Sixth and Second Divisions to present the investigation results to the First Division."

"The Sixth-Year Student Death Incident that occurred three days ago was caused by an unexpected mass hunting by Menos Grande after venturing too deep into Hueco Mundo, not by human error."

"As a side note, Uchiha Yato also encountered an Adjuchas-class Menos, but he successfully achieved his second-stage Shikai and slaughtered those Menos."

"This indirectly proves our deduction—that Adjuchas were indeed wandering outside the exercise perimeter."

"This incident resulted in the deaths of fifty-three students. It is a heartbreaking safety oversight, just like three years ago."

"Captain, those are the joint conclusions reached by myself, Sixth Division Lieutenant Sōjun Kuchiki, and Second Division Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda. If you have no objections, I will head to the First Division now..."

Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been dozing, suddenly tipped his hat down and spoke softly:

"Just like three years ago? I recall that during the Shin'ō Academy field exercises that year, the second son of the Shiba Clan also died at the mouth of a Menos."

"Captain, it was Moritora Shiba." Lisa Yadomaru paused, hesitating slightly:

"Are you implying..."

"Nothing at all, just happened to recall the matter." Shunsui Kyōraku suddenly chuckled:

"Alright, alright, your work here is done. Be sharp when you see Yamamoto, or I'll get scolded again."

"Yes, Captain."

Lisa Yadomaru nodded and prepared to leave after organizing the documents. However, just as her fingertips touched the door handle, she heard her captain's voice:

"Oh, right, Lisa. One more thing. Who were the lieutenants responsible for rear-guard and support this time?"

"They were Kiyosuke Yamada of the 4th Division, Aizen Sosuke of Squad Five, and Hiyori Sarugaki of the 12th Division."

The man named Shunsui Kyōraku closed his eyes, the faces and personalities of the three lieutenants surfacing in his mind.

"...Captain?"

Lisa called out softly a few times, but received no further response.