Seireitei, Sixth Division barracks
As the division with the greatest concentration of noble scions and the strictest rules in the Gotei 13, the Sixth Division's council chamber always exuded an ancient, almost ruthless sense of order.
Spotless square flagstones paved the floor, and the shoji doors on both sides stood wide open. In the courtyard, several sturdy, centuries-old cedars stretched their branches in the breeze, casting mottled, cold shadows across the corridor.
At that moment, more than a dozen figures knelt in neat rows on either side of the long table.
From the Third Seat onward—the Fourth Seat, the Fifth Seat, all the way down to the Fifteenth Seat—every high-ranking seated officer of the Sixth Division was present. Most were impeccably dressed, their expressions solemn and restrained.
At the center of the long table, Ginrei Kuchiki sat in the place of honor.
The captain of the Sixth Division and head of the Kuchiki Clan's Main House had white hair and a white beard, his face stern and unyielding. His hands rested inside the broad sleeves of his haori as he sat with his eyes closed.
The seat beside and slightly below Ginrei, ordinarily reserved for the lieutenant, stood empty.
Long after everyone had arrived, Ginrei Kuchiki slowly opened his eyes.
"I summoned you all here today to announce one matter: the position of Sixth Division lieutenant."
The seated officers' gazes shifted slightly, but none dared raise their heads rashly.
Ginrei paused, his tone as level as if he were stating a fact already settled beyond dispute.
"You all know about Sōjun's health... His spirit network has been weak since childhood. He was born with a frail constitution."
At the mention of the current lieutenant, Sōjun Kuchiki, several veteran seated officers sighed inwardly.
Young Master Sōjun was gentle and kind, generous