Time is like quicksand between fingers. The smoke and devastation left by Quincy War eventually faded away under the unhurried erosion of time.
A few years later, Shin'ō Academy's cherry blossoms fell for another season.
The fluttering pink and white petals were carried by the breeze, drifting over the towering white walls of Seireitei, and finally landed sporadically on the bluestone road in front of the Sixth Division team building.
In front of the grand and solemn team building door, stood a young figure.
Byakuya Kuchiki has grown up.
Several years of college career have made him much taller than when he first entered school.
The young boy who was once teased by Yoruichi Shihōin turned red in the face, but now his face has lost most of its childishness. It has clear outlines and is as handsome as jade. There is a layer of coldness and reserve belonging to the aristocracy between the brows.
But the dignified and almost rigid demeanor has not changed at all. The red and white Spiritual Arts Academy hospital uniform has been taken off, replaced by a brand new and crisp black Shihakushō. The white-lined collar is buttoned up meticulously, and the Zanpakutō hangs steadily around the waist. Even the dark hair hanging on the shoulders is neatly combed and not messy at all.
The whole body, from head to toe, every inch of flesh and blood, and every fold of clothes, has the two words Kuchiki written neatly on it.
Byakuya took a step forward and entered the familiar yet new meaning of the Sixth Division team building. The corridor was deep, and the wooden floor made a very light and regular sound under his feet. He walked without squinting all the way to a door deep in the corridor, stopped, stood still, raised his hand, and tapped lightly on the door panel with his sharp-knuckled fingers, with restraint and etiquette.
"Ginjiro Lieutenant"
A clear but slightly cold voice penetrated the shoji door.
Inside the door, in front of a mountain of official documents, a man who was checking the roster with his head down stopped writing and raised his head when he heard the sound.
Ginjiro.
As Sixth Division's Lieutenant, he is no longer young. There are some fine wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, and he has a neatly trimmed short beard. His eyes reveal a calm gentleness in the slightly dark room. In this squadron, which is famous for its strict discipline and gathering of nobles, he is like a warm ballast stone.
"Come in," Ginjiro said.
The shoji door was opened smoothly and closed again silently. Byakuya Kuchiki stepped into the room and bowed.
Ginjiro put down the brush in his hand, his eyes fell on this extraordinary young man, and he was slightly startled. "You are..."
"Byakuya Kuchiki."
The young man straightened up, his back as straight as Snow Cedar, and calmly announced his name.
"Starting today, I am ordered to join Sixth Division."
Ginjiro was stunned for a moment, and then a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind, and he reacted instantly.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
The only son of the current head of the Kuchiki Clan family, Sōjun Kuchiki, and the most valued eldest grandson of the former captain Kuchiki Ginrei, the heir of Main House has been stared at by all the nobles in Seireitei since his birth.
"Grandpa and uncle Kōga, let me come Sixth Division to study with you" Byakuya continued
Ginjiro fell silent after hearing this.
He looked at the young but already majestic boy in front of him, and there was a big stir in his heart. A Lieutenant was entrusted by the former captain Kuchiki Ginrei and the current captain Kōga Kuchiki, two generations of people in charge of Sixth Division, to teach a Kuchiki. Main House's young master and future head of the family.
Even though Kōga Kuchiki, as a son-in-law, was criticized in the aristocratic circle, the attitude of the father-in-law and son-in-law was surprisingly consistent on this matter. In anyone's ears, these words were as heavy as a stone.
"... Okay."
After a moment of silence, Ginjiro slowly stood up, with a gentle and solemn smile on his face.
"Since Master Ginrei and Captain Kōga have said so, then I will teach you all the team duties that Young Master Byakuya will do in Sixth Division from now on."
"Yes, please give me Lieutenant's advice."
Byakuya deserved it very simply, and nodded slightly again. His attitude was humble and polite, without any of the pampering and pretentiousness that young masters from wealthy families often have, which made Ginjiro secretly nod his head.
And during the exchange of questions and answers between the two people.
In an inconspicuous corner of the office, a girl was squatting at a low table sorting documents, and quietly raised her eyes from behind the towering files.
That is the daughter of Gin Miyu, Ginjiro.
She was also a newcomer who just graduated from the Shin'ō Academy two years ago. Because of her quiet temperament, she did some clerical work at Sixth Division. Today, she was called by her father to help sort out some of the backlog of old files.
In fact, she had already heard of the name Byakuya Kuchiki.
Rather, in the entire Seireitei, especially among the younger generation of female Soul Reaper, there is no one who has not heard of the young master of the Kuchiki Clan. It is rumored that he has excellent talent and a prominent family background, but also has a cold temper. When he was studying at the Spiritual Arts Academy, he was the object of many noble girls' secret admiration but did not dare to get close.
But hearing about it and seeing it with your own eyes are two different things.
Under the cover of a thick pile of official documents, Gin Miyu held his breath and glanced over there secretly and cautiously.
Just a glance.
The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the cracks in the window lattice, and just outlined the silhouette of the man. He stood there, his posture as straight as a sword, and his face so handsome that he seemed to be untainted by the world.
Even when she was just having a very ordinary conversation with her father, her slightly drooped eyelashes looked very regular, and her expression was indifferent and focused. The whole person was like an extremely clean ancient painting that the craftsman had poured all his efforts into and was carefully stored in a rosewood box.
Gin Miyu's breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.
My heart seemed to have been hit by something without warning, skipped a beat, and then started beating wildly without any reason.
As if her eyes were burned by that cold figure, she quickly lowered her head and buried her entire face in the pile of documents filled with the fragrance of ink. Her originally fair ears suddenly turned red, and the crimson color spread along her neck to her cheeks.
So handsome...
These two words exploded in her mind without warning, like exploding fireworks, making her dizzy. She stuttered and shouted seven or eight times in her heart. She didn't dare to raise her head even an inch until there were footsteps outside the door again.
That night, the Yin family mansion.
Warm lights illuminate the square wooden dining table, on which are placed a few simple home-cooked dishes and steaming miso soup.
"Miu."
Ginjiro returned home after a day of team duties and changed into loose home clothes. He held his rice bowl and looked at his daughter sitting opposite.
The little girl was holding a bowl, and the chopsticks in her hands kept poking at the white rice in the bowl. She didn't put a mouthful into her mouth for a long time, her eyes were staring straight into space, and the corners of her mouth were tightened for a while, and then slightly raised inexplicably.
The old father couldn't help frowning and lightly tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks.
"What's wrong with you today? You've been in a daze since you came back just now. The food doesn't suit your appetite?"
"Ah?!"
Gin Miyu was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes widened in fright, and the distraught expression on his face made him look like he had been caught red-handed for doing something sinister.
She sat upright in a hurry, her cheeks felt hot again, and she stuttered a little when she spoke, "No, it's nothing! I was thinking... about the files that I didn't finish today! Yes, files!"
After saying that, as if to prove that she was not lying, she lowered her head suddenly and took big gulps of rice into her mouth, almost choking herself.
"..."
Ginjiro held up his chopsticks and studied his daughter, who had always been honest and responsible, for a long time. What was there to think about in those old files? He was at a loss and could not connect his daughter's abnormality with the young master Kuchiki Clan who just came to report today.
In the end, the calm Lieutenant didn't ask any more questions. He just shook his head helplessly and sighed in his heart: It's really hard to guess the thoughts of a woman who has undergone eighteen years of transformation.
Then he continued to lower his head and pick up the rice in the bowl.