Deep within a noble estate in Seireitei's Central Ring, the lights burned bright.
This was no formal banquet, and there were no invitations. It was merely a habit among several Upper Nobility families who knew one another well, gathering every few days.
After the war, Seireitei's reconstruction had progressed rapidly. The Gotei 13's bases had moved from Rukongai into Seireitei, the Shin'ō Academy had begun classes, and everything was advancing in an orderly fashion under Yamamoto's control—precisely what made them uneasy.
Tonight's gathering had begun an hour earlier than usual. Not everyone had arrived, yet they were already on their second round of tea. The conversation began with jokes about the Rukongai students at the Shin'ō Academy, then gradually drifted in a more uncomfortable direction.
"What exactly does noble management under the Sixth Division mean?" The speaker was a middle-aged noble whose family had operated in Seireitei for more than a dozen generations and had never fallen from the ranks of the Upper Nobility.
His fingers tightened slightly around his teacup. "Noble management! Those four words are right there. Can someone explain them?"
No one answered.
It was not that they did not know. They simply did not want to puncture the paper-thin barrier.
The division of responsibilities Yamamoto had established at Shin'ō Hall clearly stated, in black and white, that the Sixth Division would be responsible for noble management.
How would they manage them? What would they manage? To what extent? Those details had not yet been issued, but everyone knew that blade would fall sooner or later.
"And that madwoman Saito is going to manage us?" Another noble picked up the thread, his voice carrying undisguised irritation.
It was not because she was so terrifying. It was because she was uncontrollable. She was the sort of person who