Shin'ō Central 46 Conference Hall
Forty-six chairs were arranged in a three-tiered semicircle along the wall, with forty-six Sage, Soul Society members of the highest judicial authority.
They don't get together often. The last time they all came together was when Yamamoto announced the suppression order against Quincy many years ago in Central 46.
Gathered together again today
Yamamoto stood in the center of the hall,
The eyes of forty-six Sage fell on him in the center of the hall. They summoned Yamamoto because this recent incident made them feel uneasy, especially since Yamamoto also intercepted Shunsui Kyōraku and Jūshirō Ukitake during their discussion.
"Yamamoto! What do you mean?" Apparently the Sages are very dissatisfied with Yamamoto's unauthorized recruitment of nobles as disciples.
Yamamoto did not answer immediately. He stood in the center of the hall, his eyes sweeping from Sage in the first row to the last row. "My disciples, who am I teaching? Do I need to ask you first?"
Sage, the first one to speak, opened his mouth and closed it again.
Another Sage stood up, with gray hair, and his fingers grasped the edge of the armrest of the seat. "Commander-in-Chief, this is not a question of who you teach! Your summons to Central 46 has already crossed the boundary between Gotei 13 and the judicial authorities!"
Yamamoto looked at him without speaking. Sage stood for a while and then sat down.
"Kyoraku Clan and that boy Rukongai, Central 46 has the right to intervene in the matter of Twin-Blade Zanpakutō."
The one who spoke this time was the one sitting in the front row. His voice was steady and his words were cautious, as if he was testing the temperature of the water.
"This abnormal form has never been recorded in the history of Soul Society. One person holding two Zanpakutō at the same time is related to the balance of Reishi, the stability of the soul, and the contract boundary between Zanpakutō and the holder. Central 46 is performing its duties by retrieving relevant information for review."
"Has the review been completed?" Yamamoto asked.
The Sage paused. "The review result will be decided by Central 46."
"I took the person away"
Yamamoto said, "You can make a decision on the review at the meeting, but the result of the decision must be sent to First Division for filing."
The meaning of this sentence is very clear: you can review it, but after you review it, the result will be reviewed by me.
The air in the hall was stiff.
Finally, Sage, who was sitting in the highest row near the side door, broke the silence.
His voice was very old and dry. "Commander-in-Chief, Central 46 There is no malice, but what happened to these children has gone beyond the normal growth scope of Soul Reaper. See for yourself, you The coverage of your disciples Shuichi, Second-Class Spiritual Might, resident Shikai, and Bankai is also rare among Captain-Class; Student Takeda Suzuko, Spiritual Might was in the 16th grade when he entered school, and he played the penetrating type Shakkahō in the third grade; and these two, the second son of the Kyoraku Clan and a Rukongai A child born in was found on the spot in Sword Meditation class holding two knives. Each of these things alone would be enough for Central 46 to hold a review meeting, and now they are brought together."
He stopped, coughed, and then continued, "This makes us have to think about a question, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, what are you training these people for?"
Yamamoto looked at the old Sage: "Guard Soul Society"
No one refuted.
"They are the future of Soul Society, you better get used to this."
Sage couldn't say anything, they could only stare at Yamamoto
Commander-in-Chief Office
Yamamoto called Takeda Suzuko and Shuichi here
Takeda Suzuko stood in a remote place, with his body shrunk, his head slightly lowered, his cheeks slightly red, a mixture of shyness and fear.
"Shuichi" Yamamoto looks at Shuichi
"I called you here today because of her identity Takeda Suzuko"
Takeda Suzuko looked up at Yamamoto, then lowered his head again
"Identity?" Shuichi was slightly confused
"Shuichi, giving a name has a special meaning. Takeda Suzuko still needs you to confirm her identity. Is she a disciple or a family member?" Yamamoto looked at Shuichi and said
The office became quiet, and Shuichi began to think
"Suzuko"
Shuichi's voice was not loud, but Suzuko heard it. She raised her head and looked at Shuichi, and Shuichi looked into her eyes.
"Here today, I confirm your identity"
"Hmm"
Shuichi paused
"Will you be my sister?"
The hall was quiet for a moment
The title "sister" is too unfamiliar to her
In Rukongai, no soul would ask a wandering soul, "Do you want to be my family?"
Family is not a choice, it's luck. She doesn't have this luck, not since she can remember. Later someone called her A-Jing, and then someone called her Suzuko, but no one ever asked her if she wanted to be someone's sister.
"I..." Her voice broke as soon as it came out
She lowered her head and looked at her toes. The skirt of her school uniform was wrinkled by her. She blinked hard a few times, but tears still fell. She had never cried, but at this moment, the word 'family' opened a crack in the wall in her heart.
"I do"
She raised her head, her eyes were red, her voice was trembling but she spoke every word clearly, "I am willing... brother."
The news did not come from First Division, but was revealed by Takeda Suzuko himself in the Spiritual Arts Academy
The reaction of the nobles was calmer than expected, or they were already shocked. This time they just confirmed their identity, sister? A very normal and reasonable identity.
After a while, First Division Barracks
Shuichi It's rare to come to First Division. I usually don't have anything to do, but the frequency has been a bit high recently.
It was Yamamoto who asked him to come today. He didn't say why, he just said "come here."
Shuichi waited in the corridor for a while after arriving. Yamamoto was meeting guests in the office with the door closed.
He didn't know who was inside and didn't ask. Sasakibe glanced at him as he passed by, stopped talking, and left.
door opened
A woman came out.
She wore a dark purple dress, but it was not ostentatious. Her hair was tied into a bun on the back of her head and pinned with a plain hairpin. She had a delicate face and gentle eyebrows, but there was an indescribable tiredness in her eyes. She was holding a girl's hand.
The girl was wearing a light cyan kimono, with a neatly tied belt. Her hair was spread over her shoulders and slightly curled at the ends. Her eyebrows were very similar to her mother's, but the lines were harder, the curvature of her chin was sharper, and her lips were pursed, with a calmness that was not for her age. She looked at Shuichi, and Shuichi looked at her. Their eyes touched each other in the air, and then separated again.
The woman walked up to Shuichi and stopped. Her height only reached Shuichi's chest, but when she raised her head and looked at Shuichi, her eyes were very level. There was no humility of looking up, nor arrogance of looking down.
"My name is Ise Chiyo" Her voice was not loud, but it was clear. There was no extra pause between each word, as if she was reading a manuscript that had been prepared for a long time.
"This is my daughter, Ise Akira"
The girl took half a step forward and stood side by side with her mother.
The woman let go of her daughter's hand, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed to Shuichi
"I hope Captain Shuichi can take care of my daughter" Qian Lida straightened up
Shuichi I haven't had time to ask why.
Yamamoto came out of the office
"Shuichi, you and Saito escort Qian Lida to South 77th District to complete the sacrifice."
Shuichi looked at Yamamoto "Sacrifice?"