There's a saying that goes, "If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet."
Shiraishi didn't quite understand before, but now he does.
Around 8:30.
The sunlight made the window frames shine.
A portion of the dust mote revealed its form in the light, its eyelids bright red.
He turned over, and his beloved had already left his pillow. His consciousness gradually returned.
"What time is it?" Shiraishi suddenly jumped up, landing with a slight groan of pain. He glanced at the time, then slowly walked a few steps to the living room outside.
A sumptuous breakfast was laid out on the table, but Nemu Kurotsuchi was not there; she had left a note under the bowl.
" Shiraishi, I'm going to work."
The handwriting is very neat and elegant.
He rinsed his mouth first, then tried to sit down to eat, but the moment he touched the chair, his body tensed. "Ouch, I'll eat standing up."
He ate breakfast standing up for the first time, then turned and left, leaving the plates and such to be washed by Isane that evening.
He rarely gets involved in housework, believing that it's a woman's job and not a man's.
He glanced at the time; it was 8:59. He didn't feel rushed at all; on the contrary, he felt he had plenty of time. He leisurely used the Steel Tempest to hurry to his office.
The area has been cleaned up, the water in the vases has been changed, and freshly picked chrysanthemums have been placed inside.
The window was open, and the air smelled fresh. The desk was tidy with no unnecessary decorations.
Nine o'clock sharp.
Genshirō Okikiba carried a large stack of documents into the office, placed them on the table, and said, " Captain-Commander Shiraishi, these all require your approval. The blue slips at the bottom are the documents to be approved today, and the ones at the top are the documents to be approved by this morning."
"Okay, you can just put it here."
Shiraishi replied, picked up the top document, and did not choose to sit down.
Genshirō Okikiba was a little surprised. Usually, the Captain-Commander always sat down to handle official business, and had never stood there like this before.
His upright posture reminded him of the former Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who also stood in front of the table, handling official business with a rigorous attitude.
There was always some black tea brewed by the Vice-Captain Sasakibe on the table.
" Okikiba, is there anything else?"
Shiraishi asked a question.
Genshirō Okikiba pinched his philtrum, lowered his head, and said, "No, I'm fine. I'll take my leave now."
Shiraishi's eyes showed a hint of doubt, but he quickly dismissed it and continued reading the documents. They were from the Third Division and concerned a demonstration by certain individuals.
They protested against the Shinigami abolishing the original system, and also complained about the unreasonable salaries. They argued that it's the same job, so why is there such a big difference in pay between street sweepers and office workers?
He picked up his pen and decisively wrote his approval. In this situation, the only option was to arrest the ringleader and detain him, while the others would receive only symbolic punishment.
He was aware that the salaries for jobs in Soul Society were different, but a uniform adjustment would only lead to worse consequences.
At least with wage differences, people will still have the motivation to pursue a better material life.
After resolving the first matter, he picked up the second document, a series of financial figures that gave him a headache, so he skipped to the text below.
"Corruption is rampant in Komamura District. The price for building a 100-meter road starts at 50,000 rings at the bottom and goes up to 50 million rings at the top."
Shiraishi frowned slightly, but wasn't too surprised. He had expected someone to be corrupt, so he put it aside for now and picked up the investigation files from the Second Division and Eighth Division.
The result truly astonished him.
According to the secret investigations of the Second Division and Eighth Division, the only area in Soul Society where the atmosphere is relatively stable is Kuchiki District.
The rest of the time it's just a competition to see who can be the worst.
It turns out that people often learn to go astray without any formal instruction.
With the loss of Aizen, whom they regarded as a god, people's faith crumbled, and none of those willing to join forces with the Shinigami Reaper were serious about getting things done.
His mind is filled with nothing but abusing power and making money; he's willing to do anything outside of his official duties.
From cabinet ministers to low-ranking civil servants, they seized every opportunity to embezzle and quickly developed a network of protectors, forming a criminal gang.
Comics that are not pure love stories have begun to circulate on the market, featuring women organizing themselves to entertain guests, collecting protection money, and selling drugs that induce intoxication.
The sheer volume of atrocities committed made Shiraishi's skin crawl. And this organization has only been established for a short time!
The prevailing trend directly impacted the situation at the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Considering this social environment, Shiraishi picked up the Third Division's documents, crossed out the original approval, rewrote it, and decided to handle it accordingly to see if there were any unavoidable hidden reasons.
"Headache," Shiraishi said, his hand resting on the table. He hadn't expected there to be so many corrupt people. If a purge were to be carried out, the cabinet would become a mere shell, and none of the civil servants would be able to stay.
If we don't rectify the situation, we'll just let them run rampant like this.
Shiraishi definitely wouldn't agree.
After all that hard work, finally getting the cabinet in place, laying internet base stations, and even stimulating romance among residents.
He's not working to create such a society.
How should he change it? Shiraishi subconsciously sat back down, then jumped up again. The pain made him realize that he shouldn't think about such an important matter alone.
One person's wisdom is limited; one should ask others for advice.
He picked up his phone and messaged Retsu Unohana privately, then messaged Old Man Yama privately, saying, "You're dumping such a heavy burden on me while I go off to retire? There's no such thing as a free lunch."
I'd also like to ask Shunsui Kyōraku and Byakuya Kuchiki for their opinions.
Without even asking Soi Fon, given her intelligence, she would most likely have killed them all.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto replied quickly, "In my opinion, win over the biggest group, and you'll be guaranteed to stay in order and have food to eat."
Shinigami is the balancer of the world; its purpose is balance, not prosperity.
You must understand the principle that prosperity inevitably leads to decline.
Shiraishi quickly retorted, "So, you weren't worried about declining from the very beginning when you were at the bottom?"
That's outrageous.
Considering the previous Central 46 Chambers, it's not surprising that Old Man Yama had such thoughts.
*Ding Byakuya Kuchiki: "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. Kill the cabinet ministers who are the most corrupt, and replace them with a group of nobles with moral values, or extradite some capable managers from the World of the Living."
Shiraishi stroked his chin. "Exporting people with management skills, huh? Those mayors will probably complain again."
Ding! Shunsui Kyōraku: "Improve the treatment of officials, from housing to food, the higher the better, coupled with strict systems to reduce corruption at the top and middle levels, and to put pressure on lower-level civil servants."
Shiraishi felt that the two men's opinions were better than Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto's.
Ding! Retsu Unohana: "Kill some, coax some, and warn some. First, deal with the manga and illegal forces—make an example of them."
Shiraishi suddenly understood; his wife was indeed clever.
Ding! Retsu Unohana: "By the way, when did you get hemorrhoids? I didn't even notice."
Shiraishi immediately recalled Genshirō Okikiba's hesitation, and gave a wry smile. This kind of thing was hard to explain. Oh well, let's deal with official business.
The World of the Living.
As the sun sets, Silbern is enveloped in a beautiful night.
In the darkness created by the building, a pair of eyes that had been asleep for a long time slowly opened, and the slight movement seemed to attract someone's attention.
Then came a shrill female laugh, "Hehehe, how long has it been since you opened your eyes? A few years later? Two hundred and fifty years? Or ten thousand years later? Hehehe, hahaha."
The man didn't answer; even he couldn't keep track of time. The last image in his memory was a blurry, indistinct Cero.
The Seireitei was almost destroyed by Hollows.
He was seriously injured and fell into a coma, only waking up today.
The scenery had changed; there was no sign of the Shinigami Reaper, but instead a group of Quincy were staying in Seireitei.
"Haha, you're very confused, aren't you? Then just ask me, beg me to Urozakuro you, and maybe I'll take pity on you and explain what's been going on these past few days."
A woman with a black blindfold can give off a gentle and noble feeling when she doesn't speak, but once she opens her mouth, she sounds like a madwoman.
Sōya Azashiro didn't say anything more, and left for the library in Silbern.
The subtle changes in his Reishi did not escape the notice of the blond man in the library. His expression was cold, even his golden Matsuge seemed to be covered with a layer of ice. He looked up and asked, "Are you the Shinigami?"
"No, he was once the Shinigami."
Sōya Azashiro stood within the candlelight's illumination. "This is Seireitei, isn't it?"
"Long ago it was, and now it is, the Silbern, belonging to the Wandenreich."
Haschwalth sized up the former Shinigami in front of him. He had delicate features, his hair was combed back into a ponytail, and two long strands of hair were left in front of his forehead.
It's a very peculiar way of moving; it's neither Shunpo nor Sonído, nor Hirenkyaku Kick, but seems to emerge from thin air.
Those subtle changes would have been easily overlooked if the Quincy hadn't been skilled in controlling Reishi.
"My name is Yugran Haschwalth. What's your name?"
" Sōya Azashiro."
He replied simply, saying he was listening to various conversations to gather his thoughts, "I've slept for a long time and have many questions I'd like to ask you. This is unpaid, and you are free to refuse to answer."
"Ask away."
Haschwalth did not refuse.
Without any hesitation, Sōya Azashiro began to inquire about what had happened during his slumber.
Haschwalth was quite lenient with intelligence that did not affect the Wandenreich, and responded to each one.
"... I see, quite a lot has happened."
Sōya Azashiro finally figured out what had happened during this time. Aizen, that man, was far more dangerous than he had expected. Even the Squad Zero was no match for him.
The Shiraishi that Aizen was beyond his imagination.
Knowing all this, what do you plan to do?
Haschwalth asked a question.
"My goal has never changed: to eliminate all Hollows, including the Arrancar you mentioned."
Sōya Azashiro's expression remained unchanged, ignoring Urozakuro's mocking words in his ear. He only knew that he had a mission to complete.
No matter how difficult it is, we must find a way to accomplish it.
"I hope you can use the Sun Gate to send me to Hueco Mundo."
Haschwalth Tong Kong shrank back. He hadn't mentioned a single word about the Wandenreich. Where did they get the information about the Sun Gate?
"Don't be surprised, this is my Bankai ability."
Sōya Azashiro replied simply.
Haschwalth said expressionlessly, "I refuse."
Sōya Azashiro spoke up, "You could ask Uryū Ishida, the successor of the other Wandenreich; perhaps he'll agree with my suggestion."
Haschwalth grew increasingly wary of Sōya Azashiro's abilities; he hadn't left and seemed to have complete control over Silbern's every move. "Alright, I'll ask him. What do you plan to do if he doesn't agree?"
I won't force anyone to do something without pay.
Sōya Azashiro answered truthfully that if he was rejected again, he would take action in his own way.
Haschwalth stood up from his chair and said, "Let's go."
To test his opponent's speed, he deliberately used Hirenkyaku to reach Uryū Ishida's room door in an instant. His eyes glanced to the side and he finally realized something was wrong.
The Reishi in the air condensed directly into the shape of Sōya Azashiro.
Is the wide-range Bankai related to Reishi?
A thoughtful glint flashed in Haschwalth's eyes. Or perhaps, the Reishi was part of his body?
Thinking about these things didn't stop Haschwalth from raising his hand and knocking on the door.
Who is it?
"I."
Haschwalth gave a brief answer.
The door opened quickly, and Uryū Ishida, his glasses slightly fogged, wearing a white yukata, his hair damp with water droplets and smelling of shampoo, asked, "What do you want?"
"His name is Sōya Azashiro. He wants to use the Sun Gate to cause trouble in Hueco Mundo. Do you want to borrow it?"
Sōya Azashiro corrected his misuse of words, "I'm not trying to cause trouble, I'm trying to eliminate the void."
Uryū Ishida blinked and nodded, saying, "No problem."
Haschwalth's face showed a hint of surprise. In his mind, Uryū Ishida would reject such a troublesome proposal.
He then understood the other party's reasoning and said, "I object, Ishida. Do you think this will provoke a war between the Shinigami and the Wandenreich?"
Uryū Ishida pushed up his glasses and said with a straight face, "I just wanted to cause some trouble for the Shinigami. It's all for the sake of the Wandenreich. Please don't think I have any ulterior motives."
"If you don't trust me, then let the Sternritter hold a vote and see who's in favor and who's against."
Uryū Ishida added that he genuinely wanted to use the power of the Shinigami to strike at the Wandenreich.
Having stayed here for so many days, he could assure him that the Wandenreich was definitely not content to be a subordinate; they were simply waiting for Yhwach to wake up.
Uryū Ishida couldn't understand why the Shinigami would so readily believe that the Wandenreich would behave.
I don't understand why they let those hypocrites go.
Uryū Ishida had a bad impression of the Hollows, stemming from the horrific scenes he witnessed along the way and the fear they evoked since leaving the village.
He thought that it wasn't such a bad thing that the group of fake and real people were wiped out by the Sōya Azashiro.
Even if we can't eliminate the Hollows, it's a good thing if we can provoke the Arrancar and the Wandenreich into a fight.
He was able to take advantage of the chaos to kill Yhwach.
Haschwalth raised his golden eyebrows slightly, naturally understanding the nature of the Sternritter.
Obeying His Majesty's orders, they could refrain from attacking the Shinigami, but they were quite happy to see someone cause trouble for Shinigami.
They would never consider what the consequences would be if Shinigami actually came knocking on their door.
" The Wandenreich has collapsed. Do you think you'll have a good ending?"
"I already told you, if you don't believe me, you can vote."
Uryū Ishida replied coldly.
Sōya Azashiro said, "Then let's vote."