"Damn it... that demon cat just left and you're here!"
Byakuya stretched out his short legs, staring blankly, but no matter how he twisted and turned, he couldn't break free from Sōgo's grasp on the back of his neck, a grip that seemed to come from fate.
"I just missed you, my Little Cabbage."
After hearing Byakuya's words, Sōgo chuckled mischievously.
"I'm not Cabbage, you're the Cabbage, your whole family are Cabbage."
Byakuya was immediately enraged by the nickname Sōgo gave him. He was not Cabbage! He had nothing in common with Cabbage. He was the great genius of the Kuchiki Clan, Kuchiki Cabbage... no, he was Byakuya Kuchiki.
"I'm the only one in my family with fair skin; everyone else has a healthy complexion, unlike you... Whether it's Uncle Sōjun or Sister Aya, they're both exceptionally fair, healthy-looking, radiant!" (It's common sense that women are called "sister" regardless of seniority or age, as long as they're pretty.)
Sōgo continued to tease Byakuya Kuchiki. Because Byakuya Kuchiki was so arrogant, not many of his peers were willing to play with him. Everyone thought he was too pretentious. Only Sōgo and Yoruichi knew that this guy was a tsundere. He would say all sorts of nos and nos, but his body was more sensitive and honest than anyone else's.
"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"
Byakuya roared angrily, then shook it incessantly like a rattle drum.
"I won't let go! I won't let go! I won't let go!"
After hearing Byakuya's words, Sōgo continued to deliberately provoke him.
"Hateful!!!"
Byakuya roared loudly, trembling with cold! When will Cabbage be able to stand up... no, when will Byakuya be able to stand up?
"Okay."
In the end, Ginrei Kuchiki couldn't bear to watch any longer; he truly felt sorry for his precious grandson.
"I'll listen to you, Old Man Rei."
After hearing Ginrei Kuchiki's words, Sōgo released his grip.
"Ouch~"
Byakuya, without thinking, landed squarely on the hard ground ( Sōgo had deliberately chosen), and immediately felt a sharp pain in his buttock.
"Hahaha... Byakuya, drink plenty of milk and grow up well!"
Sōgo left those words behind and quickly arrived beside Ginrei Kuchiki and the others.
" White Cat! I'll shave all the cat fur off you sooner or later!"
Byakuya, seeing Sougo's Sōgo, felt a surge of anger. He waved his arms and shouted loudly.
"Hahaha... That's bold, but if you want to touch my hair, you'd better cultivate for a few hundred more years~"
Sōgo pointed to the precious hair on his head and began to preach.
"Hateful..."
Byakuya stood up, clutching his backside. He gritted his teeth, trying his best not to cry, and secretly vowed that he would surpass Sōgo sooner or later.
"Oh right, this is the gift I promised you. I was having so much fun bullying Byakuya earlier that I completely forgot."
Sōgo pulled something that looked like a fairy wand from his pocket and handed it to Kōga Kuchiki.
"???"
Kōga Kuchiki stared at the magical girl wand in his hand, his large eyes filled with even greater confusion.
What is this?
Kōga Kuchiki really couldn't figure out what this thing was. Although it looked like a toy, Kōga Kuchiki knew it was definitely not a toy; it must be some kind of special tool.
" Necromancer Girl Voice Changer, a toy for kids~"
Just as Kōga Kuchiki was certain that the thing wasn't a toy, Sōgo's words rang in his ears.
"Playing with... toys?"
Kōga Kuchiki's brow twitched slightly; he really didn't understand why they would give him, a grown man, something like this.
"Of course, it has a built-in Spiritual Pressure recording function. You can use it regularly to record your daily work. When your child grows up, she should at least know what dangerous people her father used to fight. She can't be a friendless brat like Cabbage."
Sōgo could tell from Kōga's expression that the guy was starting to overthink things, so he quickly explained.
"Grateful!"
Kōga Kuchiki then understood Sōgo's good intentions, and quickly put the fairy wand in his pocket, bowing slightly to Sōgo.
"Huh? You're saying who can't make friends? The reason I don't be friends with those people is because they're too stupid and weak!"
After hearing Sōgo's words, Byakuya spoke indignantly.
Okay, okay.
" Little Cabbage is invincible, the world's greatest genius~ Surpassing me in the future will be a natural progression~"
Sōgo laughed after hearing Byakuya's words.
"Hmph! You know it's Mutant White Cat."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Byakuya proudly raised his chin. After a while, he seemed to realize something, and his expression suddenly changed.
"Who are you calling Cabbage?! I'm Byakuya!"
Byakuya shouted loudly at Sōgo.
However, at this moment, Sōgo had already led Ginrei Kuchiki and the others into the reception room. Although this was the Kuchiki Clan, Sōgo acted as if he were the master, and his familiarity with the Kuchiki Clan home was almost the same as that of the Kuchiki Clan members.
"Come, have a seat..."
After Sōgo pulled Ginrei Kuchiki and the others to sit down, he first made tea for them before preparing what he wanted to say.
"Speak! What is it?"
Ginrei Kuchiki turned a blind eye and asked Sōgo, his posture conveying his attitude towards what Sōgo was about to say. Although the Kuchiki Clan was known as a paragon of nobility and, in theory, dealt with many matters with absolute seriousness, since this was Sōgo 'Sōgo request, he was willing to help on behalf of the Kuchiki Clan if he could.
"Alright, if that's how you put it, then I won't beat around the bush anymore. I'll just get straight to the point: have you seen the Soul Reaper's rest schedule I set up before?"
After hearing Ginrei Kuchiki's words, Sōgo realized that she had figured out his thoughts, so he stopped hiding them and said what he wanted to say.
"I've seen it..."
Ginrei Kuchiki nodded slightly. The timetable that Sōgo created was known throughout the city; how could he not have seen it?
How are you feeling?
Sōgo asked cautiously.
"What nonsense! You don't want the World of the Living anymore? You don't want Hueco Mundo?"
"Are we really giving the enemy a chance to recuperate?"
Ginrei Kuchiki shook her head helplessly and said.
"No, what I mean is that we'll implement a shift system in the future, with the three shifts rotating in reverse. Actually, it's not much different from the current shift system. The only difference is the holidays. Weekends are really important, but it doesn't mean we'll rest on all weekends. We can rotate them, right?"
Sōgo shared his thoughts.
"If that's the case, then it's more like it."
Ginrei Kuchiki nodded slightly after hearing Sōgo's words.
"Huh? You mean, you're going to agree to what I said?"
Sōgo was pleasantly surprised after hearing Ginrei Kuchiki's words.
"Even if I disagree, there's nothing I can do. The entire Thirteenth Division is in an uproar because of your proposed rest system. If I disagree, the members of the Sixth Division will probably curse me to death behind my back."
Ginrei Kuchiki was originally a very conservative person who followed old rules, but she was still very clear-headed when faced with the general trend.
"Hey~ I thought you were the hardest to talk to. After all, the Kuchiki Clan's reputation as a noble family, passed down for thousands of years, is just too big."
Sōgo couldn't help but mutter to himself after hearing Ginrei Kuchiki's words.
The Kuchiki Clan has been tied to this title for quite some time now. Even if he didn't say it, Ginrei Kuchiki understood, but there was nothing they could do. Some things are easy to wear once you put them on, but difficult to take off once you try to remove them.
"Hmph, I'm only being lenient with you because of you. But within the Gotei 13, there are other truly difficult people..."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Kuchiki Ginrei snorted coldly, while secretly reminding Sōgo.
"Okay, I got it~"
"Well, I'm off then Old Man Rei."
After dealing with Kuchiki Ginrei, Sōgo immediately prepared to retreat.
"Let's go! Wait until you hit a wall."
After hearing Sōgo's words and seeing Sōgo anxious expression, Ginrei Kuchiki smiled gently.
"Bumped into a hole? Aside from that Old Man Yama, who wouldn't give me face? I'm leaving... don't bother seeing me out."
Sōgo hurriedly left the meeting room.
"This child..."
Ginrei Kuchiki smiled helplessly as she watched Sōgo leave in a hurry, then immediately became serious.
"You two just heard what Sōgo said. Starting today, Sōjun will manage the Sixth Division Sixth Division 4 PM to midnight, Kōga will manage it from midnight to 8 AM. Next month, the schedule will be reversed, and so on."
Ginrei Kuchiki actually agreed with Sōgo's suggestion. He had long wanted to train his son and son-in-law. In terms of strength, both of them were already qualified to be captains. Even Sōjun, with his sickly and weak body, had already mastered Bankai, although he couldn't use it for long periods of time. However, the two of them were still far from meeting Ginrei Kuchiki's requirements for the captain of the Sixth Division. Therefore, he needed to train them well and strive to make them capable of standing alone as division captains.
"Father, we'll manage the squad, so what about you...?"
Sōjun and Kōga He exchanged a glance, then simultaneously asked Ginrei Kuchiki.
"Of course I'm off work!"
After listening to the two people's conversation, Ginrei Kuchiki smiled, which was rare for her, and said.
After leaving Ginrei Kuchiki, Sōgo went to the Fifth Division to find Aizen. He knew that Aizen would unconditionally support his idea, but... to Sōgo's surprise, Aizen was not home when he Sōgo.
Upon inquiring, they learned that someone was holding a promotion ceremony for the team leader, Aizen was there as one of the examiners to supervise the exam.
Please have a seat...
Guided by the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, Sōgo had no choice but to sit quietly in the captain's room and wait.
"I am bored?"
While Sōgo was sitting in the captain's room, bored, he noticed a boy with long silver hair and squinting eyes through the window.
My child...
Sōgo looked at the boy, who resembled a venomous snake, his brow furrowed.
"He's a genius!"
Before long, Sōgo relaxed his furrowed brow and nodded slightly, acknowledging the boy's talent. In Sōgo's opinion, among all his peers in the Soul Society, only Byakuya could rival him.
"How terrifying..."
As Sōgo observed the boy, the boy was also observing Sōgo. His animal-like senses were frantically warning him, as if what was not far from the boy was not some Soul Reaper but an indescribable, terrifying entity.
About an hour later, Aizen finally arrived, albeit late.
"Wow~ Things are different now that you've become a captain. You're a big, well-known figure in the Gotei 13 now, and you even have to lead the captain's assessment."
Sōgo Sōsuke Aizen had arrived late.
"Stop making fun of me, Sōgo-kun. I'm just going through the motions. The examiners are Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Captain Retsu Unohana. I'm just a supporting character..."
Aizen smiled bitterly after hearing Sōgo's words.
"Hahaha... that must be really difficult for you."
Sōgo burst out laughing after hearing Aizen's words. Being an examiner alongside Yama-jii and Sister Hana would be a nightmare.
"How about it? I mean the people taking the exam."
Sōgo continued to ask Aizen.
"A great success! The person who participated in the assessment was a Soul Reaper named Sajin Komamura. Oh, right, we should call him Captain Komamura now."
Aizen replied after hearing Sōgo's words.
"Really? What kind of person is he? Which division does he serve in now?"
After hearing Aizen's words, Sōgo continued to ask questions.
"What kind of person is he? I can't really say, but I do know that he was transferred by Captain-Commander Yamamoto to the Seventh Division as its captain."
Upon hearing Sōgo's words, Aizen spoke with some difficulty.
"Huh? Don't you know what kind of person he is? I'm not talking about his inner qualities, I'm talking about his appearance."
Sōgo paused slightly after hearing Aizen's words and asked.
"His appearance isn't very clear because he was wearing a mask, but from his manner of speaking, you can tell he's a very bold and forthright person."
Aizen replied after hearing Sōgo's words.
"Ah... Is that so? Wearing a mask? Well, that makes sense, I was wearing an eye patch too."
Sōgo felt awkward about judging others, because he might be seen as an oddball by others.
"Forget it, let's put his matter aside for now."
Aizen, I have a favor to ask you.
Sōgo didn't intend to hold a grudge against Captain Komamura; after all, he was going to promote his rest plan, and he would run into him sooner or later.
I would like to hear more details.
After hearing Sōgo's words, Aizen nodded slightly.
"It's about my previous rest plan. Because the Central 46 gave an ambiguous answer, now I have to discuss it with each of the squad leaders myself."
Sōgo smiled at Aizen and explained the purpose of his visit.
"Hahaha... Of course I support you Sōgo."
Aizen chuckled softly after hearing Sōgo's words. He had thought it was something serious; he could help with something as trivial as this.
"Then please sign this for me."
After listening to Aizen's words, Sōgo produced a list of those who agreed, which at this point only contained the names of Sōgo and Kuchiki Ginrei.
"OK."
After listening to Sōgo's words, Aizen nodded slightly and then signed his name on the paper.
"Thanks~ Aizen, you're such a good person."
Sōgo carefully put away the form Aizen had signed, and then vanished in an instant.
"..."
After Sōgo left, Aizen's faint smile vanished instantly, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
(End of this chapter)