Chapter 261
Ichigo Kurosaki and Kon left noisily, with Yasutora "Chad" Sado following behind them, wearing his usual calm, uncle-like smile.
---
"Yuta-kun, are you interested in having a chat?"
At the sound of the sudden question, Nemu instinctively stepped in front of Yuta, shielding him with her arms spread slightly apart.
Yuta turned his head and saw the man who had spoken-Kyoraku Shunsui, wearing his signature pink, flower-patterned haori-approaching from around the corner with his usual relaxed expression.
Nemu's gaze followed silently as Yuta and Kyoraku Shunsui walked away together, their figures gradually receding from sight. She remained standing there long after they had disappeared.
---
First Division Headquarters – Captain's Office
Once, this room had belonged to Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Now, it was unrecognizable-scarred and blackened by the flames of Ryūjin Jakka.
It almost felt as though the devastation itself had foretold the old captain's fate.
Yuta and Kyoraku Shunsui stood within the charred remains of the room. The oppressive heat once left behind by the Zanpakutō had faded with the passing of the storm, replaced by the damp chill of rain-soaked air that carried with it the heavy scent of ash and sorrow.
Amid the shattered space stood another figure-Ukitake Jūshirō.
For Shunsui and Jūshirō, Yamamoto Genryūsai's two disciples, the weight of their teacher's death was heavier than for anyone else.
"Sit down."
Yuta joined them on the floor. A moment later, Ise Nanao entered-tall, composed, with neatly tied black hair and glasses framing her focused expression. She carried a wooden tray holding three cups of tea. Without speaking, she placed the cups before each of them, gave Shunsui one lingering glance, then turned silently and left the room.
Shunsui looked down at the tea before him, but made no move to drink it. The lightness he usually carried was gone, replaced by the same subdued heaviness that clung to the room itself.
In the past, he would've lifted the cup with his usual grin and gone on to brag about the tea-making skills of the Ise family.
Speaking of which-Shunsui was the jirō, the second son of the Kyōraku family.
His elder brother had married into the matrilineal Ise family-a family where women inherited the household name and the husbands joined their lineage.
Thus, Ise Nanao was, in fact, the daughter of Shunsui's elder brother.
These details were things Yuta had pieced together over time-small confessions from Shunsui shared between shared cups of sake, one story at a time.
Even if Shunsui hadn't said it aloud, Yuta would have known. The captain's willingness to say it himself only showed that, somewhere in his heart, he regarded Yuta as someone he could trust-as someone close.
"I didn't expect the old man to leave us like this," Jūshirō said softly, his tone heavy with grief. "It feels like just yesterday that we entered the Shin'ō Spiritual Academy together, the first batch of students under his direct guidance. Those were simpler times."
Once upon a time, the two of them-Shunsui and Jūshirō-had been young and mischievous students at what was then known as Genji Juku, renamed later to Shin'ō Spiritual Academy. Yamamoto-sensei had been their instructor and mentor.
Shunsui had always been the unruly one, often lifting the skirts of female classmates only to earn himself another beating.
Jūshirō had been easy-going and kindhearted, drawing friends wherever he went.
Those days had long since passed, leaving only the weight of memory.
In what felt like the briefest of instants, the towering presence of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni-the pillar that had supported not only them but the entire Gotei 13, the entirety of Seireitei, and the balance of the Three Realms-had fallen.
His death left behind silence that no one could fill.
---
Now, only one question remained-the one they had to face:
Who would become the next Sōtaichō (Captain-General) of the Gotei 13?
Outside, the rain that had graced the Soul Society came to its end. Wisps of moisture rose from the drenched rooftops, turning into faint clouds that drifted upward toward the heavens-toward the Soul King Palace high above.
From the First Division's balcony, the view stretched far and somber. Under the cover of dark clouds, Seireitei seemed to sleep, its streets muted by twilight haze.
"Yuta-kun," Shunsui asked, breaking the silence, "what do you think of the Soul Society now? Is it the same as the last time I asked you?"
He spoke as if recalling that earlier day-when he had told Yuta that, over time, he had come to feel the desire to protect this place.
Yuta's reply back then had been simple: he wished only to protect the people he cared about-Matsumoto Rangiku, Kuchiki Rukia, Unohana Retsu, Shihōin Yoruichi…
"If you're willing to protect this place," Shunsui continued, "we think you're the most fitting to succeed as Sōtaichō. After everything you've accomplished-defeating Aizen Sōsuke and saving the world-it wouldn't be difficult to justify it publicly. If we make that known, the other captains and their divisions will accept you without question."
He hesitated for only a moment before adding, his tone growing firmer, "And… you're the strongest among us. If anyone has the strength to defeat Yhwach, it's you."
Jūshirō nodded in agreement. "With your power and leadership, I have no doubt we could stand against him. None of us would object if you took the position."
Yuta remained silent for several seconds, his gaze drifting toward the dim sky beyond the open window. The Soul Society stretched endlessly in shadow and light before him.
Finally, he spoke, his question cutting through the room:
"Have either of you… ever seen the Soul King?"
Shunsui and Jūshirō exchanged glances. Both had served in positions near the top of the Gotei 13 for centuries. Even if they had not personally seen the Soul King, they knew fragments-stories, whispers, evidence of things unseen.
Especially Jūshirō-whose own body served as the vessel for the Soul King's right arm.
In Rukongai, that right arm was known to the people as Mimihagi-sama, worshiped as a local god said to protect them.
Yet as its host, Jūshirō had always sensed the truth-the immense power it held, the unfathomable force that stretched far beyond the reach of any Shinigami.
Its attention, he knew, was fixed on the place above the sky itself.
Shunsui exhaled slowly. "Ah… the Soul King. I've heard much but seen little." He adjusted the brim of his straw hat slightly. "I know some things about the Tsunayashiro Clan… and the Royal Guard-the Zero Division. When Hikifune Kirio was promoted to the Royal Guard, she met the monk and the others."
PS GOALS: 150 PS= 5-10 extra chapter on an update.
💕💕
READ 45+ ADVANCED CHAPTER AT MY P@TREON! FOR ONLY 10$
at [email protected] /Zaneninjacat
💕💕
💀💀 gimme powerstones!💀💀