Chapter 18: The Designated Scapegoat
After bidding farewell to Aizen at the doors of the assembly hall, Mizuma pushed the door open and stepped inside.
A long wooden table stretched across the center of the room, surrounded by chairs already filled with familiar faces.
Kyoraku was chatting idly with Ukitake. Urahara was gesturing animatedly at Hirako. Yoruichi was caught up in some incomprehensible conversation with Kukaku. Love and Rose were off to the side, arguing about a violin of all things.
The whole place radiated the cozy chaos of an after-work drinking party.
Mizuma's arrival drew a few glances, but after he greeted everyone and sat down next to Kyoraku, the lively chatter resumed as if nothing had happened.
…How the hell do all these captains and vice-captains look more relaxed than me? The old man leaves for one day and you all turn feral?
Perfect. He liked this kind of meeting.
He slipped into their conversation, tossing in the occasional joke while Kyoraku and Ukitake traded stories—until a few minutes later, the door opened again.
Kensei and Lisa entered one after the other.
Kensei took the spot beside Hiyori, bravely taking the brunt of her verbal assault in Hachigen's place, while Lisa quietly slid into the empty chair beside Mizuma.
With everyone assembled, Kyoraku clapped his hands, clearing his throat like a lazy homeroom teacher who'd finally decided to get serious.
"Alright, looks like everyone's here."
He glanced around the table, nodded in satisfaction, and continued, "Thanks for coming. As for why we've gathered you all, Ukitake will explain."
The two veteran captains exchanged a brief look. Everyone's attention shifted to Ukitake.
Mizuma straightened his back, ready to at least pretend to look serious—
—and then, a translucent light screen popped up before his eyes.
[Time-Limited Quest]
[Within three days, uncover the conspiracy between the Central 46 and Tsunayashiro Tokinada. Choose to assist or stop them.]
[Assist Reward: Fragment of the Soul King ×1
Stop Reward: Fullbring Awakening Card ×1]
[71:59:52 / 72:00:00]
…Tokinada?!
Mizuma's brows twitched, though years of elite-level expression management kept him calm. No one noticed a thing.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada—the future head of the Tsunayashiro Clan.
A "villain," and a particularly vile one. The man who murdered Tōsen's friend(his own wife), schemed to obtain the Soul King's fragments from the Fullbringers, and even tried to create new "Soul King candidates."
Unlike Aizen or Yhwach, he had no grand ideology—only a twisted desire to ruin people. He was the kind of antagonist whose mere existence lowered the moral IQ of everyone else in the story.
But wait—wasn't Tokinada supposed to start his plotting after the Wandenreich's fall?
Well… thinking about it, someone like him wouldn't just sit around doing nothing for centuries. Gathering fragments of the Soul King was a long-term project anyway.
As for the quest rewards—
There wasn't even a debate. A Fullbring Awakening Card was leagues more valuable than a Soul King fragment. Even if the "assist" reward were ten times better, he'd still choose stop without hesitation.
Aizen was one thing—but Tokinada? Just being near that guy was nauseating.
And besides, the timing clearly wasn't a coincidence.
If the system issued this quest now, then it had to be linked to whatever Kyoraku and Ukitake were about to discuss.
He shifted his attention toward Ukitake, who had just coughed lightly.
"Well, let me start from the top." The white-haired, ever-gentle captain scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Originally, this was supposed to be a Captains' Meeting, but everyone's been busy lately. To avoid disrupting operations, Kyoraku and I decided to just call in a smaller group—those who had the time."
Hirako propped his chin on his hand. "Then just say what the job is already, Captain Ukitake. Don't leave us hanging."
"Ah, right, right." Ukitake smiled and pulled a scroll from his sleeve. He carefully unrolled it on the table. "This is a joint commission from the Tsunayashiro family and the Central 46. It says that during an archival review, the Tsunayashiro discovered a location supposedly containing a 'relic of the Soul King.' However, they lack the strength to handle the potential dangers there. So, they've requested the Gotei 13 to assist."
"The Soul King, you say?" Urahara perked up instantly. "Matters involving the Soul King are normally handled by Squad Zero. Isn't that… unusual?"
"That's the thing." Ukitake shook his head. "There's been no directive from Squad Zero at all."
"Hmm… interesting," murmured Urahara, falling into thought.
Mizuma, meanwhile, rolled his eyes internally.
Oh yeah. Totally not suspicious.
Even a first-year at Shin'ō Academy could see it—a setup if there ever was one.
If something was being called a "relic of the Soul King," and it was being outsourced to the Gotei 13, that already meant it was dangerous as hell. Whatever Tokinada and the Central 46 were scheming, it definitely wasn't for the public good.
If possible, Mizuma wanted nothing to do with this mess.
…But damn, that reward was tempting.
"According to the Tsunayashiro's report," Kyoraku added lazily from the side, "the relic's located in the 79th Eastern District of Rukongai. And here's the catch—it only allows a small number of people to enter at once. Four, to be exact."
A four-man dungeon, huh? Lovely.
"So," Ukitake continued, "the goal of this meeting is to select a team. To be safe, we'll want a balanced group—someone for reconnaissance, two for offense, and one for analysis."
"Any volunteers?"
The room fell silent for a moment—until Mizuma immediately raised his hand.
"Count me in. I can handle recon."
Around the table, a few brows lifted.
Every other person here was a captain or vice-captain. He was the only Fifth Seat.
Of course he understood what Kyoraku was thinking.
They just want someone expendable with a disposable clone.
Well played, Captain.
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〔TL〕
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