"I really didn't expect Kisuke to actually become a captain."
Inside a well-known tavern along Seireitei's Noble Street, Gosuke Shigure sat across from Shihōin Yoruichi, the two of them drinking sake while casually exchanging information about recent events.
Holding her sake cup, Yoruichi spoke with a slightly complicated expression.
"From what Genryūsai-sensei said back then, it sounded like Kisuke might not pass the captaincy decision."
She tilted her head and added,
"Wouldn't it have been better to recommend that man you mentioned before—Kurotsuchi Mayuri? I've never even heard of him until you brought him up."
Gosuke Shigure hadn't expected Yoruichi to still be dwelling on that topic.
He shook his head calmly.
"I never doubted that Kisuke would become captain. He's already achieved Bankai. Across the entire Gotei Thirteen, there aren't many Shinigami who can say the same."
"As for Kurotsuchi Mayuri," Gosuke continued, "didn't I tell you from the beginning? He's actually a very suitable candidate."
"Of course, now that Kisuke has officially taken the position, it wouldn't be appropriate to bring that up openly," he added.
"But just wait and see. Kisuke has overseen the Maggot's Nest for years. There's no way he doesn't know Mayuri exists."
"If Kisuke wants to truly transform the Twelfth Division," Gosuke said meaningfully,
"he'll eventually find a way to bring Mayuri out."
"…Oh?"
Yoruichi looked at Gosuke Shigure with visible confusion.
Gosuke merely smiled and offered no further explanation.
Seeing that she wouldn't get an answer, Yoruichi set aside her curiosity and changed the subject.
"By the way, Sensei," she said casually,
"you still haven't told me where you disappeared to during that time."
"You didn't even attend Kisuke's captaincy inauguration. You know he was actually pretty disappointed about that."
"I had some personal matters to deal with," Gosuke replied evenly.
"I requested leave from Captain-Commander Yamamoto."
He had no intention of mentioning the Royal Palace or Squad Zero.
Even if some people already knew, spreading that information further served no purpose.
"…?"
Yoruichi studied him more closely, her curiosity growing, but she could tell he wasn't going to elaborate.
In the end, the two finished their drinks and parted ways.
After separating from Yoruichi, Gosuke Shigure originally intended to return directly to Squad Eleven.
However, just as he approached its district, he paused—
Then abruptly turned and headed toward the area belonging to the Twelfth Division instead.
Although he had only stayed in the Royal Palace for a few months,
returning to Seireitei gave him a strangely heavy sense of time passing.
Many things had changed during his absence.
Urahara Kisuke becoming the Twelfth Division's captain in particular gave Gosuke an inexplicable sense of urgency.
He had already warned Kisuke about the Quincy threat—about the shadows lurking beneath Seireitei.
Now, after so much time had passed, there should be some results.
After all, judging by the flow of time,
the awakening of the Quincy progenitor, Yhwach, was no longer far off.
The moment Gosuke stepped into the Twelfth Division barracks,
raised voices reached his ears.
A dispute seemed to be breaking out between a Shinigami and a girl.
The girl's voice was filled with unmistakable irritation.
"Who wants to call that guy 'Captain'?!
If you want to call him that, go ahead by yourself!"
After snapping those words, the girl stormed out angrily.
Just as Gosuke reached the doorway, a small figure crashed straight into him.
Looking down, he saw a short girl with sharp eyes and a foul temper still written clearly across her face.
It was Sarugaki Hiyori, the vice-captain of the Twelfth Division.
The earlier outburst had clearly come from her.
"…Captain Gosuke."
Despite her anger at Urahara Kisuke's appointment, Hiyori still addressed Gosuke Shigure properly.
Although she often bickered with Hirako Shinji, Captain of the Fifth Division, that familiarity allowed her to act freely.
In front of a captain she wasn't close to, however, she still maintained a degree of respect.
"Is your captain inside?" Gosuke asked calmly.
For some reason, those words seemed to hit a nerve.
Hiyori said nothing—she simply turned around and walked off without another word.
Gosuke watched her leave and sighed quietly.
The Twelfth Division really is full of difficult people.
With no one to announce him, he entered on his own.
Fortunately, Urahara Kisuke was indeed present.
Wearing the haori of the Twelfth Division captain, he sat at his desk reviewing division records.
"I thought you'd have trouble adjusting to the workload at first," Gosuke said as he entered,
"but it looks like you're doing quite well."
Urahara paused, set the documents aside, and looked up.
"…Sensei."
"Don't be so formal," Gosuke replied with a light chuckle.
"You're a captain now. Rank-wise, you're on the same level as me."
Still, hearing Kisuke call him Sensei was unexpectedly satisfying—
far more so than when Yoruichi used the title.
"What brings you here today?" Urahara asked.
"First," Gosuke said, "I came to congratulate you properly. I missed your inauguration due to personal matters, so I'm making up for it now."
"If that's all," Urahara replied without hesitation,
"then I assume there's a second reason."
Gosuke raised an eyebrow.
"You really haven't changed much, before or after becoming captain."
Before his promotion, Urahara Kisuke was already sharp beneath a relaxed exterior.
After becoming captain, that sharpness was no longer hidden.
Gosuke's expression grew serious.
"How's the investigation into the shadows progressing?"
The word shadows was a code—
referring to the unnatural distortions lurking within Seireitei itself.
Long ago, Gosuke had warned Urahara that something hidden there was connected to a fallen Quincy power.
Urahara's demeanor immediately turned solemn.
"You were right," he said quietly.
"There is something wrong with the shadows."
"But with my current technology," he admitted,
"I still can't fully penetrate or analyze it."
"It's going to take more time."
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