On the way back, neither Rukia-chan nor Amamiya Miyako-san spoke. They simply held hands in silence, walking slowly through the streets of Seireitei until they reached the entrance of the Thirteenth Division barracks.
It wasn't until they stopped before the gate that Rukia finally broke the stillness.
"Arigatou, Miyako…" she said with a soft smile. "If it weren't for you, I probably would've waited a long, long time before apologizing to Kaien-dono's family."
Amamiya Miyako shook his head gently. "Rukia-chan's not that weak," he said calmly. "Even if I hadn't gone with you, you would've made that journey eventually. Alone."
"Eh…?" Rukia blinked in surprise. Even now, part of her still feared confronting that moment. She didn't understand why Miyako would say something like that with such certainty.
"I've crossed blades with you enough times to know," Miyako said, eyes on hers. "Words can lie... but your Zanpakutō doesn't. I can feel your resolve every time we spar."
"Your effort, your spirit… I've felt it through Sode no Shirayuki. Rukia-chan's heart is strong."
Rukia's eyes widened slightly. She looked at him in silence, feeling something warm stir deep within her chest.
"Oi! Vice-Captain's finally back, huh?" a familiar voice called out.
Kiyone-chan came rushing out of the barracks, her expression exasperated. "Taking a day off right after becoming Vice-Captain? Geez, Miyako-san, seriously!"
"Haha… gomen, gomen," Miyako said with a sheepish grin, scratching his head.
Just then, Kiyone's eyes drifted downward—and widened.
"Ehhhhh?! What's this? You two have been holding hands the whole time?!"
At that moment, Rukia realized their hands were still clasped. Her face instantly turned bright red as she yanked her hand away and looked down in embarrassment.
Miyako stepped forward, casually placing himself between Kiyone and Rukia to block the teasing gaze.
"Yo, Kiyone-san," he said with a playful smile. "You can drop the whole 'Vice-Captain-sama' thing. Just Miyako is fine."
"Mou~ don't try to change the subject," Kiyone said, smirking. "But fine, Miyako it is."
She coughed lightly and regained her serious tone. "Anyway, the Thirteenth Division has a bunch of missions coming up. Don't think you can slack off on your first official day, ne?"
"Hahaha, who, me? I wouldn't dream of it," Miyako said, laughing nervously. In truth, he'd been planning to dump most of the paperwork on Kiyone and Sentarō. Training came first in his book—he barely had time for desk work.
"Yare yare…" Kiyone muttered, clearly seeing right through him.
"But seriously now," she added, "the squad currently stationed in the Human World is due to return soon. Captain Ukitake has been working with us to select the next deployment team. That's why I waited here—to take you with me."
"Got it." Miyako nodded. As expected, some things couldn't be avoided. It was the Thirteenth Division's duty to maintain the balance in the Human World, after all.
He turned to Rukia, who was still looking at the ground.
"Rukia-chan," he said gently, reaching out to ruffle her short black hair. "I'm heading in now. You'd better keep up with your training. Don't let me pull too far ahead."
Before she could respond, he gave her a smile and disappeared through the barracks entrance.
"…That guy," Rukia muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance as she reached up to fix her tousled hair. But the faintest trace of a smile tugged at her lips.
Just then, she noticed Kiyone still standing there, grinning from ear to ear.
Uh-oh.
"Kiyone-san… don't get the wrong idea, okay?"
"Mhm~ I'm just saying, Rukia-chan… ganbatte ne~!"
"I've got squad duties! I'll leave you to it~"
Kiyone said with a wink before running off toward the inner hall.
"H-Hey! I'm telling you, it's not like that!" Rukia called after her, but it was already too late.
"She's totally going to tell everyone, isn't she…" Rukia sighed and crouched down by the door, her face buried in her arms.
But even so, deep down—she wasn't upset about the misunderstanding. If anything… she was just a little flustered.
That was all.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Captain's Office of the Thirteenth Division, Ukitake-taichō and Sentarō Kotsubaki were busily sorting through stacks of mission reports and deployment documents.
As Kiyone slid open the door and entered with Amamiya Miyako at her side, she raised her voice.
"Captain Ukitake! I've brought back our Vice-Captain!"
"Ukitake-taichō, Amamiya Miyako reporting in," Miyako said politely.
"Come in," Ukitake said with his usual warm smile.
As Miyako stepped inside, his gaze immediately fell upon the mountain of paperwork sprawled across the desk.
"…Yare yare… this is gonna be a long day," he muttered to himself, sighing internally.
"Miyako," Ukitake said kindly, "you're just in time. We're finalizing the next deployment of Shinigami to the Human World."
"Hai…" Miyako replied weakly, already bracing himself for the workload.
"Don't worry, Vice-Captain! Kiyone and I will help you with all of it!" Sentarō added with a loud, eager voice.
"Arigatou, Sentarō." Miyako gave a small nod and forced a smile. He had no choice but to pick up the top folder and begin scanning the contents.
A moment later, he stopped. "Send… Rukia Kuchiki to Karakura Town?"
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Ukitake asked curiously.
"Ah… maybe Miyako-kun doesn't know yet," Sentarō chimed in.
"After you left, Rukia-chan defeated the former Sixth Seat and officially took that position," Ukitake explained. "And now that she can properly call upon Sode no Shirayuki's name, she's not someone to underestimate."
"Even so… she hasn't really used her Shikai much since Kaien-dono passed," Kiyone added, her expression softening.
"I see…" Miyako murmured, lowering the document. Of course it wasn't about doubting Rukia's power.
What really surprised him… was that things were finally moving. Deploying Rukia to Karakura meant one thing.
The story was beginning.
The pieces were slowly shifting into place.
After another hour or so, the four of them completed the roster. The official announcement would wait until the current field team returned from the Human World.
"Phew… that wasn't as bad as I thought," Miyako said, leaning back slightly.
"You shouldn't relax yet, Miyako-san," Kiyone said with a mischievous grin. "This is just one batch."
"Hahh… yare yare daze…"
But as Miyako placed down the final document, his expression shifted.
"Ukitake-taichō. Kiyone. Sentarō. There's something… important I need to tell you all."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
All three turned serious, sensing the weight behind Miyako's words.
"What is it, Miyako-kun?" Ukitake asked, his calm eyes watching carefully.
Miyako took a deep breath.
If he didn't speak now, he might not get another chance.
The three immediately turned serious, setting aside the papers in front of them.
"…Our Thirteenth Division has had a vacant vice-captain's post for a long time, right?" Miyako began, his tone firm. "I've heard from several places that other divisions, especially the Eleventh, have always looked down on us."
"…And although I've been promoted to Vice-Captain, I'm painfully aware of my own power. If the others see me as just another name with no substance—if they believe the Thirteenth finally got a fukutaichou only for him to be weak—then the dignity of our division will suffer even more."
Kiyone and Sentarou froze, eyes wide. Even Ukitake-taichou's calm smile faded slightly as he absorbed Miyako's words.
"…Has it really come to that?" Ukitake whispered, a wry smile on his lips. "I'd assumed it was only whispers behind closed doors… I didn't realize it had gotten this bad. Looks like I've failed as a taichou—unable even to protect my own squad's pride."
"Captain, that's not true at all!" Kiyone-chan said quickly, stepping forward. "The ones being disrespectful are clearly in the wrong. If anyone's to blame, it's us… not you!"
"That's right!" Sentarou added, clenching his fists. "We should've stepped up sooner. Don't blame yourself, Ukitake-taichou!"
"…I see," Ukitake murmured. "Still… it stings a little."
"That's why I've decided," Miyako said, his voice rising with fiery resolve. "I'm going to get stronger—strong enough that no other squad will dare to look down on the Thirteenth again!"
"Miyako-fukutaichou…" Kiyone-chan and Sentarou both looked at him with shining eyes. They were visibly moved by his determination.
"Miyako… you…" Ukitake seemed touched as well, the corners of his mouth lifting into a soft smile.
"…So…" Miyako continued.
"So?" the three said in unison, leaning closer.
"…From today on, all internal division duties will be left to Kiyone-san and Sentarou-san!" he declared, striking a dramatic pose. "With two experienced senpai like you handling things, I'm completely at ease!"
"Leave it to us, Miyako-fukutaichou!" the two shouted proudly, fists clenched and eyes blazing with determination.
"…W-Wait, Miyako, you…" Ukitake's smile twitched as a bad feeling crept in. He reached out a hand.
But it was too late.
"For the pride of Squad Thirteen… I'm heading out for intense training right now! Captain, everyone, please rest easy!" With that, Miyako shouted boldly and vanished with a burst of Shunpo, leaving only a flutter of paper in his wake.
"…Ah," Ukitake sighed, his raised hand falling back to the desk. "…So that's the kind of person he is…"
Then he glanced at the two still-pumped subordinates beside him. They had no idea they'd just been completely tricked.
"…Yare yare," Ukitake murmured, shaking his head with a gentle smile.