"Boom—!"
A bolt of lightning tore across the pitch-black night sky. Amid rolling thunder, heavy dark clouds slowly pressed in from the south…
Tap, tap, tap!
Footsteps suddenly echoed through a deserted street in East Rukongai, District 76—Sakahone District.
Under the dim glow of candlelight lining both sides of the street, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen—Fūma Kamano—hurried home beneath the oppressive storm clouds.
His rapid footsteps sounded especially dull and lonely in the lightning-ridden night… yet he paid it no mind and kept running forward—
He sped across the street, only to stop at the next intersection. Turning back to look at the ink-dark sky, a sudden sense of unease welled up in his heart.
Whoosh—
Before long, the mass of dark clouds loomed overhead. A chilling night wind swept through all of Rukongai, letting out sharp, eerie sounds that were especially unsettling in the silent midnight air—
As the thunderstorm was about to break, Fūma Kamano finally reached the gate of his home. For some reason, however, the anxiety in his heart grew even heavier…
Tap… tap… tap.
He slowed his steps and stopped before the entrance. At that moment, his heart was in turmoil, and some buried emotion within him felt as if it were about to burst from his chest—
After hesitating briefly, he reached out and pushed open the gate. It creaked open with a long "creeeak," and a thick stench of blood rushed out to meet him…
"What… happened here…?" Fūma Kamano forced his eyes wide open, staring into the pitch-black courtyard—but he could see nothing.
Enduring the smell of blood, he rushed inside—only to be stunned by the sight before him:
His older brother, Fūma Minato, the only family he had left, lay collapsed in a pool of blood…
"Brother! Brother!! What happened? Why... why is my brother dead?!"
The boy stood there helplessly, staring blankly at the horrific scene, his chest heaving violently…
"Boom!"
Another thunderclap split the sky. The rain finally poured down, pounding against the roof in a loud, rattling cascade—like beans scattering across a bamboo tube, clearly audible inside the house.
A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the dark southeastern corner of the room. There lay Fūma Minato, long dead, his expression peaceful as he rested in the spreading blood—
In his right hand, he tightly gripped a short blade like a dagger. Dark blood dripped steadily from its cold edge…
"Did he… kill himself? But why?"
Fūma Kamano's heart pounded wildly. He opened his mouth, and after a long moment, managed to rasp out two dry words:
"Brother?"
But the dead do not answer.
He stood blankly before his brother's corpse before collapsing to the floor with a dull thud, hollow eyes spilling two streams of hot tears…
Rumble...
Thunder continued to roll as lightning tore through the long, dark night, causing light and shadow to alternate rapidly within the room. It was then that a figure clad in a gray-white robe—a Sinner—arrived silently.
He looked at the still-weeping Fūma Kamano, slowly raised the chained long blade in his hand, and said coldly:
"I… will wait for your return in Hell."
…
"Gah!"
Fūjin Taichi cried out as he jolted upright from his sickbed. Looking around in confusion, he realized he was in the Fourth Division's infirmary. Only then did he let out a breath of relief—it was just a dream.
"You're awake, Taichi."
"What?"
Turning toward the voice, he saw Retsu Unohana kneeling at his side, hands tucked into her wide sleeves, a faint smile on her face.
"I hope you don't mind if I address you as 'Taichi,' do you?"
"Hah!" Fūjin Taichi looked as though he had just suffered ten thousand points of shock, nearly springing off the tatami. Cold sweat poured down his face as he replied:
"Captain Unohana… what are you doing?"
"Nothing…" Unohana lifted a notebook and waved it lightly before his eyes, saying in a cheerful tone:
"This book says, 'I am an extremely scheming woman not to be provoked.' I just wanted to ask—what does 'scheming' mean?"
"Uh, well, that is…"
Cold sweat streamed down Taichi's face, because he had already clearly seen the title page of the notebook:
"100 Soul Society Facts You Didn't Know."
It was his own casual hobby project from before, filled mostly with jokes he had read online in his previous life about the Seireitei and its captains and vice-captains.
"What's wrong? Is the word so difficult to explain?"
Unohana's smile seemed to grow even gentler—but Taichi distinctly felt the surrounding temperature drop by 120 degrees.
"No, no! The word 'scheming' in ancient Mayan culture of the Human World means 'formidable.' So altogether it means: Captain Unohana is a super formidable and absolutely untouchable beautiful woman!!"
"Is that so…" Retsu Unohana nodded slightly, as if she accepted Fūjin Taichi's explanation.
But when she saw him reach out his hand, she swiftly tucked the notebook into her robes and said with a light smile, "Taichi, let's keep this interesting little item with me for now. Don't you agree?"
"Uh… as long as you're happy!" Fūjin Taichi replied with an awkward laugh, though inwardly he was desperately thinking about how to leave this hellish place gracefully and politely—
"Now then, let's talk business," Unohana said, seemingly having completely forgotten what just happened as she sat properly in front of him.
"Business?"
"The Captain-Commander has ordered that once you awaken, you are to report to Headquarters immediately."
"Hah? I'm not going!"
Fūjin Taichi's brows shot up as he said indignantly, "That old geezer attacked me without even distinguishing right from wrong, and now he wants me to go back to work? On what grounds?!"
"However… after the battle at Sōkyoku Hill, the first order the Captain-Commander gave was that I must save you—no matter what."
"That makes no sense! Wasn't he the one who injured me in the first place?!"
Fūjin Taichi crossed his arms and huffed, "I've seen through it now. Nearly losing my life for a monthly salary of three thousand kan—totally not worth it!
Please inform that old man I'm applying to leave the Gotei 13! He can break my Zanpakutō if he wants—eh? Wait, where's my sword?"
"Oh? Are you certain you want to do that? In that case…"
Unohana once again took out the notebook and waved it in front of him with a gentle smile.
"I'll hand this interesting little thing over to the Captain-Commander. After all, it rather affectionately refers to him as 'that fire-playing blockhead,' doesn't it? And furthermore…"
She put away 100 Soul Society Facts You Didn't Know and drew out another item from her wide sleeve—a white mask with red markings and a skull-like design.
"This exquisite little object was also found on you," she sighed softly. "Do you think I should hand it over to Captain-Commander Yamamoto as well, Taichi?"
Fūjin Taichi instantly recognized the mask as the product of his Hollowfication. If that were handed to Yamamoto Genryūsai, the old man would probably come burn him to ashes on the spot.
"So, what is your decision?" Unohana pressed gently.
"I… I'm grateful for you saving my life, but if you expect me to go back and work under that old man, then please forgive me—"
"No, you seem to have misunderstood, Taichi."
"What?"
"Although I did immediately use my Zanpakutō's ability to swallow you for treatment… by the time we returned here, your injuries were almost completely healed."
"Uh…"
"And you've misunderstood something else as well."
Unohana smiled faintly. "It is true that the Captain-Commander ordered you to report once you awakened… but not in your former capacity."
"..."
"In that case—come in, Isane."
"Yes!"
After waiting outside for quite some time, Isane Kotetsu responded softly. She slid open the wooden door and entered, carrying a redwood tray.
Walking up to Fūjin Taichi, she gently placed the tray on the tatami before him and said in a soft voice:
"This is your newly tailored Shihakushō, Captain Fūjin…"
"!!!"