The two took their seats.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot to host my guest."
Isshin Shiba suddenly slapped his forehead and stood up, heading toward a wooden cabinet against the wall.
His Captain's office hadn't seen an outside visitor in decades. It was only after sitting down and seeing the empty coffee table that he remembered his duties as a host.
He opened the cabinet door and pulled out a box of snacks.
"I've only got a box of manju buns here; just help yourself."
"And tea... I need to make tea—where are the teapot and cups?"
Placing the snack box in front of Tsukasa Suō, he didn't stop moving. He turned back to the long desk piled high with documents and fished out a tea set.
"Found them! Tsukasa, wait a moment longer, I'll find where the tea leaves are!"
"Let me brew the tea. It just so happens I brought a bag of tea leaves with me."
Watching Isshin Shiba's busy, searching figure, Tsukasa Suō stood up and spoke.
Visiting for the first time, he naturally wouldn't neglect proper etiquette. He pulled an elegantly packaged, exquisite tea bag from his robes.
The gift he had prepared was now coming in handy at the perfect moment.
"Great, I'll leave it to you then. The water is over there!"
Seeing this, Isshin Shiba laughed heartily. He handed over the tea set and pointed toward the water source.
A short while later, the two were sitting across from each other, sipping clear tea and eating manju. The atmosphere was relaxed, devoid of the distance usually felt during a first meeting.
Isshin Shiba chewed and swallowed a bun, his gaze sweeping over the wooden box beside Tsukasa's seat, and said with a smile:
"You probably didn't come here today specifically to visit me. It's for the new recruit, Toshiro Hitsugaya, isn't it?"
"Yes. We are friends who haven't seen each other in a long time."
"I came today to congratulate him on graduating and becoming a Shinigami."
Tsukasa Suō patted the wooden box beside him and spoke with a smile in his voice. Because Tsukasa was frequently away on missions, their brief leaves never seemed to align. They hadn't seen each other for half a year since Tsukasa's own graduation.
"I'll wait for you in the Gotei 13." That was more than just a farewell; it was a promise between the two.
"Friends, huh? That's nice!"
Isshin Shiba sighed, his voice tinged with envy.
Having also graduated from the Shin'o Academy, he wasn't without classmates he'd been close with.
However, the separation caused by graduating early, being stationed in different squads, and the increasingly vast gap in strength and status all took their toll.
The loss of contact caused by these various factors, combined with time and distance, eventually eroded those old school ties to nothing.
Suddenly, Isshin Shiba raised an eyebrow and said happily:
"Young Hitsugaya is quite exceptional. Not only is his Spiritual Power at the Fifth Grade, but he even achieved the Shikai of his Zanpakuto while still in school."
"It just so happens I'm preparing to rank him as the Third Seat. He'll be a Third Seat, and you're a Third Seat—it's a perfect match!"
"Come visit the Tenth Squad more often in the future!"
"He achieved Shikai? It seems I really need to work harder!"
Tsukasa Suō nodded with a smile, a grin spreading across his lips.
Back at the Shin'o Academy, he had always been ahead of Toshiro in all aspects of strength. He hadn't expected to be overtaken on this particular stretch of the road.
Tsukasa Suō had never underestimated Toshiro's talent, but even so, he felt a small spark of competitiveness.
His palm lightly gripped the hilt of his sealed blade, a flicker of fervor igniting in his heart.
"Can you not perform Shikai yet? I thought you'd already—?"
Hearing this, Isshin Shiba looked at Tsukasa with slight surprise.
Although Tsukasa Suō controlled his spiritual pressure fluctuations very well, Isshin Shiba could still roughly gauge his Spiritual Power grade.
He assumed that since Tsukasa had graduated even earlier than Toshiro, their situations would be similar.
Realizing his words might have been a bit insensitive, he changed the subject and patted the Zanpakuto at his own waist, laughing:
"My Engetsu was the same way. It took a long time before he was willing to talk to me."
"Shikai training is a strange thing. It's not enough just to reach a certain level of spiritual pressure. Sometimes what's missing is just a catalyst. Take your time."
"Yes, I understand."
He had already deeply felt the truth of those words through countless attempts.
After joining his squad, he had consulted everyone, and the answer he always received was "patience."
The relationship between a Zanpakuto and its master was inherently mysterious. Some were like reflections in a mirror, while others were as different as light and shadow.
For instance, Toshiro's temperament was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he wasn't very good at socializing. Yet, in Tsukasa's memories, his Hyorinmaru was unexpectedly gentle, polite, and very well-mannered.
Stay calm!
Don't rush!
Shikai isn't that easy!
These were the suggestions Tsukasa Suō would give himself every time he tried to communicate with his blade.
Recently, he had managed to peacefully accept the reality that his Zanpakuto didn't want to talk to him yet. He maintained daily communication, waiting for the day when the efforts would finally bear fruit.
"That's good then."
"My Lieutenant went to pick him up first thing this morning. I still have work to attend to, so stay seated."
"They should be back any moment now."
Isshin Shiba nodded with satisfaction, casually placed his teacup on the table, and stood up.
"Alright."
Meanwhile, under the brilliant sunlight.
The figures of Rangiku Matsumoto and Toshiro Hitsugaya were rapidly approaching the Tenth Squad barracks.
Toshiro carried a cloth bundle on his back, his short silver hair fluttering and shimmering in the sun. His feet didn't stop using Flash Step for a moment as he urged without looking back:
"Miss Matsumoto, can you hurry up? You're a bit slow."
"Hey! Toshiro, I am your future Lieutenant after all. Please use a more respectful tone!"
Following beside Toshiro was a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair—Rangiku Matsumoto, the Lieutenant of the Tenth Squad. She wore her black Shinigami uniform casually with a white scarf tied around her neck, and she replied with dissatisfaction.
Despite her complaining, she still increased the speed of her Flash Step.
"Fine, Lieutenant Matsumoto."
Toshiro sped up to keep pace, his verbal response dismissive.
"No sincerity at all!"
Only a grumble of complaint was left trailing in the wind.
In the Captain's office.
Tsukasa Suō sat in the chair, sipping tea and tasting the manju, while Isshin Shiba buried himself in the pile of documents and didn't look up again for a long time.
Time flowed quietly between the ripples of the tea and the turning of pages.
About half an hour later.
A set of footsteps approached from a distance, followed by the shout of a squad member outside the door.
"Captain, Lieutenant Matsumoto has returned."
"The newcomer has been brought to the side room of the meeting hall. Shall the induction ceremony begin shortly?"
"The ceremony will be held in half an hour. Go notify the others."
"Yes, sir!"
Isshin Shiba's pen stopped at the sound. He looked up to reply.
He then shook out his sleeves, stretched, and stood up next to Tsukasa Suō, laughing loudly.
"He's here. Let's go."
"Okay."
The corners of Tsukasa Suō's mouth twitched slightly upward.
He picked up the wooden box beside him and followed.
A few minutes later.
The two arrived at the door of the meeting hall's side room.
The sliding door opened.
"Captain!"
"Tsukasa, long time no see."
Inside the room, Rangiku Matsumoto was sitting leisurely beside Toshiro Hitsugaya. She waved happily upon seeing her captain.
Toshiro's gaze bypassed the tall frame of Isshin Shiba and landed on Tsukasa Suō behind him. He stood up and gave a slight smile and a nod.
Tsukasa Suō returned the smile and responded in a relaxed tone: "Toshiro, long time no see."
Their eyes met.
With the smile remaining on his face, Tsukasa carried the wooden box and walked forward at an unhurried pace.
Toshiro Hitsugaya didn't stay put either; he also stepped forward with steady strides to meet him.
Stopping when they were a few feet apart, face to face, Tsukasa Suō looked over the silver-haired boy in front of him and spoke.
"You've filled out a bit."
"Is that so? Too bad my height hasn't changed much. You're still as tall as ever."
Toshiro sounded regretful, speaking with a touch of helplessness.
There was no noisy or boisterous greeting for their reunion; instead, there was a sense of unspoken familiarity between the two that had been built over the years.