"Well, well. Now that the cards are on the table, he's not even pretending anymore."
Opening his eyes and turning his head to look at the empty bed opposite, Kensei Kenzuru muttered a complaint to himself. Before, when he was in the dorm, Sōsuke would at least symbolically lie there for a few hours, usually sneaking out only after Kensei fell asleep. Now, he wasn't even putting on the act, treating the laboratory as his bedroom outright.
Come to think of it, how did Sōsuke know when he returned to the dorm before? Did he place some tracking-type Kidō on him or something?
Grumbling to himself, Kensei reluctantly got up to wash. Just thinking about the four tasks Old Man Yama had assigned him made his head start to ache faintly.
"Lord Kensei, this is the list of potential Captain candidates I compiled last night. Please review it."
Soi Fon nimbly flipped in through the window, knelt on one knee, and with both hands, presented a scroll to Kensei over her head. She only stood up after Kensei had taken it.
Looking at the densely packed text on the scroll—which not only recorded whether each person had achieved Bankai but also thoughtfully noted their daily habits and character—Kensei could tell Soi Fon had put considerable effort into this document.
"You've worked hard, Soi Fon." Looking at the young girl before him, whose expression showed slight fatigue but whose eyes were bright, Kensei couldn't help but reach out and stroke her hair. "Compiling this list, you must not have rested at all last night."
"It is my honor to be of assistance to Lord Kensei!"
Feeling Kensei's touch, Soi Fon straightened her back and spoke loudly.
For Soi Fon, being able to help her most respected Lady Yoruichi and Lord Kensei was her greatest glory. She wouldn't hesitate to offer her life if needed.
"This list helps me a great deal. Thank you, Soi Fon."
Kensei sat on his bed, pulled Soi Fon into his lap, and with practiced hands, began styling her hair into an Edo-period-inspired topknot, based on his memory.
"It's a pity your hair is a bit short, Soi Fon. Otherwise, I could also give you two ring-bell snake braids."
Kensei sighed with regret at not being able to fully recreate Soi Fon's hairstyle.
Soi Fon's ear tips were red enough to drip blood. This was the closest she had been to Kensei since the hot spring incident; she could even feel the warmth of his body against her back.
"If... if Lord Kensei likes it, this subordinate can grow her hair longer."
Soi Fon felt her cheeks burning as if on fire. Her entire body stiffened in Kensei's arms, and even her mouth seemed to act on its own.
"Just be yourself, Soi Fon. More than obedience, I prefer you having your own opinions." Looking at the completed topknot in his hands, Kensei nodded with satisfaction. "The current Soi Fon is as cute as a doll."
Kensei mischievously pinched Soi Fon's burning ear tip. Her body shuddered violently, and she nearly jumped out of his lap on instinct.
"But for now, you should rest properly, Soi Fon. I don't want you exhausting yourself."
Gently pressing Soi Fon down onto his bed, Kensei spoke softly.
Looking at Kensei's face so close to hers, Soi Fon felt her heartbeat growing faster and faster. Lord Kensei wants me to rest well, but my heart just won't calm down. How embarrassing...
"Little Soi Fon seems very nervous around me. I can even hear your heartbeat."
"L-Lord Kensei, p-please don't tease this subordinate..."
Soi Fon buried herself in the blanket in resignation, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"Alright, you rest well here. I need to properly review the list you've compiled."
Kensei patted Soi Fon's head, got up, and walked to the desk to start poring over the list. Hearing the gradually even breathing from behind him, a faint smile touched Kensei's lips.
Looking at the names on the list, most of which he'd never heard of, Kensei finally settled on three targets: Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Love Aikawa, and Kensei Muguruma. While their achievements in the original work weren't particularly dazzling, they were at least capable of being Captains.
I just wonder how many 'Kensei' this Kensei Muguruma is worth right now.
Deciding to first check on the current state of these three seated officers, Kensei tucked the list safely into his clothes, quietly slipped out the door, careful not to wake the sleeping Soi Fon.
As seated officers of various divisions, aside from the Third Seat who needed to assist the Vice-Captain, the others typically had lighter duties and more free time.
Kensei visited the Third, Seventh, and Ninth Divisions in turn, summoning the three individuals he had his eye on. He didn't choose to meet them in formal division offices—mainly because he wasn't a Captain himself and had no office to use. Instead, he opted for a training ground.
Kensei stood with his back to the three, arms crossed, silently gazing into the distance, feeling the breeze blowing past him. In his heart, he was sure he must look incredibly impressive in their eyes.
Seeing Kensei, who had called them out but now stood there saying nothing, the three were somewhat baffled.
Exchanging glances, it was the notoriously impatient time-management master, Kensei Muguruma, who couldn't hold back. "Hey! Why did you call us out?" he shouted.
"If I, Kensei Kenzuru, seek you out, it is naturally for a matter of great importance." Hearing the question, Kensei slowly turned around, placing his hands behind his back and tilting his chin up slightly.
"Hiss— So you're that Kensei Kenzuru who, not even a full-fledged Soul Reaper yet, single-handedly killed Captain Kishita?!" Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi exclaimed.
Kensei nodded, quite satisfied with Ōtoribashi's reaction. This feeling of showing off in front of others is really good.
However, he kindly corrected the error in Ōtoribashi's statement. "I didn't single-handedly kill Kishita. It was a one-versus-two where I double-killed both Kishita and Shirakura."
Yes, that's the expression of shock I want to see. More, give me more. It was a pity he couldn't mention killing Meizen too. Ah, what a shame...
"The reason I've called you here today... is that the Captain-Commander sent me with a message for you."
Kensei took a step forward, lowered his voice, and spoke to the three mysteriously.
The expressions of Ōtoribashi and the others turned solemn. Though they didn't know why the Captain-Commander would seek out the three of them, any task entrusted by him was definitely not simple.
"The Captain-Commander has decided... that the three of you will succeed as Captains of your respective divisions."
The three widened their eyes in shock—well, Love Aikawa wore sunglasses, so it was hard to tell. They were just lowly seated officers. Why would the Captain-Commander suddenly choose them to fill the vacant Captain positions?
"However, you three must pass the Captain proficiency test two weeks from now. Otherwise, people might think you were pre-selected, which wouldn't look good."
Though all three were excited and thrilled at the chance to become Captains, they shared one common problem that had to be addressed.
"Lord Kensei... how can we become Captains if we haven't achieved Bankai?"
Now it was Kensei's turn to be dumbfounded. Did I just do all this work for nothing? That won't do. I can't trust anyone else to become Captain.
"No problem! I'll handle this. It's just Bankai, a trivial matter!"
Seeing Kensei's brimming confidence, the three—though they sensed from his earlier words that his personality was a bit erratic—figured he wouldn't trick a few lowly seated officers just for fun.
"You three go back and intensify your training. I'll find you again once things are settled."
Leaving these words behind, Kensei hurriedly ran off toward the Twelfth Division. Time to go cling to Sister Hikifune's leg. He left Muguruma and the others standing there, exchanging bewildered looks, wondering just what method Kensei had to help them achieve Bankai within two weeks.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!