Inside the Squad 8 captain's office, Kyōraku Shunsui lay flat on the tatami mat with his hands resting behind his head. He had been in this exact position ever since the Hell Butterfly departed.
*'With the timeframe compressed to this extent, Ukitake's attempt is probably going to fall through. In the end, I'll still have to help Yoruichi cause a massive scene.'*
*'Maybe I should just sleep from now until tomorrow.'* Just thinking about what was about to happen made Shunsui feel exhausted. This was going to be far more outrageous than any prank he had ever pulled.
*'But, I can't quite fall asleep...'*
*'Maybe I should have a drink? Doing something wrong while half-drunk wouldn't be too out of line...'*
*'No, no, if I actually drink too much and leave Ukitake hanging all by himself, that would be terrible.'* Shunsui crossed his legs, his bare foot swaying unconsciously. It had been a long time since he last saw Old Man Yama truly angry. He wondered if he would get to see it again tomorrow.
*'But to be completely honest, I really don't want to see it at all!'*
"Lord Genryūsai."
"Enter."
Sasakibe Chōjirō slid the door open. After turning to close it behind him, he walked respectfully to the wooden desk. "The captain of Squad 10 has an emergency report. According to the suicide note left by the late Squad 5 captain, Aizen Sōsuke..."
Time ticked by, and soon, Sasakibe had relayed Hitsugaya's report word for word. "Therefore, Captain Hitsugaya requests the immediate suspension of Kuchiki Rukia's execution and the initiation of an investigation into Kōe Shihouin and his associates."
"Tell him the execution will not be halted!" Yamamoto did not even raise his head. "If there are any further requests of this nature, reject them all."
"Yes, sir!"
Sasakibe nodded in response. *'Captain Hitsugaya is still too young. He can't sit still at the slightest sign of trouble.'*
*'Whether it's the Ryoka or anyone else, as long as their target is Kuchiki Rukia or the impending execution, with Lord Genryūsai presiding over Sōkyoku Hill, their plans will ultimately amount to nothing.'*
However, he had another question he wasn't sure he should ask. Seeing that he was still lingering in the captain's office, Yamamoto spoke up, "Is there something else?"
"Yes! Should I stand guard around the walls of the Seireitei tomorrow? And..." Sasakibe kept his head bowed, forcing out the other matter as well. "Should we call Kōe back?"
"As the lieutenant of Squad 1, I have no new arrangements for you." Yamamoto raised his head for the first time. He paused for a moment before speaking in a slow, measured tone. "I never said he couldn't return. It is simply that he does not want to."
"So, should we still let him..."
"Do not do anything unnecessary!"
"Yes, Lord Genryūsai!"
A tense atmosphere seemed to envelop the entire Seireitei in an instant. The only exception was Squad 11, which seemed to remain perpetually noisy and chaotic.
"Miss Inoue, right this way, please!"
"O-Okay..." Inoue replied somewhat timidly. The other party was clearly being very polite, but for some reason, that exact politeness was making her nervous.
Although the people here usually looked fierce, none of them were bad people. Especially since a day ago, after she healed the heavily injured Zaraki Kenpachi, these squad members had suddenly become incredibly respectful toward her. They even moved her to a larger room. It was surprisingly endearing.
"Over here!"
"Hi, Yachiru!"
Inoue waved at Yachiru up ahead. That day, after seeing Ichigo, she hadn't even gotten the chance to greet him before she was knocked unconscious by Zaraki Kenpachi's Reiatsu.
When she woke up again, she happened to see Zaraki lying there covered in blood, looking as if he were about to die. After she stepped in and healed him, Yachiru told her everything that had just happened.
Although Ichigo had also been injured at the time, according to Yachiru, anyone who could defeat Ken-chan wouldn't die so easily. At the same time, Yachiru advised her not to go looking for Ichigo just yet. If she were caught by other bad guys—like the one with claws on his head who never smiled, or the old guy wearing a toilet bowl—they would definitely never let her see Ichigo again.
Even though Yachiru spent a long time gesturing wildly with bared fangs and claws, that innocent, childlike face kept Inoue giggling non-stop. She got the feeling that the people Yachiru described weren't actually bad guys.
Yachiru took over leading the way. The two of them skipped along and soon arrived at their destination. Inside a simply furnished room, two men seemed to be arguing about something.
"Defeat Captain Kuchiki in three days? I think that's completely unnecessary. One day of rest is more than enough!" Ikkaku slouched on the sofa, speaking with a look of disdain. "That guy Ichigo should have come out ages ago. He's clearly so strong, yet he still took Yoruichi hostage. I'm definitely going to have a good fight with him this time!"
Beside him, Ayasegawa Yumichika was looking in a mirror while pouring cold water on Ikkaku's enthusiasm. "Even the captain narrowly lost. Are you just running off to get yourself killed?"
"Are you saying he wouldn't even bother to kill me? I'm definitely going to show that guy just how terrifying Squad 11's fighting spirit is! Bastard!!"
Yumichika quickly held his mirror up in front of Ikkaku. If any spit landed on his hair, he would absolutely never forgive this guy!
"Well, I won't avenge you!" Yumichika turned his head. Before he could even finish his sentence, he spotted Inoue at the door. He casually shoved Ikkaku's head down into the sofa and waved enthusiastically at her. "Come sit, Inoue! We've been waiting for you!"
He could actually remember Inoue Orihime's face, so Yumichika's attitude toward her had always been quite good.
Inoue quickly waved back. Over the past two days, Yumichika had taught her a lot of grooming and styling tips, and she planned to try them out as soon as she returned to the World of the Living!
But before she could say a word, Kenpachi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. His hoarse voice instantly overpowered every other sound in the room. "You're here!"
It felt exactly like a teacher suddenly walking into a classroom and announcing that class was in session. Inoue broke into a light jog and sat up perfectly straight on the wooden stool in front of Zaraki. She even felt that if the man in front of her became a teacher, everyone would definitely study hard.
"Captain, you're scaring Inoue."
"Shut up!" Zaraki turned and roared at Yumichika. If he let him keep going, this guy's whole spiel about beauty and ugliness would definitely come out.
"Woman, I called you here because we just got the latest news. Kuchiki Rukia's execution has been moved up to noon tomorrow. I don't have the slightest interest in this kind of thing, but you guys probably care a lot, right?"
Inoue nodded. Seeing this, Zaraki grinned and continued, "I knew it. With that guy Ichigo's personality, I figure he's definitely going to charge right in. But there are bound to be a lot of annoying guys there, making stupid, unsolicited moves to 'help' me."
"Time is running out, and I want to fight Ichigo again. A one-on-one fight. Woman, can you take me to find him ahead of time? Since he didn't kill me last time, I won't kill him either. With your healing, Ichigo will still be able to go save Rukia. Sounds pretty good, right?"
Zaraki pressed on, "So, you can lead me to Ichigo, right, woman?"
"But the last person who was with Ichigo should be Mr. Ganju," Inoue replied timidly. "If we find Mr. Ganju, we might be able to figure out where Ichigo is."
"Ganju? Who's that?"
"I think he's the one who was with Ichigo at the very beginning. Wears a green bandana." Ikkaku pinched his chin in thought, a bit uncertain, before turning to ask Yumichika, "It's that guy, right?"
"I have no memory of ugly people." Yumichika flipped his hair and continued, "But the captain should have seen him."
"I have no memory of weaklings. Do you know where he is now?" Zaraki asked.
This time, Ikkaku didn't even have to think about it. "All the Ryoka are currently locked up in Squad 4. That guy is definitely there too."
"Then there's no problem." Zaraki looked at Inoue once more. "If we can break out that guy named Ganju, we'll definitely be able to find Ichigo, right?"
Inoue nodded hastily. Not only would she get to see Ichigo right away, but she could even find the rest of her friends. As long as they were all together, she believed they could definitely save Rukia!
"Excellent! First thing tomorrow morning, I'll take you to Squad 4 and have this Ganju guy lead us to Ichigo!" Zaraki said, taking the Zanpakutō resting on his shoulder and sheathing it at his waist, looking as if he couldn't wait any longer.
"I don't need more than my toes to figure out the captain isn't going to submit a polite request," Ikkaku said, wiggling his big toe. He muttered to himself, "I'm having an extra bowl of rice tonight. Tomorrow's going to be a massive brawl!"
"Let me cook for everyone! Consider it my way of saying thank you!"
"You know how to cook? Then we'll leave it to you, Inoue!"
If Yoruichi were to witness this harmonious scene, who knows what she would think. She probably never would have imagined that Inoue Orihime would actually manage to rope in such an unexpected ally for her.