The winds of change were blowing across the Seireitei, infusing the Captains of the Gotei 13 with new vitality.
Among them, Yoruichi Shihōin, twenty-second head of her clan, now shouldered the heavy burden of the Second Division and the Onmitsukidō.
The Third Division finally welcomed a new Captain—Rōjūrō "Rose" Ōtoribashi.
Shinji Hirako had taken command of the Fifth, and his decision to appoint Sōsuke Aizen as his Vice-Captain dragged the mild-mannered scholar into the public eye.
In the Sixth Division, Ginrei Kuchiki remained at his post, bearing immense pressure.
He had planned to hand the reins to his son, Sōjun, but the boy had died in the line of duty, and his grandson, Byakuya, was still too young.
Ginrei had no choice but to set aside his retirement and protect the noble division.
The Ninth Division's short-tempered brawler, Kensei Muguruma, also made his debut as Captain, adding an aggressive edge to the roster.
In the Tenth Division, with the main Shiba branch lacking qualified talent, branch head Isshin Shiba took on the mantle of Captain.
The Eleventh Division was already on its ninth Kenpachi.
In a shocking twist, the eighth Kenpachi, Sōya Azashiro, had turned himself in to Central 46 without explanation, sealing himself away in Muken.
As for Love Aikawa, since Kazuma had no intention of retiring from the Seventh Division, Love took the Vice-Captain seat under Rose in the Third.
If anyone asked if he was resentful, he could always challenge Kazuma to a duel!
But since Love didn't feel like being hung from the Seventh Division's gates as a punching bag, he kept his mouth shut.
After attending the promotion ceremony, Kazuma holed up in his lakeside cottage.
With the main timeline drawing near, he stopped wandering and spent his days in quiet, peaceful devotion with Batsu'unsai.
...
In a lively izakaya in the lower districts, Shinji, Hiyori, Kensei, and their close-knit circle raised their glasses to celebrate the promotions.
"Hahahahaha! Nobody goes home sober today!" Shinji laughed, draining his cup in one gulp.
"Cheers!" the others echoed.
"Baldy, Captain Hikifune left... I'm so sad." Hiyori punctuated her grief by punching Shinji squarely on the back of the head!
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Hiyori, can you not be so violent?!" Shinji clutched his swelling skull, glaring at the tiny blonde.
"What a surprise, huh? I wonder where she went?"
"Aren't you a Captain now?! Don't you know where Captains go after they leave their posts? I miss her so much!" Ever since Kirio left, Hiyori had been miserable.
Her heart ached for the woman she viewed as a mother!
"Seriously, how would I know about top-secret stuff like that? I just got promoted! There's still a ton of things I don't understand," Shinji grumbled, trying to deflect the attention. "If you want to know, ask the older Captains who've served for centuries! Right, Kensei?"
"Stop messing around, Hiyori. Shinji's right," Kensei said, trying to placate her. "We just got promoted. We still need time to learn the inner workings of the Seireitei."
"Hmph, fine. But I still miss her a lot," Hiyori pouted, lowering her fists.
Seeing her dejected look, the cheerful atmosphere in the izakaya grew heavy.
"Hiyori, don't be so down! I'll help you ask around the barracks tomorrow. Those old-timers are bound to know something," Shinji said softly. Though they constantly bickered, he had a huge soft spot for the girl.
Hiyori snapped her head up, her eyes widening. "Oh, right! I remember now! Right before she left, Captain Hikifune told me to visit the Seventh Division more often! Maybe she already knew she was leaving, which is why she said that!"
"The Seventh Division? Hiyori, do you know their Captain?" Rose leaned over the table.
Hiyori nodded. "Mhm. He came to see Captain Hikifune to discuss Soul research a while back, so we met once. To be honest, when I first saw him, I thought he was just some unremarkable slacker. I even thought he was a drunkard like Captain Kyōraku! But after sitting with him, I found he's a pretty nice guy and easy to talk to."
"The Seventh Division Captain is named Kazuma, right?" Shinji asked, rubbing his chin. "That guy doesn't participate in any activities and never leaves his division. Today was the first time I've ever seen his face. When did he even become a Captain?"
The man had looked lazy at the ceremony, a sake gourd hanging from his waist, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Well..." Hiyori scratched her head. "I'm not too sure either, but Captain Hikifune told me Captain Kazuma is a Senior. She said he's from the same era as the Captain-Commander and told me to respect him. Oh! Right! She even called him 'Senpai'!"
"Huh?!"
The group let out a synchronized cry of shock.
"Doesn't that mean he's been a Captain for nearly a thousand years?! He doesn't look old at all!" Kensei exclaimed.
"I heard that besides Old Man Yama and him, Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division is from that era too. They say Kazuma and Unohana look so young because they've cultivated advanced, cellular-level Kaidō," Hiyori revealed, dropping another secret on the table.
The table buzzed with a burning interest in this mysterious Captain Kazuma.
"I'd like to meet this living legend," Rose smiled.
"I've seen him. He drinks all day long, he seems a bit... unreliable," Hiyori pouted.
"Maybe he has hidden skills," Shinji said thoughtfully. "You don't survive a thousand years as a Captain by being weak."
Hiyori slammed a hand on the table, rattling the cups. "Baldy! You're accompanying me to the Seventh Division to visit Captain Kazuma tomorrow!"
Looking at her demanding eyes, Shinji sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine. I'll go."
With Hiyori's problem solved, the atmosphere became lively and chaotic once again.
...
Early the next morning, Shinji stood with Hiyori at the massive gates of the Seventh Division barracks.
"Hello! I am Captain Shinji Hirako of the Fifth, and this is Vice-Captain Hiyori Sarugaki of the Twelfth. We are here to visit Captain Kazuma."
"Ah, greetings Captain Hirako, Captain Kazuma is at his lakeside residence. I'll take you there," Jin'emon Kotsubaki said, leading the officers through the grounds.
They arrived at the isolated cottage, and Jin'emon knocked on the sliding door.
"Jin'emon, do we have guests?" a cool, elegant female voice called from the tea room.
"Captain Batsu'unsai, they are here to visit Captain Kazuma."
"Please have them come in. Kazuma is still fast asleep."
"Captain Batsu'unsai?" Shinji and Hiyori exchanged a confused look.
Jin'emon lowered his voice. "Captain Katori Batsu'unsai was the founding Captain of the Eighth Division. She retired centuries ago, and she is Captain Kazuma's wife."
'The founding Captain of the Eighth Division?'
'We've stumbled upon another monster one after the other!' Shinji mused, a drop of sweat rolling down his neck.
"Please have a seat. I'll go drag Kazuma out of bed," Batsu'unsai smiled warmly as she stepped out of the room.
She entered the bedroom and shook her husband awake. "Kazuma, get up! Captain Hirako of the Fifth is here, and he brought a Vice-Captain who looks like an angry little girl."
Kazuma frowned, rubbing his eyes.
'Why are they here? I barely know Shinji.'
"Alright, I'll be right out," he grumbled.
Dressed in a loose yukata, Kazuma met the two officers in the tea room.
"Ah, so it's you Hiyori," Kazuma said, sitting down.
He wondered why she was here with Shinji, shouldn't Aizen be the Fifth's Vice-Captain right now?
"Captain Kazuma! I came to find out where Captain Hikifune went!" Hiyori demanded, skipping all formal pleasantries.
Kazuma poured himself a cup of tea, pausing. "I know where Captain Hikifune went... but I'm sorry, Hiyori. I cannot tell you."
"Why not?!" Hiyori slammed her hands on the low table, jumping to her feet.
"Don't be rude!" Shinji panicked, dragging Hiyori back down by her collar.
Looking at Hiyori's impulsive behavior, Kazuma sighed.
It made sense, she viewed Kirio as her surrogate mother.
"You do not possess sufficient clearance to know Captain Hikifune's location, Hiyori," Kazuma said, his tone softening.
"You just need to know she was promoted to a higher authority! I'm not at liberty to say anything else."
"Promoted?" Shinji and Hiyori exchanged a shocked glance.
'Could it be Central 46?'
"Will I... will I be able to see the Captain again?" Hiyori asked, her voice trembling.
"Don't worry, you will meet her again someday," Kazuma promised, patting his chest. "Hiyori, before Captain Hikifune left, she asked me to take care of you. If you're willing, you are welcome to move in and stay with us."
"So she was still thinking of me..." Hiyori whispered, wiping her eyes.
She stood up and bowed deeply. "I understand, thank you for your kind offer, Captain Kazuma. I will think about it! We'll take our leave now."
Without another word, Hiyori grabbed Shinji by the collar and dragged the new Captain out of the room.
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