"Captain, the Captain-Commander has requested your presence at the First Division," Tetsuzaemon reported, stepping into the office to relay the messenger's order.
Hearing the news, Kazuma looked up from his desk in mild surprise.
Yamamoto had not summoned him for a private meeting in quite some time, leaving him to wonder whether some critical emergency required his personal intervention or if the old man simply wanted to share a pot of tea.
He quickly dismissed the latter possibility, knowing the Captain-Commander was hardly the type for idle socialization.
Not daring to delay, Kazuma set off for the First Division barracks, mulling over the possibilities along the way without settling on any clear reason for the summons.
...
When he stepped into the grand office, he found Yamamoto waiting by his desk alongside a tall, striking blonde woman wearing a Vice-Captain's badge.
'Isn't that Isshin Shiba's Vice-Captain, Rangiku Matsumoto? What is she doing here?'
A hint of confusion crossed Kazuma's face as he failed to connect her presence to the Captain-Commander's direct summons, leaving him to wait quietly for an explanation.
Wasting no time on pleasantries, Yamamoto stated, "You're here. This is the Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division under Isshin Shiba, Rangiku Matsumoto."
"Captain Kazuma!" Rangiku immediately stepped forward and offered a deep, respectful bow.
Gesturing toward the blonde Shinigami, Yamamoto continued, "The Tenth Division has encountered a delicate problem that even Isshin failed to handle, prompting him to send Rangiku directly to me. I plan to dispatch you to assist them. Vice-Captain Rangiku will brief you on the specifics."
Stepping forward to explain the incident, Rangiku said, "A few weeks ago, while executing a routine patrol in the Rukongai, I discovered an incredibly gifted young boy. A terrifying freezing aura emanated from his body, covering his immediate surroundings in thick frost. Furthermore, this ability was not a conscious Kidō manifestation. It was the result of his own latent Spiritual Pressure leaking out."
Yamamoto nodded, taking over the explanation as he leaned heavily on his cane.
"After reviewing the Tenth Division's report, I consulted the deepest archives of the Great Spiritual Library. I can confirm that this slum child will be the wielder of Soul Society's strongest ice-type Zanpakutō."
"Strongest ice type?" Kazuma echoed, feigning genuine surprise.
'So young Toshiro Hitsugaya has already been discovered? The strongest ice-type Zanpakutō… though the kid never fully mastered it until the very end of the war, leaving his performance rather underwhelming.'
Frowning slightly to maintain his cover, Kazuma asked, "Then why hasn't this boy been brought back to the Seireitei to be properly trained at the Academy? An innate talent of that magnitude is incredibly rare."
"Isshin and Rangiku have attempted to recruit him multiple times," Yamamoto replied, his tone grave.
"But the boy flatly refuses to join the Gotei 13, citing that he needs to stay and care for his frail, elderly grandmother."
Kazuma waved a hand in refusal.
"Captain-Commander, you aren't thinking of sending me to act as a recruiter, are you? I am hardly the diplomatic type for convincing stubborn children."
Yamamoto nodded, acknowledging the concern.
"Correct, diplomacy is secondary. If this boy remains truly unwilling to enroll in the Academy, I want you to step in and forcefully seal his Hakusui. If an elemental power of that magnitude were to fall into the wrong hands or trigger Hollowfication, the collateral damage in the slums would be unimaginable."
"Understood. I'll take a trip down with Rangiku," Kazuma said, turning toward the door.
...
After they walked out of the Seireitei gates, Rangiku remained completely silent, unsure how to navigate the presence of the infamous Seventh Division Captain.
She had never interacted with the ancient monster before, and the tense formality between them quickly grew stifling.
Unable to stand the awkward atmosphere, Kazuma remembered the blonde's notorious reputation and pulled a small ceramic flask from his haori.
"Rangiku, do you drink?"
Blinking in surprise, Rangiku asked with some reservation, "Is Captain Kazuma also a connoisseur of sake?"
Kazuma uncorked the flask, releasing a rich, fermented aroma, then held it out to her.
"Care for a taste? It's the good stuff I pilfered from Shunsui."
The moment Rangiku caught a whiff of the premium alcohol, her inner drinker instantly broke through her formal restraint.
She snatched the flask from Kazuma's hand and took a massive, unladylike gulp.
Wiping her mouth as a flush rose to her cheeks, Rangiku praised, "Oh, this is truly fine sake!"
Kazuma offered a small smile, watching her down another gulp.
'She really is a woman who lives for the bottle!'
With the awkward formalities finally shed, the two chatted easily as they blurred through the forests using Shunpo, making their way toward the outer districts of the Rukongai.
"This is the place," Rangiku said, pointing toward a dilapidated wooden hut sitting at the edge of the Junrinan District.
The surrounding grass and dirt were completely covered in thick layers of white frost, emanating biting waves of cold air.
Walking up to the frozen wood, Rangiku knocked gently on the door.
A moment later, it creaked open just a crack, revealing a small white-haired boy glaring out with an impatient, highly defensive look in his teal eyes.
"You again, woman?" the boy scoffed with visible disgust, his tone dripping with disdain. "I told you last time, I'm not joining your damn Gotei 13."
Rangiku offered a helpless, apologetic smile.
She was well aware of the boy's deep-seated resistance to the military, but she was entirely unwilling to give up on him.
Stepping forward to intercept the closing door, Kazuma flashed a warm, disarming smile.
"Hey, kid, can you let us in so we can talk? This is no way to treat guests who trekked all the way out here."
The boy frowned at the strange man, a flicker of deep suspicion crossing his eyes.
After a long moment of tense silence, he finally pulled the door open and allowed Kazuma and Rangiku to step inside.
A musty, damp smell filled the small room.
The yellowed walls clearly had not weathered the passage of time well, and the space held only a single rickety bed, a battered table, and a few mismatched chairs.
Near a small pathetic stove in the corner, a frail old woman sat huddled beneath a thin blanket, shivering violently as she tried in vain to draw warmth from the dying embers against the unnatural cold filling the room.
Surveying the grim surroundings, Kazuma's gaze softened when it fell on the elderly woman.
He walked over and crouched beside her, asking with genuine concern, "Ma'am, are you alright?"
The old woman pulled her thin blanket tighter and forced a trembling smile.
"I'm fine, dear… thank you for checking on me."
Standing back up, Kazuma turned his attention to the scowling boy.
"What's your name, kid? And is this terrifying cold your doing?"
The boy seemed to notice that this strange Captain had not immediately demanded that he enlist in the gotei, but had instead checked on his grandmother first.
His aggressive posture relaxed just a fraction.
"My name is Tōshirō Hitsugaya," the boy muttered, wrapping his arms around himself as his voice dropped into a quiet, guilty whisper.
"One night, in a dream, I saw a massive ice dragon roar at me with a deafening voice, demanding that I call its name… but I didn't know how. Ever since I woke up, my body won't stop leaking this freezing air, and the house became like this."
He looked down at the shivering old woman, his eyes fill with bitter frustration.
His inability to control his own power was slowly freezing the only family he had left.