10th Division, Captain's Office
Shinji was mulling over his "Captain Training Program" when Rangiku casually pushed open the door and peeked inside.
"Remember to knock, Rangiku," Shinji said with a sigh, pausing what he was doing.
"You heartless guy, with our relationship, do we really still need to knock?" Rangiku pouted and teased him with a wink, completely unrestrained.
"Don't say such ambiguous things," Shinji rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. "So what's going on?"
"There's someone outside asking to see you, from the 13th Division," Rangiku replied, smirking with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she enjoyed Shinji's flustered reaction.
"The 13th Division? Is it Shiba Kaien?" Shinji asked, intrigued.
"Nope. A guy named Saito Yanagawa, says he came from the Human World and has something urgent to report to you," she replied, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "It's strange, though. Why didn't he report to his own captain or vice-captain? Why come to us instead?"
"Saito Yanagawa?" Shinji leaned back slightly, recognizing the name. A Third Division member stationed in Karakura Town, someone Shinji had helped survive the Hollowfication experiment and gain Hollow powers.
What's he doing here?
Is he that eager to transfer into the 10th Division?
That wouldn't be necessary. Shinji was planning to talk to Shiba Kaien soon anyway and request the transfer for Yanagawa, after all, he was just another "small fry" in the Third Division with no official seat.
After a moment's thought, Shinji nodded. "Let him in."
Soon, Saito Yanagawa stepped in, kneeling on one knee with a respectful bow. "Lord Shinji."
"Yanagawa, what made you so anxious to see me?" Shinji asked. "You know Shinigami stationed in the Human World aren't supposed to return to Soul Society so casually."
Yanagawa's voice was solemn. "Lord Shinji, something happened among the Quincy in Karakura Town."
Shinji frowned and leaned forward. "What happened?"
"It's about the Quincy girl you know, Kurosaki Masaki. She was imprisoned after refusing a marriage arrangement," Yanagawa said, voice heavy. "Then, Ishida Ryūken, the young head of the Ishida family, fought with his kin and has since disappeared."
He added, "Before I left, Kurosaki Masaki sent a plea for help to you. Considering your relationship with her, I…"
"So you came back to Soul Society?" Shinji nodded in understanding. "You did the right thing. I'll contact Shiba Kaien To officially transferred You to the 10th Division."
"Thank you, Lord Shinji," Yanagawa said gratefully.
This was exactly what he'd hoped for, to serve at Shinji's side.
Back in the Human World, Yanagawa had witnessed Shinji's incredible strength and Hollowfication technique firsthand. Ever since, he'd dreamed of being near someone so powerful, someone who even killed Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi and became the captain of the 10th Division.
Only by following such a man could he realize his true potential.
---
Karakura Town, Present World
Back in the Shinigami stronghold, an old warehouse, Shinji stood quietly, feeling a mix of emotions. Just a month ago, he'd been a carefree "salted fish" lounging around town.
Now, he was captain of the 10th Division.
Thinking about it, Shinji narrowed his eyes, sensing Shiba Isshin's faint spiritual pressure nearby.
In a flash, Shinji vanished.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere in Karakura Town
"You listen here, Shiraki Yuki! I'm Shiba Isshin, head of the Shiba Clan and former captain of the 10th Division. You better show some respect!"
In the living room, Shiba Isshin puffed on a cigarette, acting smug and arrogant amid the haze of smoke.
"If I say the word, the Shinigami under me, especially that brat Kuchiki Shinji, will come running back here. Believe it"
But when he turned around with a smug face, he froze.
Standing there in a school uniform, Shiraki Yuki held an oversized iron baseball bat with a blank expression.
"You done talking?" she said coldly.
"I was just reminiscing!" Isshin stammered. "W-wait, is that thing made of iron?!"
Cold sweat dripped down his face. No way... surely she wasn't planning to beat him with it?
"…You finished?" Yuki sneered, dragging the bat along like a mob boss.
Isshin hesitated for a second before immediately falling to his knees and bowing. "Please have mercy! That thing could kill someone!"
Just then, a swish of air marked Shinji's arrival.
Isshin froze mid-bow, face planted to the ground.
He caught a glimpse of Shinji's unimpressed expression, it seemed to say: So this is what you're into, huh?
"Ahaha! Shinji! Didn't expect you back in the Human World!"
With lightning speed, Isshin jumped up, brushed himself off, and popped the cigarette back into his mouth, resuming his over-the-top "boss" demeanor.
"Too late, I saw everything," Shinji said flatly.
Isshin's confident mask shattered.
"Yuki, Shinji and I are going out to talk," Isshin said quickly. "I'll be back by 8. Don't lock the door, alright?"
"Got it."
Grinning awkwardly, Isshin dragged Shinji outside.
---
Staring up at the sky, Shinji spoke solemnly: "Captain Isshin, you just left without warning... and left me with your legacy."
"I was your captain back then," Isshin replied with a carefree laugh. "I just wanted to do something for you. And it looks like it worked out, didn't it?"
That was just the kind of guy Isshin was, reliable and warm, both as a captain and as family.
"Hey, I helped Shiba Kaien Achieve Bankai, so I've paid you back now," Shinji said, waving it off. "Debt settled."
Isshin froze. "Kaien Achieved Bankai? How?!"
Isshin had been trying to help Kaien reach Bankai for years and hadn't managed it, and Shinji said it took just one week?
How was that even possible?!
Shiba Kaien hadn't managed to master Bankai In Hundred years.
So how did Kuchiki Shinji accomplish in just a few days what Shiba Kaien couldn't do in over a century?
"Well, I got an item from Urahara Kisuke, that shady store owner. It can forcibly materialize a Zanpakutō. As long as you defeat it, you can quickly master Bankai," Shinji explained casually.
"He really has something like that? What a terrifying man," Shiba Isshin muttered in awe.
Perhaps, entrusting the future of the Shiba Clan and Kaien to Kuchiki Shinji had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made.
If it weren't for Kuchiki Shinji, Kaien would never have been able to learn Bankai in just a few days. And if he couldn't, he wouldn't be able to protect the Shiba family.
A vicious cycle, broken only because of Shinji.
"Anyway, let's put that aside for now. What's going on between you and that Quincy girl, Shiraki Yuki?" Shinji asked, glancing toward the room behind him.
At that, Shiba let out a puff of smoke and casually shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yuki and I are in love."
Shinji: "…"
She looks underage, doesn't she?
In Japan, a girl isn't considered an adult until the age of 20. [T/N: So it's 1876]
Shiraki Yuki is still just a middle school student, not even close to that.
"What kind of look is that?" Shiba's scalp tingled at Shinji's gaze, and he quickly added, "Legally, girls can marry at 16. Yuki's old enough."
"We're even thinking of getting married soon, you better come," Shiba added, throwing an arm over Shinji's shoulder.
"Just remember to take proper precautions. You're the one who taught me that," Shinji said, chuckling.
"Go, go, go!"
"You've got no respect!" Shiba laughed, a nostalgic glint in his eyes.
Just a month ago, Shinji had been a nobody.
Now he was a captain.
After saying farewell to Shiba Isshin, Shinji returned to the warehouse.
Now it was Kurosaki Masaki's turn.
Inside the warehouse, Shinji looked at Saito Yanagawa and spoke calmly.
"Yanagawa, I need you to do something for me."
"Please, Master Shinji. Just give the word."
"I want you to go to the Quincy compound and tell them, release Kurosaki Masaki immediately. This isn't a threat. It's not a provocation. I'm just conveying my will."
"Understood."
Saito Yanagawa turned to leave.
"Yanagawa," Shinji said, his gaze deep. "You might die."
"That would be my honor," Saito paused. "Besides… if I do, I doubt Master Shinji would just let it go, right?"
"…Yeah. If they lay a finger on you, I don't care what Soul Society says. I'll crush them all."
Hearing that, Saito Yanagawa smiled faintly and stepped through the senkaimon.
---
Karakura Town, Quincy Residence.
The Quincy clan was in chaos.
"Kurosaki Masaki is not a tool. She has the right to live her life!"
"As a Quincy, she must do her duty for the clan."
"She's human. You have no right to control her life!"
"If she refuses to marry, the pure-blood Quincy line ends with our generation. Can you accept that?!"
Hardliners and doves clashed with red faces and shouting voices.
The hardliners believed that the clan's survival came first. The doves simply wanted peace and freedom.
Then came the final straw.
Ishida Ryūken, who had always supported the arranged marriage, suddenly stood against it, siding with Kurosaki Masaki's wish for freedom.
He even fought the elders for imprisoning her.
Their relationship fractured completely.
"No matter what, Masaki must marry Ryūken. They're the last pure-blood Quincies," a hardliner declared.
"And don't forget, for hundreds of years now, our people have lost their powers and died without cause."
"We need pure bloods to survive."
At that, even the doves fell silent.
What the hardliners said was true.
Mysterious deaths had long plagued the clan, Quincies suddenly losing power, growing weak, and dying.
Now, fewer than a hundred Quincies remained.
Only pure-blood Quincies were unaffected by the curse.
"But Masaki is close to a Shinigami."
"He's just a Shinigami..."
"No. He's not just a Shinigami."
A Dove elder shook his head, eyes wide in fear. "I saw him with my own eyes. That man, Kuchiki Shinji, defeated A Vasto Lorde Arrancar and cut down a mountain with one strike."
That image, like the end of the world, was burned into his mind.
That god-like power was something no human should have.
And Kurosaki Masaki seemed close to that man.
If he knew she was imprisoned…
"Don't be ridiculous. He's probably gone back to Soul Society by now," a hardliner argued. "He might not even remember her."
Just then,
A ripple of energy split the air.
A figure appeared.
Saito Yanagawa stood in the center of the room, calm and composed.
"Looks like I made it in time."
He looked around at the stunned Quincies.
"Now then, allow me to deliver the will of Lord Kuchiki Shinji."