Chapter Thirty-Two: The Thirteen Court Guard Squads

Soul Society, the solemn and majestic office of the First Division Captain.

"Now, we shall proceed with the appointment ceremony for the Captain of the Eighth Division—Ichiyo Deharu."

Shigekuni Yamamoto bowed his head slightly as the heavy doors opened from within, revealing Ichiyo Deharu standing outside in his pristine captain's haori, wearing an expression of utter indifference.

"Oh? He really does look like an arrogant bastard," quipped Onidzuka Kimura, Captain of the Third Division, unable to resist mocking Deharu's demeanor.

"Huh?"

Hearing Kimura's remark, Deharu turned his gaze toward him.

"Those who call others bastards are usually weak themselves."

"What did you say?!"

Caught off guard by Deharu's retort, Kimura's face contorted with anger as he immediately began bickering with Ichiyo Deharu. "You bastard! Why don't you find out for yourself whether I'm weak or not?"

"Perfect. Let's see what a captain of a hundred years is really made of."

"Keep it down, you idiot!"

A furious shout echoed through the room.

Neither showed the slightest restraint despite the presence of the Head Captain, their shouts driven purely by unbridled rage.

"The Head Captain is still here. If you want to make fools of yourselves, take it outside, now!"

The speaker had short, golden hair and wore the white haori marking his identity. The black numeral "Twelve" emblazoned on his back left no doubt as to who he was.

Behind this man stood a female Soul Reaper of breathtaking beauty—her hair cut short except for two long, elegant locks framing her ears. Her icy expression made her seem unapproachable.

Aside from the thirteen captains and Chojirou, she was the only Soul Reaper present in the room.

"Ah, bringing your lieutenant to a captains' meeting and then saying, 'The Head Captain is here,' Captain Anba, really?" mused Jiro Amanomiya, who stood beside Kazumoto Anba, scratching his cheek with a wry smile.

"Idiot, that's hardly a proper retort," said a calm voice from across the room. It was Kazuki Amanomiya, Captain of the Seventh Division, who, true to his brotherly nature, scolded Jiro for his lackluster comeback.

"Besides, Captain Anba didn't actually say, 'The Head Captain is here,' did he?" added Nobushige Shirakawa, Captain of the Fifth Division, who looked every bit the seasoned veteran. He seemed entertained by the captains’ squabble and joined in without hesitation.

"But it was pretty clear that’s what he meant, don’t you think, Gokumaru?" asked Minamo Minazuki, the petite and unmistakably delicate Captain of the Thirteenth Division, turning to the imposing Kenpachi Gokumaru, Captain of the Eleventh Division.

"Idiot, don’t drag me into this, Minamo," Gokumaru grumbled, his deep voice scolding the tiny captain by his side. Yet the farcical scene drew laughter rather than ire.

"I really can’t figure out why someone as adorable as Minamo gets on so well with Kenpachi. She’s exactly my type…" sighed Goro Aizora, the self-proclaimed most handsome Captain of the Second Division, his short hair as blue as the sky.

"Hmm? Are you talking about Minamo or Gokumaru?" asked Nobushige Shirakawa, who seemed to have latched onto something amusing.

"Wha—what are you saying?! How could someone like Kenpachi, who’s not the least bit cute, ever be my type?!"

"Before I even get to the 'cute' part, could you at least get the gender right first?" Nobushige gave up on saving his hopeless colleague.

Throughout this exchange, Sora Yozora, Captain of the Ninth Division, stood quietly with his eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in the commotion. Yet the faint upward curve of his lips suggested he was not entirely oblivious.

"All of you… At least show a little decorum, will you? This is a captain’s appointment ceremony presided over by old man Yamamoto," said Kiyuemon Jingu, Captain of the Sixth Division, trying to quell the captains’ pointless squabbling by invoking the Head Captain’s authority.

‘But it’s your words that are the most aggravating…’ Chojirou sighed deeply in his heart.

And then, as expected—

"You fools, be silent!"

At last, the room fell quiet.

"Now that the appointment ceremony has concluded, may we return, old man Yamamoto?" someone asked.

"There is one more matter…" Yamamoto glanced at Kiyuemon Jingu and spoke.

"???"

"It concerns the position of 'Lieutenant.'"

"!"

At present, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had captains for each division, but the position of lieutenant was severely lacking. Aside from Chojirou of the First Division and the beautiful woman accompanying Kazumoto Anba of the Twelfth, the other eleven divisions had no lieutenants at all.

It hadn’t always been this way. Over a hundred years ago, as most divisions were left without captains, lieutenants took on all responsibilities—some divisions didn’t even have a lieutenant.

With time, this led the lieutenants to abandon their duties, growing exceedingly lax. Upon becoming Head Captain, Shigekuni Yamamoto immediately purged these negligent lieutenants, intent on rebuilding the Thirteen Court Guard Squads from the ground up.

This, of course, left the current captains in a rather pitiable situation.

"So, the Head Captain is finally showing mercy and letting us recruit lieutenants?" joked Goro Aizora.

Yamamoto had forbidden the selection of lieutenants for years; even Chojirou had only recently been appointed.

"Indeed, handling all the division affairs without a lieutenant is exhausting," agreed Nobushige Shirakawa.

"By the way, what exactly are these so-called 'division affairs'?" asked Ichiyo Deharu.

A strange silence fell.

"You were once the Third Seat of the First Division, weren't you? How can you not know what division affairs are?!" Chojirou finally couldn’t restrain himself and stepped forward to rebuke him.

"Don’t nag. As for division affairs, I’ve never bothered with them from the start," Deharu replied matter-of-factly.

"You…"

Even Chojirou was left speechless by Deharu’s blatant indifference.

"Sigh…"

This time, it was Kazumoto Anba who let out a long, weary sigh.

"Re-report!"

Suddenly, a flustered Soul Reaper burst into the captain’s chamber without so much as requesting permission.

"What is it?"

"The Fifth District of West Rukongai… has been attacked by unknown assailants!"

"!!!"

…

"Ugh… ugh…" A Soul Reaper struggled to rise from the ground but failed.

"Don’t worry, I’ll let you live," sneered a middle-aged man with long black hair, draped in a black cloak, as he looked down at the Soul Reaper groveling at his feet.

"Though your force of three hundred seventy-six Soul Reapers was annihilated in an instant, the fact that you alone survived is indeed your fortune."

"It is the fortune granted by the gods."

"Treasure your life—and deliver a message to Shigekuni Yamamoto for us—"

The man turned, clearly preparing to depart.

"Our war will not end until death claims us all."