Tenth Division Barracks.
"Captain, you're slacking off again."
The moment Matsumoto Rangiku stepped into the captain's office, she caught a whiff of alcohol lingering in the air. Papers were haphazardly strewn across the desk, alongside a few half-eaten snacks and a bottle of sake.
The current captain of the Tenth Division, Shiba Isshin, was snoring peacefully on the floor beneath the desk.
Rangiku let out a long-suffering sigh and walked straight over. Without hesitation, she planted a foot on his face.
"Mm?"
Isshin blinked awake, squinting up into the furious face of his strikingly beautiful lieutenant.
"Oh, Rangiku."
"Captain, did you finish the paperwork from yesterday?"
Scratching his head, Isshin sat up. "Paperwork? Uh… what was that again?"
"Captain!"
He laughed sheepishly, scrambling to his feet and mumbling apologies while insisting he'd take care of it right now.
Rangiku sighed again and started tidying up the battlefield that was his desk. As she shuffled through the mess, her eyes landed on a stack of unfamiliar documents.
"What's this…? Student council?"
Isshin shot up like a spring, snatching the papers from her hands. "Nothing."
Rangiku raised a skeptical brow. "Captain, is there something in this squad even your lieutenant isn't allowed to know?"
He waved it off with a nervous chuckle. "Just said it's nothing. Some unimportant little thing."
Crossing her arms — and quite noticeably lifting a certain ample distraction in the process — Rangiku narrowed her eyes. "Well, get to that important little thing and finish your real work, please."
Isshin didn't file the documents away. Instead, he stuffed them into his robes.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned and asked, "That student from the Academy you mentioned before — what was his name again?"
"Tachikawa Nobu. Captain, could you please take your duties a little more seriously? If we don't start pulling in talent now, other divisions will snatch them up first. You want me to die buried under all this paperwork?"
"Tachikawa Nobu…" Isshin repeated thoughtfully.
Seeing that he was finally taking an interest, Rangiku began giving him a brief rundown of Nobu's background.
"He's from the 80th District of the Rukongai — the Zaraki District. I met him during a mission and noticed his spiritual pressure was above average, so I recommended him for Shin'ō Academy."
"Zaraki, huh." Isshin clicked his tongue. He knew exactly what kind of place that was.
Rukongai was divided into 80 numbered districts radiating out from the Seireitei. The lower the number, the closer it was to the center — and the safer, cleaner, and more livable it was. District 80, the furthest out, was a wasteland of hunger and violence, where killing for survival was daily reality.
"What kind of guy is he?" Isshin asked.
Rangiku thought for a moment. "A genius. He's a fourth-year now. Top scores in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō. Especially swordsmanship — he beat his kendo instructor during his third year. But he's also slippery. I offered him a spot as 23rd Seat after graduation, and he turned me down."
"Even you couldn't sway him?" Isshin was astonished. He glanced at her assets with open doubt. Is this Tachikawa Nobu guy even straight…?
Rangiku caught the look in his eye and a vein visibly pulsed on her forehead.
"Twenty-third seat…" Isshin muttered, suddenly remembering that post had recently opened due to someone retiring for health reasons.
"Isn't that a bit low? You said he's a genius. Think about all the geniuses we've seen before — they went on to do great things. At the very least, he deserves a higher-seated position."
By "higher seat," he meant between Third and Tenth — positions with real authority and access to division operations.
Rangiku was a little surprised by how seriously Isshin was taking it. "But all our upper-seated positions are already filled. And I checked his file — he still doesn't have a Zanpakutō of his own."
Isshin waved that off. "The Academy only teaches so much. Most Shinigami unlock their Zanpakutō after joining a squad. And didn't you just say he's a slippery one? Who's to say you really know everything about him?"
Rangiku hesitated. In the end, this kind of thing was the captain's call.
"…What seat were you thinking, then?"
Isshin grinned. "Why don't you go talk to him again? The Academy's on break, right? He should have plenty of free time."
After their final exams, students who hadn't graduated were given an extended holiday. Since many of them were from the Rukongai, the Academy continued to provide housing and meals, and students could choose to stay or leave.
During this break, the school's many classrooms and training facilities were mostly idle. Students could sign up to use them, though any damage incurred would be noted and charged to their future salaries as Shinigami.
Inside the empty kendo hall, the sound of clashing wood echoed sharply.
Two figures darted and spun, exchanging rapid strikes.
"Too slow, too slow, Shūhei! You realize you're full of openings?"
"You've got the nerve to say you held back graduation for my sake? Don't flatter yourself."
Gritting his teeth, Hisagi Shūhei clutched his practice sword tighter and hurled himself at Nobu — only to find every strike predicted and parried with ease.
It wasn't just anticipation. The gap in speed between them made it impossible for Shūhei to land a clean hit.
Again, his attack missed. As Nobu slipped to his flank, Shūhei let out a tired grunt and swung in desperation.
Nobu raised his sword vertically — this time, not dodging.
Clang!
The wood rang like metal. Shūhei's hands went numb, and his practice sword flew from his grasp. His wrists throbbed from the impact.
Staring at the weapon clattering across the floor, he slumped down, panting hard.
Nobu sheathed his own blade and strolled over to toss a water bottle at him.
Only after several gulps did Shūhei catch his breath. He looked up at his friend, now twirling his sword absently, and groaned.
"I regret staying at the Academy over break."
Nobu glanced down at him, smirking. "You asked me to train with you. What, this little setback's too much?"
Shūhei didn't answer. He lay flat on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Losing to Nobu wasn't shameful. He'd never beaten him.
But that was the problem.
No matter how hard he worked, Nobu remained leagues ahead. Not only could he not catch up — he didn't even know how far ahead Nobu really was.
"Nobu… just how strong are you?"
Nobu replied, "Where's the fun in telling you? You'll have to find out for yourself. Shūhei, if one day you can force me to go all out… I'll give you the highest praise I can."
Before the moment could settle, a slow, steady clap echoed through the hall.
"Well now. That was quite a line."
Neither of them had noticed when the door slid open, but a figure now leaned against the frame, bathed in golden sunlight.
Her golden hair shimmered like silk. Her curves looked carved by a master sculptor. The open collar of her shihakushō revealed confident, healthy allure. Her beauty was striking, but never vulgar.
Rangiku-san…
Recognizing her, Shūhei sprang to his feet, hastily straightening his uniform.
"Lieutenant Matsumoto!"
When did she show up?! Did she see me lose that badly…?
A dozen thoughts rushed through Shūhei's mind before he turned toward his friend.
Of course she's here for him.
Rangiku removed her shoes at the door and stepped inside gracefully. The insignia on her sleeve marked her as the Tenth Division's lieutenant. A deep red Zanpakutō rested across her back.
"What brings you to Shin'ō Academy, Miss Rangiku?" Nobu asked with mock surprise. It had been a month since their last meeting.
His past month had been peaceful. He passed his fourth-year exams without issue — though who knew what had been going on behind the scenes.
"Just passing through," she said with a bright smile, her gaze fixed on him. Then she placed a hand on her Zanpakutō's hilt.
"I saw you two sparring earlier. Got me a little excited. How about a round with me, Nobu?"
Shūhei swallowed hard, glancing nervously between them.
She's figured it out. She's trying to measure how strong he really is.
Nobu chuckled. "Please, don't tease me, Miss Rangiku. You're a lieutenant. I'm just a student. That'd be abuse of power."
But Rangiku wasn't letting him off the hook. She drew her blade in a fluid arc, leveling it in front of her with a gleam in her eyes.
"It's just a spar, Nobu-kun. And fighting a vice-captain doesn't happen every day. You'd better make the most of it."
She lunged.
Her speed was inhuman. Shūhei didn't even register her movement — only the clash of metal that rang out a second later.
He quickly backed away, giving them space.
Rangiku's eyes sparkled as she saw Nobu block her opening strike cleanly.
"Not bad."
She leapt back three meters, adjusting her stance and watching him closely.
"Ready? I'm coming."
Nobu sighed inwardly. So it really was a test.
He lifted his practice blade. Rangiku's intent was crystal clear.
After Kaien's offer to bring him into the Tenth as Third Seat — and given Isshin was Kaien's uncle, and Rangiku his lieutenant — this was clearly her way of vetting him.
A Shinigami's worth always came down to strength. No matter how clever or charismatic you were, if you didn't have the power to back it up, you'd never go far.
Whether Nobu's mind could match his strength was up for debate.
But measuring his strength? That was easy.
The wooden blade trembled slightly in his grip. With a sharp shing, it traced a pale white arc — perfectly intercepting Rangiku's second strike.
Her eyes narrowed. So fast.
Her footfalls were light, nearly silent, as she shifted her weight. In a blink, her Zanpakutō swept low in a sharp arc — and again, Nobu caught it blade-to-blade.
Clang!
Blocking in combat was expected. But Rangiku felt something unsettling.
She was a lieutenant — a seasoned Shinigami with decades of experience. Her spiritual pressure, her speed, her physique — they all far surpassed Nobu's.
But swordsmanship?
That was where he had her beat.
Not willing to back down, Rangiku pulled back and unleashed a heavy slash.
Her strikes weren't fancy, just overwhelmingly fast and powerful.
This time, Nobu didn't block. He stepped back two paces, letting the blade pass cleanly.
But Rangiku didn't press the attack. She held her ground, eyes flickering with thought.
Nobu caught it.
She's figured it out.
Rangiku suddenly grinned. "If you've got the skills, why not show them off?"
She wasn't wrong. She had faster movement. But somehow, he was always a step ahead.
He was reading her every move.
Nobu stayed calm. "Miss Rangiku, if you ever make me go all out… I'll offer you my sincerest praise."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
Arrogant!
She moved again — faster, sharper. Her blade cut straight toward his chest.
There was no way he could see it coming, not this time. And even if he did, he couldn't react in time.
He was just a student.
And she was a vice-captain who had just now — unthinkably — tapped into some of her real strength.
Maybe it was his smug tone. Maybe it was all those times he'd brushed off her invitations.
But Rangiku still held back — just in case.
Clang!
Another piercing clash of blades.
Her sword was caught again.
And so was her breath.
The blade that blocked her gleamed faintly, reflecting her widened eyes — and the faint smile curled at the lips behind it.
A lazy, indifferent voice followed:
"I see right through you, Miss Rangiku."
---
T/N: hmm does she have goldfen hair or orange hair i dont raememebr