"Captain, everyone is here!"
Right at that moment, the clear voice of a squad member came from outside the door, offering his report.
"Good, right away."
Shiba Isshin turned to reply before looking back at the three people in the room.
"Let's go."
Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku followed. Suō Tsukasa remained standing where he was.
"Tsukasa, let's go."
Sensing something was off, Shiba Isshin turned back and called out.
"Me too?"
Suō Tsukasa asked in confusion.
He was a member of the Thirteenth Division; why would he participate in a Tenth Division induction ceremony?
However, as soon as he spoke, Shiba Isshin let out a loud laugh and, without taking no for an answer, threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Haha, don't be a stranger! Let's go!"
The hearty laughter carried an intimacy that brooked no refusal.
Thus, under the curious gazes of the Tenth Division squad members, the induction ceremony for the newly appointed officer Hitsugaya Toshiro featured a unique sight: standing beside Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku was a tall, unfamiliar officer.
This unexpected interlude actually helped naturally divert some of the attention that the squad members had focused on Toshiro's overly youthful appearance.
Experienced masters can always suppress their spiritual pressure so thoroughly that not a drop leaks out.
But at certain moments, revealing a sharp edge at the right time can save a lot of trouble.
Toshiro, who had grown up under the strange looks of others since childhood, had long since read the doubt and skepticism in the eyes of the squad members before him.
He clearly remembered Suō Tsukasa telling him that the Shin'ō Academy valued strength over appearance, and the Gotei 13 was no different.
When Shiba Isshin loudly announced his appointment, the silver-haired boy calmly took a step forward. His voice was clear and steady.
"I am Hitsugaya Toshiro. Please look after me."
The moment his voice fell, a crisp spiritual pressure quietly permeated the field like the first snowfall.
It wasn't aggressive, yet it allowed every squad member present to clearly sense a power that could not be underestimated.
"Please look after us!"
The squad members responded loudly, much of the skepticism in their eyes fading away.
While the strength of spiritual pressure doesn't entirely represent a person's actual combat capability, the suppression coming from a higher grade of spiritual power is always the most straightforward proof of strength.
The induction ceremony of the Tenth Division was not much different from the Thirteenth Division; it was also quite brief.
The only difference was the captain. The Thirteenth Division's ceremonies had to be scheduled based on the captain's physical health.
After the ceremony ended, the squad members left in an orderly fashion.
Shiba Isshin waved his hand and gave a command that seemed perfectly natural.
"Rangiku, I'll leave them to you. I'm going to get to work!"
He turned and left, heading back to tackle his mountain of paperwork.
He left behind only the gallant silhouette of a man determined to do battle with the Paperwork Beast, dumping Suō Tsukasa and Toshiro directly onto Matsumoto Rangiku.
"Let's go then, since the Captain gave the order."
Matsumoto Rangiku shrugged and turned toward the two.
"Then let your reliable Vice-Captain give you a good tour of the Tenth Division barracks."
"Suō—Third Seat, I assume you aren't busy? You'll be coming back in the future anyway, so let's walk around together."
Her voice paused subtly at his surname, her eyebrows arching slightly in a relaxed and natural manner.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Miss Rangiku."
"If you don't mind, you can just call me Tsukasa."
Suō Tsukasa met her smiling gaze and picked up the conversation smoothly.
Matsumoto Rangiku was quite satisfied with his easygoing personality. She nodded happily and asked casually.
"Great! By the way, do you drink?"
"I don't usually drink, but I'll have a few small glasses during gatherings."
"Ohhh~."
The three silhouettes moved through the corridors of the Tenth Division barracks.
Matsumoto Rangiku walked in front, enthusiastically introducing the various facilities while occasionally chatting with Suō Tsukasa.
Toshiro, who was still far removed from alcohol, remained silent throughout, following behind them quietly as if he were being excluded.
His face showed little emotion, though the slight pursing of his lips betrayed a faint sense of helplessness.
The final stop of the Tenth Division tour was also a small courtyard.
"Toshiro, this will be your quarters."
Matsumoto Rangiku stopped at the gate and waved at the two.
"My mission is complete. Bye-bye!"
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away with light steps.
Suō Tsukasa and Toshiro looked at each other.
First, Suō Tsukasa shifted his body slightly and gestured with a smile.
"After you, Third Seat Hitsugaya."
"Please, Third Seat Suō Tsukasa."
Toshiro then stepped over the threshold and looked back with a smile.
The two walked side-by-side through the clean but somewhat empty courtyard and into the main house.
Matsumoto Rangiku's personality wasn't as considerate as Shiba Miyako's. Although the room was clean, there was no extra decor besides the basic furniture, reflecting the simplicity of a temporary arrangement.
The two made tea and ate snacks brought by Tsukasa, looking as if they had returned to the days when they shared the same small yard.
Tsukasa asked about the teachers' well-being, and Toshiro was curious about his life in the Thirteenth Division.
As they talked, the sun outside the window rose and fell silently, bit by bit.
Finally, after Suō Tsukasa passed on some of his minor insights regarding leading squad members, the two had dinner together at the Tenth Division canteen.
"I'm going."
"Mm."
Toshiro saw him to the gate of the barracks, watching Suō Tsukasa's tall figure disappear into the deepening night.
The underground training ground.
Suō Tsukasa's body dropped from the heights of the tunnel entrance.
A free-fall of several hundred meters had become one of his recent pleasures.
As his figure drew closer to the ground, Suō Tsukasa tapped his feet lightly, performing a crisp flip to negate the downward momentum.
He looked around.
The surrounding environment was no longer just bare rocks encircling the hot spring. Next to the outdoor kitchen, Suō Tsukasa had used wood to build a simple hot spring hut.
It wasn't as meticulously decorated as the barracks housing, but it didn't lack the essentials.
Occasionally, he would spend the night here, soaking in the water to change his mood.
There wasn't much discipline imposed on Suō Tsukasa in the division. As long as he didn't disappear for days and showed up on time during the day, no one cared what he did in his spare time.
Following his routine of cleansing and relaxing his body in the spring, Suō Tsukasa returned to the hut wearing plain white inner robes and picked up the Asauchi lying to the side.
He sat cross-legged on a cushion in the room and began his daily cultivation.
As his breathing grew long and steady, his spiritual pressure began to soak into the Asauchi on his lap.
The underground space was as silent as the grave, accompanied only by the gurgling sound of the hot spring outside.
Hum—
It was as if time around Suō Tsukasa had frozen at this moment.
A extremely faint vibration seemed to come from the Asauchi, responding to Suō Tsukasa's long-standing call.
The "opportunity" Shiba Isshin had mentioned during the day arrived at this very moment.
The sound of the hot spring water suddenly receded, as if an invisible hand had snapped the strings of sound.
The last thing Suō Tsukasa perceived was the complete disappearance of all physical existence around him.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi