Hitching a ride on Aizen's Garganta, Soifon finally returned to her loyal Second Division.
Ever since being sneak-attacked by Rukia last time, Momo Hinamori decided to be inseparable from Rukia, absolutely not letting the other party have any chance to sneak away.
That damnable new noble, actually coming to deceive, to sneak attack, her—a little seated officer who is only a few decades old.
However, in the eyes of outsiders who didn't know the inside story, they would only sigh and say things like, "It's so wonderful between girls."
After encountering the returning Soifon, the two of them used Shunpo of equal standing to simultaneously throw themselves into Soifon's embrace.
"Wuwuwu, Teacher Soifon..."
"You're finally back..."
"We thought you also..."
"What nonsense are you saying! How could Teacher Soifon possibly..."
Wait, she had only been gone for less than a few days; had something major happened in the Seireitei again?
Before Soifon could ask, Rukia raised her head from her embrace: "Brother Byakuya said that Captain Shiba, he..."
Momo Hinamori beside her followed up, unwilling to be outdone: "Captain Shiba has already defec..."
A slightly cold index finger pressed against Momo Hinamori's lips. Soifon shook her head slowly with a serious expression, giving a soft "Shh" to tell the two of them to keep their voices down.
[Ah! This is Teacher Soifon's finger...]
Involuntarily, Momo Hinamori took a deep breath of the scent from the index finger pressing against her lips.
Damnable Momo! She actually spoke loudly on purpose just to make Teacher Soifon stop her mouth with her finger!
Seeing that the two of them were about to start making a scene again, Soifon, acting like a babysitter, skillfully lifted them up by their back collars and warned them with a somewhat serious expression.
"Do not mention the matter regarding Captain Shiba again. This is Captain-Commander Yamamoto's stance."
"Furthermore, Captain Shiba is not as you have heard. There are hidden circumstances behind this matter."
It was actually... Captain-Commander Yamamoto's will?
Momo Hinamori and Rukia glanced at each other, then covered their mouths one after another and nodded to Soifon, indicating they would not mention it again.
"Alright, I am going to the First Division. You two work hard and don't cause trouble."
Soifon patted each of their heads once, and her figure vanished from the spot.
"Is Teacher Soifon really going to the First Division...?"
"She isn't taking the opportunity to slack off, is she?"
It was only on such matters that Momo Hinamori and Rukia's tacit understanding reached a high level of consistency.
At the entrance of the First Division office.
"Captain Soifon, the Captain-Commander bids you enter."
Walking out from the door, Chōjirō Sasakibe politely announced to Soifon.
"Thank you for your trouble, Vice-Captain Sasakibe."
Soifon nodded slightly to Vice-Captain Sasakibe; basic respect still needed to be maintained for senior veterans.
Pushing open the door, Captain-Commander Yamamoto sat behind his desk holding a teacup, gazing silently at a piece of calligraphy hanging on the wall.
Soifon followed his line of sight. The handwriting was upright and neat, revealing a certain restrained sharpness; it was Sōsuke Aizen's handwriting.
It wasn't until Soifon walked up to the desk that the Captain-Commander spoke slowly: "You have come regarding the matter of Isshin Shiba, correct?"
"Yes, Captain-Commander."
Pulling out the chair in front of her and sitting down, Soifon replied.
[This girl seems to have become much bolder than before.]
The Captain-Commander's eyes closed slightly. He expressed no dissatisfaction with Soifon's behavior; instead, he personally lifted the teapot from the side table and poured her a cup of tea.
Captains who could be so relaxed in front of him were rare nowadays. It was quite good.
"Thank you."
The steam from the tea curled upward, separating the lines of sight between Soifon and the Captain-Commander.
"Isshin Shiba's disappearance," the Captain-Commander pushed the teacup in front of Soifon, "This old man will not publicly classify it as a defection."
Soifon listened quietly, her fingers guiltily stroking the warm rim of the teacup.
—She could now be considered an accomplice of Aizen.
"I understand." Soifon nodded. "The Captain-Commander shows great foresight."
"You came here specifically not just to confirm this old man's attitude." The Captain-Commander spoke slowly. "Speak. What is the matter?"
Soifon lifted the teacup and took a sip, the mist obscuring her face. "I came this time regarding the vacancy for the Captain of the Tenth Division."
The Captain-Commander's voice was low and steady: "That is indeed a problem..."
"A few days ago, I went to the Tenth Division to visit Tōshirō. He once told me that he only needs a few more years to learn Bankai."
A few years, for a long-lived species like Shinigami, was nothing more than the snap of a finger.
The Captain-Commander did not speak, simply looking quietly at Soifon, waiting for what followed.
"With Tōshirō's talent, if he could have more suitable guidance..." Soifon paused. "Perhaps this time... could be drastically shortened."
Her words were already very clear.
"Captain Soifon means..." The Captain-Commander spoke slowly. "To have this old man teach him personally."
"Yes."
Soifon sat up straighter.
The Captain-Commander fell silent for a moment.
He picked up his teacup again. The tea inside was still steaming hot, but he didn't even look at it, bringing the rim directly to his lips and draining the scalding tea in a few large gulps.
Afterward, he exhaled a cloud of white mist.
"Tomorrow." The Captain-Commander made his decision in a deep voice. "Trouble Captain Soifon to notify him to come over."
"As for today..."
The Captain-Commander slowly stood up and walked toward the row of tall filing cabinets against the wall. "This old man needs to first review his transcripts from the Shin'ō Academy, as well as the various reports from his time working in the Tenth Division."
He pulled open one of the drawers, inside of which stacks of file folders were neatly arranged.
Early the next morning, Soifon went directly to the Tenth Division barracks.
When she pushed open the office door, Tōshirō Hitsugaya was buried in a pile of documents, his silver hair almost blending in with the table full of white paper.
Rangiku Matsumoto, on the other hand, was sitting by the window with her legs crossed, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands and leisurely looking outside.
"Tōshirō."
Soifon's voice caused both of them to turn their heads simultaneously.
"Clean up and come with me." Soifon spoke words that could easily be misunderstood in a deadpan manner. "The Captain-Commander wants to see you."
The office was quiet for two seconds.
"Captain Soifon, Tōshirō hasn't caused trouble, has he? Why does the Captain-Commander suddenly want to see him?"
Rangiku Matsumoto was shocked.
"..." Soifon realized she seemed to have misspoken. "Ah, actually, the Captain-Commander wants to take Tōshirō as a disciple, so he wants to meet him."
"Ehh—?!" x2
The two were shocked.
Tōshirō's eyes widened slightly. "Disciple? Why... was it you who recommended it, Teacher Soifon?"
"It doesn't have much to do with that." Soifon shook her head. "Captain Shiba cannot return to the squad for the time being, and the Tenth Division cannot leave the Captain's seat empty forever."
In short, it was to have Tōshirō, who currently had the most potential to be promoted to Captain, receive instruction.
"How nice..." Rangiku Matsumoto rested her chin on her hand. "If only I were that much of a genius too..."
Smack—
Soifon folded the newspaper in her hand into a baton and tapped Rangiku's head. "You slack off every day and don't practice; even if you were a genius, it would be useless."
"Exactly, exactly." Tōshirō's voice was chilly. "You dump all the documents on me to handle every day while you slack off and be lazy."
"Wait until I really become Captain..."
Tōshirō did not finish his sentence, but the smile on Rangiku Matsumoto's face had already frozen.
Helpless, Rangiku buried her face in the pile of documents on the table. "The problem is, no matter how I practice, it's no use..."
"..."
This was true; even Tōshirō couldn't deny it.
Even if one slacked off every day, their Reiatsu would still grow over time, but Rangiku Matsumoto had completely stagnated.
Squish.
Soifon pinched Rangiku's face with both hands, lifting her up from the table.
"Rangiku, believe me." She leaned close to Rangiku's face, revealing a reassuring smile. "Before long, you will also be able to train normally."
"Soifon..."
Rangiku looked into Soifon's eyes, somewhat dazed, even forgetting to add the suffix [Captain].
Clearly, it was just a common comforting phrase, so why did she seem to actually believe it a little?
____
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