The snow stopped. The sky cleared.
Morning sunlight streamed through the bedroom window as Higashi Shuuichi lazily stretched in bed, then reached for a jacket at his bedside.
With a soft whoosh, only an afterimage remained where he'd stood.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the 4th Division barracks.
"Morning, Third Seat Higashi!"
"You're back from leave, Shuuichi-sama?!"
…
As he walked down the corridor toward the captain's quarters, several 4th Division members greeted him cheerfully. One female Shinigami even tugged gently at the hem of his sleeve.
"Vice-Captain Shuuichi, thank goodness you're back! You've no idea—Vice-Captain Yamada is so impatient when teaching Kaidō. He yells at us all the time!"
Shuuichi stopped and looked at the round-faced girl, freckles dotting her cheeks. He chuckled helplessly.
"Yōko, I haven't been vice-captain for a while now. It's just that everyone's gotten used to my lessons, and Captain Unohana allows me to keep teaching Kaidō. As for Vice-Captain Yamada... well, that's probably just his personality. Don't hold it against him."
"But we just don't like Vice-Captain Yamada," Yōko pouted. "He's always scowling and cold. And your skills are way above his anyway…"
"Shhh~"
Shuuichi held a finger to his lips.
"Alright, alright—I get it. How about I talk to the captain today?"
He smiled gently.
This might actually be a good wedge to use, he thought.
Yōko's face lit up like a full moon.
"Then we'll wait for your good news, Shuuichi-sama!"
She skipped off, beaming.
Watching her go, Shuuichi couldn't help sneering inwardly at Yamada Seinosuke. Two years as vice-captain, and the man hadn't won over a single subordinate? You'd have to be uniquely bad at people for that. Guy's more of a villain than me.
And speak of the devil—before Shuuichi could take another step, the scowling face of Yamada Seinosuke appeared, clocking in for duty.
"You actually came back?" he growled.
"What kind of question is that?"
Shuuichi's brow twitched.
"You extended your leave by three days. I figured a Hollow in the World of the Living finally did you in."
Yamada didn't even try to mask the venom.
"No need to worry. If a Hollow takes you out, I'll still be alive."
Shuuichi didn't bother playing nice. If you give a guy like Seinosuke an inch, he'll take a mile.
"You sure about that?"
Seinosuke's voice dripped ice.
God, with a line like that, Shuuichi thought, if this guy were a villain, he'd already be charging in with a monologue and a sneak attack.
Unfortunately, he wasn't. And really—how'd someone with such a sharp tongue live this long?
"I'll be waiting for the day," Shuuichi replied calmly. "Right now, I'm heading to see Captain Unohana. Care to tag along?"
As expected, that set Seinosuke off like a firework.
"You're going to see the Captain?! What for?!"
There it was. Unohana was his trigger. Just mentioning her made him bristle like a hedgehog.
"Hmm? Didn't you know? While I was on leave, the Captain went all the way to the 13th Division to ask about me. Said she needed to find me urgently."
Shuuichi smiled slightly, watching Seinosuke's expression sour.
"You…!"
His jaw clenched. Even from several paces away, Shuuichi could hear his teeth grinding.
"The Captain doesn't need to report everything to the Vice-Captain. And just because she looked for you doesn't mean it's good news!"
Seinosuke tried to salvage his pride.
And in a way, he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Well then, Vice-Captain Yamada, would you mind letting me pass? I woke up early just to see what Captain Unohana needed me for."
Seinosuke glared at him for a long beat before reluctantly stepping aside, just barely enough for Shuuichi to slip past.
Shuuichi considered thanking him.
Then thought better of it. No point stirring the pot. The guy might get so worked up he actually rebelled—and that would just be a pain in the ass.
When Shuuichi arrived at Unohana's quarters, she wasn't there. He waited for nearly half an hour before she finally appeared.
"You're back?"
She entered, removing the long brown scarf from around her neck. Her voice was calm as ever.
"Yes, Captain. Yoruichi-taichō from the 2nd Division wanted me to transfer there. I declined. She might've taken that personally—so she dragged me to the 2nd Division and 'educated' me a bit. I was seriously injured, and only came back after fully recovering."
Nine parts truth, one part lie. Nearly airtight. No holes to poke.
"I see. That must've been tough, Shuuichi."
Standing near the window, Unohana tended to a flowerpot as she spoke, her tone utterly unbothered.
No hint of accusation. No probing questions.
A battle of patience, is it?
Shuuichi took a deep breath.
He knew Aizen's analysis had likely hit the mark—Unohana had no evidence. Only suspicion.
And like Hirako Shinji, she intended to keep the threat within sight.
Neither would speak it aloud—but both were watching.
"I have something else to report, Captain."
At those words, Unohana paused. Then turned to face him.
"Go ahead."
"After fighting Captain Yoruichi… I think I've passed a milestone in term of strength. My reiatsu feels like it's reached captain-class."
Yes. If he was going to "come clean," it needed a solid cover story. Even if Aizen hadn't spelled it out, Shuuichi understood instinctively.
He couldn't just say, "Actually, I've been hiding my strength this whole time."
That would practically confirm her suspicions.
He already had a target on his back. Admitting to deception would be self-sabotage.
So after tossing and turning all last night, Shuuichi had settled on this excuse.
And the truth was, during his spar with Yoruichi, he had indeed momentarily lost control—unleashing his true spiritual pressure.
So even if Unohana checked with Yoruichi, there'd be nothing concrete to contradict him.
Unohana's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Captain-class?" she repeated slowly.
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