Inside the Kido Corps, Yanagawa finished his work for the day and leaned back comfortably in his reclining chair.
He reached for the sake bottle nearby, poured a cup of the Soul Society’s signature sake, raised it to his lips, and began to sip it unhurriedly.
The mellow fragrance dissolved on the tip of his tongue, and he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
As expected, this is what life should be like.
The duties of the Kido Corps were naturally geared towards logistics and support, specializing in various non-combat Kido operations.
For example, opening the Senkaimon connecting the various worlds, maintaining the defensive barriers inside and outside the Seireitei, or placing seals on specific items or areas.
Although the work content was intricate, the pace was far less tense and hurried than that of the combat divisions.
Ever since the Great Kidō Chief Tsukabishi Tessai and Vice Kidō Chief Hachigen Ushōda left one after another many years ago, the Kidō Corps had not produced any notable figures.
To this day, those two highest positions remain vacant.
Because of this, the Kidō Corps gradually became recognized as a “leisurely” place within the Seireitei.
Any student who showed even a glimmer of talent upon graduating from the Shin’ō Academy aimed to join the Gotei 13; almost no one was willing to let their talent be “buried” here.
However, ten years ago, when Yanagawa graduated from the Shin’ō Academy with grades so exceptional they turned heads, he did something entirely unexpected: he turned his steps and walked straight through the gates of the Kidō Corps.
No one knew the reason behind this choice.
They did not know that Yanagawa was not a soul native to this world.
In his previous life, he was a genius Mage in an era where magic was fading.
While in the critical moment of researching a super-magic spell, an accident occurred, and space suddenly tore apart.
By the time he regained his senses, his spiritual body was already drifting in this strange place called the “Soul Society.”
At first, he did not know what kind of world this was.
But as a Mage extremely sensitive to energy, he immediately sensed the difference; the air here was permeated with an energy far denser than that of his previous era.
Later, he learned that in this world, it is called “Reishi.”
Living beings in the Soul Society can incorporate Reishi from the air into their bodies through breathing, converting it into “Reiryoku” to drive their power, thus embarking on a path of continuous growth.
For Yanagawa, this was equivalent to a blessed land.
Relying on his exceptional comprehension and the profound knowledge accumulated in his previous life, he adapted quickly and entered the Shin’ō Academy with astonishing talent.
As for why he chose the Kidō Corps after graduation instead of the illustrious Gotei 13, the reason was simple: this place was relatively quiet.
Since he had been granted a second life, he should follow his own heart.
Moreover, he had plenty of spare time to immerse himself in researching the unique “Kidō” system of this world.
It was a wondrous technique that utilized Reiryoku in a regulated manner through incantations and gestures, bearing similarities to the magic he had mastered.
Yanagawa vaguely felt that the supreme realms he could not reach in his previous life due to his environment might be attainable here, by following this brand-new path.
As the sake went down his throat, a gentle warmth spread through his limbs and bones.
Yanagawa gazed at the quiet light on the dome of the Kidō Corps, a faint smile that others would find hard to understand appearing on his lips.
Just then, a figure as straight as a spear stood silently under the veranda of the courtyard, blocking some of the sunlight that was slanting into the room.
Yanagawa’s eyelashes paused imperceptibly behind the cup; he slowly set the sake cup down and looked up.
The person who arrived was dressed in a black Shihakushō, with a white haori embroidered with the “First Division” insignia draped over it, and two meticulously groomed mustaches on his lips.
Standing there, he exuded a sense of rigor and restraint accumulated over many years, which was completely at odds with the relaxed and laid-back atmosphere of the Kidō Corps.
It was none other than the aide to the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, First Division Lieutenant—Chōjirō Sasakibe.
“Kidō Corps member Yanagawa.”
Chōjirō Sasakibe’s voice was steady and clear, devoid of emotion, yet naturally carried the solemnity of official business.
“Pardon the intrusion.
The Captain-Commander has ordered that you proceed immediately to the First Division barracks for an audience.”
In the Soul Society, being invited for an “audience” by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto rather than being “summoned” was in itself a highly unusual signal.
Moreover, the one delivering this signal was his closest lieutenant.
Yanagawa sat up straight, but his posture remained relaxed; he did not show the nervousness of someone flattered by unexpected attention.
He glanced at the cup of sake on the low table, which he had only taken one sip from.
“An audience with the Captain-Commander?”
His tone was gentle, carrying just the right amount of surprise.
“May I ask what this is about?
Would Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe be at liberty to disclose a little?”
Chōjirō Sasakibe’s gaze fell calmly on Yanagawa’s face, as if he were evaluating him, or perhaps merely delivering the message.
He shook his head slightly, his mustache moving with the motion.
“The Captain-Commander did not specify.
The order is simply to ask you to come.”
He stepped aside half a step, his movements as precise as if measured by a ruler—a silent but unquestionable “please.”
The meaning was clear: the order had been conveyed, there was no need to ask for the reason, and he needed to depart immediately.
Yanagawa brushed some non-existent dust from his sleeves and stood up from the reclining chair.
“In that case,” he said, stepping towards Chōjirō Sasakibe with a calm gait, no different from when he would head out to handle a routine maintenance of the Senkaimon, “please lead the way, Lieutenant.”
Chōjirō Sasakibe said nothing more and turned to lead the way.
The two figures, one after the other, walked through the long, quiet corridors of the Kidō Corps.
Following behind Chōjirō Sasakibe, Yanagawa’s pace remained unhurried, creating a subtle parallel with the Lieutenant’s precise, measured stride.
The buildings of the Seireitei slowly receded past him, but his thoughts did not linger on the scenery along the way.
An audience with Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto…
it was indeed intriguing.
Yanagawa sorted through his limited interactions with this Captain-Commander in his mind.
When he was at the Shin’ō Academy, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, as both Captain-Commander and Headmaster, would occasionally appear at important ceremonies or examinations.
At that time, Yanagawa was just one of many students in the audience, not deliberately standing out.
At most, because of his excellent grades, he had had a brief exchange of glances with the dignified old man on the high platform when receiving his graduation certificate.
Other than that, there was no further contact.
Since choosing to join the Kidō Corps ten years ago, he had almost voluntarily placed himself on the periphery of the Gotei 13’s mainstream view.
The Kidō Corps had its own system and worked independently.
Although they collaborated with the various combat divisions, it was mostly of a technical support nature, and they rarely needed to face someone at the pinnacle of power like the Captain-Commander.
All these years, he had been like a drop of water merging into the relatively calm lake of the Kidō Corps, without causing a ripple.
“Why would a Kidō Corps member who has long been away from the combat sequence and focused on auxiliary Kidō operations suddenly enter the Captain-Commander’s field of vision?”
The possibilities raced through Yanagawa’s mind.
It wasn’t because of routine official business; that had its own layers of procedures and wouldn’t require Chōjirō Sasakibe to come personally.
It was also not for ordinary commendations or inquiries; the atmosphere was not right.
Could it be that the choice he made upon graduation was being re-evaluated ten years later?
Or had some of his unknown attempts in Kidō research over the years attracted some attention?
The Soul Society seemed orderly, but for truly top-tier existences, the flow of Reishi and slight anomalies in the Kidō network might not be untraceable.
He recalled the Reishi fluctuations he had caused when occasionally trying to reconstruct Kidō incantations with the magic theories of his previous life in the barrier testing grounds deep within the Kidō Corps.
“Could it be…”
No, it was too early to guess.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was an existence who had lived for over a thousand years and ruled the Gotei 13 with absolute strength and will; his thoughts were definitely not something an ordinary Shinigami could fathom.
Yanagawa took a light breath, and the dense and active Reishi of the Soul Society surged into his body with the breath.
Since he was here, he would take it as it came.
The dignified and solemn gatehouse of the First Division barracks was already not far ahead.