Ichiryu’s denial landed, and Suì-Fēng’s first instinct was to call it a lie.
But something quieter in her gut whispered otherwise.
The look in his eyes held nothing for her—no guilt, no calculation.
It genuinely seemed to have nothing to do with him.
“It wasn’t you spreading rumors?” she frowned, unable to picture anyone else.
Ichiryu sighed inwardly.
If this were Ōmaeda, he’d have wet himself by now.
“Who knows?
Maybe it was Aizen.” Ichiryu said it lightly, a deliberate toss.
“Hah.” Suì-Fēng scoffed.
She dismissed it entirely, assuming he was just jealous of the universal praise for Aizen’s character.
“The Hollow activity has been genuinely unstable lately,” she said, her worry shifting the subject away from him.
“I feel something is about to happen…”
“I smell a conspiracy, too.
Seems the Inspection Corps needs to work harder.
And the matter of the Dangai… leaving it all to the [DIVISION TBD] is too heavy a burden.
We should be brave enough to share it…” Ichiryu looked as if he were about to seize the moment to expand his authority.
“I meant… be more low-key and cautious these days!” Suì-Fēng bit out the last word.
She had no idea how he’d twisted her meaning.
“Oh,” Ichiryu said, suddenly the picture of compliance.
“Especially… you are not allowed to take leave this year.
No matter the reason!” Suì-Fēng emphasized.
Every year around mid-August, Ichiryu would vanish for several days on some flimsy excuse.
The habit had persisted for as long as she’d known him.
Seireitei Calendar 997, September 7th.
Byakuya Kuchiki took the matter seriously.
To capture a mere ordinary soldier, he had gone to the world of the living personally, accompanied by his own vice-captain.
The capture was effortless.
Hm?
Abarai Renji was injured?
Though the Inspection Corps hadn’t gone to the living world, they detected and reported it the moment Byakuya and Renji returned.
Ichiryu positioned himself outside the 1st Division headquarters, intercepting them as they left their report to the Captain-Commander.
Rukia had already been escorted to Central 46 for interrogation.
When Renji saw Ichiryu, his expression darkened further.
Byakuya took a step forward.
“Does Vice-Captain Shihōin have urgent business with the Captain-Commander?”
“Not at all.
I’m here for the two of you.” Ichiryu’s expression was one of keen interest.
“Vice-Captain Abarai… you were injured in the world of the living?
Did you encounter a powerful enemy?”
“You bastard…” Renji’s temper flared.
Mockery aimed at him alone, he could take.
He was used to Ichiryu’s double-edged remarks.
But right now, he blamed Ichiryu for Rukia’s predicament.
“This has nothing to do with the 2nd Division,” Byakuya stated coldly.
To show he wasn’t singling Ichiryu out, he specifically emphasized “the 2nd Division.”
“Nothing to do with us?
A threat in the living world concerns all of us.” Ichiryu pressed, undeterred.
“More importantly, the Inspection Corps is now responsible for assessing each division’s mission performance.
Is it not reasonable for me to follow up on the results?”
“I have already submitted the mission report to the Captain-Commander.
You may review it with him.” With that, Byakuya walked past Ichiryu as if he weren’t there.
“Follow me, Renji.”
“Eh?
Is that really wise?
Central 46 might misunderstand their beloved captain again…” Ichiryu’s tone was openly gloating.
“By the way, Rukia is still your sister, isn’t she?
To hand her over to Central 46 for trial…”
Just as Renji was about to snap, Byakuya stopped.
“It wasn’t you who instigated Central 46, was it?”
“Of course not.
Didn’t I just say that from the beginning?” Ichiryu shrugged.
Then he asked with deliberate slowness, “What?
Are you finally doubting Captain Aizen?
I did see him visiting the Senzaikyū the other day, you know… Hey!”
Ichiryu wanted to say more, but Byakuya didn’t even turn his head, completely ignoring the bait.
Ichiryu let the sentence die.
“So it’s not Aizen he suspects.” Ichiryu muttered to himself.
“This guy… does he suspect conflict among the noble houses?
Tsk.
Nobles are nothing but trouble.”
Naturally, Ichiryu didn’t actually go to see the Captain-Commander.
Instead, wearing an expression of idle curiosity, he hummed a tuneless melody all the way back to the Shihōin clan lands.
A century ago, Ichiryu had “returned to his roots” as a survivor of the original expeditionary force and was soon recommended as vice-captain.
He had spent most of the last hundred years living at the 2nd Division barracks.
He rarely returned here.
“Well, if it isn’t the vice-captain of the 2nd Division, the Fifth Elder of the illustrious Shihōin clan, Ichiryu?” A young man, on his way out, spotted him and launched into a taunt.
“Have you come to see the Family Head or the House Governor?
The Second, Third, and Fourth Elders… they’ve all been staying at the Senzaikyū recently.
Don’t tell me Vice-Captain Ichiryu was unaware?”
The old steward beside him whispered, fraught with worry, “Young Master, please…”
“Ah, Master Zoe.” Ichiryu gave a slight bow.
“I had indeed heard the sages and judges of Central 46 have been unable to reside in the noble quarters of the Senzaikyū lately.
I merely came to confirm.
Since the Family Head and several elders have truly gone, I shall take my leave.”
He turned to go.
Shihōin Zoe’s voice carried faintly from behind him.
“Why are you stopping me?
Wasn’t that guy arrogant before, thinking my father and the others supported him?
He even tried to meddle with my marriage contract to the Kasumiōji family’s young lady over some minor favor.
He should remember his place… Fifth Elder?
Hah…”
When the former head of the family defected, the Shihōin clan was thrown into turmoil.
The legitimate heir, Shihōin Yūshirō, nearly died.
Ichiryu rescued him and killed the rebelling clan elder responsible.
But in the end, Yūshirō couldn’t consolidate authority.
Another clan elder ascended to the position of Family Head—allegedly in collusion with Ichiryu.
The current Patriarch, after consolidating the right of inheritance, amended the clan’s laws.
Not only was a formal order of succession added, but it was decreed that even a separated branch member could improve their standing through merit.
This system was recognized by the Ōin Council, legitimizing the Shihōin succession.
The “House Governor” was the primary successor to the Patriarch.
The current House Governor was the Patriarch’s eldest son, followed by the Second Elder, the Third Elder… Ichiryu now held the title of “Fifth Elder.”
The young man he’d just seen was merely the Patriarch’s second son, not in the line of succession at all.
Recently, the Shihōin Patriarch had conspired with Kumoi, head of the Kasumiōji family, to marry this second son into their line.
But really… so what if he was fifth?
If succession truly became necessary, would it ever reach the fifth in line?
Generally, even if the first four died, excuses would be found mid-process for others to cut in line.
Ordinarily, the fifth had no chance at all.
Especially in the last two years, the Shihōin upper echelon had grown faintly dissatisfied with Ichiryu.
Unless…
The Family Head, the House Governor, the Second, Third, and Fourth Elders all perished together.
But how could such a thing happen?
The current Patriarch of the Shihōin clan was a member of the prestigious Ōin Council.
The House Governor was a judge in Central 46.
The Second, Third, and Fourth Elders were all sages of Central 46, residing in the safety of the Senzaikyū noble quarters.
Who in the Seireitei was safer than them?