Captain’s Meeting

Time flowed by.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

As autumn gave way to winter, the air had already turned cold… but now, the frigid winds were even harsher, prompting passersby to quicken their pace.

As per usual, Seiya and Gin walked briskly along the corridor, passing through the long passageway until they reached the solemn and imposing meeting hall.

"Gin, just like before—wait outside for a bit."

Gin nodded in acknowledgment and stepped back into the courtyard, where he joined the other Vice-Captains who had already arrived.

Matsumoto Rangiku was already waving at him.

Seeing Gin approach her with a look of mild disdain, Seiya chuckled before turning and stepping into the hall.

Several Captains were already present, and after scanning the room, he realized he was among the earlier arrivals.

"Captain Arima!"

The one who greeted him was none other than the Captain of the Tenth Division—someone Seiya had attempted to visit a few days prior, only to miss.

Shiba Isshin.

In his younger days, Isshin had a tall and energetic presence, his face clean-shaven, carrying the carefree vigor of youth in his every movement.

"I'm really sorry about the other day… Thanks for looking after Rangiku."

His tone was polite and full of gratitude, but Seiya didn't think much of it.

"It was nothing, don't worry about it."

If anything, Matsumoto's drinking habits were already well-known to Seiya, so it wasn't exactly surprising.

With formalities exchanged, even Isshin, who had prepared himself for this conversation, couldn't help but let out a relieved smile.

"Well, if you say so, then that's a load off my mind… But you're here early today."

On the surface, it sounded like a casual remark, but there was a reason behind it.

"Sometimes, I need to be early too, Captain Shiba. Otherwise… the old man's fists aren't exactly merciful."

Being reprimanded for tardiness was nothing unusual.

Seiya just preferred to avoid such situations.

"Hah! You're absolutely right. Last time, the old man had me beaten out of here with a stick~"

A voice interrupted, cheerful and teasing.

Kyōraku Shunsui, sporting dark circles under his eyes, approached with a grin.

As usual, he was dressed in a flashy, colorful robe.

"No, Captain Kyōraku, last time you were scolded for altering the design of your haori without permission, weren't you?"

Seiya replied with a laugh.

"I actually thought it looked pretty stylish, but making changes to the uniform… probably not the smartest move."

Rather than being embarrassed, Kyōraku seemed far more interested in Seiya's understanding of his style.

"Oh~ I had a feeling Captain Arima would appreciate the unique charm of the design."

There was even a hint of pride in his tone.

"You know, Nanao-chan personally designed the pattern! Doesn't it look cool, blending right into the uniform's fabric?"

"…And who gave you that black eye?"

"Haha, well, I might've gotten a little too excited and had one drink too many, and, uh… Nanao-chan got mad~"

Seiya wasn't sure whether to call it natural charisma or just pure shamelessness…

Kyōraku continued rambling on, proudly displaying his haori, while Isshin wore a slightly awkward expression.

"Ah… Haha… I mean, it does look kinda interesting…"

"Right?~"

It was easy to see that Isshin wasn't great at handling overly eccentric people.

Not far from them, Ukitake Jūshirō coughed twice, subtly warning his friend to rein it in.

'Ease up. Bullying the new guy isn't a good look.'

Kyōraku glanced at his longtime friend, then merely shrugged.

'Alright, alright… As you wish.'

Meanwhile, the other Captains in the room remained composed.

—Or perhaps they were simply used to this by now?

After all, compared to forty years ago, today's lineup had remained unchanged for quite some time.

Time had washed over them, dulling emotions like joy and anger into a calm, steady flow.

While Seiya reflected on this, time continued to pass.

Not long after, Aizen arrived, just moments behind him.

As his gaze met those of the other Captains, he put on his usual warm and composed smile.

Perhaps it was just Seiya's imagination, but Aizen's eyes seemed to carry a deeper meaning than usual.

Following closely behind him were Tōsen Kaname and Komamura Sajin.

A blind man and a towering figure with a helmet—just standing together, their presence was already… unique.

That said, since neither of them seemed to mind, no one else felt the need to comment on it.

Before long, both of them had taken their places.

With nearly two-thirds of the Captains present, only a few were still missing…

A loud rustling sound interrupted Seiya's thoughts.

Stiff, deliberate footsteps echoed through the room.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi entered with an emotionless expression.

His attire had grown increasingly extravagant—perhaps a side effect of becoming a Captain?

Compared to forty years ago, his makeup was now so exaggerated that even Seiya found it astounding.

—He's pushing the boundaries of fashion.

Mayuri walked straight over, but instead of standing in his usual spot, he moved directly beside Seiya.

"You're unveiling something new today, aren't you?"

His bluntness made Seiya's expression turn a bit odd.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess."

"Why didn't you consult me first?!"

Mayuri's voice was laced with reproach.

His expression twisted into something akin to outrage, and he even slammed a palm onto the table as if he'd lost his temper.

"Research and technological development within Seireitei fall under the jurisdiction of the Twelfth Division and the Research and Development Bureau."

"For you to bypass us and proceed with something like this—without informing the lead researchers—is completely inappropriate! Gross negligence!"

"And to make matters worse, it's something this interesting—no, regardless! I will be formally bringing this up to Head-Captain Yamamoto later!"

Raising his right hand, his pale index finger pointed directly at Seiya's face.

His tone was ominous.

"Learn your place, brat."

"…"

It was hard to put into words how Seiya felt at that moment.

Technically, Mayuri wasn't wrong.

But this whole situation felt a little too much like… a personal grudge?

Maybe he should think carefully before responding.

Before he could speak, the doors behind him swung open once again.

A slender woman entered swiftly.

Without even sparing a glance at the commotion in the room, the Second Division Captain, Sui-Feng, strode to her designated spot, maintaining her usual discipline.

With that—

Every Captain, except for the Head-Captain, was now present.

Chōjirō Sasakibe lowered his right hand from where he had been absentmindedly stroking his mustache and stepped outside.

Moments later—

Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed through the hall, accompanied by the rhythmic tapping of a cane against the floor.

Thud!

Just as he had forty years ago, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni entered, taking his place at the head of the room.

"The Head-Captain has arrived. Today's Captain's Meeting—"

"Begins!"

…

As this was a routine meeting, it naturally had its own agenda.

Following standard protocol, each division delivered its reports and projections.

For the most part, it was the same as usual.

After all, as spiritual beings, Shinigami essentially had eternal lifespans.

Time was not something they viewed as a scarce resource.

Everyone's sense of urgency was dulled, so most tasks were adjusted on a seasonal basis rather than weekly or monthly.

Inefficient? Certainly.

But given Seireitei's deeply ingrained traditions and the general lack of external threats, progress was always slow.

As Seiya mulled over these thoughts, the reports came to an end.

With that, the meeting moved on to today's main topic.

"Reports concluded. Moving to the next agenda item."

"As previously planned, today's discussion will be led by Captain Arima of the Fifth Division."

"The topic—"

"A new discussion on Kido techniques."

With Sasakibe's announcement, all eyes in the room turned toward Seiya.

Unfazed, he stepped forward, even taking a moment to casually greet those around him.

"As Vice-Captain Sasakibe mentioned, today's topic is a discussion on Kido."

"Since some of you are already aware of what this entails, and since the matter itself isn't too complex…"

"I'll keep things concise."

No one here was foolish—long-winded speeches would be pointless.

"As you all know, Kido follows a specific structure…"

"The process involves extracting Reiryoku…"

"Then channeling it into a fixed pattern and reinforcing it with an incantation…"

"Finally, stabilizing the technique into a functional form to achieve the desired effect."

Up until now, all Kido—regardless of whether it was classified as forbidden—had followed this fundamental framework.

This was common knowledge, and thus, no one found it particularly surprising.

The room remained silent, awaiting Seiya to present something new.

And he did not disappoint.

With a smile, he continued.

"Based on these principles—"

"I have developed a complete system of Reiryoku circulation, accompanying incantations, and specific applications for a new Kido structure."

"I would like to take this opportunity to share it with all of you."

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Powerstones?

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