The World of the Soul Reapers.
Soul Society, Seireitei.
Central Headquarters Building.
The captains of the 13 Divisions had once again gathered.
Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni sat at the head seat, eyes closed and expressionless.
It wasn't until all the captains had taken their seats that he slowly opened his eyes, sweeping the room with his clouded gaze before calmly saying, "Ukitake."
Ahem—
Ukitake Jushiro coughed twice and, with a weak voice, said, "The reason we've gathered everyone today is due to certain abnormalities in the human world."
"In the present world?"
Upon hearing this, the captains raised their eyebrows.
Kyoraku Shunsui rested his chin on his hand and lazily commented, "Is it the Quincy again?"
None of the other captains said anything, but their silence clearly conveyed the same thought.
Yeah…
If something unusual happened in the human world, it was easier just to blame the Quincy.
Such was Seireitei's long-standing prejudice against them.
However…
Ukitake shook his head. "We're not sure yet," he replied.
Then his expression grew serious. "In the past, the Quincy would only destroy Hollows. While that did disrupt the balance among the three realms, it was still manageable."
"But this time…"
He paused briefly before continuing, "Our squad members stationed in the human world reported that while a large number of Hollows have appeared, only a few remain."
"Of course, for now this issue seems to be isolated to Kuoh Town, but we can't guarantee it won't spread to other areas."
After finishing his statement in one breath, Ukitake panted lightly as he waited for the others' responses.
Maintaining the balance of the three realms had always been of utmost importance to Soul Society.
This was why Ukitake had immediately reported the matter to the Captain-Commander.
As expected, Yamamoto took the matter seriously.
All captains had been summoned for this reason.
After hearing Ukitake's report, the relaxed expressions on the captains' faces quickly turned grim.
Seeing this, Yamamoto tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "The specific cause is still unclear, but…"
"This kind of issue, which could endanger the three realms, must be eliminated at the source!"
Aizen Sosuke remained silent.
But behind his glasses, a subtle flicker passed through his eyes.
Karakura Town…
So something unusual really did happen there.
His eyes shifted slightly, glancing toward Gin Ichimaru across the table.
How could such a shift occur in Kuoh Town without anyone noticing?
Ichimaru, sharp as ever, immediately caught the message behind Aizen's gaze, and his fox-like eyes narrowed slightly.
Hmm…
Had he grown too complacent recently?
Aizen wasn't particularly concerned with how thoroughly Gin had been monitoring the situation.
But…
As the focal point of his long-term experiments, Kuoh Town was supposed to remain stable.
If possible…
It would be best if nothing unexpected occurred.
Still…
If something had happened, that could be fun in its own way, couldn't it?
Aizen showed a hint of interest and said, "In that case…"
"How about assigning this investigation to the Fifth Division?"
Yamamoto glanced at Aizen and replied, "The situation is still unclear. There's no need for the Fifth Division to enter the human world."
He rejected Aizen's proposal without hesitation, then turned to look at Kyoraku Shunsui.
Seeing this, Shunsui let out a long sigh.
Last time, the old man wanted to send him to Hell, and now here we go again.
Seriously…
Why was it so hard to slack off?
But…
He had turned down the old man's request last time. If he did it again…
Shunsui feared he wouldn't be leaving the headquarters anytime soon.
The old man would definitely find an excuse to test his swordsmanship.
Thinking this through, Kyoraku shivered slightly and quickly straightened up.
"Let the Eighth Division handle this."
"Squad Eight will get to the bottom of what's happening in Kuoh Town!"
Seeing this, Yamamoto nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. The Thirteenth Division is more familiar with the present world. Ukitake will support you."
With those words, the arrangements for the mission were finalized.
Aizen still wore his signature gentle smile.
He showed no sign of dissatisfaction with Yamamoto's rejection.
Besides…
If they couldn't investigate openly, who said they couldn't do so in secret?
Before long.
The meeting adjourned.
The Eighth Division began making preparations right away.
Ise Nanao adjusted her glasses, looking determined and motivated.
A stark contrast to the ever-lazy Kyoraku Shunsui.
"Then…"
"This mission is yours, Nanao-chan."
Nanao gave him a sidelong glance.
There wasn't another captain in all of Seireitei as openly hands-off as Kyoraku.
Knock knock!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door across the hall.
"Kuchiki Rukia, leading the Thirteenth Division members, reporting!"
Kyoraku paused for a second and then said, "Looks like Thirteenth Squad is here."
Though…
Kuchiki?
…
At the same time.
Aizen returned to the Fifth Division barracks.
After a short wait, Gin's figure quietly appeared.
Aizen didn't even turn his head. His gaze didn't move, but his lips parted.
"Let's go see what's happening in Kuoh Town."
Hearing this, Gin shrugged and vanished again.
Silence returned to Aizen's room.
His expression remained calm, though his voice carried a hint of anticipation.
"Hopefully, there's something interesting to be found…"
Otherwise…
Wouldn't everything going smoothly be too boring?
…
The Present World.
Karakura Town.
Rukia Kuchiki, Ise Nanao, and their team passed through the gate.
As it was her first time in Kuoh Town, Ise Nanao immediately frowned.
"This spiritual pressure is unusually dense."
She looked surprised and asked, "How can such a place exist in the human world?"
In contrast, Rukia, who had been to Kuoh Town multiple times, was not surprised. She surveyed the surroundings with a calm gaze.
Then she frowned.
"That's what makes it so strange."
The spiritual energy here was this dense, and yet…
She couldn't sense any Hollow spiritual pressure!
Even more—
She said seriously, "Can you detect any Plus souls?"
Nanao took a deep breath and released her spiritual pressure to scan the area.
After a full minute, she shook her head. Her face grew serious.
"I can't sense any."
With that…
Rukia and Nanao exchanged glances.
Something was definitely wrong with Kuoh Town!
Suddenly.
A Plus soul's aura appeared in their detection range.
Their eyes lit up at once.
"A newly born Plus!"
In other words…
Someone in Karakura Town had just died!
But—
They barely had time to feel hopeful before the aura vanished entirely.
"?"
Both Rukia and Nanao froze in place, then quickly recovered and rushed toward the location where the aura had just disappeared.
(To be continued.)