Chapter 5151 Meeting with an Old Friend
The next morning, after giving Gihunmaru countless instructions, I nervously set out for Urahara Shoten.
I'm not worried about the others, but mainly Jinghua. As a psychic with extraordinary experience, she'll easily spot the difference between Gihunmaru and the original. Explaining it later will be difficult. No matter how outrageous a psychic's claims are, they still sound much more plausible than a Shinigami.
"Hey, good morning, Miss Jiu Jing. You look very energetic today."
Tsk, even though I was mentally prepared, when I saw Urahara Kisuke smiling, I always felt that he was going to trick me again.
"So, are you ready to head to Soul Society?"
After passing through the world-crossing gate, what came into view was the azure sky, the brown earth, and the neatly arranged buildings in the distance. It was a scene completely different from Hueco Mundo.
"Well, what do you think of seeing a scene you haven't seen in a long time?"
Because the profiteer needed to control the gate, the guide who came with me became Miss Yoruichi, who could transform into a black cat and stay on other people's shoulders.
"I feel like... nothing's changed." I looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before me and took a deep breath. "But it also seems like a lot has changed."
It was not until I set foot on this land and saw this scenery again that I suddenly realized that my original memory had become very vague.
Has Run Lin'an changed? Is Grandma okay?
Although I really want to confirm it, this is not the most important task today.
Under the guidance of Miss Yoruichi, I came from Rukongai to the White Road Gate in the west.
Toushirou was waiting there.
"Good morning."
Damn it, why am I getting nervous now?!
"Huh? The gatekeeper isn't here?"
"As for Si Dan Fang, I asked him to wait nearby." He pointed in the other direction of Bai Dao Gate and gestured to me. "Let's go."
It's time to meet the new captain.
The entire Seireitei is very large. Unlike Rukongai, its interior is arranged in a circle with huge streets. If it were an ordinary spirit, it would take 40 days to walk around it.
Miss Yoruichi separated from me at the door and walked quickly with Toushirou on the way to the central area, but surprisingly, we didn't meet anyone.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh, no, are there any activities going on today?" Judging by the time, the regular patrols should have already begun. "I feel like there aren't enough people."
The boy glanced at me, then turned his head to scan the surrounding buildings. "Oh, I forgot you haven't been back in a while. This is normal. We lost a lot of team members in the war a few years ago."
The battle with the Quincy severely damaged the entire Soul Society, and nearly half of the regular soldiers were killed in that fierce battle.
It takes time to train a mature Shinigami. Even if the school year at Maou Spiritual Academy is shortened and an intern system is introduced, it will be impossible to reproduce the former glory of Seireitei.
"Actually, everyone has suggested reducing the area of the court. Well, as you know, there are always obstacles to such things." He smiled, looking a little lonely. "Now the buildings on the outer ring are basically vacant."
So that's how it is.
Although I had heard everyone talk about that battle several times before, it was still more shocking to see it with my own eyes than to hear about it.
Three nostalgic figures flashed through my mind. I opened my mouth and wanted to say something, but my throat seemed to have lost its function and no sound came out.
According to Toushirou, Captain Kyōraku didn't publicly announce his resurrection. Rather, aside from Toushirou and Rangiku-san, with whom I was close in life, and the captain of Division 12, who was familiar with Seireitei's information and was the first to notice Kagutsuchi's activation, no one else knew much about it.
But then again, with a Zanpakutō, a Shinigami uniform, and a captain by my side, I guess no one would mistake me for an intruder of unknown origin.
While the exterior had changed considerably, the Gotei 13's barracks remained largely the same as I remembered. Led by Toushirou, I finally reached the central corridor belonging to the 1st Division.
Captain Kyoraku set the meeting place in his captain's office.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Waiting at the door was an intellectual beauty with her hair tied up and wearing glasses.
I know her.
"Ms. Ise...?"
She is the former vice-captain of the 8th Division, Nanao Ise, and the adjutant of Captain Kyoraku.
The woman looked at me carefully, her eyes widening slightly. "You, really are—" Before she could finish her words, she smiled again, "The captain is waiting for you."
She used "you" instead of "you guys".
I turned around and looked at Dong Shilang eagerly.
"Why are you looking at me? Are you afraid to even see Kyōraku?"
"Uh, no, no." Just a little nervous.
Damn it, they're all familiar faces, why should I be so nervous?!
"Then, I, I'll go in."
I rarely came here before. As expected, I spent most of my time at the old man's house and the dojo. In my free time, I did go to the 8th and 13th squads to play.
I remember Captain Kyoraku always liked to wear a floral kimono over his haori. When I asked him why he wore it that way, he would say with a smile, "It's so boring to always wear black and white. Isn't this a nicer look?"
Now, this man who always likes to wear colorful coats is standing in front of me.
"Well, hasn't he grown up a lot?"
He was not wearing a hat, and through his patterned haori one could see the black of the Shibako's haori and the white of the captain's haori.
"My judgment was right. Homura will be a beautiful girl when she grows up."
The man's smile remained the same, but he wore a black eyepatch over his right eye.
"Kyo—" His throat suddenly felt like it was choked with stone, making it impossible to utter a single word. "Captain Kyoraku...?"
When I came to my senses, I had even forgotten to bow and was already in front of the other person.
When I was little, I always thought Captain Kyoraku was very tall. Even if I stood on tiptoe, he would still have to bend down to let me reach his bamboo hat. Now, although I am still not as tall as him, I don't have to look up to see this man anymore.
Not only was his right eye patched, but when I got closer I discovered that his right ear was missing a piece, as if something had cut through it.
"Hey hey, this is a long-awaited reunion, isn't it?"
As he said this, he touched my head with his hand.
"Why are you crying like that?"
I couldn't answer because I was trying my best to stop the tears that were about to overflow from my eyes and the sobs that were stuck in my throat.
It’s true, what everyone said is true.
Mr. San is gone, Mr. Ukitake is gone, Captain Unohana, Captain Komamura, Mr. Suzube, they are all gone.
"Welcome back, Homura."
Welcome back.
I'm back.
But, but——
I lowered my head and covered my mouth with my hands, but I still couldn't control my tears.
But where did everyone go?
Is it this lonely feeling to be separated from someone?
Captain Kyoraku didn't say anything. He just stood there quietly until my crying stopped.
"I heard from Hitsugaya-kun that you wanted to see me?"
"Yeah." After a good cry, Captain Kyoraku and I sat on the sofa. "Because there are a lot of things I want to know."
Who first discovered my resurrection? Why did they choose to ally with the Time Government? And what happened to the Kujo family and the monsters? Did the Gotei 13 know about it?
Perhaps because I had just finished crying, Captain Kyoraku spoke slowly. I finally understood the full story of what had happened.
The first person to discover that Yamamoto Homura might still be alive was actually the captain of the 12th Division, Mr. Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
"The fallen soldiers' Zanpakutō were returned to the warehouse where they were kept. However, fourteen years ago, a small fire broke out in the warehouse. Of course, the cause of the fire is unknown."
Captain Kyoraku sat across from me and slowly poured a cup of tea.
"But Captain Nirvana has discovered some clues. He believes that a certain Zanpakutō has suddenly awakened."
But at that time, Yamamoto Homura had been dead for a long time, and even Toshiro didn't know that the Kagutsuchi were piled up in the warehouse that caught fire.
However, Captain Nirvana, the second-generation director of the Technical Development Bureau, was as observant and inquisitive as the first director, Urahara Kisuke. He took notice and began to monitor the warehouse where the asabi was stored, and he also investigated the list of the fallen soldiers.
Then five years passed, and with one small-scale fire after another, Captain Nirvana finally caught the culprit who caused a series of disasters, Kagutsuchi.
"Let me think about it. Perhaps the rapidly increasing spiritual power and emotional fluctuations resonated with Kagutsuchi, leading to this situation." He paused and glanced out the window. "The captain-general assigned this matter to Ukitake and me to investigate. I don't like to deal with such troublesome matters, so I informed Hitsugaya-kun."
"You know the rest. Although it took some time, he still found you in the real world and saved you."
I was five years old that year, and at that time, the bloody battle with the Quincy had just ended, a large number of soldiers were killed, and it was the most difficult time for Seireitei.
"...Who contacted the Time Government?"
"It was me," he admitted without hesitation. "After the death of the captain-in-chief, the Seireitei was in turmoil, with the nobles rebelling and other disturbances. I felt that it was not the right time to contact you without your memories. Then there's the issue of the Jiujing family."
Monsters, and reincarnated demons.
Captain Kyoraku knew it after all.
"Although Captain Hitsugaya didn't tell you what you were thinking—"
The tea on the table gradually cooled down, and the steam that had originally risen from it became thinner.
"But I think, if it were you, you would definitely choose to protect your family, right?"
I looked up, and he was looking at me with a half-smile, just like before. Unlike Sanye and Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku often gave me a similar vibe to Captain Unohana. He was clearly gentle, yet distant, making it hard to discern his true intentions beneath his smile.
The only thing that can be concluded is that they have no malicious intentions.
"Yes, I will protect them." Picking up the lukewarm teacup, "I will do my best."
"Well, since you're not a Death God yet, I'll just turn a blind eye." Captain Kyoraku stroked his beard. "Monsters are all very clever creatures. They only act according to their own desires. Don't trust them too much."
Is this a reminder?
"I will."
"Okay, is there anything else you want to know?"
The tea stems in the teacup sank and floated, and finally fell to the bottom of the cup.
"Can you take me to meet them?"
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The author has something to say: I’m back home, even though there’s only one person left from my mother’s family (?) eh…
Even though Captain Kyoraku is a bit of a scoundrel, he's still very kind to Homura. Or rather, everyone else is kind to her.
I've discovered that, in a sense, the working environment of the Gotei 13 is quite... free. It depends on the squad, but generally, the officers have a high degree of freedom. For example, in Squad 12, although the text doesn't mention it, after Nirvana became captain, some of the team members actually came from the same maggot nest as him.
The 20th anniversary short is even more obvious. Squad 8 has been transformed into the Gal Squad, and the vice-captain of Squad 7 (formerly Captain Komamura's squad) is hearing-impaired. He can lip-read, but judging by Renji's comments, many others have already started learning sign language. It made my eyes pop.
In addition, because Captain Komamura is a werewolf, after his disappearance (actually because he lost his power and turned into a wolf), the attitude of the team towards werewolves is still very friendly, and they can recruit werewolf soldiers.
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