Late at night, Shigure returned to the 13th Division barracks.
Originally, Ukitake had planned to take him to see Rukia, but when they arrived, she was already asleep.
After all, her spiritual power hadn't recovered yet. She tired more easily than ordinary Soul Reapers.
Afterward, he parted ways with Ukitake and headed to his own room.
He wasn't worried about tomorrow's captain appointment evaluation.
Besides, Genryūsai and the others wouldn't make things difficult for him.
Reaching his room door, he extended his hand. The moment he pushed the door open, his expression suddenly shifted.
At that instant, a system notification sounded in his mind.
"Ding! New check-in mission released!"
Shigure's expression immediately tensed as he calmly opened the door and entered.
"No time limit. Please proceed to the Great Spirit Book Corridors in the Central Underground Assembly Hall for check-in!"
"Upon completion, you will receive system rewards!"
As the notification ended, Shigure raised an eyebrow.
This check-in location was remarkably special.
The Great Spirit Book Corridors, located beneath Central 46's underground assembly hall, was a massive database system.
It contained detailed records of all major events and secrets in Soul Society from ancient times to the present.
Regardless of Soul Reapers' intentions, everything was forcibly recorded there!
Nearly every Soul Reaper who had existed in Soul Society could find corresponding records within.
Because of this, the place was considered the most heavily secured location in Soul Society.
Under normal circumstances, ordinary people couldn't enter at all.
Previously, Aizen had used his fake death period to visit the Great Spirit Book Corridors.
His purpose was investigating Kisuke Urahara's past research to obtain techniques for directly extracting the Hōgyoku from souls.
Besides that, he'd also browsed content related to creating the "King's Key."
Even such secrets were recorded there, showing the Great Spirit Book Corridors' special nature.
Shigure pondered, a smile forming on his lips.
The system's check-in mission came at the perfect time.
After all, with Central 46 currently unestablished, the Great Spirit Book Corridors were directly managed by the 1st Division.
And Genryūsai had instructed them at the meeting's end to begin searching for Aizen's remaining contingencies.
At this time, requesting entry to the Great Spirit Book Corridors was perfectly reasonable.
"Looks like I can head there directly after tomorrow's captain appointment evaluation ends."
Shigure's eyes flickered slightly.
The next morning.
Shigure rose early as he did every day.
But today, he wore no shoulder insignia on his left arm.
Ukitake had told him this last night, since his promotion to captain was practically guaranteed.
"Morning, Vice Captain!"
"Vice Captain Segawa! Good morning!"
The 13th Division members greeted Shigure with bright smiles.
Shigure naturally smiled back. He planned to visit Jūshirō Ukitake first, then head directly to the 1st Division.
However, when he reached Ukitake's captain quarters, he was surprised to find two other people sitting inside besides Ukitake.
On the left sat someone in white clothing—Rukia Kuchiki.
Though she'd been cleared of charges, since her Soul Reaper powers hadn't recovered, she couldn't yet wear her shihakushō.
Seeing Rukia didn't surprise Shigure.
But sitting across from Rukia was unmistakably a Soul Reaper with short orange hair.
Ichigo Kurosaki.
Shigure's eyes moved slightly, then his expression returned to calm as he looked toward Jūshirō Ukitake and bowed slightly: "Captain."
Ukitake looked over, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
"Oh, you're here, Segawa. It's still early—come sit for a while."
Shigure smiled and nodded lightly, walking inside.
The moment Ichigo saw him, his face froze.
He felt this face looked familiar but couldn't immediately recall where he'd seen it.
But watching Shigure approach with that faint smile...
Suddenly his mind lit up. He remembered.
But as he remembered, his eyes widened: "You, you, you..."
Undoubtedly, this person was the Soul Reaper who'd gone to the World of the Living with Byakuya Kuchiki that day!
He was also the one who'd used spiritual pressure to directly knock Uryū Ishida unconscious!
Just as Ichigo was about to speak, Rukia quickly stood up and suddenly bowed deeply toward Shigure, calling out loudly:
"Vice Captain Segawa!"
Seeing this scene, Ichigo was stunned.
He'd never seen Rukia act so polite and respectful.
Shigure walked over, chuckling softly: "Rukia, don't be so formal. How can I sit down with you like this?"
Hearing this, Rukia raised her head: "O-okay!"
Shigure smiled and sat across from Ukitake. Only then did Rukia sit back down.
At this point, Ichigo seemed to think of something, his expression changing again as he looked at Shigure:
"Wait... you're that Segawa?"
Before Shigure could answer, Rukia immediately glared at Ichigo, speaking quickly:
"Ichigo, don't be so rude!"
"Didn't I just tell you? It was Vice Captain Segawa who saved me from the Sōkyoku!"
"He even blocked Captain Ichimaru's blade for me..."
Hearing this, Ichigo immediately pouted, muttering:
"I was just a little late... no need to keep bringing that up..."
Then he shook his head: "No, that's not what I want to talk about now."
He looked at Shigure seriously: "Segawa, you should know Mr. Urahara, right?"
Shigure's eyes moved. Seeing no reaction from Ukitake nearby, he nodded.
At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled why Ichigo suddenly brought this up.
Seeing Shigure nod, Ichigo swallowed and said gravely:
"Last night, Mr. Urahara sent me a message, asking me to pass it on to you."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds