The captain inauguration ceremony wasn't a huge affair.
But it was enough to cause a stir throughout the Seireitei.
Especially within the 5th Division, where the commotion was unprecedented.
Because Shigure had come to the 5th Division when he first joined.
He'd even briefly served as vice captain for a day through seat challenges.
Back then, several of their top ten seated officers were quite dissatisfied with Shigure.
But now, they had no complaints at all.
First, captain and vice captain were completely different positions.
Second, many had already begun to truly acknowledge him from the heart.
Whether it was single-handedly quelling the Rukongai riots or recently fighting three traitorous captains alone, word had spread throughout the Seireitei.
The 5th Division's culture wasn't like the 11th Division's absolute might-makes-right.
But as Soul Reapers, they naturally felt reverence and admiration for the strong.
So when they received this news.
Squad members had already begun gathering spontaneously in the 5th Division courtyard, preparing to welcome their new captain.
"Wonder when Captain Segawa will arrive?"
"Yeah, we got the news a while ago..."
"Man, I'm really curious what Captain Segawa will look like in a captain's haori..."
"Wow, 9th Seat Fushimi, you're already thinking that far ahead?!"
"Well... just curious!"
A group of close squad members chatted excitedly.
But then a discordant voice suddenly interrupted.
"Hey... you... what are you people talking about?!"
The chatting group froze and quickly looked over.
"Vice Captain... Hinamori!"
It was 5th Division Vice Captain Hinamori Momo.
But she no longer had her past gentle sweetness.
Not only did she look exhausted with bloodshot eyes, her gaze was somewhat hollow.
Her Zanpakutō wasn't at her waist either.
9th Seat Fushimi Shion was about to speak, but Hinamori seemed lost in thought, muttering to herself:
"Why... why can you accept someone like that into the 5th Division so quickly..."
"Captain Aizen only... just left recently..."
Her words instantly brought pained expressions to the surrounding squad members' faces.
Even now, with such clear evidence, Hinamori still couldn't believe Aizen's betrayal.
Fushimi began: "Vice Captain, please listen to us, actually..."
She was only halfway through when someone suddenly entered from one side of the courtyard.
He wore a wide white captain's haori, walking steadily toward them.
Fushimi immediately turned, joy appearing in her eyes: "Captain Segawa!"
"It's been a while, Shion." Shigure smiled faintly.
When Shigure first joined the 5th Division, this petite girl had been his job orientation guide.
Shigure walked steadily forward, reaching the group. But he didn't look at Hinamori, instead saying loudly:
"According to Seireitei regulations, I should hold an inauguration meeting."
"So let's gather the 5th Division members first."
"First..."
"W-wait!"
Just as Shigure was halfway through, Hinamori suddenly interrupted.
Shigure looked down at her indifferently. "What is it, Vice Captain Hinamori?"
Hinamori raised her head, staring directly at him, biting her teeth:
"Why... why are you acting so presumptuous here..."
"You only got this position because Captain Aizen left!"
The nearby squad members were startled: "Captain Hinamori! Please don't say such harsh things!"
But Hinamori completely ignored them, speaking with hatred:
"Don't delude yourself... Segawa!"
"I will absolutely... absolutely never acknowledge you!!"
She bit her teeth as her words fell heavily, instantly freezing the atmosphere.
Silence surrounded them. No one dared speak.
Shigure's expression remained indifferent, but his gaze suddenly turned cold:
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
"Do I need your acknowledgment to become 5th Division captain?"
Hinamori froze, her breathing stopping.
Seeing that gaze, she suddenly remembered the fear from when Shigure had instantly defeated her that day.
Shigure kept his eyes cold:
"Right after the captain evaluation ended, I submitted a proposal to the Head Captain."
"Due to your unstable mental state, inability to distinguish right from wrong, and potential for violent outbursts..."
"I proposed directly removing you from vice captain and exiling you to Rukongai!"
"Wh... what?!"
Hinamori's face changed drastically. The surrounding squad members' eyes widened.
Shigure's expression didn't change as he continued:
"Unfortunately, Captain Unohana was too kind-hearted to let you suffer... so she vetoed that proposal."
"Instead, you'll be assigned to the Kidō Corps for one year of training before returning."
"Though there's no real difference between the two."
"From now on, you're no longer 5th Division vice captain, Hinamori Momo."
As Shigure finished speaking indifferently, all the surrounding squad members froze.
Hinamori's face went instantly pale, her body completely rigid.
Shigure raised his eyes, no longer looking at her. He turned around calmly:
"The Kidō Corps will come for you this evening."
"I'll hold the inauguration meeting then."
With that, he left directly for the captain's office.
Watching his departing figure, Hinamori knelt down in a daze.
She couldn't remember how many times she'd felt such despair.
That back was getting further and further from her.
So far she could never reach it again.
Shigure walked toward the captain's office with an indifferent expression and unmoved heart.
From the moment he decided to become 5th Division captain, he knew keeping Hinamori in the squad would be pointless.
So at the end of the morning captain evaluation, he'd raised this matter with Genryūsai and the others.
After discussion, they reached this conclusion.
As captain, a certain degree of intimidation was necessary.
Next, he needed to consider applying to visit the Great Spirit Book Gallery.
Entering the captain's office, Shigure first organized things according to his habits.
But then an unexpected figure suddenly appeared at the door.
Rukia Kuchiki.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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