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The carved wooden door creaked open and Su Li immediately noticed the red-haired man seated stiffly inside. "Renji." He smiled faintly as he stepped in. At the sound of his voice, Renji shot upright with a start, back ramrod straight and face flushed. "Ca—Captain Su Li!" he stammered, his words tumbling out awkwardly.
"Sit," Su Li said easily as he lowered himself into his chair. Renji obeyed, but cautiously, as if the wrong move might offend. Su Li's eyes fell on the bandages peeking from his uniform. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Renji scratched his head, voice a little stiff. "That ryoka girl… her powers were really something." Su Li chuckled softly; he had already heard those exact words once earlier that day. Brushing aside further small talk, he leaned forward. "So, what brings you here?"
Renji sprang up again, determination burning in his gaze. He pulled an envelope from his robes and presented it with both hands, bowing deeply. Su Li broke the seal, unfolded the contents, and blinked. "A transfer request?" His frown deepened. "You're applying to leave the Sixth?"
Renji's voice rang clear and firm. "Captain Su Li, I request to join the Second Division!"
For a heartbeat Su Li could only stare, dumbfounded. "What?" he said flatly. Ōmaeda's eyes nearly bulged from his head. "Nani?!" Su Li turned back to Renji, incredulous. "You're serious?"
Renji's reply came without hesitation. "Yes, Captain Su Li! Please accept me into your squad!"
Su Li exhaled with a half-smile, bafflement plain on his face. "You're the lieutenant of the Sixth Division. That's no small post, and switching squads is anything but simple. You're telling me you'd give that up?"
Renji bowed low, his expression unyielding. "If necessary, I'll resign as vice-captain and start again at the bottom. I'll accept any assessment. Please—let me join the Second!"
The sheer conviction only deepened Su Li's confusion. "Have you been mistreated in Squad Six? Has Captain Kuchiki been harsh with you?" he asked, skeptical.
Renji shook his head quickly. "No. Captain Kuchiki has always been good to me. It's not that." His eyes flicked sideways toward Ōmaeda.
"It's fine," Su Li said lightly. "Speak freely."
Ōmaeda puffed up, pleased to be considered "one of their own," already planning which curry dish he would send to Su Li's quarters in thanks.
Renji's face burned crimson as he clenched his fists. "I want to follow you, Captain Su Li. I want to train under you—I want to become stronger."
At last, understanding dawned. The battle on Sōkyoku Hill had clearly scarred Renji's pride, and his stubborn nature left no room for ignoring such a gap.
Ōmaeda, however, scoffed inwardly. "All that noise just to lick boots. Pathetic."
Su Li shook his head, still half speechless. In his mind Renji had always chased Byakuya Kuchiki, never him. He had underestimated how much his own existence had reshaped the ambitions of others. "Still," he said dryly, "you're a year older than me. Calling me 'brother' doesn't quite fit."
Renji stiffened instantly, eyes blazing with conviction. "Yes, Captain Su Li! I'll correct myself immediately!" His seriousness nearly made Su Li laugh. He looked back at the transfer form. "Have you even told Captain Kuchiki?"
Renji faltered. "Ah… Captain Kuchiki is still recovering in Fourth Division. I haven't spoken to him yet."
Su Li's sigh carried open reproach, and even Ōmaeda's expression hardened. Submitting a transfer without a captain's consent bordered on insolence. Renji's face turned blotchy with shame as he muttered, "I planned to wait until his injuries healed. If I told him now, it might slow his recovery. I…"
Before he could finish, a cold voice cut through the room. "The Second Division doesn't need someone like you."
Renji froze. Slowly he turned, face paling, to see Suì-Fēng framed in the doorway, posture sharp and unyielding. She entered with hawk-like precision, her voice razor-edged. "A man who cannot grasp basic respect or discipline has no place in the Onmitsukidō. Orders are absolute. You act on impulse, disregard rules, and lack awe. You are not qualified."
Her words fell like hammer blows. Renji's shoulders sagged under the weight of truths he already knew—truths Byakuya had chided him with more than once.
"Return to the Sixth," Suì-Fēng said coldly. "When your captain has tempered you properly, then—and only then—consider again."
Renji's voice was hollow. "Yes, Vice-Captain Suì-Fēng." Spirit drained, he turned toward the door, his movements heavy.
Ōmaeda smirked with quiet satisfaction while Suì-Fēng's disdain hung sharp in the air.
"Renji."
The name stopped him. He turned, hope flickering faintly in his eyes.
Su Li's gaze softened. "I don't agree with you abandoning your division to join mine. But if what you truly want is to train with me… that, I don't oppose."
Light returned to Renji's eyes like a sudden sunrise. "Really, Captain Su Li?!"
"Don't call me brother," Su Li muttered, exasperated. "If you're serious, there are two conditions."
Renji snapped to attention, trembling with eagerness. "Please, tell me!"
"First," Su Li said evenly, "get Captain Kuchiki's permission. Without it, I won't teach you."
Renji faltered but nodded heavily. "Yes!"
"Second…" Su Li reached beneath his desk, rummaged for a moment, then produced a thick, yellowed manual. He tossed it into Renji's arms.
Renji stared. "The… Code of Conduct for Soldiers?"
"Copy it by hand," Su Li instructed, his tone flat. "One hundred times. Don't come back until it's finished."
Renji's face crumpled in horror at the mountain of pages. Su Li only leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable.
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