"Kenpachi. You're four hours late."
Byakuya Kuchiki spoke with a slight furrow of his elegant brows. His tone sounded calm—refined, even—but beneath it simmered a quiet, suffocating resentment. Still, his impeccable noble upbringing kept every trace of emotion perfectly concealed.
As the current head of the Kuchiki Clan—one of the Four Great Noble Houses of Soul Society—and a model for all aristocracy, Byakuya upheld a strict code:
Whether he liked someone or despised them, he would never reveal it.
Every word, every gesture had to conform to noble decorum. And those who violated such decorum… would be disciplined accordingly.
A man harsh on himself—and even harsher on others.
But today, the one who had kept him waiting at the Senkaimon was no ordinary individual.
Because his name was—
Kenpachi Zaraki.
Captain of the Eleventh Division. The eleventh Kenpachi.
Unlike Byakuya, Kenpachi lived by a far simpler creed:
If you've got a problem with me—come fight me.
And if I've got a problem with you—I'll cut you down.
In other words:
Stop talking. Fight.
Of course, the reason Byakuya didn't "waste his breath" on Kenpachi wasn't fear.
On the contrary—he had long wanted to deal with this lawless, barbaric brute.
But just like a lion of the plains avoids picking fights with other predators, Byakuya rarely engaged with someone like Kenpachi.
Because he understood one thing very clearly:
Kenpachi was like a honey badger.
He fought anyone. Anytime. For any reason.
No hesitation. No restraint.
So in Byakuya's eyes, unless there was a direct conflict of interest, there was simply no reason to associate with such a man.
If not for this mission personally ordered by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the two might not have exchanged more than a few words all year.
"Tch."
The late-arriving Kenpachi offered no explanation—nor did he bother making excuses.
But perched casually on his shoulder, his vice-captain chimed in with a cheerful grin.
"Hey, Bya-kun! Your hair looks sooo smooth! What conditioner do you use?"
Yachiru Kusajishi beamed innocently.
"…Idiot. Who are you calling 'Bya-kun'?"
Byakuya's pale violet eyes flicked toward her—then away just as quickly. His expression remained perfectly blank as he addressed Kenpachi.
"This mission into Hueco Mundo is extremely dangerous. You… need not bring your vice-captain along."
"Tch."
Kenpachi glanced at Byakuya's ornate hairpiece—the Kenseikan—and the flowing white scarf draped around his neck.
Then he smirked.
"This mission into Hueco Mundo is extremely dangerous. You… don't need to dress like that either, Kuchiki."
"Fool."
Byakuya had no intention of dragging this pointless exchange any further.
He had long since confirmed—
Kenpachi Zaraki was a crude, arrogant brute who relied solely on raw strength. Reason meant nothing to him. If words failed, he defaulted to violence.
A man from the Rukongai slums.
And he, Byakuya, was a noble of the highest order.
To brawl in the streets with such a man?
Utterly beneath him.
"Oi, Kuchiki! What're you waiting for? Open the gate already!"
Kenpachi stood before the Sen
"Standing around is boring as hell. Cutting people down—that's where the fun is."
Kenpachi Zaraki didn't even bother removing his eyepatch. With a sharp shing, he drew his Zanpakutō and pointed it straight at Byakuya Kuchiki.
"So I'm coming at you, Kuchiki!"
"…."
Byakuya gave no reply.
But his right hand quietly settled on the hilt of his sword.
That alone was answer enough.
He had already accepted the fight.
—
At the same time—
Inside the 12th Division barracks, within the central headquarters of the Research and Development Institute—
Mayuri Kurotsuchi stared intently at the main monitor, while his subordinates—Akon and the others—were practically glued to the screen, shouting in excitement.
"Do it already, Captain Kenpachi! Stop standing there—cut him down!"
"Yeah! Swing already! Do it!!"
The head of the Detention Unit slammed a hand on the console and shouted toward Rin Tsubokura from the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab:
"I'm betting 100 kan—Captain Kenpachi wins!"
"No way! I'm putting down 200—Captain Kuchiki!" Hufu Rin replied, stuffing candy into her mouth.
"Kenpachi! 500!"
"I'm going 1000 on Kuchiki!"
"I bet—"
"I'm in for—"
…
"Idiots!"
Mayuri slammed his hand against the armrest of his chair, his expression darkening.
"You fools think a clash between captains is something you can casually gossip about?! And you dare place bets right in front of me? What do you take this place for?!"
"S-Sorry, Captain…"
Akon and the others immediately deflated, their voices weak.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Mayuri flicked his sleeve and stormed out. No one even dared to breathe as they watched him leave.
Then—
"…He's gone, right?"
"…Yeah."
"YES! Captain's gone! Keep it going!"
Akon instantly sprang back to life, rallying the others. The betting resumed in full swing—Kenpachi this, Kuchiki that—the room buzzing with excitement once more.
"IDIOTS!"
The door suddenly creaked open—
Mayuri's face popped back in.
Everyone froze.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
But Mayuri merely stared at the screen, expression blank, and said flatly:
"You morons. Obviously Captain Kenpachi is stronger."
"…Huh?"
"What a bunch of clueless children."
He sighed.
"How could a peacock raised in a greenhouse ever defeat a vulture that survives in the wild?"
"C-Captain… you mean—?"
"Idiot."
Mayuri rolled his eyes and withdrew his head again, his voice drifting in from the hallway.
"I'm heading to the First Division to report this to Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto. As for you lot—"
"What?"
"Put my bet on Captain Kenpachi."
"…How much?"
"Ten thousand kan will do."
"…WHAT?! TEN THOUSAND?!"
BANG!
The door slammed shut, echoing through the corridor as Mayuri disappeared into the shadows.
But just before leaving the barracks, he cast a meaningful glance toward the First Division headquarters and muttered to himself:
"A bunch of brainless fools… As if the Captain-Commander would ever allow captains to fight each other privately."
A faint, crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"This fight was never going to happen in the first place."
He paused.
"…Still…"
"Ever since Captain Fūjin left for Hueco Mundo, no one in the Seireitei dares stir up trouble anymore…"
"…Things have gotten rather dull."