A significant amount of time had passed since the harrowing Konso internship.
Early one morning, a few members dressed in Shihakushō were posting notices on the bulletin board in front of the Shin'ō Academy teaching building. It appeared the squad assignments for the graduates had finally been released.
A crowd gathered in front of the board, everyone jostling for a glimpse, searching for their names on the densely packed list.
"Unseated member."
"Unseated member."
"I'm an unseated member too..."
Aside from the few exceptional students who had skipped grades, almost every Shin'ō Academy student present could only start their careers from the bottom.
It wasn't until the crowd gradually dispersed that a group of six latecomers finally arrived at the bulletin board.
"Found it!" Momo Hinamori's eyes lit up. "I'm in the Second Division! Oh, Rukia, you are too!"
The mere thought of working alongside her admired teacher, Soifon, made Momo feel as though her career as a Shinigami was off to a wonderful start.
"Eh? Am I in the Second Division as well?!"
Rukia squeezed in next to Momo, her eyes widening in surprise.
5th Seat, Rukia; 6th Seat, Momo Hinamori.
The ranks were right next to each other. Not bad at all.
"Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Tenth Division... 3rd Seat?"
Tōshirō looked at his name, pointing at the rank with an uncertain expression.
Momo looked at him with a face full of pride. "That's only natural, Shiro-chan. Your Reiatsu is so powerful, after all."
"Ninth Division, 5th Seat."
Shūhei Hisagi looked at the results and nodded; it was exactly what he had expected.
"Third Division, 4th Seat."
Izuru Kira rubbed his nose. He didn't really care where he went, as long as he could secure a spot as a seated officer.
Finally, there was Renji Abarai.
He scratched his conspicuous red hair. "5th Seat of the Fifth Division, huh..."
While Captain Aizen seemed like a very nice person, Renji couldn't help but feel that he wouldn't be able to make much of a name for himself in the Fifth Division.
In truth, there was nothing wrong with coasting in the Fifth Division, but going to the Second Division to catch spies felt like it would offer much broader horizons.
"Teacher Soifon's favoritism is just too obvious." Renji really wanted to go to the Second Division to get into the action. "She even pulled strings to get you two into her squad. Sigh..."
"What do you mean, favoritism!" Rukia countered, her face flushing as she spoke. "Can things involving Shinigami even be called favoritism?"
...
The six of them bid their farewells at the gates of the Shin'ō Academy, each dragging their simple luggage toward their respective division barracks.
Just then, a massive and highly imposing figure waddled into view at the Academy gates, accurately blocking Momo and Rukia's path.
He had a pointed head, and a large gold chain around his neck shimmered with a blinding light.
"You two must be... 5th Seat Hinamori and 6th Seat Rukia, right?"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda tried his best to make his voice sound kind and approachable.
"Y-Yes."
Rukia and Momo were somewhat startled, nodding their heads slightly.
Having confirmed their identities, Marechiyo breathed a sigh of relief.
"I am the Lieutenant of the Second Division, Marechiyo Ōmaeda."
"By order of Captain Soifon, I have come specifically to escort you both to the squad!"
"Welcome, welcome! We're all family from now on, haha!"
Family?!
The two girls subconsciously glanced at each other. Was the Second Division really such a united and loving organization? You become family the moment you arrive?
However, to think this man was actually Teacher Soifon's Lieutenant...
Afraid of being rude, they only dared to steal a few glances at Marechiyo out of the corners of their eyes, thinking that his physique didn't exactly scream 'Stealth' or 'Force.'
"Lieutenant Ōmaeda, hello!"
Snapping out of it, the two quickly bowed in greeting, their voices clearly strained with formal tension.
"Aiyee, don't mention it! Follow me!" Marechiyo turned to lead the way. "Our barracks aren't far from here. We'll be there in a flash!"
As they walked through the streets of the Seireitei, they gradually entered an area with a significantly more somber atmosphere and a more oppressive architectural style.
In front of the towering gate of the Second Division barracks stood several expressionless guards. Their scrutinizing gazes lingered on Momo and Rukia for a moment before they stepped aside to let them pass.
This was a stark contrast to Lieutenant Ōmaeda's easygoing nature just moments ago.
As they stepped into the barracks, the light seemed to dim several shades. The corridors were winding and complex, with unadorned, dark gray walls.
As they ventured deeper, they could even faintly hear the cries and howls of prisoners coming from behind certain iron doors.
Just as the two were feeling uneasy, they arrived at a courtyard up ahead.
Soifon walked out from within. Seeing Marechiyo and the two girls behind him, she nodded. "Well done, Marechiyo."
Fawning over Soifon with a smile, Marechiyo vanished with a whoosh using Shunpo.
"Hehe, I've got people from the Sixth Division waiting for me outside. I'll take my leave first."
He moved so fast that neither Rukia nor Momo could even react.
"The Lieutenant is so fast!" Momo exclaimed instinctively.
"Idiot, that's a Lieutenant for you." Rukia nudged Momo with her elbow. "Being fast is only natural, right?"
Then, Rukia looked at Soifon with admiration—Am I right?
'Darn it, Rukia, that's not what you were saying just now.'
Momo felt like she had acted like a fool in front of Soifon, which was incredibly embarrassing. Coupled with the backstab from her best friend... it hurt. It hurt so much.
Soifon tapped both of their foreheads with her fingers. "You two, come with me now. First, get familiar with the Second Division's environment."
Rukia and Momo quickly trotted to keep up, flanking Soifon on either side as if guarding her.
As she led them deeper into the barracks, the scent of blood in the air seemed to grow thicker, and the temperature felt as if it had dropped several degrees.
"One of the primary responsibilities of the Second Division is surveillance, interrogation, and execution," Soifon's voice echoed through the empty hallway. "This area is for detention and preliminary interrogation."
She stopped in front of a heavy iron door that wasn't fully closed, leaving a small crack.
The two poked their heads toward the gap. They could see cold, metallic instruments, and the bloodstains on the floor hadn't even been cleaned yet.
Both of them retracted their heads almost simultaneously, their faces turning several shades paler. Momo even gave a slight shiver.
At first, Rukia and Momo had managed to maintain a distance of a few steps behind Soifon.
But as they went deeper, the two were now pressed tightly against Soifon's sides.
Momo's shoulder was practically touching Soifon's arm, and Rukia was almost brushing against Soifon's other side.
Creeeeeak—
A heavy door opened somewhere nearby.
Almost instinctively, the two of them grabbed Soifon's left and right arms, huddling themselves into her embrace.
Soifon stopped.
Looking down, she glanced at the two girls hanging off her like ornaments and sighed. "This is only the outer detention area. You haven't even seen the actual execution grounds and torture chambers yet."
She tried to gently move her arms, but after hearing those words, Momo hugged even tighter, and Rukia showed no intention of letting go either.
In fact, there was even a faint hint of a territory war breaking out within her embrace.
'There's only this much space, and you two are still fighting over it?'
Soifon: "..."
Left with no choice, Soifon could only head back toward the Captain's office, carrying the two clinging attachments with her.
...
Soifon had just stepped into the Captain's courtyard with her two human pendants when Marechiyo shouted "Captain Soifon!" and presented an invitation with both hands, standing respectfully before her.
Seeing this, the two girls hanging off Soifon finally felt a sense of shame. They both dropped their feet to the ground, pretending to admire the distant scenery.
Marechiyo, naturally, acted as if nothing had happened.
"What is this?"
"An invitation just delivered by some friends from the Sixth Division. It's for Captain Kuchiki's wedding."
"...I see. Go back to your duties."
Byakuya Kuchiki's wedding? I see.
Giving Rukia a strange glance, Soifon opened the invitation to check the time and location before tucking it into her pocket.
"Eh~~ Captain Kuchiki's wedding?" Rukia and Momo began to fantasize. "A wedding for one of the Four Great Noble Houses... it must be spectacular..."
Hard to say.
Soifon knew that Byakuya Kuchiki was marrying a commoner from the Rukongai, and almost no one in the Kuchiki Clan supported him.
Whatever. For Rukia's sake, she would go to show some support for Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Do you two want to go?"
Seeing the expectant yet hesitant expressions on Rukia and Momo's faces, Soifon asked the obvious question.
"We don't really want to go that badly..." Momo looked down, twiddling her fingers. "We just arrived at the Second Division, so if we go to a wedding, our work..."
"Fine, then I won't take you two along." Soifon curled her lips into a mischievous, black-hearted smirk. "I'll go by myself. You two stay here and work hard."
"Eh—?!" Rukia grabbed the hem of Soifon's clothes. "Momo was the one who said that! Teacher Soifon, please, you must take me!"
____
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