"I really didn't expect you to step down from the captain's position in this way."
After Gosuke Shigure relinquished the position of Kenpachi, far more eyes fell upon him than before.
Among them, the Shinigami of the Eleventh Division were the most confused.
They could not understand why Gosuke Shigure, who had carried the name Kenpachi for so many decades, would willingly step down and hand the captaincy to Zaraki.
As for those who knew Gosuke Shigure well, the confusion came in a different form.
Now that Gosuke Shigure was no longer a captain and Zaraki had formally inherited the title of Kenpachi, debating why felt meaningless.
What concerned Kyōraku Shunsui more was not the resignation itself but how Gosuke Shigure had chosen to do it.
Too many things had happened recently.
And watching all of it unfold made even Kyōraku uneasy.
"I didn't do it as a joke," Gosuke Shigure said calmly, sipping his tea.
"It was simply the choice I made."
Kyōraku stared at him for a long moment before speaking again.
"So you'd rather make yourself a laughingstock… than keep the name Kenpachi?"
In the eyes of many, Gosuke Shigure's resignation bordered on absurdity.
The succession of Kenpachi had always been different from that of other captains.
Unlike standard captain appointments approved through Central 46, the title of Kenpachi was inherited through combat by defeating and killing the previous Kenpachi.
Every succession before this had ended in blood.
In some cases, in carnage.
The battle between Kenpachi Kiganjō and Kenpachi Kuruyashiki had been particularly infamous an event so brutal that Kyōraku himself had witnessed it.
And yet
This time?
No mountain of corpses.
No rivers of blood.
Just a brief duel.
A few exchanges.
And Gosuke Shigure conceding.
When had the passing of the Kenpachi name become so… gentle?
That was what troubled Kyōraku the most.
"A laughingstock?"
Gosuke Shigure smiled faintly.
"I don't think so."
"The name Kenpachi exists for the strongest."
"Losing to Zaraki may be hard for others to accept but strength isn't measured by appearances."
He paused, then added lightly:
"Besides… if it were a true fight to the death, who's to say I wouldn't win?"
Kyōraku frowned.
Zaraki was undeniably strong, terrifyingly so.
At the same time, Gosuke Shigure had never truly displayed his full strength as Kenpachi.
Most internal combat missions had been left to Zaraki.
But was that because Gosuke Shigure couldn't fight?
Or because he chose not to?
Kyōraku couldn't answer that.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Even knowing this was your decision… I still feel uncomfortable."
"Why?" Gosuke Shigure asked.
Kyōraku leaned back.
"When Urahara became captain, Jūshirō and I once talked about it."
"In the Gotei Thirteen, there are very few Shinigami who've served as captains for over a hundred years."
"You and Hirako were among them."
"Hirako was taken first… and now you've stepped down on your own."
"You could have stayed."
Gosuke Shigure chuckled.
"Maybe it's because I stayed so long that I finally wanted to leave."
"Being a captain lets you push work onto your subordinates and act lazy…"
"But responsibility never really disappears."
"Retirement, on the other hand…"
He spread his hands.
"No obligations. No duties."
"Drink when I want. Sleep when I want."
Kyōraku immediately cut him off.
"Stop. If you keep talking, I'll want to retire too."
"Heh."
Gosuke Shigure laughed.
Despite his words, Kyōraku knew he would never step down.
Lazy or not, when things turned dire, Kyōraku Shunsui was someone you could entrust your back to without hesitation.
After the laughter faded, Kyōraku asked:
"Now that you've retired… have you thought about what you'll do next?"
Gosuke Shigure considered it.
"…Not really."
"Maybe I'll open a tavern."
Kyōraku blinked.
"A tavern?"
"Why not?" Gosuke Shigure said casually.
"There are plenty of heavy drinkers in the Eleventh Division."
Kyōraku nodded thoughtfully.
"Sounds nice."
"But Seireitei already has a lot of taverns."
"Even if you used to be Kenpachi, bad alcohol won't sell."
Gosuke Shigure fell silent again.
"…True."
"I don't really care about money."
"I've saved enough over the years."
"But if it keeps losing money, maybe I won't open it after all."
Then his expression softened.
"Either way, it doesn't matter."
"I've retired."
"I have time now."
Kyōraku felt a sharp sting of envy.
Unlike Gosuke Shigure who had stepped down cleanly and named a successor, Kyōraku was drowning in work.
The disappearance incident had cost him Yadōmaru Lisa, his vice-captain.
While the Ninth Division had suffered even heavier losses, losing Lisa was devastating for the Eighth Division.
She had handled most administrative work.
Now, all of it fell on him.
Even this conversation had been time stolen from paperwork.
As he thought about it, Kyōraku sighed.
"…You really are living the dream."
And somewhere deep down
He couldn't help but envy Gosuke Shigure just a little.
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