Chapter 67: Joining the Division
A towering wooden gate stood before them. Above the gate hung a wooden plaque with the characters "Thirteen" carved in black ink.
Shiba Kaien paused at the threshold and turned to Suoh Tsukasa with a brilliant smile.
"Welcome to the Thirteenth Division."
"Mm."
Suoh nodded solemnly, his gaze sweeping across the simple, clean scenery beyond the gate.
"Come on, I'll show you around the barracks first."
Shiba Kaien turned and stepped forward.
Suoh followed steadily at his side, Hazy Night at his waist lightly tapping against his new scabbard with a rhythmic sound.
The two walked slowly along the wooden corridor. Shiba Kaien occasionally raised his hand to point things out.
"On the left is the duty office. Daily division business gets handled there. Hiko's usually there—you can ask him if you don't understand something."
"Up ahead is the meeting room. When the division has important announcements, we generally gather here."
Turning down the corridor, clear shouts and the occasional thud of wooden swords colliding carried from nearby.
Shiba Kaien smiled and pointed toward a tall building marked with a training ground sign.
"Everyone usually trains here."
"The dining hall is on the east side. If you don't want to cook for yourself later, it's convenient to eat there."
"The miso mackerel tastes excellent—it's our division's specialty dish."
The two figures moved through the Thirteenth Division's core functional areas as Shiba Kaien thoughtfully led Suoh through everything once.
When passing through the central courtyard, several squad members cleaning paused their work to nod friendly greetings.
Sunlight filtered through gaps in the foliage, casting dappled tree shadows across the corridor.
Reaching the gateway at the courtyard's end, Shiba Kaien pushed open a wooden door. Fresh grass and wood fragrances wafted forth.
The expansive dormitory area spread before them. Elegant private courtyards lined both sides, their walls covered with pale green vines.
The middle section held rows of neat single rooms. Clothes hanging outside a few windows swayed gently in the breeze, exuding a strong sense of daily life.
"This is the dormitory area."
Shiba Kaien led Suoh toward a private courtyard on the left. A blank wooden nameplate hung by the gate, awaiting its owner's mark.
"As a seated officer, this will be your residence from now on."
"The captain's Ugendo is in another location—bit far. I'll take you there another day when we have time."
"Come on, everyone's waiting for you!"
The moment the courtyard gate opened, Suoh froze slightly at the scene inside.
The courtyard was filled with familiar figures busily working everywhere.
All the main building's doors and windows stood open. Shiba Miyako inside held a fresh bouquet, arranging it in a vase, while Kotetsu Kiyone carefully wiped window frames with a cloth.
Kotsubaki Sentaro and Mitaka Hiko wielded brooms in a corner of the courtyard, their shoulders still bearing debris from cleaning. Fallen leaves had been swept into several piles.
Hearing the courtyard gate open, everyone simultaneously turned to look, then came forward to greet them.
"Welcome, welcome! We've been waiting for you."
Kotetsu Kiyone efficiently hung her cloth by the window and hurried over.
"Hey, we originally wanted to hold a welcome ceremony for you, but unfortunately it was too rushed—no time to prepare."
"We could only help clean up your courtyard first."
Kotsubaki Sentaro crossed his arms, chin resting on his broom handle, sighing with some regret as he shook his head.
"Yeah."
Mitaka Hiko beside him nodded, his expression carrying a trace of helplessness.
Suoh's division entry had been too sudden, leaving him no opportunity to display his administrative talents.
"Tsukasa, welcome."
Shiba Miyako said nothing more, simply smiling as she looked at him.
"Thank you, everyone."
"Don't be so formal. Helping out is only natural."
Shiba Kaien patted his shoulder and also grabbed a broom from the corner.
"Go put your luggage inside. The courtyard's pretty big—let's clean it together. There's still the induction ceremony later."
"Right!"
After properly storing his bundle and swords inside, Suoh also joined the cleaning ranks.
Amid this bustle, the entire courtyard gradually took on a fresh appearance through their efforts.
That evening, in the meeting room.
The captain and seated officers hadn't yet arrived. The room was filled with ordinary squad members not out on missions.
Everyone conversed in small groups of twos and threes. The air filled with curiosity and anticipation.
"Hey, has anyone seen the new recruit joining today? Which noble family are they from?"
A squad member leaning by the window scratched his head as he asked.
In his understanding, new members who received individual induction ceremonies were mostly from distinguished noble families.
"No, I heard from Kotetsu 4th Seat that it's a student who graduated early from the Shinoreijutsuin. Enrolled less than a year."
At this, another female squad member chimed in.
She often accompanied Kotetsu Kiyone on missions, so had fortunately obtained the latest firsthand information.
"Wow, that impressive?"
This drew everyone's sidelong glances. What could someone learn at the academy in such short time?
Graduating from the Shinoreijutsuin in less than a year—such an unfamiliar concept. Even if they tried their hardest, they couldn't achieve something so absurd.
"I remember Lieutenant Shiba graduated after one year of enrollment, right?"
"I saw his expression while showing the new recruit around the division. The two seem quite close."
"You don't think the new recruit might also have the Shiba surname, do you?"
Hearing this, another squad member had a flash of inspiration and leaned in to interject. He felt quite proud of his reasonable deduction.
"Come on!"
"Lieutenant Shiba looks decent enough, but compared to that new recruit he's far behind. The two don't look alike at all around the eyes and brows."
"If you ask me, that bearing and appearance look more like they're from 3rd Seat Shiba's side of the family!"
A bold voice came from the back of the crowd. He'd been on duty today and had seen particularly clearly.
"That's right, that's right. We all saw it too."
Several other squad members on the same shift raised their hands to testify.
"Hahahaha!"
These words drew knowing laughter from everyone. The meeting room instantly filled with cheerful atmosphere.
"Shh—"
Just as everyone laughed and chatted, the squad member by the door suddenly made a silencing gesture.
Everyone immediately restrained their smiling faces, moving quickly to arrange their formation properly.
In the rapidly quieting atmosphere, all gazes simultaneously turned toward the slowly opening door.
Captain Ukitake Jushiro entered first, taking the central position, his pale face bearing a gentle smile.
Shiba Kaien followed closely, leading the seated officers to stand in formation on both sides of the room.
Walking at the formation's end, Suoh Tsukasa calmly took his position beside Captain Ukitake, peacefully accepting everyone's scrutinizing gazes.
Captain Ukitake stood before the squad members and raised his hand. Though his voice was soft, it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Everyone's here, so let's formally begin the induction ceremony."
He paused and surveyed the entire room, speaking solemnly.
"Yesterday, I, Ukitake Jushiro, consulted with the lieutenant and several seated officers."
"We unanimously agreed that the new recruit's character and abilities are sufficient to hold a seated position within the division."
"I now appoint Suoh Tsukasa as 3rd Seat of the Thirteenth Division, standing equally with current 3rd Seat Shiba Miyako."
As his words fell, newly appointed 3rd Seat Suoh Tsukasa stepped forward with steady strides.
Facing the roomful of gazes, Suoh's expression showed no awkwardness. He simply bowed his head slightly, his face carrying a gentle smile.
"Hello everyone. I'm Suoh Tsukasa. I look forward to working with you all!"
"Likewise!"
His exceptional credentials combined with this composure beyond his years and appearance left everyone present deeply impressed. They responded in unison.
Witnessing this scene, Captain Ukitake nodded gently, a gratified smile appearing on his face.
Suoh's performance was even more composed and calm than he'd anticipated, and had won the squad members' recognition faster than he'd imagined.
This brief yet solemn induction ceremony concluded smoothly, marking the Thirteenth Division's welcoming of a promising new force worth anticipating.
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