Chapter 154: Bruce, Let's Go!
Consensus had been reached.
Which made everything that followed relatively simple.
Kyoraku Shunsui produced a prepared document from inside his uniform, spread it open, and read aloud word by word.
"Speaking purely on my own behalf, I am putting forward the following candidates. For Squad 2, Omaeda Kishinoshin. For Squad 3..."
A sequence of names, some familiar, some less so.
Matsushita Yusuke listened quietly from his seat without any particular reaction.
Because this kind of "recommendation" process was, by definition, the result of discussions held beforehand. Nobody was going to spontaneously nominate someone in front of the whole room on the spot.
This wasn't a restaurant.
But then again.
'Did he actually just pull out the script? I'm pretty sure the old man told him to memorize it. Yep... he looks annoyed.'
Ukitake Jushiro gave his old friend a sharp elbow with a pained expression.
The recipient kept his eyes on the list with a sheepish grin and muttered something under his breath.
"Can't help it... you can't cram for this kind of thing at the last minute. Better than suddenly blanking on a name in front of everyone, right?"
No, you already made yourself look ridiculous.
Matsushita Yusuke glanced sideways.
On each nomination, every captain present was expected to register their position. Agree or object. It sounded democratic on the surface, but as with everything else today, the outcomes had been discussed and decided in advance.
Even the nominees themselves had been approached and confirmed beforehand. Going through the whole nomination process only to have someone say they didn't want the position would have been embarrassing all around.
As for the actual selections.
Roughly in line with what he'd expected.
Aizen for Squad 5. Tosen for Squad 9. Both essentially uncontested.
The former had already been vice-captain. Given the current circumstances, filling the position quickly was a matter of keeping things functional, and pulling him directly into the role was the obvious call.
The latter was even simpler.
Tosen was currently a seated officer in the squad. With both the captain and vice-captain gone, moving him into the position raised no meaningful objections.
Squad 2 was the one that caught his attention.
'Didn't expect Omaeda to take it after Soifon was gone.'
Surprising, but understandable when you thought it through.
Omaeda's ability had never been in question, and Squad 2 operated under its own particular set of rules. Even after Yoruichi's defection, the Shihoin clan as a whole wasn't going to collapse. As long as the formal separation was handled cleanly, it rarely created lasting structural problems.
Besides.
'There are plenty of nobles with strong ties to the Shihoin family. With all those interests entangled, going after them aggressively would cause more problems than it solved.'
And then there was the broader reality.
The Shihoin clan controlled the Stealth Force, an organization with its own independent units and command structure, no weaker than the Gotei 13 in organizational terms. You couldn't simply push that kind of group into a corner.
Backed into a corner, the Shihoin family had every means to push back.
By comparison, the Shiba clan, which had been gradually edged out over the years, was in a considerably more precarious position.
Squad 12 was its own interesting case.
Given that the position came with the added role of heading the Research and Development Department, the requirements were uniquely specific. Less about selecting the strongest fighter, and more about finding someone genuinely obsessed with research.
'Why wasn't Kurotsuchi Mayuri nominated?'
The thought surfaced briefly and just as quickly settled.
Mayuri had left the Nest by this point, but was probably still in the middle of establishing himself. Going by the source material, the real reason Mayuri eventually got the captain nomination was his research into artificial life. He applied that technology to Zanpakuto and created Nemu. Before putting those achievements on the table, being passed over by someone else was simply the expected result.
So Mayuri was being looked over?
That wasn't something you saw often. Considering that even the Hollowfication incident's timeline had shifted forward, this might be another piece of the same chain reaction. His research not being ready in time, missing the window to become head of the Research and Development Department.
Too far ahead to use as a firm reference point, so Matsushita Yusuke reeled the thought back in and let it go.
More immediate things to pay attention to.
"If there are no further objections to the nominations, we'll proceed with placements in this order..."
Kyoraku Shunsui's gaze swept the room.
As the captain responsible for intelligence operations, managing this transition and everything that came after it was his concern. Under normal circumstances, he would have handed all of it to his vice-captain.
Getting Kyoraku Shunsui to do actual work? A task comparable to moving a mountain.
But things were what they were. Sometimes you didn't know which word fit better: unpredictable, or simply impermanent. Because the one who was gone before the captain was the vice-captain, who had always been more of a support role.
"This meeting is adjourned."
At the word, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni rose with Sasakibe Chojiro and departed through the rear exit.
The others remained, as they typically did. Normal practice was to stay for a few minutes afterward for informal exchanges. Another kind of work, in its own way. Building and maintaining connections.
But.
Today the atmosphere was different.
When this many people had been cleared out in one event, even those who wanted to talk found that the room itself made it difficult. The weight of the empty spaces was hard to ignore.
"Ahem. I'll take my leave first. You are all welcome to stay."
Kuchiki Ginrei departed ahead of the others, giving a cough or two he couldn't suppress. Matsushita Yusuke paid brief attention to the old man's retreating figure.
The man's health was not in great shape.
Not entirely surprising. Spirit body aging worked differently for everyone. There was no fixed lifespan, but the variation between individuals was enormous.
People like Yamamoto and Unohana, who had gone centuries without any visible change, were the rare exception.
As age accumulated, old conditions resurfaced and slowly began to make themselves felt. A gradual sense of things not quite responding as they once did.
The current Kuchiki head seemed to be moving along that trajectory.
'Probably going to feel his body failing him in the next ten or fifteen years, step down, and hand the captain's seat to his grandson.'
He didn't know exactly when Byakuya would take the position, but it wasn't particularly important to him either way.
He said his goodbyes and made his exit.
At the doorway, Soifon was standing slightly absent, staring at nothing in particular.
Matsushita Yusuke caught sight of her, smiled, and gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
"Come on, we're heading back!"
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