Time passed swiftly. Silently, Soul Society went through another autumn and winter. Looking back, the eradication operation was already a matter of last year.
Today, Squad 1 was bustling with activity. Their Captain's last disciple, Kōe Shihouin, was about to take office as Lieutenant. No one felt dissatisfied; setting aside his century-long investigation into the Sternritter Fortress, which alone merited such a reward, Kōe's performance in the Seated Officer challenge a week ago was enough to silence any doubts.
Even Lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō was faintly suppressed by him. It should be known that not only had the Captain's seat of Squad 1 remained unchanged for a thousand years, but the Lieutenant's seat was the same. Ever since Yamamoto took office as Head Captain, Sasakibe had been the Lieutenant of Squad 1.
However, Sasakibe wasn't demoted to Third Seat, nor was he stepping down to retire. Kōe's contributions this time were immense, so Central 46 went with the flow, expanding Squad 1's roster and adding an additional Lieutenant seat.
"Kōe Shihouin! Step forward!"
"Yes!" Responding heavily, Kōe stepped forward under the respectful gazes of the Squad 1 members lining both sides, walking step by step until he stood before Yamamoto at the very front.
"The position of Lieutenant is not merely a privilege, but a burden!" Yamamoto's voice was resonant and solemn. "In your future actions, you must cast aside personal prejudice and uphold the justice in your heart. Are you prepared?"
"I understand!"
"Towards your subordinate squad members, you must not target them without cause based on personal preference, nor may you show excessive favoritism. You must be fair and impartial! Have you memorized this?"
"I have!" Kōe nodded, replying with equal solemnity.
"..."
Just like that, Yamamoto asked and Kōe answered. Between the questions and answers, time quietly slipped away. Finally, under the envious gazes of the squad members, the ceremony reached its final and most exciting step.
Standing to Yamamoto's rear right, Sasakibe Chōjirō slowly stepped forward, holding a square wooden tray with both hands. Resting quietly on a soft purple silk cushion within the tray was a wooden badge shaped like a pennant—the armband representing the status of a Lieutenant.
In the Gotei 13, anyone holding a Seated Officer position wore an armband to indicate their status. The main body of the armband featured the squad number representing their respective division; for Squad 1, it was the character for 'One'.
Next, depending on their specific seat, corresponding vertical marks were added beneath the squad number. For example, the Third Seat of Squad 1 would have three vertical bars under the 'One', the Fourth Seat would have four, and so on.
Lieutenants were different. Their armbands did not have vertical bars beneath the squad number; instead, the insignia of their squad's corresponding flower was added to distinguish them. As for Captains, they did not need to wear armbands; their status was represented by the white haori bearing only their squad number on the back.
Squad 1's squad flower was the chrysanthemum, representing truth and purity. However, as Kōe looked at the chrysanthemum stamped in ink on the armband, he couldn't help but feel a bit weird. *'As a transmigrator, it's pretty hard to look at this proud flower with a straight face anymore.'*
Yamamoto, standing above, naturally had no idea of the dirty thoughts running through Kōe's mind at this moment. His right hand first stroked down the smooth surface of the armband, and then he slowly lifted it from the soft cushion with both hands, treating it as if it were a peerless treasure.
"Extend your left arm."
Hearing this, Kōe temporarily tossed the weird thoughts out of his head. He extended his left arm and watched as Yamamoto, with a serene expression, wrapped the armband around his upper arm.
"Your master hopes you will be an upright man, or at least leave your upright side for the Seireitei," Yamamoto said in a voice only the two of them could hear. After tying the armband completely, he gave it a slight tug. "I also hope that the day you take off this armband will be the day I place a Captain's haori in your hands."
"Master, you really know how to kill the mood!" Kōe complained in a similarly hushed tone.
But Yamamoto acted as if he hadn't heard him. When he raised his head, the faint smile that had just been on his face was completely gone. He struck his walking stick against the ground and announced loudly, "The Lieutenant inauguration ceremony is concluded!"
Only after Yamamoto and Sasakibe had both left did the squad members in the hall finally breathe a sigh of relief. One by one, they stepped forward to express their goodwill to Kōe.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant Shihouin. I hope you will look after us in the future. My surname is Jukai. This is a letter my family head entrusted me to bring to you."
"Truly young and promising, Lieutenant Shihouin!"
"..."
Some came purely to congratulate him, while others hoped to climb the social ladder and build a connection. Kōe responded to them one by one until his face nearly cramped from smiling.
*'I really don't understand these people,'* he thought. *'I'm only taking office as a Lieutenant, not a Captain. What's there to congratulate? Are Lieutenants really that big of a deal in the Seireitei? I never saw them sucking up to Sasakibe Chōjirō like this!'*
Speaking of status, the Seireitei was actually governed by a structure where Central 46 and the Gotei 13 supervised each other and shared power.
Central 46 was a collective entity; if you singled out its members, they actually held no substantial power individually. The Gotei 13 was different. Its power was tangibly distributed into the hands of every Captain. And as the usual spokespersons for their Captains, the Lieutenants of each squad wielded a considerable amount of authority.
In every squad, this phenomenon of currying favor with the Lieutenant actually existed. Of course, what these noble families plotted for wasn't anything too massive—they merely hoped for some convenience when it came to task assignments and minor benefits.
Previously, Squad 1 hadn't experienced this phenomenon. Firstly, due to the squad's special nature and its title as the Head Squad, along with the fact that Central 46 was located not far next door, everything proved the level of importance the Seireitei placed on it. Any family that tried to meddle with it would find themselves in a world of trouble!
On the other hand, the Lieutenant in office, Sasakibe Chōjirō, was just like Yamamoto—upright, unyielding, and completely impartial. He had sat in his position for a thousand years, making it truly impossible for them to find an opening. This was the primary reason.
But things were different now. The newly appointed Kōe Shihouin had an even closer relationship with the Head Captain. Most importantly, he was young, and the young were prone to making mistakes. Besides, given the Head Captain's fondness for him, Yamamoto would likely just turn a blind eye to minor infractions.
But how could Kōe understand all these convoluted schemes? By the time he deflected left and right, finally managing to extricate himself from the crowd, his tongue was practically numb. This whole ordeal was even more exaggerated than being besieged by a horde of Hollows on the Plains of Slaughter.
However, before he could even catch his breath, another Squad 1 member dressed in a Shihakushō came running toward him from the front. Kōe couldn't help but shudder. *'No way, another one?'*
"Lieutenant Shihouin!"
"Alright, I get it!" Kōe hurriedly reached out to interrupt the man, waving his fingers as he spoke. "It's just congratulations, right? I appreciate the sentiment, you can go back now!"
The newcomer subconsciously turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he realized something was wrong. *'If it was about congratulations, didn't I already congratulate you when you arrived? Wait, I didn't run over here to congratulate you at all!'*
"Lieutenant Shihouin!"
"Why are you back? Didn't I say there's no need for any more congratulations?!"
"It's not congratulations! Someone is outside looking for you. It's the Third Seat of Squad 12, Urahara Kisuke!"
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