Early the next morning, Shigure Segawa woke up early and stood in the courtyard at the entrance, breathing in the fresh air.
He was waiting for the day's routine patrol to begin.
However, after waiting for quite a while, there was no sign of Shion Fushimi.
Instead, he was greeted by an unfamiliar Soul Reaper.
The man wore a unique variation of the standard shihakushō, draped with a deep blue fabric that hung vertically to his waist. His mask was adorned with a blooming chrysanthemum.
This was the symbol of the 1st Division—representing sincerity and purity.
Although Shigure had never seen this attire before, he immediately understood its significance.
It must be the investigative unit of the 1st Division that Jirōbō Ikkanzaka had mentioned.
The man stopped two meters away from Shigure and slightly bowed his head. "Vice Captain Shigure Segawa, I bring orders from the Central 46 Chambers and the Captain-Commander. You are to proceed to the interrogation room of the 1st Division."
Shigure was momentarily surprised. He had initially thought he would be summoned under the charge of "negligence," but the man's polite demeanor caught him off guard.
However, upon reflection, he understood. It must have been a directive from the Captain-Commander.
With a smile, Shigure responded, "Thank you for your trouble. Please lead the way."
"Follow me."
The investigator stepped back, turned, and began to walk away.
Following the investigator out of the 5th Division barracks, Shigure walked through the central courtyard of Seireitei. Many squad members greeted him along the way, but their gazes carried a strange undertone.
Shigure remained calm.
He knew that Gin Ichimaru's words from yesterday had indeed caused a significant stir.
Many members of the Gotei 13 had independently attributed the accident to Shigure.
Upon arriving at the 1st Division barracks, they did not enter the central courtyard directly but instead followed the long corridor to the left.
After navigating multiple twists and turns, they finally arrived at a door draped with interwoven white and blue curtains.
The investigator stepped forward and announced loudly, "Vice Captain Segawa has arrived."
As soon as the words were spoken, Jirōbō Ikkanzaka's voice responded from inside, "Please enter."
Shigure answered, "Understood."
He lifted the curtain and stepped inside.
To his surprise, the scene inside was entirely different from what he had expected.
He had imagined being interrogated by a group of people. Instead, there were only four individuals present.
Apart from Jirōbō Ikkanzaka, the other three were captains of the 13 Divisions.
The Captain-Commander, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto.
The 4th Division Captain, Retsu Unohana.
The 8th Division Captain, Shunsui Kyōraku.
These were the three most senior captains among the current Gotei 13. The only absent one was Jūshirō Ukitake.
At this moment, their demeanor was far from that of an interrogation.
They were seated on beige cushions, gathered around a dark red tea table. On the table were four sets of tea utensils.
Each of the three captains had one set before them, while the fourth set was left empty.
When Shigure entered, Jirōbō Ikkanzaka bowed slightly to Genryūsai Yamamoto and the others before saying, "I will take my leave now."
With that, he exited the room.
Now, including Shigure, there were exactly four individuals in the room.
The significance of the fourth set of tea utensils was self-evident.
Shigure was momentarily stunned but quickly bowed in greeting.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Unohana, Captain Kyōraku."
As expected, Shunsui Kyōraku was the first to speak.
"Hey, Segawa, why did you take so long? The tea is getting cold!"
His face still bore a lazy smile, as if this were merely a casual meeting between old friends.
Retsu Unohana also smiled gently. "Vice Captain Segawa, please don't be nervous. Come and take a seat."
Meanwhile, Genryūsai Yamamoto remained silent, seemingly meditating.
Shigure immediately bowed slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality."
He then walked steadily across the room and sat at the tea table's empty spot.
"You seem calm and composed. Are you not worried about what's to come?" Shunsui Kyōraku teased with a smile.
Shigure chuckled lightly. "I have a clear conscience, so I naturally have the confidence to face any judgment. Besides, your current demeanor doesn't seem like an interrogation."
"Ha! You got me." Shunsui Kyōraku toyed with his tea cup. "Rather than an interrogation... this is more about dealing with the Central 46 Chambers."
Shigure's eyelid twitched upon hearing this.
Retsu Unohana turned to Genryūsai Yamamoto and said, "Captain-Commander, I leave the explanation to you."
At her words, Genryūsai Yamamoto opened his eyes slightly.
"Vice Captain Segawa, due to your dereliction of duty, the members of the 5th Division patrol team suffered unexpected casualties. Do you have any explanation for this?"
Upon hearing this, both Shunsui Kyōraku and Retsu Unohana remained expressionless.
Shigure immediately understood that this was merely a procedural question, not a genuine interrogation. He calmly replied:
"Captain-Commander, I have no explanation to offer."
He met Genryūsai Yamamoto's gaze without fear.
Genryūsai Yamamoto stared at Shigure for a few seconds before speaking:
"Very well."
"Next, you will hear something that must never be disclosed to anyone.
"Are you prepared?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (30+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!