"Senpai..."
"It wasn't my fault. Master told me to borrow it from the Shihōin Clan."
"But I trusted you so much, and you..."
"You can't blame me for this. If you want to blame someone, blame Master—he's the real schemer here."
Shunsui let out a long whistle and sighed in satisfaction.
Finally, revenge was his.
"Master, you heard that, right?"
Masatsuki suddenly snatched the communicator and loudly declared, "Kyōraku-senpai called you an old schemer! I don't know how he could say such treasonous things about such a good master like you. That's just too much!"
"I'm not deaf yet, Kyōraku Shunsui. Next month, you and Masatsuki Aozaki come see me—I want a full report on the investigation!"
Shunsui: …
"Master, I might not be feeling well next month… How about letting Captain Shiba and Lisa handle it instead?"
He quickly snatched the communicator back and pressed a finger against the orb embedded in it. The glowing sphere dimmed instantly, turning a dull gray.
Then—
Zzt—
The transmission cut off completely.
Isshin: …
He stared in stunned silence for a few seconds.
Shunsui blinked, cleared his throat, and casually tucked the device away as if nothing had happened. Then, he turned to Lisa, who had remained silent the entire time.
His expression suddenly became serious.
"Lisa, guard your heart well. Some guys may look good, but deep down, they're just heartbreakers."
"Mind your own business, you old fart!" Lisa snapped through gritted teeth.
"Old fart!?" Shunsui paled, his eyes gradually losing focus. "I'm not even a thousand years old yet…"
Masatsuki patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.
"Senpai, you can't blame me for this. It's karma for all your misdeeds. Try not to take it too hard."
"That's not for you to say!!" Shunsui grumbled.
Noticing that the conversation was getting sidetracked, Isshin cleared his throat and steered it back on track.
"Masatsuki, do you have any other information?"
Masatsuki pinched the bridge of his nose, pretending to think hard.
"Nope, that's all. Our Konsō targets were three adorable kids. Does that count as useful?"
Isshin frowned. "If that's all we've got, closing this case won't be easy."
The room fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances until, finally, Shunsui broke the tension with a smile.
"The answer's obvious, isn't it? If it wasn't Hollows, then who else?"
"The odds of a graduate encountering a Hollow during their Konsō internship aren't particularly high," he added, "but it's not unheard of in the history of Shin'ō Academy."
Isshin considered this for a moment. Right now, it was the only conclusion they could reasonably draw.
But something about the crime scene still didn't sit right with him.
He decided to consult a certain sharp-minded acquaintance.
"Masatsuki, what's your take on this?"
Masatsuki rolled his eyes.
"My take? What take?" he said irritably.
"If this is all the information you've got, then of course I have to agree with Senpai."
"You won't even let me see the investigation files, so what else am I supposed to say?"
Isshin opened his mouth, then shut it again.
He knew Masatsuki was sharp, but those classified documents couldn't be shared with a fresh graduate.
"Then, Captain Kyōraku, I'll draft the report accordingly. No issues with that, right?" Lisa suddenly spoke up.
Her hands were clenched around her book, obscuring her expression.
Shunsui glanced at Isshin and lazily asked, "What do you think, Captain Shiba?"
Isshin thought for a moment before nodding.
"We'll go with that. It's the only conclusion we can reach for now."
Even so, something still felt off—but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
After all, all the testimonies either directly or indirectly supported this conclusion…
There was no way it was wrong.
…
1st Division Barracks.
"Attacked by a Hollow..."
"Is this the conclusion of your investigation, Captain Shiba?"
Seated across from Isshin, Yamamoto sipped his tea, his expression calm and grandfatherly. Dressed in his white haori, he spoke with a gentle tone, as if merely making casual conversation.
"Hollows capable of concealing their Reiatsu are rare, but they do exist."
It was the first time Isshin had seen Yamamoto appear so amiable, and it made him a little uneasy. He cleared his throat and replied,
"Yes. This is our final conclusion after conducting an on-site investigation and questioning Master and the students."
Yamamoto pondered for a moment before suddenly saying,
"What about Masatsuki Aozaki's testimony? Let me see it."
"Captain, are you suspecting him…?" Isshin stiffened, then quickly defended, "He had absolutely nothing to do with this."
As if to make his point more convincing, he hesitated for a moment before adding,
"That kid's a coward who only picks on the weak—he'd never dare mess with the Tsunayashiro Clan."
"It's hard to say what that boy might do," Yamamoto said, narrowing his eyes. His voice grew heavier. "But from what I can see, you seem to have quite a close relationship with him, Captain Shiba."
Isshin handed over the testimony with a dismissive wave.
"To be honest, if that kid hadn't tricked me into joining the Gotei 13, I'd still be messing around in Rukongai."
This boy convinced someone to join the Gotei 13?
Yamamoto's interest was piqued. With a neutral tone, he asked,
"How exactly did he get you to join?"
"He told me that if I became a captain, I'd have power and authority, and I could live a carefree life doing whatever I pleased."
Isshin scoffed.
"Like I wouldn't see through that. The brat was just trying to lighten Kūkaku's burden by making me take the job."
"And Kaien's the same way. He spends all his time training—he acts more like a clan head than I do, and I'm supposed to be the branch family head."
Something about that remark stirred an inexplicable irritation in Yamamoto. His grip on the testimony tightened as he flipped through it faster and faster.
He shouldn't have expected anything different from that boy.
But after finishing Masatsuki's testimony, his anger subsided. He nodded in satisfaction.
He really knows how to keep himself out of trouble…
Comparing all the testimonies in secret, Yamamoto noted that while some were completely useless, the rest corroborated each other.
There were a few minor inconsistencies, but that was to be expected—human memory wasn't perfect. A testimony with slight contradictions was actually more believable than one that was perfectly aligned.
Without changing his expression, he spoke in a steady tone,
"You've done well. I'm very satisfied with this investigation. Consider this matter closed. You've all worked hard."
"This is our duty." Isshin bowed respectfully.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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