"Hey! Captain Araki~ You finally came out of your team leader's room?!"

Captain Sasakibe Chōjirō stared at Araki, who was smiling beside Kadori. Forcing a smile and suppressing his rising anger, he greeted him stiffly.

In his heart, Sasakibe kept repeating like a mantra: "Hold it in... Hold it in... You must hold back your anger!"

"Huh?"

Araki looked up, saw it was Sasakibe... and immediately ignored him.

"Captain Kadori, let's take a detour. There's something filthy over there with wrinkled clothes—don't want to risk your eyes being polluted."

Without hesitation, Araki grabbed Kadori 's hand and walked away, opposite Sasakibe's direction.

"Don't ignore me! Araki!!"

"We're dear friends!"

Sasakibe's face twisted as he watched Araki glance at him like he was literal garbage. He grit his teeth and shouted desperately.

"Bakudō #99: Kin!" (Binding Spell 99: Prohibition!)

Startled, Araki turned around. Then, with an effortless flick of his fingers, he unleashed the high-level Binding Spell.

"Wait—you're using Bakudō 99 on me?! Are you insane?!"

Sasakibe's eyes widened in panic as luminous bands of energy wrapped around him from every direction. He hadn't even finished speaking before he was completely restrained.

In an instant, he was sealed to the wall of the 11th Division barracks—again.

Ah… the mighty Vice-Captain Sasakibe, master of a weather-controlling Zanpakutō… defeated once more without even a fight.

At that moment, only one thing echoed in Sasakibe's heart:

"A hundred years ago, we were brothers! When we parted, we were brothers! And now? You're the 11th Division's Captain, and you can't even spare me a glance? Not only that—you bind me with Bakudō 99, a spell meant for Espada-level Hollows?! All because of some woman you don't even know?! Have some humanity! I'm your brother… and I'm suffering…"

"This way~"

Araki hummed cheerfully, leading the dazed Kadori into the 11th Division's headquarters.

Naturally, Kadori is the 8th Division's Captain. How could a mere Vice-Captain like Sasakibe compare?!

And of course—Araki definitely didn't treat Kadori differently just because of that devilish figure of her. Nope! Araki was a man of fairness and justice!

Inside the 11th Division's captain's room, Araki and Kadori sat across a long table, fresh tea steaming between them.

"So, Captain Kadori, what brings you here today?"

Araki asked casually, glancing at the pure and adorable figure sitting across from him—so unlike the usual savages of the original Gotei 13.

"Ah, actually… it's nothing too important..."

Kadori's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked down with a shy expression.

"Uh…"

Araki blinked, stunned.

That shy Kadori before him was like a sweet, ripened apple—enticing, innocent, and blushing. Even without touching, just looking was enough to bring joy and calm to the soul.

For a moment, Araki questioned his own judgment: Was this really one of the monstrous founding captains of the Gotei 13?

She looked more like a delicate blossom just beginning to bloom… or to be precise—a busty, moeblob high school girl.

"Actually, I heard from Saitō-san that the 'thing' down there isn't useful to you anymore. So I came to ask if you could cut it off and lend it to me for a few days. I'll return it after I've completed my research!"

Kadori blinked innocently.

"Pfft—Hah?! Wait, what?!"

Araki choked on his tea, practically coughing up his soul.

He instantly withdrew all the praises he'd just mentally awarded Kadori.

As the old saying goes: A red plum is red, a black plum is black.

There's no such thing as "normal" in the first generation of the Gotei 13—just murderers, lunatics, and deviants!

He had been careless!

Kadori —clearly the Gotei 13's number one "brainless bride candidate"—was just another delusional airhead with weapons of mass distraction.

"Is it really not possible?"

"I'm just borrowing it for a little while… it's not like I won't return it!"

"I heard your Zanpakutō has the best healing ability in Soul Society—it can regenerate entire limbs! Something like this should be fine, right?"

Kadori tilted her head with a soft smile.

"Can you hear yourself? Are you speaking human language?"

Araki's eyelid twitched as he looked at the absurdly earnest expression on Kadori's face.

"But I've already read everything there is in books. I need… real-world samples!"

As she said this, Kadori pulled out a small yellow-covered book with an extremely hot cover image.

"A-Ah…"

Araki fell into silence.

So that's what this was all about…

From Kyōraku Shunsui to Lisa Yadōmaru… the source of all these captains' obsession with erotic literature traced back to this woman!

"Let's not even talk about whether I'd let you borrow 'it' or not."

"Let's talk about who told you that my precious treasure was out of use?!"

Araki narrowed his eyes. He already had a suspect in mind… but he wanted confirmation before hunting anyone down.

"Well…"

"If I tell you, will you let me borrow it—just once?!"

Kadori tried bargaining again.

"If you tell me, I'll lend you one thing to complete your research..."

Araki responded slyly.

"Okay! But promise not to tell anyone—I wasn't supposed to say anything! Saitō was the one who told me!"

Kadori confessed without hesitation.

"Hah! Saitō... so it was you!"

Araki cracked his knuckles, spiritual pressure flaring ever so slightly.

Araki laughed when he heard those words. He had suspected when he heard the name "Saito" earlier. But since there were many people with the surname Saito in the 13th Division, he wanted to be sure—after all, Araki didn't like killing innocent people.

"What exactly did Saito Furobushi tell you?"

After confirming the suspect, Araki continued questioning Kadori.

"Saito told me that your 'baby' is like a gecko's tail—it can regenerate even if it's cut off! That's why I came to find you…"

Kadori answered absentmindedly. But halfway through, she suddenly caught herself.

She blinked and stared at Araki, puzzled. "Wait a second... Araki, how did you know the one who told me this was Saito Furobushi?!"

"Nothing, I just guessed~"

Araki looked at the slightly ditzy Kadori and sighed inwardly.

He still couldn't tell whether she was truly innocent—or just a natural-born black-bellied schemer pretending to be naive!

"Anyway, now that you know who told me, you can't go back on your word~"

Kadori said sweetly. But with a shing, a sharp naginata appeared in her hand…

Clearly, if Araki dared show even the slightest reluctance, Kadori would cut it off herself!

"Relax~ Since I promised, I won't break my word."

"But I only promised to give it to you… I didn't say I'd give you mine~"

As he spoke, Araki activated the power of his Ope Ope no Mi.

"ROOM!"

As the transparent sphere of power expanded, a soft pop sounded—and in the next instant, both Araki and Kadori disappeared from the 11th Division's head room, replaced by two ordinary bricks.

At the same time—

They reappeared outside the gate of the 11th Division's barracks.

"Chojiro, come out~"

With a flick of his finger, Araki summoned Chojiro, who was still plastered to the wall under the 99th Binding Spell.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Chojiro blinked in confusion, unaware of the storm headed his way.

"Thank goodness you're unharmed, Sasakibe!"

Araki gave a bright smile and introduced them. "Captain Kadori, this is Vice-Captain Sasakibe Chojiro of the First Division—and my half-brother."

"Today, I've decided… I'll give you his treasure instead."

He turned toward Kadori with an uncharacteristically sunny grin.

After all, Chojiro Sasakibe had been stuck in a bottleneck for ages. It was time to give him a real push toward a breakthrough!

Araki had realized something: Unohana's training was too gentle. Sasakibe always knew she'd heal him, no matter how badly he was hurt.

But Kadori… Kadori would actually kill him.

"Alright~"

Kadori looked at Sasakibe Chojiro with a blank but strangely adorable expression and nodded.

"As for me… I still have some business to attend to."

With that, Araki vanished, flash-stepping toward the Sixth Division.

"Now then…"

Kadori turned her attention back to Chojiro, raising her naginata in a gleaming arc.

"Captain Kadori! What are you doing?!"

Sweat poured down Sasakibe's forehead as he took a cautious half-step back.

He wasn't sure what exactly had happened—but the moment he saw Kadori draw her weapon, he knew something was terribly wrong!

"Why, you're lending me your treasure, of course~"

Kadori said this expressionlessly… and cruelly.

"Y-You're joking, right? Captain Kadori?!"

Sasakibe's face twisted into a horrified grimace.

Araki… that bastard! With his innocent-looking face, he had actually talked Captain Kadori into doing something totally not suitable for children!

Still, Sasakibe reminded himself that the captains of the Gotei 13 were anything but normal. As soon as the danger became real, he bolted.

A few minutes later…

Araki stood outside the 6th Division's barracks, his face blank. After locking onto Saito Furobushi's reiatsu, he calmly drew the Zanpakutō from his waist.

On the other side—

"Inhale… exhale… inhale… exhale…"

Sasakibe Chojiro hid inside the First Division's barracks, panting hard.

"She wasn't joking… She was actually serious!!"

Luckily, his two-and-a-half months of life-or-death training under Unohana Retsu had paid off. His sword skills hadn't improved much, but his escape technique had definitely leveled up!

"It feels so good to be back in the First Division…"

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Captain Kadori… probably won't chase me in here, right…?"

After all, this was the First Division's headquarters—protected by none other than Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto himself!

Even the craziest captains wouldn't dare set foot here without the Head Captain's permission…

But—

After that wild life-and-death sprint with Kadori , Sasakibe felt something click.

The instant step he had been stuck on for so long had… loosened.

It's true after all…

Between life and death—comes breakthrough.

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