"Then, dear captains, this is where I leave you..."

Sasakibe led the four captains—Otsukawa Ameki, Obana Danjiro, Iwahara Kinraku, and Kadori Bakunsai—who had been dispatched to Hueco Mundo under Captain-Commander Yamamoto's direct orders, to a strange gateway created by the Araki family.

He bowed respectfully and made a sweeping gesture, inviting them to step forward.

"Got it."

Kadori Bakunsai closed the novel she had been reading and returned the gesture with a courteous nod.

"You can go now. Captain-Commander Yamamoto still needs you. We'll handle things here just fine," said Obana Danjiro proudly. He clearly understood Sasakibe's role and the gravity of the moment.

"Well then... I wish you all a safe journey," Sasakibe said, gazing at his former comrades. Though they were leaving the Seireitei, perhaps forever, it wasn't with shame or failure—it was fate, duty. The feelings within him were complex and deep.

"Let's move," barked Iwahara. Otsukawa and the rest followed. Since it was the old man's order, they simply obeyed.

The future? They didn't consider it.

Once, they had been weapons scattered in the darkness of Soul Society. They had never considered the path ahead—only the mission in front of them.

"Ah..."

As the four captains vanished into the gate, Sasakibe returned to himself. He stared at the slowly dimming light and sighed.

"Let's head back..."

Just as his voice trailed off, a gentle, almost playful voice responded beside him.

"Hmm? Captain Shihōin, you're here too?"

Sasakibe turned and saw Shihōin Chihiro, still head of the Second Division. Somehow, he had appeared unnoticed.

Had he been here the entire time? Perhaps he had chosen to stay hidden, unable to bear watching his old comrades go. Or maybe he had only appeared now, once they were gone, to look after their backs one last time...

After all, if anyone in the Seireitei had reason to feel sorrow now, it was the last remaining first-generation captain besides the old man himself.

"We have to see them off…"

Chihiro placed a hand gently on Sasakibe's shoulder, voice quiet, tinged with memory.

"Yeah."

Sasakibe nodded slowly.

"…Want to grab some noodles?"

"Huh?!"

The suggestion caught Sasakibe completely off guard. In a moment like this?

"Seeing my friends find their place again—shouldn't we celebrate?" Chihiro gave him a smile—catlike, mischievous.

"…That's true."

Yes. What lay ahead for those four captains was uncertain—but it was a path away from the judgment and persecution of the Seireitei nobles. That alone was worth celebrating.

"I'll treat!"

"Oh? Then forget the noodles. I know a place—absolutely amazing!"

Shihōin Chihiro's grin widened, sly and predatory. Sasakibe could already see his money evaporating.

If Saitō Furobushi were here, she'd probably take off her sandals and throw them at Chihiro's face.

"Alright…"

Still uncertain, Sasakibe smiled. He was, after all, a gentleman at heart.

Elsewhere…

When the four captains—Kadori, Iwahara, Otogawa, and Obana—stepped through the shadowy Dankai and entered the gloom-filled Hueco Mundo, they were met by…

"Woooo-wooo-wooo~!"

Kumen Igetetsu was playing a tiny trumpet.

"Pa-pa-pa~!"

Zenjoji Arihime banged her gongs and drums.

And Shijima Chigiri… solemnly waved a giant welcome banner with the air of someone who had long since abandoned the will to live.

The whole scene looked like some twisted parody of the Royal Guard's arrival.

"Welcome, Captain Kadori, Captain Iwahara, Captain Obana… and that weirdo over there… to the Hueco Mundo Subjugation Force~!"

Araki, the Division Captain of the Hueco Mundo Subjugation Force, greeted them warmly with an almost saintly smile.

"Huh? Who are you calling a weirdo? Also, Captain Araki, you forgot to welcome me…"

Otsukawa scratched his head and looked around, confused—there was no "weird guy" nearby.

"…"

Araki ignored him completely.

"Wait, hold on…"

Obana Danjiro frowned. "Didn't the reports say you were all dead?!"

Seeing Nichikatsu, Zenjoji, and the others alive and well made his fists clench. He had come here not only for duty—but for vengeance. For his fallen comrades.

"Heh…"

"Being here is basically the same as being dead," Shijima muttered with dead eyes.

PAK!

Araki's iron fist of love crashed into Shijima's skull.

"Ow—ow ow ow!"

Clutching his head, Shijima collapsed. "Why does it still hurt even though I covered my body in spiritual pressure?!"

"Because every one of my punches… is filled with love."

Araki smiled serenely.

"Pfft…"

"You idiot! Don't you know Araki's fists bypass armor?!"

Saito Furobushi snickered behind her hand.

After all, she had taken more of Araki's punches than anyone else. She knew well the pain of being "loved."

"Anyway…" Araki began, turning back to the new arrivals. "For... various reasons, people like us—assassins, misfits—have no place in Soul Society anymore."

"…So we're trapped in Hueco Mundo for life?!"

Obana Danjiro, always perceptive, instantly grasped the implication in Araki's words and asked,

"Of course not…"

Araki simply shook his head.

"You can't go to the living world, can you?"

Danjiro pressed, watching Araki's reaction. Seeing him shake his head again, he chuckled at his own question.

"…"

Araki said nothing. Yet Danjiro's comment had hit a nerve—it was a reminder that plans concerning the real world could not be delayed forever.

"Wait… are you actually planning to go to the real world?!"

To Danjiro, what he had said offhandedly now felt like a frighteningly accurate guess.

"Of course not…"

Araki repeated calmly, then turned toward the assembled captains and said,

"Obana Danjiro, Kadori Bakunsai, Iwahara, and Ameaki… There's only one path for you now. You'll come with me to the Royal Palace, and live in my Departure Palace from this day forward."

"What do you mean?!"

Ameki and the others were visibly shaken.

"Become my personal guards—Captains."

Araki smiled faintly as he extended the invitation.

At that moment, Unohana Retsu, Saitō Furobushi, Shijima Chigiri, Taketsuna, Kumen Kamoi Tetsu, Zenjoji Arihime, and Nishikotsu Saizo silently moved to stand behind him.

Though the other captains remained silent, the message was already clear.

"It seems you've all made your choice," Obana Denjiro said, adjusting his glasses as he studied their faces. "Then… can you at least give me a reason?"

"Because Araki is stronger than all of us," said Kono Taketsuna bluntly.

"Ditto!" Kumen Kamoi Tetsu added cheerfully.

"Not just that—Captain Araki can make us stronger," Zenjoji said with a twisted grin stretching across his plump face.

"Having a place to stay is good enough for me! Who needs more reason than that?" Shijima said, scratching the back of his head.

"I've never seen the Royal Palace before! Sounds fun," Nishikotsu added, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Unohana and Saitō simply exchanged a knowing glance. Neither spoke.

Araki's calm, ever-smiling expression didn't change.

"So… what do you all think?"

Obana Danjiro let out a hearty laugh.

"That's quite the invitation. I'll join you."

To him, it was enough to know his comrades had survived, and that they could still fight together.

"Me too," Ameki sighed. At this point, no other path seemed more meaningful.

"As long as I have books, I don't care where I go," Kadori Bakunsai muttered with a contented look.

"And me…" Iwahara hesitated, rubbing his chin, unsure how to respond.

But before he could decide, Araki had already turned, leading the others toward the base.

"This row here is the dormitory quarters, built from the timber of the Great Hollow Forest. They're solid—very solid. Even the mosquitos keep away. After the expedition, maybe we'll take some of them back to the Seireitei!"

Araki led the captains through the base, eventually arriving at a large facility.

"And this is our hot spring. Powerful stuff—instant healing. Nothing fancy, just effective. You'll love it."

Then Araki turned toward the troops.

"Shinigami of the 11th Division! Go and hunt a few Killians! We've got guests to entertain!"

"Yes, Captain! We'll bring the best corpses back for you!"

With that, the 11th Division shinigami charged into the Great Hollow Forest, eager for battle.

"Once they return, I'll show you the full power of this hot spring myself."

Araki said this with a smile, turning slightly to face his guests.

Meanwhile, Ameki stood alone, watching them go with a gloomy look.

"Am I being… left out?"

He stood there for a while, waiting… hoping someone would come back for him.

But when it became clear no one would…

"Fine! I get it already! I'll join you, okay?!"

He shouted, breaking into a run toward the others.

"Just wait for me! Don't leave me here alone!"

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