Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Incident and the Inquiry
Chapter 31: The Incident and the Inquiry
"Yato Uchiha."
"Present."
"Do you promise that every word you are about to say will be the unvarnished truth, with no omissions?"
"Of course."
"Good." In the dimly lit room, the middle-aged Soul Reaper nodded, his tone stern.
"Then, Yato Uchiha, please recount once more everything you witnessed in Hueco Mundo... Uh?"
The door creaked open.
A female Soul Reaper with braided hair, a pretty face, but an aloof expression pushed open the door to the inquiry room without hesitation.
"Lieutenant Yadomaru? Why are you..."
"You can leave. I will be taking over the final inquiry regarding Yato Uchiha."
"Yes, Lieutenant."
The middle-aged Soul Reaper obeyed and left, pulling the door shut behind him.
Lisa Yadomaru sat across from Yato. She unpinned her Lieutenant’s badge and placed it on the table with a soft clack.
"Lieutenant Yadomaru." Yato Uchiha nodded slightly in a gesture of respect.
The female Soul Reaper pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her mind swiftly reviewing the boy’s complete file.
Originated from the 62nd District of the East Rukongai; achieved top honors in all four disciplines: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido; his Zanpakuto is suspected to be of the extremely rare "Multi-Stage Release" type; no prior disciplinary infractions; personality is sharp yet restrained...
"Tsk." Lisa Yadomaru scoffed right to Yato’s face:
"You flawless geniuses are always the hardest ones to deal with."
"’Us’?" Yato caught the slip of information in her words:
"Are you saying Byakuya Kuchiki is being subjected to special treatment, just like me?"
"Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda of the 2nd Division will be conducting Byakuya Kuchiki’s final inquiry."
"Oh my, you’re certainly being strict with me and old Byakuya."
"This is for your protection, and a mark of respect." Lisa Yadomaru scrutinized the boy, capturing every minuscule shift in his expression.
"Given the talents you and Byakuya Kuchiki possess, you will instantly become high-ranking Seated Officers upon graduation. You are the future of the Seireitei. Furthermore..."
"Within Hueco Mundo, only you and Byakuya Kuchiki possessed the capability to continuously slaughter fifty-three sixth-year students!"
"Now then, please recount all your experiences in Hueco Mundo once more, Yato Uchiha."
The boy sighed and began reciting the lengthy fabrication once again.
Over the past few days, he had lost count of how many times he had repeated this story.
And he was certain the Soul Reaper sitting across from him had read the written records of these statements numerous times as well.
Yet, Lisa Yadomaru remained incredibly attentive. Her delicate jawline rose and fell slightly as the story unfolded, looking exactly like a diligent student listening intently to a lecture.
"...After miraculously managing to achieve my Stage Two Shikai, I killed those Adjuchas and returned to the designated exercise zone."
"Byakuya had also returned by then. I chatted with him for a bit before we both sat down to meditate and adjust our breathing."
"When it was time to return to the Soul Society, it was obvious that not everyone had made it back. Captain Shihoin left the area several times, and her expression grew quite frightening."
"Finally, we passed through the Senkaimon, returned to the Soul Society, and were subsequently brought here..."
After finishing this long monologue, Yato Uchiha felt his mouth run dry. He picked up the teacup on the table and downed it in several large gulps.
Lisa Yadomaru took her notes and compared them with Yato’s previous statements. Aside from a few negligible discrepancies, the core narrative remained consistent.
"Very well, Yato Uchiha. The ’Three-Day Inquiry’ process is now officially concluded." The female Lieutenant pointed toward the door:
"You may leave. Make sure to get some rest."
"Yes, Lieutenant Yadomaru." The boy set down his teacup, stood up, and grasped the door handle.
As he pulled the door open, Yato abruptly froze in his tracks, pausing before stepping out of the inquiry room.
Standing right outside the door was a man.
He looked to be in his forties, sporting a faint, bluish stubble and wearing a straw hat. A pink, flowered haori was draped over a white one, giving him an air of carefree nonchalance.
This man was none other than the Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku.
"Captain Kyoraku!" The boy stood at attention like an obedient student.
"So you’re Yato Uchiha, huh?" Shunsui Kyoraku chuckled, patting him on the shoulder:
"You look even more handsome in person than in your portraits!"
"You praise me too much, Captain Kyoraku."
"Say, young man, which Division are you planning to join after graduation?"
"Uh, I haven’t really thought about it yet..."
"Come join the 8th Division!" Shunsui Kyoraku slung an arm around the boy’s shoulders and leaned in, whispering conspiratorially:
"When the time comes, we can go drinking in the red-light district together. There are plenty of wealthy, beautiful women there. When they see you, they’ll definitely fight over who gets to foot the bill..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Behind them, Lisa Yadomaru, her face darkened with exasperation, rapped her knuckles loudly against the table. She glared at her Captain, her eyes brimming with disdain.
"Oh dear, our Lisa is angry." Shunsui Kyoraku feigned terror, raising his hands in surrender:
"Yato, let’s chat later, yeah?"
"Yes, Captain Kyoraku."
The boy remained as respectful as ever, slowly taking his leave.
In the quiet inquiry room, only the Captain and Lieutenant of the 8th Division remained.
"Truly terrifying. The young people these days."
Shunsui Kyoraku sat in the chair Yato had just vacated, tipping his straw hat down to cover his face:
"A ’Multi-Stage Release’ type Zanpakuto, hm? It seems the day we old timers have to retire and return to the countryside isn’t too far off."
Seeing her Captain finally show a sliver of seriousness, Lisa Yadomaru picked up the report and voiced her analysis:
"There are no issues with Yato Uchiha. Throughout the entire inquiry process, he appeared exceptionally forthright, though he does seem somewhat overly apathetic regarding the deaths of his classmates."
"However, considering he skipped grades to join the graduating class, this is somewhat understandable... Byakuya Kuchiki next door has displayed a similar attitude."
Shunsui Kyoraku offered no response. The shadow cast by his straw hat completely obscured his expression, making it seem as though he had fallen asleep.
Lisa paid him no mind and continued speaking:
"Therefore, I will issue a joint report with the 6th and 2nd Divisions, presenting the findings of this investigation to the 1st Division."
"The ’Sixth-Year Student Mortality Incident’ that occurred three days ago was a consequence of wandering too deeply into Hueco Mundo and encountering a sudden, coordinated ambush by Menos Grande. It was not a man-made disaster."
"On a related note, Yato Uchiha also encountered an Adjuchas-class Menos Grande. However, he successfully achieved his Stage Two Shikai and slaughtered them all."
"This inadvertently corroborates our deduction—there were indeed Adjuchas roaming outside the designated exercise zone."
"This incident resulted in the deaths of fifty-three academy students. It is a deeply agonizing security failure, just like three years ago."
"Captain, this is the unanimous conclusion reached by myself, Lieutenant Sojun Kuchiki of the 6th Division, and Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda of the 2nd Division. If you have no objections, I will head to the 1st Division..."
The purportedly dozing Shunsui Kyoraku suddenly pressed down on his straw hat and spoke softly:
"Just like three years ago? I recall that during the Shin’o Academy’s live combat exercise that year, the second son of the Shiba Clan met his end in the jaws of a Menos Grande."
"Captain, it was Moritora Shiba." Lisa Yadomaru paused, a hint of hesitation in her voice:
"Are you implying..."
"Nothing at all. The thought merely crossed my mind, that’s all." Shunsui Kyoraku suddenly chuckled:
"Alright, alright, your work here is done. Make sure you look lively when you go see Old Man Yama, otherwise I’ll be the one getting yelled at again."
"Yes, Captain."
Lisa Yadomaru nodded. She gathered the documents and prepared to leave. However, just as her fingertips brushed the door handle, she heard her Captain’s voice once more:
"Oh, right, Lisa. One more thing. Which Lieutenants were tasked with acting as the rearguard and backup support for this exercise?"
"They were Seinosuke Yamada of the 4th Division, Sosuke Aizen of the 5th Division, and Hiyori Sarugaki of the 12th Division."
The man named Shunsui Kyoraku closed his eyes, the faces and personalities of those three Lieutenants surfacing in his mind.
"...Captain?"
Lisa called out softly a few times, but received no further response.
☆☆☆
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