Restricted Death

Chapter 121 Reunion with Rukia

Kotetsu Isane has been feeling uneasy lately.

Since that day when Xin confessed his feelings to her, there has been no further discussion. When the two are alone, they only talk about official matters and never discuss anything else.

Given Kotetsu Isane's personality, it's unlikely she'd bring these things up on her own initiative, and each time she could only watch him leave with a resentful look in her eyes.

The sparring match between the Fourth Division and the Tenth Division was held as scheduled and progressed smoothly. Both divisions were very enthusiastic about it, but judging from the final performance, the Fourth Division was still not good.

Most of the participants in this exchange were ordinary team members. Hitsugaya from the 10th Division did not participate, otherwise, given his strength, it would have been a bit of an overreaction.

Just a few days after the exchange meeting between the two divisions ended, Shiba Kaien, the vice-captain of the 13th Division, suddenly came to the 4th Division to seek out a letter.

Seeing that he had come to chat and have a heart-to-heart talk, Xin found an izakaya (Japanese pub) with him.

"I heard you turned down the position of captain of the Third Division?"

After pouring drinks for each other, Shiba Kaien picked up his glass and took a sip by himself first.

"Has this news already spread?" Xin couldn't help but chuckle.

Shiba Kaien nodded.

"I am not interested in the position of captain of the third division."

"That's it..."

Shinya stroked his wine glass, guessing that Shiba's plan was finally taking shape.

As expected, Shiba Kaien put down his wine glass and said directly, "Our captain suddenly suggested to me a couple of days ago that I try to get the position of captain of the Third Division."

Xin countered with, "Do you have confidence?"

Upon hearing this, Shiba Kaien couldn't help but say, "You don't seem surprised at all."

What's so surprising?

"..."

Shiba Kaien remained silent for a moment, then chuckled, and after a brief pause, said, "It's hard to say. If this isn't your intention, then you want me to compete with Vice-Captain Ichimaru, but..."

As he spoke, he suddenly sighed, "I never thought about leaving the 13th Division."

Xin raised his glass and clinked it against his: "This should be a good thing for you, right? You've finally made it through."

It's a good thing, definitely a good thing.

Shiba Kaien doesn't understand why the Captain-Commander would give him such an opportunity, even though his uncle is already the captain of the 10th Division.

He originally thought that as long as his uncle was in office, he would never be able to become the captain.

However, he did not harbor any resentment towards this. He respected Captain Ukitake immensely, and he would be willing to remain the vice-captain of the 13th Division even if it meant staying indefinitely.

Furthermore, he also hoped that his uncle could continue to be the captain of the 10th Division.

But now, such an opportunity has suddenly arisen. For some reason, the captain and the 46th Division have loosened their stance and are allowing him and his uncle to both serve as captains.

The captaincy of the thirteen teams will change every few decades, even at the shortest possible time.

If we miss this opportunity, we don't know when the next one will come.

Shiba Kaien slowly said, "Before, I felt that Captain Ukitake couldn't do without me, and the 13th Division couldn't do without me either, but now Captain Ukitake's illness is cured, and Kiyone and Sentaro are both quite excellent..."

Xin smiled and said, "Since you already know so clearly, what are you hesitating for?"

Shiba Kaien let out a long sigh and said, "Yes, if we succeed, it should be a cause for celebration. Ato also advised me to do the same. What am I hesitating for..."

He looked somewhat wistful.

The two clinked glasses repeatedly and sat in the izakaya for a long time, but Shiba Kaien ultimately didn't say anything.

He might just be feeling a bit anxious and melancholic before facing a major life event, so he just wanted to find someone to drink with.

It was a win-win situation, so he had no reason not to agree.

“We haven’t even fought each other yet,” Xin suddenly said to him.

Shiba Kaien laughed, his face flushed from the alcohol. "I don't want to fight you. It would be too embarrassing to lose to you, kid."

"Ichimaru Gintoki lost to me, what are you afraid of?"

Shiba Kaien shook his head again, "Don't even think about it, kid."

Xin guessed that he probably wanted to maintain a certain level of seniority in front of him, so he smiled and didn't insist on anything.

He didn't think Haiyan could beat him either.

However, it's really hard to say what will happen between Gin Ichimaru and Kaien Shiba.

Shin doesn't know Shiba Kaien's true strength, but since he has mastered Bankai, it means he should have reached the level of a captain.

But Gin Ichimaru will likely continue to conserve his strength, just like he did in his battle with Shin.

Shin knew that Gin Ichimaru had his true trump card because he had read the original work, and he also knew that the other party would not reveal it at this time.

Another week passed, and the First Division suddenly sent a message to all the other divisions.

The selection of the captain of the Third Division will be between Gin Ichimaru, the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, and Kaien Shiba, the vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division. The two will engage in a battle under the watchful eyes of all captains, vice-captains, and high-ranking officers.

The winner will become the captain of the Third Division!
The date was set for two weeks later.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire Seireitei.

Gin Ichimaru and Kaien Shiba were two geniuses who were compared by everyone long ago. Both of them graduated from the Spirit Arts Academy in just one year and both of them took over as the third seat right after graduation.

Now they are both vice-captains of two different squads and will fight for the captaincy.

This undoubtedly attracted tremendous attention and sparked a huge wave of public opinion. The matter overshadowed the unresolved issues from the previous exchange conference and became a hot topic of discussion among countless people.

Unfortunately, this battle was not entirely public. There were strict requirements for those who could participate in the spectating: apart from the upper echelons of Team Thirteen, only members of Room Forty-Six were allowed to participate.

However, before this showdown, there is another matter within the Seireitei that deserves everyone's attention.

The annual cultural festival of the Shinigami Academy has begun again.

Each squad received an invitation.

Upon learning of this, Xin couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies."

“That’s pretty fast,” Kotetsu Isane replied, looking at the letter and saying softly, “It feels like just yesterday that I first saw the letter in the Spirit Arts Academy class.”

Her tone was a little strange, as was the way she looked at the letter.

The Spirit Arts Academy student who came to inform the Fourth Division was a girl named Hinamori, and Isane also remembered her.

She was clearly there for the letter, asking about it several times, but unfortunately the letter was out on a field mission at the time.

However, Kotetsu Isane noticed that Hinamori Momo clearly harbored some special feelings for Shin.

This moment made Kotetsu Isane feel a sense of crisis.

Shin realized something was wrong with her, but he only said, "This year's cultural festival is different from the past, so it's something to look forward to."

"..."

After saying this, Shin didn't say anything else. He chatted with Kotetsu Isane for a few minutes and then left.

This only added to Kotetsu Isane's confusion as she watched him leave.

What exactly does he mean by this...?

#
Kotetsu Isane's favorability rating dropped by two points, but Shin wasn't worried. Ever since Kiyone caught them in their act, he had changed his strategy a bit.

Let it air dry for a while.

Another year, the Ling Shu Academy's cultural festival.

Its scale has grown larger year by year. This year, it was organized and arranged by Rukia, who was serving as the student council president. Unlike before, when they wanted to publish something and find people to raise money, they no longer needed to do that.

The Kuchiki family has plenty of money.

However, the pattern is still quite similar to the past.

Xin returned with Qinglu. He didn't go directly to the student council headquarters, but instead wandered around the campus casually. He occasionally ran into some acquaintances and greeted them.

"You two seem to be having a very leisurely time."

As Xin and Qinglu were reminiscing, they suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Xiubing was also dressed in a shihaka outfit, with a sword at his waist, and stood not far in front of the two.

The witness immediately laughed: "Aren't you the same?"

Since becoming Shinigami, the two have had very few opportunities to meet, and there has been little interaction between the Ninth Division and the Fourth Division, including with Kani Sawa.

That meeting at the previous exchange conference was the most recent one.

"You've been making headlines lately."

The three walked side by side, and Xiu Bing spoke first.

"Okay."

"I thought you would become the captain of the Third Division."

"Not interested in."

“If you really become a captain, you’ll be the youngest captain in the entire history of Soul Society,” Shuhei said. “You’ll also be the person who has been promoted the fastest since graduating from the Spirit Arts Academy.”

Qinglu echoed this sentiment, equally puzzled.

"They're all just empty titles," Xin said casually. "They're useless."

The three of them strolled around aimlessly, and Xiubing asked again, "Aren't we going to check out the student council?"

"They're all pretty busy today, there's no need for that."

That's what they said, but the three of them ran into a member of the student council on campus.

Shiba Rock Eagle.

"Brother Xin! Senior Hisagi! Senior Aoshika!"

He was currently holding a huge stack of boxes that were taller than him.

"What are you..."

"Help my sister move her things."

There will be a fireworks display tonight.

With the three witnesses, they also helped to share some of the burden, and under the guidance of Shiba Ganju, they were taken to their destination.

Shiba Kukaku is here right now, with two burly men standing beside her.

Shin remembers that they should be retainers of the Shiba family.

"How did you come?"

Kukaku was somewhat surprised after seeing the letter.

"We met Brother Xin and the others on the way," said Shiba Ganju, who then introduced Shuhei and Aoshika to Shiba Kukaku.

Kukaku simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are you ready so early? Isn't it supposed to start tonight?" Xin asked, even though it was only morning.

"It's never wrong to prepare early."

Shiba Kukaku looked very interested.

"I'm really looking forward to tonight's scene."

Shiba Kukaku grinned and said, "Don't worry, this will definitely be the most exciting night in Seireitei in a hundred years!"

After saying goodbye to the Shiba siblings, Shin strolled around the Spirit Arts Academy with Xiubing and Qinglu for a while before preparing to leave and return that evening.

"President!"

A voice called out to him. The person who came was walking hurriedly and breathing slightly out of breath, as if they had come specifically to find them.

"Rukia."

Xiubing and Qinglu exchanged a glance, greeted Rukia, and then tactfully left.

Rukia walked up to the letter and stared intently at it: "President, you've come to the Spirit Arts Academy, why don't you go and see the Student Council?"

Xin said helplessly, "I think you must be very busy today, so there's no need to bother you."

He didn't go to the student council mainly because if he ran into Rukia and Hinamori at the same time, it would probably cause another problem.

"It is true that I am very busy, but..."

Rukia lowered her voice as she spoke. She had come looking for him specifically because she had heard from Ganju that she had run into the president.

Shin looked around. They were on campus with many pedestrians around. Suddenly, Shin grabbed Rukia's hand and disappeared in a flash, causing gasps of surprise from the people around them.

In the corridors of the teaching building, most students were gathered in the campus square, so there were hardly any people here.

The two, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, embraced each other. Shin even picked up Rukia's petite body, pinned her against the wall, and kissed her without saying a word.

The feeling of near suffocation lasted for a long time before Shin finally released Rukia. Rukia also looked like she had "come back to life," panting heavily.

"do you miss me?"

Rukia nodded, her cheeks flushed.

"Me too."

"Could you... put me down first...?"

Upon hearing this, Shin released his hand from Rukia's buttocks, allowing her to stand on the ground again.

Rukia silently lowered her head and tidied her slightly disheveled clothes.

Xin savored the feeling from just now and sighed inwardly.

Rukia is quite cute, but her figure is rather average...

"The president has gone bad," Rukia suddenly blurted out, her head bowed, her ears turning red.

Xin was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled: "What, you don't like it?"

As he spoke, he reached out and lifted Rukia's chin. Rukia blushed and turned her head to the side.

She said the letter had gone bad because her hands had been a little too handsy earlier.

It wasn't like this before. When the two of them kissed before, although it was passionate, it was still a clean and pure kiss.

But just now, Xin not only put his hand behind her back, but he even tried to reach it forward...

To be honest, there wasn't much resistance, but Rukia wasn't very confident about her body. She knew that her body type probably wasn't the kind of body men liked, and she was afraid that she wouldn't like it after experiencing it...

In comparison, the type of man that Vice Captain Matsumoto had met before was the kind of man men liked.

Even Hinamori is more well-endowed than me.

Rukia hadn't thought about this before, but Shin's "crossing the line" during their kiss just now suddenly gave her such thoughts.

So much so that she felt both shy and a little anxious.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xin gently patted her head and said softly, "Then I'll behave better next time."

"..."

Rukia blushed even more upon hearing this. She hesitated and shook her head, then, realizing something was amiss, quickly nodded.

The letter was amused by her.

"what do you mean?"

"...It doesn't mean anything, whatever you say, Chairman."

(End of this chapter)