Chapter Sixty-Nine: Such an Exciting Start

“Oh, so you two are really together.”
Having resolved to stir up a commotion, Chojirou’s first target was, of course, beyond question.
Since he was seeking trouble with Aizen, it was only logical to start with Aizen’s subordinates—and compared to the others, the easiest targets were him… No, in the current situation, one should say them.
Chojirou curled his lips as he gazed at the two before him.
Captain Sajin Komamura of the Seventh Division, and Captain Kaname Tosen of the Ninth Division.
Faced with these two high-ranking comrades who clung to each other all day, Chojirou could only sigh in resignation.
Honestly, there was no shortage of women in the Seireitei; Komamura aside, what was Tosen doing glued to a man all the time?
“Vice-Captain Sasakibe.”
Komamura was the first to notice the man who blocked his and Tosen’s path.
Both his own and his close friend’s lieutenants—Tetsuzaemon Iba and Shuhei Hisagi—had been dispatched to deal with the sudden surge of Ryoka, leaving Komamura and Tosen alone. At a time when Sasakibe Chojirou, who ought never to leave the Captain-General’s side, suddenly stood in their way.
What was he planning?
Beneath the mask, Komamura’s keen eyes narrowed.
“You’ve come to us at this time—is there something from the Captain-General? If so, you could have just sent a message through the patrol squads.”
“You’re unusually talkative today, Captain Tosen.”
Chojirou straightened his white, sleeveless haori and smiled indifferently.
“I’ve heard that the dying always have much to say.”
“You—!”
A sharp sound.
Komamura was about to lose his temper; even if the man before him was the lieutenant who had greatly aided him, it did not mean he could speak so brazenly, like that man, in his presence.
Yet Tosen stopped Komamura’s anger.
“Don’t engage in unnecessary combat, Komamura.”
“Heh…”
How interesting—it was impressive that Tosen remained so calm at a time like this. Was that Aizen’s training?
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to take your life. I have no wish to create a future I cannot control. However…”
Chojirou tilted his head, a sly smile spreading over his face.
“I merely ask that you withdraw from the stage before the final act.”
“I see. In other words, you intend to fight us no matter what?”
“Not necessarily. If you stand quietly aside, I’ll try to make sure your injuries are light.”
“Insolence!”
Unable to contain his fury, Komamura broke through Tosen’s restraint and threw a punch at Chojirou, who was nearly half a head shorter than himself.
“Don’t get so arrogant just because you’re a vice-captain!”
A deafening crash.
“My, my, you’ve truly surprised me, Captain Komamura…”
Though Komamura’s brute force had left the surroundings in shambles, his intended target seemed utterly unscathed, holding aloft Komamura’s fist—far larger than his own hand—with a chilling, never-before-seen sneer.
“What was that you just said about vice-captains?”
“…!”
Komamura looked up in surprise.
Even Tosen, blind behind his glasses, narrowed his eyes.
What was happening?
Komamura’s furious blow—while not a zanpakuto strike—was a physical attack from a massive body that even captains might not dare take head-on. Did this vice-captain possess power far beyond captain-class?
“Wait, Komamura.”
“Tosen?”
“Let me handle this. After all, he came for me, didn’t he?”
It was not a question, but a certainty. In his assured tone, Tosen stated Chojirou’s purpose.
No, it was not a guess—it was a declaration.
“Oh, you’re quite perceptive. Although I said it before, it’s possible I was lying, Captain Tosen.”
Chojirou’s smile grew ever brighter. At least this man wasn’t useless—he had clearly discerned Chojirou’s true intent.
“Are you only now thinking of running?”
Tosen’s hand rested on the hilt at his waist—a sign he had no intention of letting Chojirou leave.
Even if he was the Captain-General’s lieutenant, since he had provoked them, if he was killed by accident, even Central 46 would have nothing to say—unless, of course, Central 46 was in a position to say anything at all.
“Run? No, no, you still don’t understand me…”
Chojirou shook his head, shrugging helplessly.
“I was trying to provoke Captain Komamura. There’s no point in facing only one of you.”
“Such arrogance across ranks can certainly be deemed ‘evil.’”
A blade rasped as it was drawn.
“Cry out, Suzumushi.”
A piercing, shrill sound assaulted his mind!
“Ugh…”
Staggering, Chojirou struggled to maintain his balance.
Directly attacking the senses—how excessive. Damn it…
“Can’t even stand straight? Then step down, and I’ll spare your life.”
“What a boast, Captain Tosen.”
“I thought this would be a gradual exchange, but I didn’t expect such excitement right from the start…”
In truth, Chojirou didn’t care much for Tosen’s assault. Even attacks that targeted the mind or senses directly were, to him, ultimately futile.
“I don’t like things escalating so quickly, but it seems there’s no time for a slow approach…”
Since his opponent drew a sword, there was no need to fight barehanded.
A crisp sound—
Yanlingmaru was unsheathed!
A step forward—
“Step back, Komamura.”
Komamura moved to assist his friend, only to be stopped by Tosen once again.
“Tosen…”
“If we attack together, it’s a sin beyond mere discourtesy. Let me handle this alone.”
“…Very well.”
Knowing his friend’s near-fanatical devotion to justice, Komamura did not insist and retreated to a distance. Besides, he did not believe that this vice-captain could defeat a captain-level opponent.
Even if there were legends—mythical, nearly divine—about him, those tales were a thousand years old. While others, including vice-captains, might naively believe in such legends, among the captains, save for a rare few, most deemed them mere boastful rumor—
If the legend were true, why had this man spent a millennium as subordinate to the Captain-General, never once leading a division?
A man who lived only in legend was hardly a threat.
Chojirou, of course, was unaware of this odd captain’s judgment of him; all was proceeding just as he wished.
“Here I come, Captain Tosen.”