Bleach: The Fifth Division Captain

Inside the Maggot's Nest.

Dressed in a plain white prison uniform, Seiya looked neat and composed as he sat on a bench, smiling calmly at his two visitors.

Before leaving, Yoruichi had not departed without a word.

She had left a message: "After handling matters at home, I will come find Seiya."

Though he had expected something like this, hearing it firsthand still made him sigh.

How carefree of her to dump everything on someone else…

Good thing he was here to clean up the mess.

"This is the situation, and these are the words Lady Yoruichi asked me to pass on to you."

It was the fourth day since Yoruichi's departure and since Seiya had been imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest.

At last, the Shihōin family had sent people to see him.

Only Yūshirō and Sui-Fēng had come.

One was the acting head, and the other, the chief steward—it was a small team, but at least it had taken shape.

To be fair, though they had taken longer than expected, it wasn't entirely surprising.

Yoruichi's departure had undoubtedly caused major upheaval, and leaving without a word was bound to trigger chaos in multiple areas.

If anything—

The fact that they managed to make time to hear his account within four days was impressive efficiency.

By the time Seiya finished relaying Yoruichi's message, Yūshirō was already in tears.

He sniffled, nodded repeatedly, and muttered vague words, clearly struggling to accept reality while trying to maintain his composure.

It was obvious the pressure was immense.

His already delicate frame seemed even thinner now, his cheeks slightly sunken.

"I… I understand… If this is Lady Yoruichi's will, then I will accept it."

However—

"I absolutely cannot accept the position of family head. As her blood relative, I can manage household affairs and exercise authority—"

"But the head of the Shihōin family is still Lady Yoruichi! Seiya, if there's any way to contact her…"

"Please tell her that the Shihōin family will always await her return."

To his credit, Yūshirō's gaze was unwavering as he spoke.

Seeing his determination, Seiya couldn't help but feel impressed.

He really was growing.

Of course, after saying that, Yūshirō broke down into sobs again.

Once he had barely managed to collect himself, he wiped his tears and forced a strained smile.

"The family matters aside… Seiya, isn't it unfair for you to be stuck in here?"

Seiya simply grinned.

"Not at all. The people here are quite easy to get along with."

This wasn't Muken, where only the worst criminals were held. The food was mediocre, but they were provided for.

More importantly, there were no strict restrictions on movement.

Within the designated area, inmates could move freely.

Since no one could fight him and there was nowhere to run, within just half a day, Seiya had already unified the scattered groups and factions inside.

Of course, heavier offenders like Mayuri had been placed in solitary confinement, locked away in a VIP suite 24/7.

Seiya was different.

His sentence was only five years—meant for reflection, not punishment.

Hearing this, Yūshirō's expression visibly stiffened.

This wasn't going according to plan—his prepared speech was now useless!

Sensing his awkwardness, Seiya chuckled.

"Yūshirō, if it's convenient, could you step outside for a moment? Lady Yoruichi left a personal message for Sui-Fēng."

Lacking any presence as an acting head, Yūshirō stood up without hesitation and headed for the door.

"Then I'll leave you to it… Sui-Fēng, be polite."

Face tense, unreadable, Sui-Fēng stiffly responded.

"…Understood."

Bang!

With the door shut, only two remained.

Dressed in her tight combat uniform, Sui-Fēng stood with arms crossed, glaring coldly at Seiya.

She didn't even seem interested in speaking.

Fortunately, Seiya didn't care about her attitude. He simply got straight to the point.

"Lady Yoruichi's message is simple."

"It's only two sentences."

"First—she hopes you will serve Yūshirō as you served her, and guide him in his growth."

"…And second."

After a brief pause, Seiya's expression turned somewhat complicated.

Sui-Fēng's eyebrows immediately furrowed, her voice sharp.

"What else? Speak quickly!"

"Lady Yoruichi hopes that you will stop obsessing over her. She wants you… to forget about her."

Oof. What a classic heartbreaker line.

As soon as Seiya uttered those words, he felt a pang in his stomach.

And at the same time—

He could visibly see it.

Sui-Fēng's eyes reddened instantly.

"...!"

She lowered her head.

Her crossed arms dropped slightly, hands rising to her face.

There was no sobbing, no dramatic reaction.

But Seiya could feel it.

She was crying.

What a sight.

In front of Yoruichi, she would wail openly.

But in front of others, she suppressed everything.

So… should he comfort her?

The atmosphere felt strange.

"…Liar."

Seiya blinked.

"Huh?"

"LIAR!!!"

A hysterical scream erupted.

Sui-Fēng snapped her head up, her expression contorted.

"Why was he the one to deliver this message?! Lady Yoruichi would never abandon us like this!"

"She must be facing something she can't handle alone—she doesn't want to drag us into it!"

"You just say nice words! You don't understand anything!"

For the first time in his life, someone was shouting at Seiya like this.

It was… a little jarring.

And also—

Uh…

"Lady Yoruichi did say this, though."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

Ah, there it was. Pure stubbornness.

Wiping away her tears, Sui-Fēng glared at Seiya like she wanted to tear him apart.

"The only head of the Shihōin family is Lady Yoruichi. I'll help Yūshirō, but nothing more."

"I will never stop searching for her—"

"And you better not get in my way!"

Like I have time for that.

Seiya raised his hands in surrender.

"Do as you please. My job was just to deliver the message."

The way events were unfolding felt eerily close to the original story.

Yoruichi refused to show herself, making Seiya the messenger.

In the end, it was nothing but an escape.

And for those affected—

Seiya had thought he might be able to change something.

But the truth was disappointing.

Without Yoruichi in front of them, he had no way of persuading these two.

"..."

Sui-Fēng hesitated, momentarily surprised by Seiya's indifference.

Then came something else—disdain.

She felt disgusted.

She really couldn't trust this guy.

She couldn't understand—

Why did Lady Yoruichi acknowledge someone like him?

What does he have that I don't?

I don't understand—I don't understand at all!

Taking a deep breath, Sui-Fēng stepped back.

Her gaze was filled with resentment.

"You're really unpleasant."

Seiya simply smiled.

She had said the same thing before, hadn't she?

But this time, there was venom behind her words.

No doubt—

She truly hated him now.

Not that it mattered. It wasn't like he expected her to like him.

In a flat voice, he replied,

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Sui-Fēng clenched her fists, glaring at him.

"Don't waste your time while you're in here."

"…?"

What was she suddenly on about?

"When you get out, I'll defeat you in a proper fight."

"I'll prove… that I'm far superior to you."

"I'll show Lady Yoruichi—"

"That she was wrong about you!"

Oh.

She was already going full yandere.

Seiya smirked.

"Is that so? I look forward to it."

After all—

He wouldn't be here much longer.

The day wasn't over yet.

A new visitor arrived.

The moment Seiya saw him, he sat up straight.

The man before him smoothed out his uniform and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Seiya-kun, you've worked hard."

"You flatter me, Aizen-sensei."

Aizen Sōsuke.

Smiling as always, he regarded Seiya with a look of quiet admiration.

There was much he wanted to say—words that couldn't be summed up in mere pleasantries.

But this was neither the time nor place.

So, he got straight to the point.

"Seiya-kun, time is short, so I'll be direct."

"Regarding your application for captaincy—"

"How confident are you?"

----------

Powerstones?

For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates