Chapter 462 - 462: An Investigation and the Captain-Commander’s Summons

At Shin'ō Academy, Cyrus had someone fetch Robin and the others.

"That disturbance earlier was you, wasn't it?"

The moment Robin saw him, she was already struggling not to laugh.

"How did you know?"

Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

"I just knew you wouldn't stay quiet for long."

Robin said it as though the answer were obvious.

"You're wrong this time."

Cyrus shook his head.

That only made her pause.

"It wasn't you?"

"It was."

Cyrus nodded.

"But I wasn't the one who started it."

"So it was still you."

Robin finally broke.

She leaned against Hancock's chest, laughing hard enough that Cyrus could only stare at her.

Since when had those two gotten this close?

"We made a bet earlier," Hancock explained, looking slightly embarrassed. "Robin said it had to be you. Baby 5 and I didn't believe her."

"I see."

Cyrus let it go and looked over the three women.

"How are things going?"

Naturally, he meant the Zanpakutō training.

The whole point of sending them to Shin'ō Academy had been to see whether they could acquire Shinigami powers.

"It's strange."

Robin straightened, her expression becoming serious.

"And we're starting to attract attention."

"We don't have the same spiritual power as the others. Some people are already getting suspicious."

Hancock and Baby 5 nodded.

"I managed to awaken a Zanpakutō."

Cyrus spoke casually.

"I can release it too."

All three stared at him.

"You're different from us?"

Robin asked.

"Not really."

Cyrus shook his head.

"The problem is probably that none of you are spiritual bodies. It shouldn't be impossible to solve, but now isn't the time."

He thought for a moment.

"Start preparing to leave. We won't stay in Soul Society much longer."

"The fight earlier put me on certain people's radar, so we may have to move sooner than expected."

He glanced toward the distance.

"Afterward, I'll take you to the World of the Living. There are a few things I want to investigate."

"Understood."

Robin nodded.

"Lord Cyrus, do you need us to help with anything?"

Hancock asked when she saw him preparing to leave.

"Not yet."

Cyrus waved a hand.

"You know what my abilities are like. If I need you, I can reach you almost instantly."

"For now, go back. If anyone questions you, stick to whatever story Aizen arranged."

With that, Cyrus left.

The three women exchanged looks.

"Looks like Cyrus is about to cause another huge mess."

Robin sighed.

"If no one attacks Lord Cyrus first, he usually won't cause that much trouble."

Hancock, surprisingly, defended him.

"That's true."

Robin nodded.

"Still, stay alert. This world isn't weak."

They had already seen Shinigami fighting in Hueco Mundo.

Their abilities were formidable.

Robin trusted her own strength, but without Cyrus around, she wasn't certain the three of them could deal with everything Soul Society might throw at them.

…

"So that's what happened?"

The Captain-Commander sat at the head of the room, both hands resting on his cane as he listened to Shunsui's report.

Shunsui had repeated everything Yachiru told him.

"That's roughly it."

He shrugged.

"We'll probably have to wait for Captain Zaraki to wake up if we want the finer details. Or we could ask Captain Aizen, since he's supposedly the one who found the man and brought him here."

"He had only just mastered Shikai…"

Yamamoto's mustache shifted slightly.

"And yet he defeated Zaraki Kenpachi with ease."

He raised his eyes toward the captains gathered before him.

"What do you think?"

"He needs to be investigated."

Soi Fon answered immediately.

The failure of the Hueco Mundo mission had left her simmering with frustration, and she'd had nowhere to vent it.

Throwing herself into work was as good an outlet as any.

"Captain-Commander."

Byakuya spoke next.

"His Zanpakutō is also fire-type."

Ukitake coughed softly.

"He's certainly unusual, but there are plenty of fire-type Zanpakutō."

He understood what Byakuya was implying, but the element itself didn't seem particularly important.

According to Yachiru, the man had already been capable of overwhelming Kenpachi before releasing his Zanpakutō.

That alone was enough to make him dangerous.

"Hmph."

Mayuri gave an irritated snort.

"Do none of you understand the obvious, or are you pretending not to?"

He clearly disliked Kenpachi, but even Mayuri had to admit the man was powerful.

"That newcomer's strength is abnormal."

His eyes narrowed with growing interest.

"And someone that strong appeared from nowhere without leaving the slightest trace behind? That is what makes no sense."

"I don't believe for a moment that he only recently arrived here from the World of the Living."

"Strange people do turn up from time to time."

Shunsui rubbed the stubble on his chin, then looked toward Yamamoto.

"Why not have someone test him?"

Yamamoto looked directly at him.

Then nodded.

"Very well. You go."

Shunsui froze.

His mouth twitched.

"I think it might be better to summon Captain Aizen first and ask him for the full story."

Ukitake quickly offered another suggestion.

"Maybe Aizen was fooled too."

Soi Fon considered the possibility aloud.

Among the captains, Aizen was one of the least conspicuous, both in temperament and perceived strength.

It wasn't impossible that someone had deceived him.

"If you discovered someone that strong in Rukongai, what would you do?"

Yamamoto asked.

"Invite him in, obviously."

Shunsui answered at once.

After a moment, most of the others nodded as well.

"I would bring him back for examination."

Mayuri gave a similar answer for entirely different reasons.

"Spiritual strength has its limits. If he could defeat Zaraki, then the density of his soul must be extraordinary—especially considering Zaraki had already released that much of his own power."

The more Mayuri spoke, the more excited he became.

The other captains frowned.

There he went again.

"Enough."

Yamamoto lifted his cane and struck the floor.

Thump.

"Bring Aizen and that man here."

"Understood."

This time, Shunsui accepted the order immediately.

"The rest of you return to your duties."

Several captains had clearly intended to stay and see what happened next, only to be dismissed outright.

Once they were gone, a tall figure stepped out from the shadows.

"It is indeed the same man."

Her voice was calm.

"A very strange individual."

She paused.

"It seems he truly does warrant a closer investigation."