NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 22
"Hey, Yachiryu, you're awake?!"
As soon as Araki pushed open the door to the captain's quarters, he saw Unohana Yachiryu sitting quietly on the sofa, head tilted slightly as she gazed out the window.
"Yachiryu?!"
At the sound of his voice, Unohana slowly turned her head. She looked at Araki, then murmured softly—perhaps to herself, perhaps to him.
"The name Yachiryu was once proof that I had triumphed over every school of swordsmanship...
But now that I've been defeated by Genryu, perhaps it no longer suits me."
Her voice was calm, as if recalling a distant memory.
Araki walked over, sat across from her, and asked gently,
"Then… what name do you plan to use now?"
"Let me think…" Unohana fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
"Why not… just go with Retsu—Unohana Retsu?" Araki suggested casually.
To him, the name Retsu felt natural—perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of a deeper sense of narrative balance. Unohana Retsu… it was who she was meant to be.
"Retsu…?"
Unohana's eyes suddenly lit up. The word echoed in her mind.
Retsu—烈
The fierce flame.
A name that spoke of passion, power, and nobility.
Like a fire that refuses to die, still rising ever higher—until it rivals the sun itself.
"Yes… Retsu. I'll go with Unohana Retsu," she finally said, nodding in agreement. "From today on, I am no longer Yachiryu… but Retsu."
"Really?" Araki smiled. "As long as you like it."
He let out a quiet sigh of relief. Deep down, he had feared that his presence—as a "butterfly" effect—might cause her to reject the name. But now it seemed that wasn't the case.
He wasn't afraid of changing the plot. In fact, that was his very reason for joining the Gotei 13 as a captain—to change the story. But Unohana Retsu's name… that felt sacred. And thankfully, it remained untouched.
There was a short pause as Araki organized his thoughts. Unohana Retsu watched him in silence, waiting.
Finally, he asked,
"Since you're awake, what do you plan to do now? Or…" he added with a slight smirk, "Is the first thing you want to do—fight me again?"
Unohana Retsu chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Let's set that aside for now."
She studied Araki with those sharp, unwavering eyes—eyes trained to measure life and death.
"I can tell… since our battle, you've become stronger.
As much as I hate to admit it… I no longer see a path to victory against you."
That admission held no bitterness—only honest recognition from a warrior to another.
If, in their last fight, the outcome had been uncertain—today, her instincts told her there was no chance.
"Really?" Araki raised a brow and smiled faintly.
As expected of Unohana Retsu…
Even without seeing his Fullbring directly, she could sense something off about him—something beyond normal spiritual energy.
Her battle intuition was terrifyingly sharp.
"Then let's forget about fighting. Tell me—what do you want to do next?"
"…I…" Unohana hesitated, lowering her gaze slightly.
"If you really don't have a plan yet, why not stay in the 11th Division?" Araki offered.
"Stay in the 11th…?" Unohana repeated, puzzled.
"Yeah," Araki nodded. "I don't have much experience managing a division. You staying here would be a huge help. Besides…" he smiled, "You created the Gotei 11. Don't you still have some attachment to it?"
"Besides that, I also have some selfish motives. If you stay in the 11th Division, you and I can grow stronger together…"
"And when you feel you've become strong enough to defeat me, wouldn't it be more convenient for us to fight freely, without interference?"
Araki tried to appeal to Unohana Retsu's emotions and logic, continuing his subtle "brainwashing."
"This…"
Although Araki's words felt vaguely off to Unohana, she had to admit—there was truth to them.
"After all…"
"Unohana Retsu, you don't want to be disturbed when we fight in the future, right?!"
Seeing her hesitation, Araki dropped his strongest persuasive line.
"Uh…"
Unohana felt like something shook inside her mind—as if she had been struck—and gradually "woke up"…
"I understand."
In the end, Unohana Retsu agreed to Araki's "request." She decided to remain in the 11th Division—the very one she had founded.
"It's done!"
Araki grinned at her agreement.
As expected, all those drama plots he'd seen in those romance movies weren't wrong…
According to Araki's vast experience watching emotional dramas, once you say something like 'You don't want this and that to happen, right?', success is almost guaranteed!
Ahem…
"Then, Unohana Retsu, from today on, you're the vice-captain of the 11th Division."
Araki gently patted her on the shoulder.
For a moment, he felt that the days ahead were about to become very interesting.
From now on, all squad affairs would be left to Unohana Retsu.
As for him?
His only job was to spar with her as often as possible to deepen their "connection"…
Ahem again… Araki was a serious man. Of course, by spar, he meant serious one-on-one battles to strengthen their bond in swordsmanship and mutual understanding.
"Alright…"
Unohana's expression was subtly complicated.
To be honest, she didn't feel entirely calm—just slightly off.
In the morning, she was the division's captain. By afternoon, she'd become the vice-captain.
"Interesting."
Unohana had never served as a vice-captain before—she had been a captain since arriving in the Soul Society—but it didn't seem too bad.
As for the duties?
She would just do as she had when she was captain.
Thus, the members of the 11th Division were baffled to find that although their captain had changed, daily life remained the same.
Their former captain, Unohana, still oversaw their training.
As for the new Captain Araki, who had won the position by defeating Unohana?
He was rarely seen in the barracks.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.
During this time, Araki's life hadn't changed much—aside from no longer working as a ramen chef in the Rukongai's Runlin'an district and now being a captain of the Gotei 13.
He spent his days completing missions to gain experience or teasing Unohana Retsu to improve their "relationship."
That is… until Captain-Commander Yamamoto suddenly summoned him.