The Sixth Division barracks, Hakushoukan, was deathly silent in the dead of night. The corridor was filled with the scent of white plum blossoms. Spirit lanterns hung on the walls, their pale blue-white light flickering faintly. Outside the window, a full moon illuminated the white plum petals, making them look just like fallen snow. This was the Seireitei in Soul Society, the headquarters of the Gotei 13 with a history spanning roughly two thousand years. Each of the thirteen divisions housed around two hundred Soul Reapers, protecting souls from Hollows. The Sixth Division was particularly prestigious among them. By tradition, the noble Kuchiki family had served as its captains for generations, and seventy percent of its members hailed from noble or upper-class backgrounds. For someone like me, born in the Rukongai, it was a place where I constantly felt out of place. That said, I, Akagi Ren, had climbed my way up to the third seat of this very Sixth Division. Captain Kuchiki Byakuya rarely showed himself, so the bulk of the practical work was handled by Lieutenant Rukia and me. Standing by the window of the third seat's office, gazing out at the white plums in the garden, I gently touched the slip of paper in my chest pocket. The reason I was still at the barracks on my night off was that I had just sent a secret missive addressed to the lieutenant. If it were a routine matter, I wouldn't have needed to call her out on my night off. The contents of this secret missive concerned Rukia's own secret. *(She's probably reading it by now.)* How many years had it been? Rukia had become the Kuchiki family's adopted daughter when she was still very young. I was from the Rukongai, and by good fortune, I was permitted to come and go from the estate as a servant of the Kuchiki household. Rukia, who often cried alone in a corner of the garden. A little girl who couldn't adapt to the customs of the nobility, yet couldn't lean on anyone either, just hanging her head. That night too, she was crying. But what was different from usual was that, amidst her tear-soaked white hair, small black beast ears were trembling. I immediately hid her in the shadows, making sure no one would find her. Holding her trembling hand, I said: "I'll keep quiet for you." Back then, I simply wanted to help her, purely. But now— "...Just a little more." I murmured the words under my breath and closed the window. The clanking of armor echoed in the hallway. It seemed the night patrol officer had arrived. The source of the sound was Souji Rengen. A rookie who had only joined the division three months ago, seventeen years old this year, characterized by his messy purple hair. His odd eyes—gold on the right and purple on the left—always sparkled with curiosity. He was a bit short at 168 centimeters, and now, having put on too much protective gear, he looked like he was being worn by it rather than wearing it. "[scared]Gotta be quiet... clank... quiet... clank..." He walked while lecturing himself. But with every step, his armor scraped and clanked. That's impossible, man. When he passed by my office, Souji's feet stopped. "[whispers]S-Senpai...? Something about your spiritual pressure..." He seemed to have noticed. The abnormality in my spiritual pressure leaking through the gap in the door. I was deliberately raising my spiritual pressure slowly. To summon Rukia, I had to make her notice this unique sensation. "[scared]...O-Okay, let's keep patrolling." Clank clank! He suddenly tried to hurry away, and his armor made an especially loud racket. I couldn't tell anymore which one was seriously trying to be quiet. A soft breath escaped me. He was always like that. His eyes would sparkle with admiration—*Akagi-senpai is amazing*—but when it came down to it, he'd get scared and run. Well, that was fine. Right now, having him walk in would be a problem. A short knock, *tap tap*. A firm, polite sound, completely different from Souji. "[cold]Akagi Third Seat. You're supposed to be off duty tonight. What do you mean by summoning the lieutenant?" When I opened the door, standing there was a girl about a head shorter than me. Her pure white short bob swayed at her shoulders, and the hair around her left ear was more disheveled than usual—out of guilt for hiding her beast transformation. Cold silver eyes pierced straight through me. She stood 160 centimeters tall. Clad in the black uniform of the Sixth Division, only her lieutenant's armband indicated her status. "[gentle]Come in. It'll be a long talk." When I stepped aside, Rukia entered the room with wary eyes. I quietly closed the door and locked the window. "[angry]What are you playing at? Locking the window..." She glared at me, but it didn't faze me. "[serious]Sit down, Rukia." She was sensitive enough to catch the drop in my voice. Her shoulders trembled for just an instant, and then, as if resigned, she sat down in the chair in front of my desk. I remained standing on the other side of the desk, looking straight into her eyes. "[cold]I've known all along. About those ears and tail of yours." Rukia's expression froze. "[sarcastic]Do you have proof? That's quite an amusing joke." Her voice was defiant, but her fingertips were trembling slightly. "[serious]I can provide proof right now. The Beast Soul Phenomenon—an extremely rare spiritual mutation where the soul manifests bestial traits under extreme mental excitement. Both the Central 46 and the Gotei 13 officially treat it as non-existent. If it were discovered... what do you think would happen?" I saw the color drain from her face. She understood perfectly well what my words meant. She'd be recorded as a spiritual anomaly, socially erased—in the worst case, sent to the research institute. "[scared]...Nonsense." "[cold]Shall we test that, then?" I quietly released my spiritual pressure. The air in the room slowly grew heavy. My spiritual pressure was slightly different from that of an ordinary Soul Reaper. It was an enveloping pressure, you could say. Especially in front of Rukia, it slipped through her spiritual defenses and touched something deeper. Her body gave a small jolt. "[scared]S-Stop it..." Rukia tried to press down on her head with both hands. But it was already too late. From within her white hair, small black beast ears were perking up. They resembled a fox's, but were smaller, with fluffy fur. "[scared]No... this can't..." Even as she desperately tried to hold them down with her hands, the ears ignored her will and twitched. A thin layer of tears welled up in her silver eyes, wavering with humiliation and fear. I walked around the desk and stood right in front of her. Then I extended my hand. "[cold]Good girl, Rukia. Come on, come closer." "[scared]Ren... why..." She called my name. It was always like that when we were children. The first time the frightened, crying Rukia properly called my name, I thought I never wanted to hand this girl over to anyone. She was mine, forever. She was still resisting. Her pride as a lieutenant, her reason, and her fear all chastised her at once. Yet at the same time, an irresistible sweet sensation crawling up from the depths of her instincts made her feet move forward a single step. Just a little. But definitely. I watched it calmly and coolly. That's tactical acumen for you. I knew exactly what emotions she felt at what times, and exactly when her reason would come undone. "[gentle]You don't have to be scared. I'll keep your secret." "[sad]...Liar. I mean, calling me out of the blue... with a method like this..." "[whispers]But you've always noticed, haven't you? That I'm the only one who knows about your ears and tail." Rukia hung her head, unable to say anything. The beast ear above her left ear drooped limply. My fingertips almost touched her chin—and stopped. "[cold]You can get used to it slowly. I can wait, after all." Outside the barracks, in the white plum garden bathed in moonlight. In a corner of that garden, where the fallen petals were spread like a white carpet, a single small shadow stood quietly. Long white hair with blue mesh accents swayed in the night breeze. Silver vertically-slitted pupils glinted coldly. She stood 162 centimeters tall. Clad in the uniform of the Tenth Division, the armband marking her as the twelfth seat quietly exuded presence. Mizuki Hakuran. She opened the small notebook in her hand and ran her pen across it. "[cold]Just as I thought, Akagi Third Seat." Her murmured voice was composed, completely devoid of emotional color. She had been tracking Akagi's movements for months now. A powerhouse of the Sixth Division, yet an outsider from the Rukongai. And above all, he displayed an abnormal fixation solely on Lieutenant Kuchiki Rukia. She finished writing the last line. ***'The Sixth Division lieutenant has a secret. Akagi Third Seat holds it in his grasp. Continue surveillance.'*** She closed the notebook with a snap and departed soundlessly through the moonlight. White plum petals fell quietly, piling up in the now-empty garden. The shadows of two figures reflected in the office window still did not move. The night of the Sixth Division was about to change, slowly, from here on out.