"Effective immediately, Seventh Division Captain Kazuma will succeed me as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13!"
Yamamoto's booming voice echoed through the meeting hall.
The room went dead silent.
Then it exploded.
"What?!"
"How did this happen?"
Even though everyone had already seen Kazuma wearing the First Division captain's haori and had more or less guessed where this was going, hearing Yamamoto formally announce it was another matter entirely.
"I obj—"
Suì-Fēng shot her hand into the air.
Before she could finish, Yamamoto's razor-sharp gaze landed on her.
A chill raced up her spine.
The rest of her sentence died in her throat, and the raised hand quietly came back down.
The other captains immediately found the floor fascinating.
No one had any desire to provoke Yamamoto right now.
Kazuma, meanwhile, was absolutely losing it.
"No! Absolutely not!"
His face was bright red, veins bulging across his forehead.
"I refuse! I'm not accepting this!"
Ukitake and Hitsugaya both looked as though they wanted to say something on his behalf.
Then they remembered what had just happened to Suì-Fēng.
After a moment's hesitation, both wisely remained silent.
That was when Komamura suddenly raised his voice.
"I agree!"
His declaration cracked through the hall like thunder.
Everyone turned toward him.
Komamura had always been one of Kazuma's staunchest supporters.
In his eyes, Kazuma was powerful, dependable, dignified, and more than qualified to inherit the position of Captain-Commander.
So there was no hesitation at all.
Kazuma stared at him in disbelief.
Of all people, the first captain to openly support this disaster was the giant dog who normally looked harmless and honest.
Kazuma wasn't merely a respected senior to Komamura.
He was also the man who'd helped him master the Humanization Technique.
And now, at the most critical moment, instead of repaying that favor by standing with him, Komamura had stabbed him straight in the back.
"Komamura!"
Kazuma glared at him.
"What the hell are you barking about?!"
Komamura remained completely sincere.
"Kazuma-sama, please stop refusing."
"With your strength and reputation, you are fully qualified to bear this responsibility."
His eyes were filled with genuine trust.
"I believe you are the one who can lead the Gotei 13 toward an even greater future."
Kazuma nearly choked.
"I agree as well."
Byakuya calmly raised a hand, his expression unchanged.
Kazuma had deep ties to the Kuchiki Clan, so Byakuya had no objection whatsoever to seeing him become Captain-Commander.
Then Unohana smiled brightly.
"I agree too."
Watching Kazuma suffer like this was rather entertaining.
That alone made the proposal quite appealing.
Three captains had now openly supported the appointment.
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes and slowly turned toward Shunsui and Ukitake.
The two students immediately understood.
"We agree."
Both nodded without hesitation.
They knew their teacher far too well.
If they chose this moment to oppose him, there was a very real chance Yamamoto would reward them later with some horrifying upgraded training regimen.
Better to support Kazuma and preserve their own lives.
"I'm fine with it."
Kenpachi grinned.
To him, the identity of the Captain-Commander barely mattered.
As long as he was allowed to fight strong opponents and keep cutting things, he couldn't care less who sat in the First Division.
In simple terms—
he didn't give a damn!
Mayuri, on the other hand, was far less enthusiastic.
In fact, if anyone here truly opposed Kazuma becoming Captain-Commander, Mayuri might have ranked first — even ahead of Suì-Fēng.
If Kazuma took the position, Mayuri's ongoing research into him would almost certainly have to stop.
For a scientist already obsessed with uncovering Kazuma's secrets, that was practically a lifelong tragedy.
Unfortunately, Mayuri could also read the room.
The decision was clearly becoming inevitable.
After a long, bitter pause, he reluctantly gave his approval.
Then came Hitsugaya.
"I abstain."
Every head turned toward him.
Hitsugaya looked left.
Then right.
His expression was almost identical to the one he'd worn during the previous vote on whether Central 46 should be rebuilt.
Once again, faced with a decision he wanted no part of, he tried to surrender his vote.
"Captain Hitsugaya."
Yamamoto's voice hardened.
"You will give a clear answer."
Hitsugaya stiffened.
This meeting was too important.
Yamamoto wanted every captain to approve the succession.
No abstentions.
No hesitation.
No loopholes.
Kazuma was always talking about doing things with proper dignity and appearances, wasn't he?
Fine.
Yamamoto would give him all the dignity he could possibly want.
A unanimous vote from the captains of the Gotei 13.
After that, Yamamoto wanted to see what excuse Kazuma could possibly come up with to refuse the position.