Bleach : I Need To Rizz To Become Stronger ?!-Chapter 113: The Captain’s Mantle

After his bout with Ichimaru Gin, there was no suspense left in Tachikawa Shin's remaining matches. He swept through the rest of the competition with overwhelming force.

Thus, Fourth Division's Tachikawa Shin successfully defended the stage, earning his squad twelve victories.

Added to their original four wins, that brought the Fourth Division to the upper echelon of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

When Shin stepped down from the stage, his posture proud and steady, the gazes fixed on him had clearly changed.

In a world like this, strength could change everything.

His first stop was beside Unohana Retsu. He bowed deeply.

"Captain."

Unohana's warm, gentle expression remained as serene as ever, though she watched him quietly for a long moment before offering a soft "Mm."

Shin could feel the weight of countless eyes locked onto him.

"The performance Tachikawa-kun gave today was truly eye-opening."

The first to speak was Aizen Sōsuke. His ever-smiling voice carried easily. "I didn't expect even our Vice-Captain—who's mastered Bankai—would fall short against you. Could it be... that Tachikawa-kun has also attained Bankai?"

Shin shook his head. "I merely won by luck. Vice-Captain Ichimaru is extraordinarily strong—there were several moments I thought I'd be defeated. As for Bankai... I haven't reached that threshold yet."

His humble tone didn't convince many.

They'd seen him on the stage. That dominance didn't look like luck. And the fact that he beat Ichimaru, even while the latter used Bankai, raised countless eyebrows.

Some didn't believe his denial. Others found it even more terrifying—he had that strength without Bankai?

The second round of stage defense began.

But the number of remaining participants had dropped sharply.

Ichimaru Gin, Ōmaeda Marechiyo, and Saitō Hisaya had all been sent to the Fourth Division's infirmary by Shin. To that list, one could add Ikkazaki Iemoto from the Eleventh Division and Ayasegawa Yumichika—also casualties of Shin's blade.

Originally, Shin had intended to include Nemu Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division as well, but things hadn't gone according to plan. Though he had disabled both her arms by striking her hakusui, her captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, injected her with an unknown serum on the spot—restoring her almost instantly.

That was unexpected.

And she had appeared near the end of the lineup, which meant Shin missed the chance to knock out more strategically valuable opponents.

Only five fighters were now unable to compete. With that, the Third Division—originally at five wins—would match the Sixth Division's overall record.

A miscalculation...

Shin frowned. He should have gone further. Crippled more high-ranking fighters.

But too late now.

The outcome depended on one man: Hōzuki Rikū, Third Division's Third Seat. If he could win just one more match—

But disappointment quickly set in.

Rikū's strength was middling at best. He was a solid Third Seat, but lacked the raw power of Vice-Captains or their close contenders.

He lost every single match in his bracket.

As he stepped off the field, he glanced sheepishly at Shin. Shin caught his gaze—half-apologetic, half-ashamed—and sighed.

Fine. A tie was a tie.

No use pushing further.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, something unexpected happened in the day's final match.

The First Division's Fifth Seat, Kitazaki Tsukasa—lost to Hōzuki Rikū.

Shin blinked.

That... shouldn't have happened.

His gaze shifted toward the central seat among the Captains—Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. The old man's face was as unreadable as stone.

The First Division, core of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, was no weakling group. Even if most of its members were clerical or administrative, Kitazaki had shown solid strength in previous rounds.

Yamamoto-taichō...

And Shin wasn't the only one puzzled.

Several Captains and Vice-Captains stole confused glances at the Head Captain.

On the stage, Kōtetsu Isane raised her voice.

"I hereby declare the Soul Society's Court Guard Thirteen Divisions Exchange Event concluded!"

She tugged on a massive cloth scroll and began reading out final rankings.

Tenth Division, unsurprisingly, ranked first.

Fourth Division followed closely.

The previously favored Fifth and Eleventh Divisions, crippled by Shin's onslaught, fell to mid-tier standings.

Second-to-last: Third Division.

Dead last: Sixth Division.

Isane took a deep breath. "Congratulations to the Tenth Division for taking first place and receiving the final reward. Additionally..."

She glanced at the Captains' gallery—at Unohana, at Byakuya Kuchiki, and finally at Genryūsai-soutaichō.

"...Due to ranking last, the Sixth Division will be tasked with handling Seireitei's sanitation duties for the coming year."

A silence fell like a blade across the arena.

The Sixth Division's attending members—Byakuya aside—visibly grimaced.

At last, Yamamoto rose for the final address.

He praised the excellent performers for staying humble, urged the struggling divisions to reflect and improve, and remarked on how the tournament—despite being hastily organized—had revealed the energy pulsing through the Thirteen Divisions.

He spoke of how long it had been since Soul Society last saw such lively spectacle, and mentioned that the tournament had been born from an idea proposed by none other than Tachikawa Shin.

He finished by announcing that the Exchange Event would be held again next year, and done even better.

It was a polished, diplomatic speech—revealing little, but leaving a lasting impression.

For most lower-ranked Shinigami, the key takeaway was simple: these events might become regular. That alone was good news.

And thus, the Soul Society's inaugural Exchange Event officially came to a close.

Captains escorted their squads home.

Aftercare duties fell to Sasakibe Chōjirō.

But Yamamoto himself remained in the Fourth Division barracks, where he summoned Shin privately to Unohana's office.

His first words?

"Have you achieved Bankai?"

Shin shook his head. "I have not."

It was the same answer he'd already given Aizen earlier in the day—and the truth.

But the Head Captain did not seem convinced.

"You possess third-grade Reiatsu at your age. To say you haven't unlocked Bankai... that's difficult to believe."

Shin's gaze was steady. "With all respect, Captain-Commander, I speak the truth. And as I understand it, there's no direct correlation between spiritual pressure and Bankai. Captain Zaraki, for example—hasn't even mastered Shikai."

Yamamoto's expression didn't shift. He stared at Shin in silence for a few seconds before replying:

"...What a pity. Third Division still lacks a Captain."

Shin's expression flickered.