Bleach [37-41] (Patreon)

Chapter 37: Kurosaki Kamado's Character Design

"What?!"

Sōken exclaimed, "The Quincy: Letzt Stil?!"

"You don't know? It's a power that, once used, causes you to lose all spiritual power. It's the Quincy's last and strongest trump card."

Yoshio gave a wry smile. "In short, while it's powerful, once you use it, you lose your Quincy abilities."

"How could I not know?" Sōken hurriedly replied. "I'm just shocked that someone actually used that power."

The Quincy: Letzt Stil is essentially an internal Quincy secret—at least not something common Quincies would know.

Others might not know, but Sōken definitely did. It was precisely his obsession with the Letzt Stil that got him exiled from the Wandenreich to the Human World.

The Wandenreich…

Hidden in the shadows of Seireitei, it's the faction formed by the Quincies who survived the war a thousand years ago.

For a thousand years, the Quincies have never stopped thinking about revenge.

When a people are consumed by vengeance, their methods of war expand rapidly.

The Wandenreich refined the Quincy: Letzt Stil into Quincy Vollständig.

One reason Sōken was expelled from the Wandenreich was his refusal to accept this new power—Vollständig.

So how could he not know about the Quincy: Letzt Stil?

It's just that someone suddenly showing up and bringing this up still shocked him.

As for what Yoshio said…

How to put it—about sixty percent believable.

Because Yoshio immediately brought up three fairly secret Quincy matters.

One was the Quincy surname Kurosaki; another was the Quincy: Letzt Stil; the third…

He knew about the Wandenreich, and he knew Sōken had been expelled.

That alone was enough to prove the other party was also a Quincy, since up to now only Quincies know of the Wandenreich's existence.

Shinigami only know the Quincies weren't completely annihilated—they don't know about the Wandenreich or Sōken's expulsion.

All in all, Sōken was fairly confident in Yoshio's Quincy identity.

He examined Yoshio's reiatsu carefully and found it was very faint at the moment.

No wonder Kisuke Urahara's gigai was such good quality—once worn, it's almost indistinguishable from a living human.

Curious, Sōken asked, "What happened… are you planning to use a power like the Quincy: Letzt Stil?"

"…" Yoshio fell silent.

Sōken quickly added, "If you don't want to say, I won't force you. I'm just curious why you came to my house."

"It's nothing—just had a falling-out with someone."

Yoshio gave a self-mocking smile. "Those guys developed Vollständig, right?"

"They think it's stronger than the Letzt Stil. I disagreed, so I had a match with that person."

Sōken's pupils widened!

For a moment, he even felt he'd found a kindred spirit!

He too believed Vollständig shouldn't be used!

But he was still shocked. "Just for that, you were willing to throw away your power?"

Vollständig is a refined version of the Letzt Stil, and its greatest advantage is that it doesn't cause power loss after use.

So even if Yoshio won that match, as long as the opponent survived, that opponent effectively "won."

"Honestly… it's not a big deal." Yoshio smiled. "Even if I kept my powers, in a few decades I'd just be another grunt dying on the battlefield. To be frank… I have no interest in that grand revenge narrative."

"…"

By now, Sōken could basically confirm Yoshio was indeed a Quincy—and not just a Quincy, but a like-minded one.

Because everything Yoshio said was known only to Quincies.

And even among Quincies, only those with a certain status would know such details.

"As for why I came here—truthfully, I'm not too sure myself."

"After leaving the Wandenreich, I just wandered around the Human World. I was napping in a tree earlier, fell out, and realized it was your place."

Yoshio added, "Maybe it's fate? Haha…"

"Fate really is unpredictable," Sōken nodded in agreement.

"But I am curious, Kurosaki… why did you refuse Vollständig?"

"I don't want my life and death controlled by someone else," Yoshio answered without hesitation.

"Even though Vollständig is an improved Letzt Stil, I can't shake the feeling that once we use it, even our souls won't belong to us."

Yoshio grew solemn again and said:

"You know this, right? The sleeping Quincy King—nine hundred years to regain his heartbeat, ninety years to regain his consciousness, and nine years to regain his power…"

"…The Quincy legend, the 'Kaiser Gesang'," Sōken said gravely.

"Yes. Our leader… possesses the ability of Seele Schneider. But we pure-bloods aren't subject to the power-recall of Seele Schneider."

Yoshio also became serious and said earnestly, "Still, I feel that once we use Vollständig, we'll lose that 'special' exemption. The more we drown ourselves in Yhwach's power, the harder it becomes to escape his control."

"…" Sōken didn't respond immediately. He regarded Yoshio intently, then after a moment, nodded in agreement.

"I've thought the same. That's why I resolutely oppose using Vollständig." He gave another wry smile. "It's just that our idea is destined to be unacceptable to others."

"Look on the bright side—everyone has their own pursuits," Yoshio shook his head. "So I think my current state is just fine. Live a few decades in the Human World, then die of old age. Isn't that a good enough life?"

"Haha, you've got a point."

At that moment, Yoshio noticed Sōken's favorability toward him had reached sixty-five.

Great. Looks like he made the right choice.

The persona he fabricated was indeed the type most likely to earn Sōken's approval.

Sōken is someone banished by the Wandenreich, someone who doesn't harbor much hatred toward Shinigami, and someone who rejects Vollständig.

Therefore, he's someone who has abandoned the Wandenreich, bears no grudge against Shinigami, and refuses Vollständig.

Having never met a kindred spirit, Sōken would likely soon recognize him as a "Quincy."

Chapter 38: Return to Soul Society; Rukia, The "Star"

With Sōken's consent, he invited Yoshio to stay with the Ishida clan.

Yoshio didn't refuse. For the next three days, he stayed with the Ishida clan.

During those three days, Yoshio often discussed Quincy matters with Sōken—their past and their future.

Yoshio knew a lot about the Quincies; after all, he'd read all the Shinigami manga. As long as it wasn't overly specific detail, he could answer it.

He even showed some knowledge and fluency when discussing Kaiser Gesang and spiritual training, which completely convinced Sōken.

But he couldn't stay with the Ishida clan forever.

He was still a Shinigami, after all. If he stayed too long and Seireitei found out, not only would he be in trouble, but the Ishida clan would suffer too.

So Yoshio took his leave from Sōken after three days.

"It's a pity you can't stay," Sōken said regretfully. "It's not easy finding a kindred spirit."

"Same here."

Yoshio smiled and headed for the door.

"But I'm not the idle type. I finally left the empire's darkness—I want to see the sights of the Human World."

"When I've explored enough, I should come back. I hope…"

Yoshio reached the door. Without turning back, he raised his right hand and waved.

After a pause, he added, "By then… we'll still be young, right?"

With that, he stepped out.

"Mm…"

Watching the back of Yoshio, Sōken murmured, "I hope we won't have grown old by then."

Yoshio walked away slowly, a bit regretful he hadn't pushed Sōken's favorability to eighty.

In three days, he raised it to 77. While that seems just three points shy of 80, the higher it gets, the harder it is to raise.

Going from 77 to 80 could take months.

Where was he going to find that much time now?

And the more you say, the easier it is to slip up. Three days was fine, but if he stayed longer and Sōken asked more Quincy questions not covered in the original text, how would he answer?

So…

Don't be greedy.

Know when to stop.

In any case, he'd already obtained the temporary ["Quincy Heir"] ability. Once back in Seireitei, he could train using [Child of Kirin].

Both the [Quincy Heir] and [Child of Kirin] ability last three days per use. With [Child of Kirin] talent and Seireitei's high-density reishi environment, Yoshio believed he'd gain something from Quincy training.

No need to aim too high…

Just being able to form a reishi bow would be enough.

Once he could form a reishi bow, his Quincy identity would be firmly established.

Thinking of this, Yoshio glanced at the black cat darting past him and smiled as he walked off the street.

Gazing at the bustling avenue, Yoshio felt a strong sense of returning to his old life.

Ah, time's up. Time to get back to work.

Yoshio then began a search across Tokyo and all of Japan. He first found the Tenshiyo Agata family, and sure enough, the still-young Tenshiyo Agata possessed Fullbring abilities.

He also found a few other Fullbringers who didn't appear in the story.

Finding them wasn't hard—Japan is full of "urban legends," many of which are caused by "people with special powers."

"Espers," so-called, are nothing more than Hollows, Shinigami, Quincies, and Fullbringers.

As long as he filtered urban legends for those likely caused by Fullbringers and then searched the incident locations, he could easily find them.

He also discovered something: while these Fullbringers were weak, they all had Souls Abilities.

And their Souls Abilities were highly consistent.

["Soul king fragments: Once favorability reaches eighty, you can obtain soul king fragments, and the opponent's ability disappears."]

Yoshio was very interested in obtaining this power, but he still couldn't push their favorability to eighty in the short term.

These people all wanted to lose their powers, but Yoshio couldn't exactly tell them, "As long as you regard me as a life-and-death friend, I can take your power back," could he?

They wouldn't believe him!

And in such a situation, the other party couldn't sincerely offer him benefits.

So Yoshio didn't interfere too much with their lives.

If he really wanted those soul king fragments, couldn't he just forcefully extract them from their souls?

Of course, without technology like Aizen's or Kisuke Urahara's, extracting soul king fragments would be fatal.

The Tsunayashiro Clan's method of reclaiming soul king fragments was simple and brutal.

Kill!

Slay the target and forcefully extract them!

Yoshio hadn't sunk to that level. He wasn't that desperate.

Even if he obtained soul king fragments, he couldn't use them yet.

The power of soul king fragments isn't something you can just eat like food or store in your soul and be done with it.

So, about a month after arriving in the Human World, Yoshio returned to Seireitei.

Passing through the Senkaimon again, Yoshio couldn't help but smile as he recalled his experiences in the Human World.

This time, his gains were considerable.

After returning, he didn't go home, nor did he head to the Fifth Division. He went to the Sixth District instead.

The Sixth District is the nobles' quarter, the Sixth Division's territory, and a gathering place for aristocrats.

Since Yoshio had returned, he naturally had to hand over the intel he'd gathered to the Tsunayashiro Clan.

So he had to pay them a visit.

The Yoshio family used to reside in the Sixth District as well, but after their decline, they sold their Sixth District residence and bought a place near the Fifth Division.

In Yoshio's memory, he grew up in the Sixth District and was familiar with the streets there.

The nobles' residences were concentrated in two main areas.

One was, of course, the Sixth District—dominated by the Kuchiki family.

The Kuchiki clan not only held the Sixth Division captaincy but were one of the Five Great Noble Families, naturally drawing countless nobles around them.

The other area was the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Paying no heed to the local authority of the Kuchikis, the Tsunayashiro built their estate higher, larger, and broader, as if declaring that the Tsunayashiro were the true head of the Five Great Noble Families.

After arriving in the Sixth District, Yoshio spotted Rukia Kuchiki on his way to the Tsunayashiro estate—and also saw her Souls Ability.

["Stars"]

Chapter 39: Star; Back to the Squad

[Stars: Upon use, you become more noticeable to others and leave a deeper impression.]

"!"

Yoshio brushed past Rukia. Outwardly, he kept a blank expression and walked on, but inside, waves surged.

Damn!

I have to get that ability!

It may seem limited in use, but no ability could be more suited to Yoshio!

The deeper the impression you leave on others, doesn't that mean it's easier to gain their favor?

For someone who powers up by increasing others' favorability, what ability could be stronger than one that makes it easier to gain favor?

None!

That Rukia has this ability…

The name "Stars" makes sense to Yoshio. After all, Renji's Souls Ability is ["Star Chaser,"] so Rukia is the star Renji chases.

Even so, [Stars] still surprised Yoshio. But thinking it over, Rukia indeed fits that trait.

However, although he wanted Rukia's Souls Ability, now wasn't the time.

Once Rukia joined the Gotei 13, he'd have plenty of time to raise her favorability.

Yoshio continued toward the Tsunayashiro estate. Upon arriving at the gate, a servant was already waiting for him.

Yoshio said little and simply handed over the intel he had gathered.

The servant took the documents and said softly, "Lieutenant Yoshio, this is the reward for your assignment."

Yoshio raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected payment for this task.

Well now—very nice, very nice.

He couldn't help but chuckle, then took a pouch of soul coins from the servant.

"Please thank your clan on my behalf. If you have similar tasks next time, you can come to me again."

Yoshio was in a good mood. He'd spent over a month in the Human World, gained a Souls Ability from Sōken, and now received a substantial reward upon returning.

People say the Tsunayashiro are despicable, but they seemed quite sensible to him.

Though he'd helped them for quite a while without meeting a single family member, which felt a bit dismissive, Yoshio wasn't the type to fuss over such things.

Especially since the Tsunayashiro servants were very polite. The clan's core members might be arrogant, but their servants were humble—after all, etiquette is expected of servants in the Tsunayashiro household.

Not having to interact with the Tsunayashiro's main members suited Yoshio just fine.

He took the money and left. After walking about a hundred meters, he counted the reward: a full three million!

Good lord—three million!

Worthy of the head of the Five Great Noble Families—such generosity moves the heart.

Consider this: a newly appointed captain's monthly salary is only about two million.

Of course, a captain's salary rises with seniority. A millennium-old captain like Retsu Unohana must be drawing a staggering pay!

No wonder Shunsui had Unohana die after he took office—perhaps the Soul Society's finances were so tight they couldn't make payroll, so the veterans had to be sent off to die. 

Heh…

Yoshio cracked a joke to himself and headed home in high spirits.

He didn't return to the Fifth Division immediately, deciding to wait another three days.

He'd pretend he was still in the Human World, then take a few days' rest in the Soul Society before reporting back.

For these three days, he planned to train Quincy techniques.

He didn't even set foot outside during those three days.

Activating the abilities ["Quincy Heir"] and ["Child of Kirin,"] he used those three days to successfully train in Quincy power.

The biggest difference between Quincies and Shinigami is that Shinigami absorb reishi into their souls, strengthening and empowering them to increase combat power.

That includes Zanpakutō, which are also driven by the spiritual force within the soul.

Quincies are different. While they also possess spiritual power, their main fighting method is manipulating external reishi to form reishi weapons.

Now, through power, Yoshio had gained the Quincy's capabilities. Though he'd trained for only three days, he'd completed a basic mastery of controlling external reishi.

He could now form basic reishi-grade weapons. If he claimed to be a Quincy right now, no one would likely doubt him.

Only after the ["Quincy Heir"] ability went on cooldown did Yoshio emerge from his house.

He had permanently acquired ["Child of Kirin,"] which he could reuse after a day, but ["Quincy Heir"] wasn't ready yet.

Leaving home, Yoshio finally returned to the Fifth Division.

…

"Captain Aizen, I'm back."

In the Fifth Division office, Yoshio greeted Aizen with a smile.

The captain, who was processing paperwork, didn't even look up—he just pushed a stack of files aside.

Puzzled, Yoshio listened as Aizen said, "These are all the administrative tasks you neglected over the past month. Handle them first."

"No way, Captain Aizen." Yoshio's face darkened at once, and he said bitterly, "I was out on assignment. Do I still have to handle squad business during that time?"

"You were out on assignment—who can prove it?"

"Words alone can't be dismissed," Yoshio insisted.

"You know there's no record in the squad," Aizen finally looked up, smiling faintly.

"…" Yoshio fell silent.

"All right, higher-ranking officers always win," he sighed.

He took the files and was about to return to his office.

Aizen spoke again. "Did you make contact with Kisuke Urahara?"

Yoshio stopped, a bit annoyed. "You already know—why ask?"

"Some things need to come from you."

"Yeah, I met him," Yoshio said. "But I didn't tell him anything. I just asked him for a gigai to move around in. Sigh, I forgot to bring one when I left—my mistake."

"I see. Next time you go to the Human World, I'll prepare a gigai for you, Yoshio-Kun." Aizen pushed up his glasses.

That was it?

Seeing Aizen had nothing more to say, Yoshio hurried off with the paperwork.

For now, things were still tense under Aizen's watchful eye.

He put the files in his office but didn't rush to process them. Instead, he first greeted the squad members.

After boosting the squad's favorability, he sat in his office, staring at the incomprehensible documents, sweating bullets.

He prayed silently. He'd been just an ordinary squad member before—at most a brief Ninth Seat. How could he be expected to handle an entire division and all the administrative affairs in its jurisdiction?

He didn't understand half of it!

Forget it—take it slow.

With a deadened heart, Yoshio stared at the words on the page. When the Fifth Division closed for the day, he bolted out the door.

Chapter 40: Birthday

Today, he had arranged to drink with Rangiku, Shuhei, and Iba.

"Yoshio, where have you been this past month?"

At the table, Rangiku took a big swig of alcohol, then asked curiously.

"Don't even start. I just became a Lieutenant, and I'm already getting assignments." Yoshio sighed and took a drink.

"Oh, right, I heard Shuhei is going to become a Lieutenant?"

He looked at Shuhei.

Shuhei was in the same year as him. Everyone originally thought he'd be the first to become a Lieutenant, but the previously unremarkable Yoshio had beaten him to it.

Shuhei waved his hands hastily. "Not yet. Captain Tōsen is just considering it for now, but my ability isn't on your level, Yoshio. I'm not qualified yet."

Iba said in a deep voice, "Yoshio, because of you there's now a precedent in the Soul Society, which is why Captain Tōsen is thinking about having Shuhei take the Lieutenant seat, right?"

"Captain Aizen treats you too well." Rangiku laughed, "But there's no helping it. That bastard Gin went off to be captain of Squad Three, didn't he? Someone has to fill the vacant Lieutenant spot in Squad Five."

"Oh, right, enough about Yoshio and Shuhei—what about you…"

Rangiku turned to Iba and said, "I heard you're going to be a Lieutenant too?"

"Huh?" Shuhei froze, then quickly said, "But isn't Senior Iba in the Eleventh Division? The Eleventh already has Lieutenant Yachiru."

"Not the Eleventh—Seventh Division." Iba's face betrayed nothing as he poured himself a drink.

"The Seventh lost a Lieutenant. Higher-ups say I'm an all-rounder and want to transfer me there as Lieutenant."

"Congratulations, Iba." Rangiku raised her glass. "I hear your family's always hoped you'd become a Lieutenant."

The four of them had become a steady little group, often going out drinking together.

Seeing Rangiku again this time, Yoshio noticed her affection toward him had reached eighty-one, and he had permanently acquired [The Animals] ability.

As for gaining Iba's ["All-rounder"] ability, that was only a matter of time.

It was foreseeable that in the decades to come, they'd keep drinking together often, and getting their affection up to eighty would be practically effortless.

After drinking his fill, Yoshio headed home a bit tipsy.

He pushed open the door and froze.

Because inside were Shuhei, Rangiku, and Iba, just back from the bar.

And also Renji, Hinamori, Kira, and Hitsugaya.

"What are you all… doing?"

Yoshio scratched his head, puzzled. "What are you doing at my place?"

"You really don't remember?" Rangiku's eyes widened in surprise.

"Remember what?" Yoshio had had a bit too much, and when he heard Rangiku say that, he felt like he'd forgotten something important and quickly sank into thought.

"Yoshio-kun, today is your birthday."

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him.

Yoshio hurriedly turned, and when he saw who it was, he blurted, "Captain… Captain Aizen?!"

Yes, it was Aizen!

Aizen was holding a huge cake. He carried it in and set it on the table.

God, today is my birthday?!

Wait, today is December 25th. Oh man, it really is my birthday!

Yoshio was stunned.

"No way, Senior Yoshio, you actually forgot your own birthday?!"

Renji looked surprised too. "I thought only Rukia forgets her birthday. So even nobles can forget."

"All right, all right, don't just stand there—come in and cut the cake. Yoshio-kun, you're the birthday boy today, you have to blow out the candles first."

Looking at everyone, Yoshio couldn't help feeling warm inside.

Even though he had initially befriended them with an agenda, looking at things now…

The feeling of making friends…

Was very good.

A faint smile curled Yoshio's lips—this wasn't his usual fake smile.

"Seriously,"

Yoshio said softly, "If I'd known, I wouldn't have eaten so much earlier."

"You've got some nerve," Shuhei grumbled, a bit heartbroken. "I heard I was the one paying, and you didn't even leave a little for your old classmate."

"Haha, it's rare for Shuhei to treat us—of course we have to make the most of it!"

"What?! Miss Rangiku isn't qualified to say that, is she? You're always dining and dashing!"

"Hm? Do you really want to make a woman as beautiful as me pay the price?"

"This is life in the Gotei 13," Hinamori Momo said, watching the two argue, unable to help herself.

"What a pain," Hitsugaya folded his arms and looked at them, exasperated.

"Don't act so mature." Yoshio walked up to him and pressed down on his head.

Hitsugaya quickly wriggled free.

"Don't press my head!"

Yoshio chuckled and walked over to the cake.

It was big, with thirty-three candles on top.

That didn't mean Yoshio was thirty-three. In reality, one candle stands for a year, but that doesn't work in the Soul Society.

After all, there are many people there who've lived for hundreds of years—would they need hundreds of candles on their cakes?

Here, each candle represented a year of Yoshio's complete independence.

Yoshio's parents had died thirty-three years ago. While they were still alive, he had always followed the path they'd set for him.

Only after they died did Yoshio have his own will.

It seems…

Aizen had investigated him very thoroughly.

Well, if he couldn't find this out, he wouldn't be Aizen.

Yoshio blew out all the candles.

Although he was already quite full, he still cut a big slice of cake for everyone and for himself.

"Thank you. Thank you, everyone."

Yoshio said sincerely, "I hope we can always be together from now on. No one's allowed to leave."

Though he meant it from the bottom of his heart, he knew it was impossible.

Everyone…

Ultimately goes their separate ways.

Like ripples in the river of fate, spreading farther and farther, moving ever away from the center…

Ever farther.

Everyone else was fine, but everything about Aizen now was a façade. And what about him?

Was he really moved right now, or was he, like Aizen, just unconsciously putting on an emotional display?

To be honest, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Yoshio glanced at Aizen, but Aizen seemed not to notice, still chatting and laughing with the others as he ate cake.

For a captain to manage that, he truly was very "approachable."

Who cares? Worry about it later!

Chapter 41: A Day Off

They spent the night at the Yoshio residence.

When he woke up the next day, the others had already left.

Last night Aizen had said he'd give him one more day off since he'd drunk the most, to let him sleep it off today.

Look at that—so considerate!

That's my captain.

No wonder the Squad Five people respected Aizen so much. Even after his open betrayal, there were still those who remembered his kindness.

Yoshio finally understood—if he'd been a member of Squad Five in the original story, he'd definitely have been an Aizen fanboy!

Yoshio lay on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and yawned again.

Honestly, he really did drink too much last night. His head still hurt a bit.

He got up and poured himself a cup of hot water.

After washing up, he took a sip to quench his thirst.

He was supposed to work today, but now he could take a nap. Bliss.

However…

Forget it. How could such a good day be wasted on sleep?

He should go boost some affection scores again.

Yoshio thought about it—he'd already set his sights on several abilities.

But with some people, affection couldn't be rushed. Pushing too fast could make them dislike him.

He thought it over and decided to get the ["Strict Teacher Produces Outstanding Students"] ability first.

It was hard-won to get a day off—no need to go butter up Gotei 13 members when they were on duty anyway. He was on vacation; they were working!

…

So Yoshio packed up and headed for the Shin'ō Academy.

"Teacher!"

Inside the Academy, Yoshio walked straight to Gengorō Ōunabara's office, where he found him reading.

"Yoshio?!" Gengorō Ōunabara was taken aback, then broke into a delighted smile and stood up quickly. "You're a big shot in Seireitei now—what brings you here?"

See? How could he have received this kind of treatment?

Didn't you notice even his teacher smiled upon seeing him now?

Sigh, how realistic.

Back when he was just a shinigami, he was ignored, but now that he was a Lieutenant, the smiles began.

"Captain Aizen gave me a day off. I figured since I was free, I'd come visit you."

As he spoke, Yoshio put a bag of fruit on the desk.

Gengorō Ōunabara smiled again. "You came all this way—why bring gifts?"

"You helped me so much back then. Of course I can't forget your kindness." Yoshio smiled.

These days he especially liked saying nice things. After all, talking sweet doesn't cost you weight, makes the other party happy, and boosts affection—why not?

"If not for you, I couldn't possibly have become a Lieutenant."

"With your effort, becoming a Lieutenant was only a matter of time," Gengorō Ōunabara said.

It was a bit insincere.

Yoshio had indeed worked hard, but what use is hard work alone? If hard work alone made you a Lieutenant, Seireitei would have hundreds of them by now.

It comes down to talent.

Without talent, no matter how much you try, you're just a small shinigami for life.

Gengorō Ōunabara had originally thought that becoming a seventh or eighth seat would already be quite good for Yoshio.

He was more optimistic about Hisagi Shūhei becoming a Lieutenant.

But he hadn't expected that in just a few years after graduation, Yoshio would become Lieutenant.

This was now headline news in Seireitei, and of course Yoshio was basking in the limelight.

Gengorō Ōunabara also sighed that a person's future, besides effort and talent, largely comes down to luck.

About half a year ago, Yoshio had been just an ordinary shinigami, yet in only half a year he'd made leap after leap and become a Lieutenant.

Yoshio naturally understood this.

He and Gengorō Ōunabara walked out together, and along the way Yoshio asked about Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Gengorō Ōunabara said Tōshirō was a rare genius who had nearly finished the Academy's curriculum within half a year of enrollment.

But after evaluation, the school believed Hitsugaya wasn't ready to graduate yet. Even if he wanted to graduate early, it would be the year after next at the earliest.

He was still too young; joining the Gotei 13 recklessly wouldn't be good.

Within the Academy, he had time to grow.

If he joined the Gotei 13 and something went wrong on a mission?

He still had a lot of room to develop, so there was no need to rush him like other students.

One way or another, some squad would definitely want him.

"Mm, that's fine too." Yoshio nodded at the school's plan and said, "Hitsugaya-kun is still a kid. If I were his teacher, I'd want him to complete the six-year curriculum. That way, when he enters the Gotei 13, he'll have the ability to protect himself."

"Exactly." Gengorō Ōunabara sighed. "That's actually what I think as well, and it would be good for your Squad Five too."

"How so?" Yoshio laughed. "Why would he end up in Squad Five?"

"Think about it. Next year, almost all of the standouts in our class are going to be taken by your Squad Five."

"If you also take a genius like Tōshirō, the other squads won't stand for it."

It was already December 26th, which meant New Year's was just days away, and a new year after that.

A new year meant new graduates, and among this group, Squad Five had essentially already internally selected Kira Izuru, Abarai Renji, and Hinamori Momo—three exceptionally gifted students.

If you added Tōshirō Hitsugaya, how could the other squads accept it?

So, what you're saying is your squad can't monopolize all the benefits, right?

"Haha." Yoshio couldn't help laughing. "Can't be helped—Squad Five is just too charming. But you've got a point; better not make ourselves a target."

Yoshio agreed with Gengorō Ōunabara, gained two points of affection, and took his leave.

Next he went to the White Road Gate and chatted for a while with Jidanbō nearby.

Jidanbō was a simple, honest big guy. Just a few casual words, and the affection soared.

It hadn't reached sixty yet, but Yoshio figured next time would do it.

And just like that, his day off ended.

After that, Yoshio went back to work as usual, life seemingly returning to its previous rhythm.

On holidays he ran errands, trained, drank, and boosted affection.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the next year.