Chapter 266
"Hi!"
The Patrol Corps member nodded vigorously and then Shunpo left the vicinity of the Senkaimon.
"Shusuke Amagai?"
Haruto walked away without looking back, heading in the opposite direction from the barracks.
"Isn't he Ashido's companion? Why is he back in Soul Society?"
Haruto remembered that the Miyano siblings seemed to have mentioned having a conversation with him before leaving Hueco Mundo —before visiting Kisuke Urahara, Haruto had even gone to see the Miyano siblings, whom he had forcibly "pretended to be dead" and then sent to the old Miyano of the confectionery shop.
There's really no need to say much.
After seeing the Shusuha siblings alive, things naturally became clear.
But.
The Miyano siblings, who already had the idea of going to Hueco Mundo to fight, did not choose to stay in the World of the Living even though they successfully cleared up the misunderstanding. After apologizing to Haruto, they used Kisuke Urahara's World-Piercing Instrument to go to Hueco Mundo.
—The two replica Reigai left behind were used to disguise them.
Otherwise.
The captain of the Gotei 13, a commoner by birth, has recklessly left the team on his own initiative... Kitahara
Humility serves as a cautionary tale.
"It can't be..."
"While the Miyano siblings were impressed by his ambition, he also became captivated by the allure of Soul Society."
What's new that's attracting you?
Haruto didn't pay much attention.
The Soul Reaper have fallen into Hueco Mundo each have their own hardships. This Shusuke Amagai doesn't seem like a bad person. Anyway, since there's a vacancy for the captain, he might as well take it.
By the way...
When Haruto finished his report and left the First Division, he once again "ungratefully" refused Captain- Captain-Commander Yamamoto's appointment as captain.
So.
The position of captain of the Tenth Division is currently vacant.
Haruto wasn't incapable of being the captain, but after seeing the name of the Third Seat, he decided to let this slacker take responsibility: when the Miyano siblings were captain and vice-captain, he assisted with many team tasks.
Regardless of their noble or commoner origins, they all had considerable trust in this Third Seat.
After all...
The surname Shiba is quite intimidating.
――――
"Whoosh!"
Haruto Shunpo at the entrance of the Fourth Division.
"Lieutenant Shihoin!"
"Lieutenant Shihoin!"
The Fourth Division remains the same.
The complete return of the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force will certainly reduce a lot of pressure in the future, but the burden in the near future will definitely be heavier; and the fact that the squad's quarters are structured like hospital wards makes the entire squad extremely busy.
Most of the Seated Officer who had met Haruto immediately paid their respects to Haruto.
It wasn't because of his current reputation for being vicious, but purely because of an old acquaintance—if we're talking about Seated Officer, if not for their injuries, spend all their time running to the Fourth Division, Haruto is probably the one who does it the most... Moreover, Haruto's attacks are basically all killing and no harming, which also indirectly reduces the pressure on the Fourth Division.
"Vice President of the Shihoin— "
"Fourth Seat Iemura."
Haruto smiled and stopped the greeting from his acquaintance.
Why are you being so polite now?
"... Maybe I've been reading too many tabloids lately?"
Iemura Yasochika.
Don't you know me?
"It's not that you 'killed' a lot, but wherever you went, there were murders, the kind that even Captain-level couldn't escape."
"..."
Okay.
He's now a Soul Reaper elementary school student in Soul Society?
Looking for Isane?
Since there were two Kotetsu in the team, the seniors mostly called him by his name, while those below him were addressed by his seat.
"Can't I have something else to do...? Find Isane."
"..."
Yijiangcun wore an expression that said, "I didn't expect this."
"Cough!"
Haruto cleared his throat forcefully.
Ie-mura's abilities aren't outstanding, but among the Seated Officers, he's the kind of person who's very reliable. Everyone who comes to the Fourth Division has to deal with him to some extent... However, this guy is secretly a bit of a brooding type. Despite having all the abilities that are stronger than the Sixth Seat Harunobu Ogidō, who ranks after Kiyone, except for his appearance, he's still not popular in the team.
"I'm here to check on my subordinates."
"... Soi Fon's Fourth Seats?"
"Yes."
Haruto nodded.
The Stealth Force has its own Kaidō team.
They're fine for emergencies or to silence witnesses, but their medical skills are definitely far inferior to those of the Fourth Division. Soi Fon, who was escorting Kitahara Kenshin, along with the injured members of her Schutzstaffel and Detention Unit, were all sent directly to the Fourth Division.
"Ward No. 7, Special Ward"
"Grateful."
Releasing Reiatsu to find someone while in the medical team is obviously very impolite, so Haruto had no choice but to ask around like this.
By the way...
It's fine to use Shunpo to jump out of a window when leaving, but it's best not to do so when entering a ward, as it's easy to bump into busy medical staff.
――――
Ward 7, Special Ward.
"I can move now."
Soi Fon's upper body was covered in bandages.
The wound has stopped bleeding, but there's still a long way to go before she can move again—meaning she can deliver a chokehold to her opponent... In fact, if it weren't for the advantage of her flattened shape, she wouldn't even be able to breathe comfortably.
"But you haven't met the discharge criteria yet... Ms. Soi Fon, your current condition is less than a third of your peak."
Isane was sitting by the hospital bed.
A pale blue light emanated from her clasped hands, flowing continuously down her body to all parts of it.
"..."
Soi Fon had to admit it.
Isane Kotetsu's abilities are indeed far superior to the Stealth Force Kaidō team, both in terms of assessing the extent of injuries and the precision of his Kaidō manipulation.
Given her current injuries, it would probably take a week to fully recover if she stayed with the team; but after being sent to the Fourth Division for less than two days, she's already recovered to the point where she can walk again... I heard that the Third Seat Kotetsu in front of me only graduated from the Shin'ō Academy about five years ago, yet he already possesses such a high level of skill—
The Soul Reapers around that guy seem to be progressing very quickly.
But.
What Soi Fon really cared about was the scarf around Isane's neck.
Soi Fon had once seen Lady Yoruichi wearing this scarf, which was said to be Heavenly Bestowed Armaments passed down through generations of the Shihoin Clan; Lady Yoruichi clearly liked it very much, but still gave it away to that family as a gift.
Now he's actually given it to his lover!
Lover.
This statement is correct.
According to Soi Fon's investigation, that guy's real girlfriend should be the eldest daughter of the Kurumadani Clan.
But...
Envious?
Envy?
Disgust?
This inexplicable feeling was truly difficult to understand, and no one had ever mentioned it in her short life.
Aside from Lady Yoruichi, who would make fun of her about such things.
"Oh my~"
"!!"
The recently familiar voice instantly Soi Fon out of her "confusion".
"Looks like the recovery is going quite well."
Without even shifting her gaze, Soi Fon saw that face that always inexplicably irritated her: this feeling had persisted since the eve of the Valley of Screams incident five years ago... She felt this way every time she saw this guy!
"A-Qing!"
Haruto glanced at Soi Fon, then followed the sound and shifted his gaze to Isane.
Soi Fon, who is exceptionally sensitive to gazes, could clearly perceive the difference between how that guy looked at her and Kotetsu, the Third Seat: the former's concern carried a hint of seriousness and a touch of playfulness similar to Lady Yoruichi's, while the latter's was pure gentleness and care.
"Thank you for your hard work, Isane."
"No, it's just part of my job."
"..."
Two seconds, five seconds --
"Cough!"
Nearly half a minute later.
Soi Fon finally couldn't hold back and interrupted their eye contact... This time, her cough was really bad, and she even caused her piercing chest wound to bleed.
The number of "special" wards in the medical team is limited, and even if you are admitted here, there is no guarantee that Seated Officer of the Fourth Division will take care of you; she is only the Fourth Seat of the Second Division, and several members of the Expeditionary Force who are above her in rank are currently lying in ordinary wards.
As a high- Seated Officer in the Stealth Force, Soi Fon was well aware of these things, but she just couldn't resist.
How are you feeling?
Haruto was about to press on Soi Fon's wound when Isane interrupted him first—it wasn't about whether it would worsen the injury, but rather that the wound's location was too flat, and Haruto almost accidentally stepped on a landmine.
"Excuse me, it's no trouble at all."
"That's good."
Haruto pretended nothing had happened and withdrew his right hand.
"I killed Kitahara Kenshin, so you probably won't have the chance to avenge him yourself."
"!!"
The Fourth Division was already poorly informed.
Furthermore, given the Captain-Commander's deliberate attempt to obscure the information, it's understandable that Soi Fon only just found out.
In order to escort Kitahara Kenshin, many of her Schutzstaffel died. If Ōmaeda hadn't been temporarily recalled to stabilize the situation, her Schutzstaffel, which were only half-organized, would definitely not be in any better shape than Kisuke Urahara's Detention Unit.
"To prevent this from happening again..."