Tsundere? Outdated!

Soul Society.

Rukongai District, District One, Junrinan.

Countless souls walked the streets, streams of people flowing back and forth.

Compared to the Rukongai districts with higher numbers, where resources were noticeably "scarce" and which lay "farther" from the Seireitei, Junrinan, District One, was undoubtedly the safest area with the most resources.

At the very least, there was a clear sense of order here, though that order was far from perfect.

Perhaps because Junrinan was relatively close to the Seireitei, Soul Reapers in black could often be seen passing through the streets where the souls lived.

Those beings known as Soul Reapers wore largely uniform clothing and accessories. Nearly every Soul Reaper wore black kimono known as Shinigami Robes, with weapons resembling katana at their waists, specially used to slay evil spirits. Of course, those were no ordinary katana, but weapons exclusive to Soul Reapers known as Zanpakuto.

Whenever a Soul Reaper passed through the streets, the souls by the roadside would unconsciously straighten up and cast reverent gazes toward those powerful Soul Reapers who enjoyed "privileges"...

And at that moment, the Soul Reapers who should have been protecting the Seireitei, maintaining the order of the Three Worlds, dispersing evil spirits known as Hollows, and sending souls known as Pluses to Soul Society to continue "suffering," were standing outside a ramen shop beside a street in Junrinan, District One of Rukongai.

"Sure enough, the captain ran off here for noodles again."

"So that's how it is, huh? Other people's noodles just taste better than the ones from the barracks cafeteria?"

"Honestly, tossing aside his duties to keep running to Rukongai for ramen—what would people say if that got out? If the members of the other divisions found out, they'd think our captain was irresponsible~"

"Shh, keep it down! Don't let the captain hear you, or you're definitely getting a beating."

Two Soul Reapers dressed in black Shinigami Robes stood before the ramen shop, quietly discussing things as though no one else were around.

They did not enter the unremarkable ramen shop before them. Instead, they cautiously stood outside its entrance, constantly peering through the gap in the door.

From the complaints in their words and their tightly furrowed brows, it was clear that the two Soul Reapers were helplessly exasperated by someone inside the ramen shop.

"What do we do now?!"

"Either way, we need to call the captain out, right? The other members are still waiting at the barracks for the captain to start the meeting!"

"You're right..."

"Come to think of it, last time I was the one who went inside to fetch the captain. Not only did I get scolded, but the captain beat me up under the pretense of teaching me! It should be your turn this time, shouldn't it?"

"Huh? Didn't we agree that I only had to come here with you? What you're saying now is completely different from what you said when you asked me to come! If I'd known I had to go in and fetch the captain, I wouldn't have come with you."

"Shut up! Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? If the vice-captain position of our Sixth Division weren't still vacant, would you have kindly come with me?"

"Don't think I don't know that you're just as dark inside as I am! The two of us keep showing our faces before the captain only because we want the Sixth Division's vice-captain position."

The two Soul Reapers looked at the ramen shop before them with utter distress, as if some primordial beast lurked inside and neither dared enter first...

In the end, because they disagreed over who should enter the ramen shop first, the two stood at the entrance and began arguing. Each had their own reasoning, and neither could convince the other.

Yes, the relationship between these two Soul Reapers was much like that of the two Third Seat Officers of the future 13th Division, Sentaro Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu.

They were members of the same division, trusted each other, and could entrust their backs to one another!

But because they were both Third Seat Officers in the division, they were competitors for the vice-captain position, which made them thoroughly dislike each other.

"What's going on?"

"No idea..."

"I've lived a long time, but this is the first time I've seen Soul Reapers arguing."

As the two Soul Reapers' voices grew louder and louder, many Rukongai residents who were curious about the scene turned to look over.

Thus arose the strange sight of two Soul Reapers standing outside a ramen shop in Rukongai, endlessly "bargaining" with each other while countless souls quietly stopped to watch.

And just as the two Soul Reapers were making fools of themselves before the Rukongai residents, a conflict was also unfolding inside the modest-looking ramen shop's reasonably sized dining room.

Logically speaking, this ramen shop was located in the safest and most prosperous area of Soul Society's Rukongai! Even if the owner-chef's skills were limited, the shop should have had a constant stream of customers. Yet the present situation was rather unusual!

For a ramen business that could be run from a simple pushcart, this shop's premises were rather "luxurious" no matter how one looked at them. Yet at that moment, there was only one customer inside.

Unfortunately, though the ramen shop had plenty of tables and chairs, including a row of chairs at the counter built around the kitchen, and seven or eight long tables in the adequately sized room facing the counter, with chairs packed tightly around them, the number of tables and chairs could not change the fact that there was only one customer.

And the shop's sole customer did not look like someone to be trifled with.

The only customer was a young woman. Like a thorny rose, she was alluring yet radiated an aura that warned strangers to stay away, as though anyone approaching her would be pricked by poisoned thorns~

Opposite her, inside the kitchen enclosed by the counter, stood a fairly handsome young man.

The young man was the owner of the shop and also its part-time chef. At that moment, he stood in the kitchen and looked at the delinquent girl seated before him—also the sole customer of his shop—with utter disdain.

As for this "customer"...

Judging solely by her appearance, the young woman before him, with light-purple twin tails, a "delicate" face, and exquisite features, was beautiful from every angle.

But her bearing at that moment was truly terrible, making her look every bit like a delinquent girl.

Yes, the girl's manner was just that "hot-tempered"!

She sat before the young man with her long, slender legs casually crossed. Her flowing purple hair, tied into twin tails, swayed freely along with her fair legs as they rhythmically swung back and forth~

"If you're eating, then eat already! If not, please turn left when you leave."

"And one more thing! Stop swinging around. You're making me dizzy."

"Keep swinging... and you can leave too."

At last, the young man behind the counter could no longer endure the girl's constant swaying and spoke to her irritably.

Honestly, if not for her status, the young man truly wanted to slap her onto the floor, grab her twin tails hard, and shout, "I'll show you swinging! Keep swinging! Let's see if you can still swing now!!"

Ahem...

"Hey, hey, hey! Is that any way to speak to a customer?"

Upon hearing that, the girl looked at the young man with a trace of displeasure.

"Customer? Where do I see a customer?!"

"Don't tell me you think simply entering my shop makes you my customer?!"

"Sorry! I'm a man of principles. In my eyes, someone who doesn't spend a single coin or eat a single bowl of noodles doesn't count as a customer."

The young man calmly replied to her.

"Heh, what a shady merchant! It's common sense to at least offer a cup of water to a customer, whether they buy anything or not!"

"And listen up! Don't let my appearance fool you—I'm a Soul Reaper! And I'm even a captain of the Gotei 13."

As she spoke, the girl immediately put her hands on her hips, looking immensely pleased with herself!

"For me to come eat at a noodle shop run by lowly Rukongai folk like you is already giving you plenty of face!"

"From now on, you can brag to the other souls all you want. Just say that even a captain of the Gotei 13 praised your noodles!"

After hearing the ramen chef's words, the girl tightly furrowed her delicate brows and lectured the young man before her.

"So what?!"

Yet the young man did not buy any of her act.

"You..."

The girl revealed her sharp canine teeth.

At the same time, she glared viciously at the young man with her sharp eyes, silently thinking, Damn Araki, sooner or later you'll fall into my hands. When that happens, I'll have plenty of time to play with you properly~

As she thought that, her gaze gradually softened and took on a hint of teasing.

This made the young man behind the counter furrow his brows as he helplessly thought, Being too handsome really is a pain. Bad women always set their sights on me for no reason~ Sigh~

If the other souls of Rukongai, or the two Soul Reapers waiting outside the ramen shop, had witnessed this scene, their jaws would have dropped!

Because the delinquent girl seated at the ramen shop counter was no "ordinary person"!

Just as she had said, her true identity was that of a Soul Reaper. Moreover, she was no ordinary Soul Reaper, but the head of one of the Gotei 13 divisions!

In fact, anyone with even a little knowledge of the Seireitei could determine the girl's identity and status from her attire.

In the vast Soul Society, setting aside the Royal Guard and the retainers of wealthy, resource-rich high-ranking noble families, there were only thirteen people in the Gotei 13 who could wear the costly white haori, symbols of status and rank, over their black Shinigami Robes...

These thirteen were called division heads by countless Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13!

They represented not only strength, but authority!

And the large Chinese character for six embroidered on the back of the girl's white-on-the-outside, red-on-the-inside haori represented that the division she commanded was the Sixth Division of the Gotei 13!

Yes, the girl before him was the captain of the Gotei 13, 6th Division, one of the thirteen divisions protecting the Seireitei.

With the privileges under her command, even if the girl drew her Zanpakuto and killed the ramen shop owner for his disrespect, no one would say anything...

To Soul Society, it would merely mean that a soul who had sought death had offended a division captain. Nothing more.

"Who said I wasn't eating? Give me a bowl of tonkotsu ramen!"

Yet unexpectedly, the girl seated before the counter did not get angry at the young man's words. Instead, she actually ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Yes, in the end, she was still the one who gave in.

"Certainly. That'll be fifty ryo."

"Pay first, noodles after! No credit at this shop!"

The young man behind the counter was not happy that a division captain was about to eat his noodles. Instead, he calmly held out his hand to the captain before him for payment.

It seemed that, in the young man's eyes, money outweighed everything else.

"Fifty ryo? You want fifty ryo for one bowl of ramen? Why don't you just rob people?"

"Your noodles were already outrageously expensive! How did the price rise again after only a few days?!"

When the girl heard the ramen's price, her eyes widened immediately.

"This division head is joking. I'm a law-abiding citizen; I never rob anyone..."

"The price of my noodles rose to fifty ryo the moment you walked through the door~"

"If you don't want to eat, you're free to leave. My shop may be small, but we believe in willing buyers and willing sellers..."

"Besides, it looks like the members of your division have come to fetch you again. As a captain of the Gotei 13 responsible for protecting the Seireitei, don't keep making things difficult for your subordinates~"

The young man behind the counter seemed exceedingly familiar with the girl. He clearly knew her identity, yet his attitude remained firm.

Yes, rather than being excited or fawning over her status, the young ramen shop owner was somewhat disgusted! After all, it was because of her that every other customer in his shop had run away!

Of course, the young owner did not blame the customers who had fled. After all, anyone would be scared away upon seeing the murderous division heads of the First Generation Gotei 13 while trying to eat.

But that did not stop the young man from ruthlessly fleecing the girl before him!

Honestly, the cost of running a ramen shop in this location was quite high, so he could only charge the losses he suffered from the other customers to the captain of the Gotei 13 before him.

"I'll eat. Of course I'll eat..."

Upon hearing that, the girl painfully took out fifty ryo and placed it on the counter. Then she turned to glance at the Sixth Division members stationed outside the ramen shop, disdain in her eyes. "Hmph! Honestly, they're like ghosts that won't go away! I only came out to rest for half a day. Did they really have to rush me back so urgently?!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Meanwhile, the young man behind the counter snatched the girl's money from the table, then brought out a steaming bowl of ramen from the back kitchen. Well, judging from his movements, it was hard to say he had not prepared it in advance.

"So fast..."

The girl widened her eyes at the steaming bowl of ramen before her. Even with her eyesight, she had not seen how the young man had made it.

"And I ordered tonkotsu ramen! This is obviously clear broth noodles!"

The girl first marveled at the speed of the ramen chef behind the counter. Then she immediately began complaining about the bland bowl of noodles in front of her.

In particular, she truly could not understand how the young man had sliced the meat so thin it was like cicada wings. It had to be said that his knife skills were absolutely captain-level.

"Not eating?!"

The young man behind the counter had no intention of indulging her and made as if to take the bowl of ramen away.

"Hah? Who said I wasn't eating? I paid for this!"

Seeing his movement, the girl immediately shielded the bowl on the table, refusing to let him take the noodles away.

"Heh..."

The young man looked at her contradictory actions and shook his head. Her mouth said no, but her body was honest.

Still, tsunderes had long since gone out of fashion.

"Slurp~"

After protecting her food, the girl wolfed down noodles while asking the young man behind the counter, "Hey! Araki, stop staying in Rukongai running your ramen shop! Why not join the Gotei 13 with me? Leaving someone as talented as you here is simply a waste of Soul Society's resources."

Rarely, the girl was not tsundere. Instead, she looked at Araki with complete sincerity and extended her invitation. After inviting him, she quietly watched the young man before her. In fact, she herself could not remember how many times she had invited him over the past several decades...

Yet regrettably, every invitation she had made over those decades had been met with the young man's refusal.

"Mm."

At the girl's invitation, the young man named Araki fell silent, seeming to consider something.

"So you still don't want to join the Gotei 13?"

"Fine. But I won't give up because of that. I'll keep inviting you until you finally agree to come to the Seireitei with me."

The girl sighed helplessly as she watched the young man remain silent for so long. Though she felt somewhat disappointed, she had expected it.

"The Gotei 13, huh?!"

"Fine! I'll make a trip there!"

Yet just as the girl waited for Araki's rejection once again, she heard the young man—Araki—agree.

"Huh?!"

"What... did you just say?!"

Upon hearing that, the girl who served as head of the Gotei 13, 6th Division, put down her bowl and widened her eyes in shock once more. This was the second time Araki's words had stunned her since she arrived at the ramen shop. The first time had been when she heard the damned sky-high noodle price.

"..."

Compared to the girl's surprise, the young man she called Araki was much calmer.

That was because his exclusive mission system had just successfully issued a mission to head to the Seireitei. Everything was merely a tool for making him stronger~

The young man,

for now, was called Araki,

and he was a transmigrator.

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