Glasses

Seireitei, the political, military, and commercial center of all Soul Society.

Besides the barracks of the Thirteen Divisions being located entirely within Seireitei, the residences of nobles of every rank, the Kidō Corps barracks, the Central 46 Chambers, the Great Spirit Library Archive, Mukken, and nearly every other important institution were concentrated there as well.

As for Rukongai beyond Seireitei, it was merely where ordinary souls lived. Aside from simple divisions such as "East District One" and "North District Two," Shinigami would only be dispatched to eliminate Hollows when they attacked souls.

Beyond that, Seireitei's management of Rukongai was exceedingly rough, almost entirely laissez-faire, resulting in most areas of Rukongai being chaotic, filthy, and disorderly.

Rukongai's abysmal environment, coupled with the fact that souls without Reiryoku did not feel hunger, left little room for commerce to flourish there.

Thus, to satisfy the dining and entertainment needs of Shinigami and nobles of every rank, a commercial street had naturally formed within Seireitei for their everyday relaxation.

Chiba Makoto had long heard of this commercial street, but ever since joining the Fourth Division, he had never had the chance to come out and have fun.

Unlike Seireitei's usually solemn and stifling atmosphere, once they entered the commercial street, they could see uninhibited Shinigami everywhere.

Beyond entertainment and dining establishments, the shops on both sides sold all manner of goods, making the street look rather bustling and prosperous.

"Wait..."

Chiba Makoto suddenly called out to Shaolin Fon, who was walking ahead and leading the way. Looking toward an eyeglasses shop, he said, "Miss Fon, could you wait for me a moment? I'd like to buy a pair of glasses."

"Glasses?"

As Shaolin Fon followed Chiba Makoto into the shop, she instinctively looked at his bright, gentle eyes and asked, "Does Physician Chiba have trouble with his eyesight?"

"A little. I may have been practicing acupuncture too often lately and overworking my eyes, so things occasionally look a little blurry..."

While casually making up an excuse for Shaolin Fon, Chiba Makoto swept his gaze across the various styles of glasses in the shop.

The first pair he noticed was the understated black-framed glasses identical to Aizen Sōsuke's. They were undoubtedly the best choice for refining one's temperament, concealing one's good looks, and hiding one's eyes.

But...

Remembering how Teacher Unohana had once seemingly casually remarked that he resembled Aizen Sōsuke somewhat, Chiba Makoto decisively gave up on the idea of wearing the same pair as Aizen Sōsuke.

Afterward, at the shopkeeper's recommendation, Chiba Makoto tried on several pairs in a row, only to find that they seemed to make him look even more refined and handsome. He could not help feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

After all, Chiba Makoto's main purpose in buying glasses was to disguise himself. He did not expect to reach the level of Superman, where putting on glasses and taking off his underwear made people unable to recognize him at all, but at the very least, they should not obviously raise his attractiveness any further. Ideally, they would also conceal his eyes and make him seem more harmless.

Just then, Shaolin Fon handed him a pair of silver-gray glasses and said, "Um... Physician Chiba, how about trying this pair?"

Chiba Makoto turned to look at Shaolin Fon in surprise. She, however, turned her head away and let her gaze wander toward the street outside. "D-Don't misunderstand. I just don't want to waste time. It's definitely not because I think those glasses would suit you better."

At that moment, an evening breeze blew in from the street outside, lifting Shaolin Fon's black hair from her shoulders and fully exposing her flushed ears.

Chiba Makoto blinked, accepted the glasses from Shaolin Fon, and tried them on in front of the mirror.

"Phew~"

As Chiba Makoto took the glasses, Shaolin Fon could not help quietly letting out a breath. She was already beginning to regret her impulsive action.

However, Shaolin Fon's life had been occupied almost entirely by Punishment Force training ever since she was old enough to understand things. She rarely had the chance to stroll around the streets as well, so when she saw a pair of glasses she liked, she could not stop herself from recommending them to Chiba Makoto.

"What do you think?"

Suddenly, Chiba Makoto's voice, as gentle as the evening breeze, rang out.

Shaolin Fon instinctively turned toward him. His originally rather delicate face now seemed a little more mature, with a hint of noble elegance, beneath the dark gray narrow-framed glasses.

At that moment, the image of the Kuchiki Clan's young master, Kuchiki Byakuya, inexplicably surfaced in Shaolin Fon's mind, and she found herself comparing him to the Chiba Makoto before her.

Aside from their nearly equal looks, unlike Kuchiki Byakuya's deliberately aloof and arrogant manner, the young man before her somehow gave Shaolin Fon the feeling of a spring breeze, making her feel close to him.

For some reason, hearing Chiba Makoto's voice, which seemed capable of blowing straight into one's heart, suddenly made Shaolin Fon feel flustered, as though some little thought she had hidden away had been seen through. Her tone grew unnaturally tense as she said, "Why are you asking me?"

Facing Shaolin Fon's tone, which seemed cold and distant, Chiba Makoto answered as gently as ever. "These are the glasses Miss Fon recommended. Naturally, Miss Fon's opinion is quite important."

"N-Not bad. They're... all right, I suppose?" Shaolin Fon answered unnaturally.

"All right."

Chiba Makoto responded, then, beneath Shaolin Fon's faintly disappointed gaze, took off the glasses and set them aside before continuing to browse other pairs.

For a moment, Shaolin Fon suddenly felt empty inside, as though the precious first gift of her life had been rejected.

Damn it, didn't I say they were all right?

Could it be... I wasn't clear enough? But... what else was I supposed to say?

No, why do I care so much? This has absolutely! Absolutely nothing!! to do with me.

Just as Shaolin Fon grew increasingly irritated, Chiba Makoto handed the two pairs he had selected to the shopkeeper, indicating that he should wrap them up.

Then, as Shaolin Fon stared blankly, Chiba Makoto directly put the dark gray narrow-framed glasses on his nose and asked, "Shopkeeper, how much are these three pairs altogether?"

"Two thousand kan."

(PS: I could only find that Soul Society's currency is divided into small kan and kan, while their exact purchasing power is unknown, so I'll roughly use real-world values for ease of understanding.)

Chiba Makoto froze slightly and asked, "They're that expensive?"

Although Chiba Makoto was Unohana Retsu's disciple, he was only an ordinary Fourth Division member by rank. His monthly salary and allowances combined came to merely six thousand kan.

Of course, the reason it was so little was also because Chiba Makoto had not treated a single patient over the past two months, so he could only receive the department's lowest-tier salary.