Something Was Very Wrong with His Appearance

Early summer sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, spilling over the Fifth Division's iconic lake and gardens. The water shimmered, and the scenery was pleasant.

Yet today, that usual tranquility had been utterly torn apart by an atmosphere of grim tension.

A Kido Barrier woven from four colors loomed like a massive multicolored steamer, sealing the entire Fifth Division grounds beneath it without a single gap.

The air seemed frozen. Even the koi in the lake had stopped swimming and sunk to the bottom.

Inside the barracks, the Fifth Division members, led by Lieutenant Captain Momo Hinamori, were conducting an unprecedented carpet search.

"First team, search the archives! Second team, the training grounds! Third team, the dormitories! Fourth team, come with me to the supply warehouse!"

There was a barely perceptible tremor in Momo Hinamori's voice, and her tone was exceedingly urgent.

She firmly believed her captain was innocent, but this involved the grave crime of sheltering fugitives. Combined with the invisible pressure brought by the four captains outside, she had no choice but to stay on high alert.

However, the Fifth Division barracks were simply too vast.

As a division responsible for support and rescue, its buildings had a tangled layout, with warehouses, secret rooms, and underground passages everywhere.

Even with the entire division mobilized, it was naturally impossible to thoroughly inspect every corner so quickly.

What was more, when Kurosaki Masaki had hidden someone here, she had picked an exceptionally good spot.

The location she chose was extremely tricky and concealed: an abandoned compartment deep within the Fifth Division.

Under normal circumstances, no one ever went there.

Precisely because it had been hidden so well, the Shinigami of the Fifth Division, who patrolled day and night, had yet to discover that there was an extra living person on