The Onmitsukidō's Attitude

That night.

The 2nd Division barracks were brightly lit.

Several masked members of the Punishment Force stood in the center of the grand hall, which could only be described as luxurious. All of them looked respectfully toward the petite figure at the head of the hall.

She was a young woman with short, straight bangs, reclining against a lounge chair. Yet despite her small stature, the gazes everyone in the barracks directed at her were filled with deep awe.

"Captain, the 12th Division's analysis results are ready."

A masked member of the Punishment Force below respectfully reported, "They match our deductions. The residual reishi at the scene matches Subject 147. According to the 12th Division's analysis of the battlefield, a total of sixteen people fought Subject 147. Fifteen died, and one escaped."

The masked member paused. Looking at the 12th Division's analysis report in his hand, a trace of doubt flashed through his eyes. After hesitating briefly, he continued, "Based on its analysis of the battlefield traces and residual reiatsu, the 12th Division concluded that all fifteen of the deceased possessed the reiatsu of low-ranking seated officers, while the one who escaped possessed strength equivalent to that of a High-ranking Officer."

"In other words, you classified someone with at least the strength of a 'High-ranking Officer' into the three-digit supervision sequence?" The young woman known as the captain slowly opened her eyes. Her already icy expression grew even colder.

"This..."

Under her frigid gaze, the masked member responsible for the report instantly broke into a cold sweat. He hurriedly explained, "There are two reasons Subject 147's supervision priority was ranked so low. First, the subject isn't a Soul Reaper. Second, the subject has shown no signs of instability while under supervision."

"Is that so?"

The young woman on the lounge chair slowly sat up. At some point, a document had appeared in her hand.

"Frequent contact with students from the Soul Reaper Academy; all the customers at his tavern are criminals from the lower-numbered districts; proficiency in Kido, Hakuda, Shunpo, and other techniques unique to Soul Reapers. Even setting his strength aside, his conduct alone should place his supervision rank in the double digits."

"If his strength is taken into account, it would be entirely reasonable to place his supervision priority in the single digits." As she spoke, the young woman casually tossed the document from her hand. It landed right at the feet of several masked members of the Punishment Force.

Snap!

The crisp sound of the document hitting the floor made all of them shudder.

"Tell me. Who assigned his supervision rank?"

"..."

The members of the Punishment Force fell silent in unison, but their gazes covertly shifted toward one side of the barracks.

In the direction they were looking, Marechiyo Ōmaeda appeared completely calm. He casually grabbed a large handful of snacks from the bag at his chest, slowly closed his palm, and stuffed the crushed snacks into his mouth amid a series of crunching sounds. He chewed while looking at them with an unruffled expression.

The next second, the members of the Punishment Force answered in unison, as if they had planned it beforehand: "Captain, we decided it after discussing it among ourselves!"

"Captain Soi Fon, you can't really blame them."

Marechiyo immediately chimed in. "I've seen that kid too. Though because of their judgment, I only looked at him from a distance and didn't observe him carefully, even I couldn't tell at a glance that he was hiding his reiatsu. It's perfectly normal for them to misjudge him."

Hearing this, Soi Fon glanced at Marechiyo Ōmaeda before looking at the members of the Punishment Force. "You may leave. After returning, notify the Supervision Team to raise his supervision priority to 11 and change the supervision method to Spiritual Power tracking. Avoid contact with the target. I shouldn't have to explain the specific procedures one by one, should I?"

"Yes!!"

The members of the Punishment Force immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out of the barracks.

"Captain Soi Fon, that kid is seriously strange."

Once they had left, Marechiyo Ōmaeda hurriedly said, "Ever since large-scale fluctuations in reishi were discovered outside District 38 a few days ago, I've been personally monitoring that little brat. I discovered that he isn't only proficient in Kido—he's also extremely skilled in Kido healing. Recently, a seated officer from the Fourth Division even went to study Kido healing from him."

"A seated officer from the Fourth Division?"

Soi Fon slightly furrowed her brows. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I personally saw that kid from the Fourth Division following him around and treating people throughout Rukongai."

Ōmaeda stuffed a handful of snacks into his mouth and said smugly, "I even stopped a subordinate who was supposed to be sent to the Fourth Division halfway there and had him taken to the Yorozuya instead. According to him, the treatment was better than the Fourth Division's."

At this, even Soi Fon cast Ōmaeda a strange look. Someone seriously injured was being sent to the hospital, only to be intercepted by his immediate superior halfway there and forcibly sent to a black clinic no one had ever heard of... Was this guy not afraid of being reported by his own subordinate?

Soi Fon did not pursue the matter further. After pondering briefly, she asked, "Did he learn his Kido from Shiba Kūkaku?"

"That's been confirmed. Shiba Kūkaku herself admitted it."

Upon hearing the name "Shiba Kūkaku," a cold glint flashed through Soi Fon's eyes. She snorted coldly. "As long as he shows no signs of instability, continue supervising him as you have been."

"But tomorrow, tell the Fourth Division's Lieutenant Captain about this. Whether they choose to stop it is their business."

"Oh, I understand." Marechiyo Ōmaeda rubbed his chin. "Then tomorrow, I'll invite all the Lieutenant Captains to dinner at a restaurant in the Noble District."

"Suit yourself."

Soi Fon rose and walked outside, but after a few steps, she stopped. "Right. As punishment for your negligence, your vacation this year is canceled." With that, she vanished from the spot in a flash.

"Huh? Wait!!"

Ōmaeda froze for a moment, then hurried outside and shouted toward the empty courtyard:

"Captain Soi Fon... Could you change it to a fine instead?"

The next morning.

In the clinic on the second floor of the Yorozuya, Duan Mu extended his right hand. The reiatsu fluctuating over it constantly changed as he slowly said, "When performing Kido healing, you can't simply release reiatsu indiscriminately. During the release process, you need to continuously alter the properties of the Spiritual Power within the healing technique."

"With the same reiatsu intensity, the reason my treatment is more effective than yours is precisely this—and it's also your biggest problem."

As Duan Mu spoke, he wrote the knowledge in his mind on the blackboard behind him. The only student below, Yamadatarō, took notes with a serious expression.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed since he came here.

During those three days, he hadn't missed a single day. He almost always arranged a time to come here in advance each day to study.

Yamadatarō looked at Duan Mu on the platform, his eyes filled with respect. The longer he studied under him, the more he felt how formidable Duan Mu was in Kido healing. His talent in that field was in no way inferior to that of his elder brother.

That was Yamada Kiyonosuke, the former Lieutenant Captain of the Fourth Division and the current chief of the Soul Reaper Pharmacy.