That Esteemed Person!!

However, in terms of teaching, the elder brother he respected fell far short compared to the other man.

Those things that were clearly extremely complicated could be explained by Teacher Duan Mu in the simplest and easiest-to-understand way.

This made Yamadatarō want to call more members of the Fourth Division over to study here more than once, but whenever he wanted to introduce Duan Mu to someone...

He would wonder whether it was because his Kido abilities were too weak that he had improved so much. After all, in his view, the only reason he had been able to become the Seventh Seat of the Fourth Division was because his elder brother had supported him from behind the scenes.

Because of this, he had mentioned to the captain more than once that he was unqualified to be a seated officer and hoped he could become an ordinary member, but he had never been allowed to.

Three days!!

In front of the blackboard, Duan Mu, who had his back turned to Hanatarou, wore a somewhat unpleasant expression.

It had already been three days. Why had not a single member of the Fourth Division other than Hanatarou come knocking?

The seated officers could be excused, but with a seated officer taking the lead, not a single ordinary member of the Fourth Division had come!

Originally, he had thought that as long as he kept Yamadatarō here, the female members of the Fourth Division would come knocking one after another, providing him with a gratifying amount of experience points. But after three days... there had not been the slightest movement!!

He had been teaching Yamadatarō with all his heart, and Hanatarou's progress had been tremendous. Was such an achievement still not enough to attract people?

Why wasn't anyone coming?

Crack...

The chalk in Duan Mu's hand broke with a snap. He then turned around with a smile.

"Seventh Seat Yamada, let's stop here for today's discussion on the changes in Spiritual Power during Kido. Next, let's discuss medicinal preparation. As far as I know, your Fourth Division should also have a medical team specifically responsible for preparing medicines."

Moreover, he had heard that most of them were women.

Duan Mu silently added this in his heart before continuing, "The things I've discussed with you are actually just things I've figured out on my own. I can't even determine whether many of them are correct. When you go back, you can discuss them with the members of the medical team responsible for preparing medicines."

"If there are any mistakes, ask them to correct me."

"You're being too modest." Hanatarou shook his head. "With your level of skill in preparing medicines, Mr. Duan Mu, you definitely won't make any mistakes."

"I will make mistakes." Duan Mu emphasized this gently.

"But..."

"You need to go and discuss it!!"

Looking at the gentle smile on Duan Mu's face, Yamadatarō blinked. Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Duan Mu's smile seemed to overlap with Captain Unohana's smile from his memories, making him instinctively swallow the words at the tip of his tongue and nod instead.

Just then, the room door was suddenly thrown open, and Diao Ao burst in with a nervous expression. "Boss Duan Mu... Someone downstairs is looking for you."

"...Why do I feel like I see you every day?"

Duan Mu glared at Diao Ao in exasperation. He did not know when it had started, but this guy had suddenly become the regular bouncer at his tavern. He called him Boss Duan Mu and Big Sister Uzuki at every opportunity, arriving earlier than anyone else and leaving later than anyone else every day.

Anyone who did not know better would think he was a tavern server.

"Forget about that for now. Please hurry downstairs." Diao Ao spoke anxiously. "That esteemed person is here again. Don't keep him waiting."

That esteemed person?

Hearing those four words, Duan Mu almost reflexively complained, "What? Has Lord Safurin decided to attack Soul Society?"

"Huh??"

"...Never mind."

Duan Mu did not explain. He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking, and at the same time, he had already guessed who Diao Ao meant by "that esteemed person." Although his strength was somewhat lacking, Diao Ao was still the boss of West District 79. It was not difficult to guess who he would address as "Lord" and say had "come again."

"You wait here for a moment."

After saying this to Yamadatarō, Duan Mu turned and left the Yorozuya with Diao Ao.

When he arrived downstairs, Duan Mu's brows furrowed before he even entered the tavern.

The smell of blood!?

Duan Mu's expression darkened. He hurriedly pulled open the door and stepped into the tavern. Only after seeing what was inside did his expression return to normal.

The scene inside was exactly the same as three days ago. All the customers looked cautious as they secretly glanced toward the center of the hall. In the middle of the hall, Nishijin-ori was sitting in the same spot as three days ago, with two basketball-sized bundles on the table.

"Boss Duan Mu, we're here again."

Habutae, standing beside Nishijin-ori, waved happily when she saw Duan Mu, as if greeting an old friend.

That was, if one ignored...

The bloodstains on the two of them, as well as the blood constantly dripping onto the floor!

Combined with the situation before him, Habutae's enthusiasm left Duan Mu unsure how to respond. In the end, he could only tug at the corner of his mouth and force out a smile that barely qualified as one. "Welcome?"

After replying in a somewhat uncertain tone, Duan Mu walked forward.

Nishijin-ori, who had been resting with his eyes closed at the drinking table, opened his eyes and pushed the bundle with less blood on it toward Duan Mu with his right hand. "The commission fee and medical expenses. This is..." As he spoke, he grabbed the other heavily bloodstained bundle and threw it at Duan Mu's feet. "...extra."

Thud!

The bundle hit the floor and immediately came apart. A round object rolled out, finally coming to a stop beside Duan Mu's feet.

When Uzuki saw what it was, she immediately sucked in a cold breath from behind the bar.

However, apart from her, the other customers in the tavern did not react much.

Duan Mu glanced down and smiled. "Not a bad reward."

The object that had rolled to his feet was a human head. Duan Mu was quite familiar with its identity. After all, he had nearly died at its owner's hands a few days ago.

Jiu Su!

The guy who had slashed Duan Mu before immediately fleeing back to South District 80.

"Boss Duan Mu, this bag of money isn't just the commission fee."

Habutae winked at Duan Mu. In Duan Mu's eyes, however, it looked more like she was glaring fiercely at him.

"My boss just said that it's the commission fee and medical expenses." As she spoke, Habutae shifted slightly to the side, revealing a wound around her muscular waist that had nearly cut her in half.

Duan Mu withdrew his gaze and looked at Nishijin-ori. He discovered that Nishijin-ori was in no better condition. There was a penetrating wound on his chest, almost beside his heart, with blood continuously spurting from it.

That's right! It was spurting blood, not flowing blood.

You two are practically about to die. Why are you still putting on an act for me!?

Duan Mu could see it now. These two guys had not come to repay their debt at all. They had come to his door seeking help. With injuries this severe, they might not even have survived to reach his shop if they had not been tough enough.

"Uzuki... Forget it. Just count the money."

Seeing the resistance on Uzuki's face, Duan Mu turned to Diao Ao behind him. "Go upstairs again and help me bring Hanatarou down... And also..."

"Yes, you. The beloved classmate Takahashi. Find a few people and push the tables in the corner together, then surround them with cloth."

"Everyone else, go do whatever you were doing. If you're not drinking, get lost. Also, have someone help me deal with this head. Bury it or feed it to the dogs—dispose of it however you like."