Kyunnan Shiro's Glove of Great Strength

"Please take care, Captains! You're welcome to visit again anytime!"

Siwei Yan stood at the entrance of the Ninth Division barracks, a warm smile on his face, watching until the figures of Unohana Retsu and Kurayashiki Kenpachi disappeared around the street corner.

Then, he abruptly turned and strode back into the courtyard.

He faced Kensei Muguruma, who was still standing at the entrance of the side hall, and his voice uncontrollably rose:

"Captain! My dear Captain! What are you trying to do!"

He spread his hands and began to reason with his captain, finger by finger:

"Think about it, our Ninth Division has countless daily tasks: managing the prison, organizing documents, preliminary interrogations, dispatching squad members... which of these can do without me?

You tell me, without me, the diligent Fifth Seat, who will do this work? Could it be..."

He paused deliberately, drawing out his tone: "Relying on the Lieutenant?"

Kensei Muguruma's eyebrows and eyelids twitched.

He truly couldn't understand where this guy got the nerve to use the words "diligent" and "handling daily affairs" so righteously.

Yes, he, Kensei Muguruma, admitted that he sometimes had to leave the barracks temporarily due to Kyunnan Shiro's pestering.

But he could swear on his chest that after his six hours of high-intensity physical and spiritual pressure training every day, all his remaining energy was dedicated to the division's affairs!

And then there was this Fifth Seat Yan Si in front of him?

From when he graduated and joined the Ninth Division all those years ago until now, Kensei Muguruma recalled carefully, and he couldn't find a single day where this guy genuinely sat there from morning till night handling affairs!

He was either hiding in his room writing something unknown, or sneaking off to Runlin An for drinks, or taking leave for various bizarre reasons to slack off.

Not once! Not a single day!

Kensei Muguruma simply crossed his arms, leaned back slightly, and looked at Siwei Yan from the corner of his eye.

Keep making it up.

Seeing his captain's reaction, Yan Si's heart sank, knowing that approaching it from the angle of "work importance" wouldn't work.

His mind raced, and he immediately changed tactics, his tone becoming more earnest:

"Captain, think about it again, I just contributed a hundred thousand Ring to the division's public funds, a whole hundred thousand Ring!"

He held up both hands, wiggling his ten fingers to emphasize the number.

"If it weren't for me pouring my heart and soul into writing novels day and night to earn manuscript fees, would our division's warehouse have such good tea? Would we have been able to entertain two captains so properly today?"

The more he spoke, the more reasonable it sounded, and his voice grew louder:

"Look at our Lieutenant, her personality, she causes destruction wherever she goes. The compensation and repair costs each month are probably higher than the medical expenses for all the members of the Eleventh Division combined!

Who is working hard to fill this huge financial deficit? Isn't it..."

"Ah-dah!"

A spirited, youthful shout, accompanied by a swift white blur, attacked Yan Si from his side and rear without warning!

A small, cute-looking foot clad in white socks landed squarely on the back of Siwei Yan's waist.

"Plop!"

Yan Si's words came to an abrupt halt. Maintaining his speaking posture, he was sent flying forward by the kick, tracing a short arc.

With a "thud," he landed face-down on the nearby courtyard wall, then slowly slid down, collapsing in a corner of the wall, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Kyunnan Shiro stood with her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out, her delicate lips pursed high, glaring angrily at Yan Si in the corner.

"Little Wei Lai! You were badmouthing me behind my back!"

Siwei Yan got up from the ground, grinning through the pain, and patted the dust off his Shinigami uniform, feeling a dull ache in his lower back.

He turned and looked at Kensei Muguruma with a pleading gaze:

Captain, you're not being fair! The Lieutenant was nearby, and you didn't even warn me!

Kensei Muguruma's eyelids twitched again. He averted his gaze and pretended to be looking at the trees in the courtyard.

Yan Si rubbed his lower back and grimaced again before turning to the still-pouting Kyunnan Shiro, his expression instantly switching to a pitiful one:

"Lieutenant misunderstood, I didn't mean it that way, I meant... I meant the Captain wants to send me to the Human World! You have to save me!"

"The Human World?" Kyunnan Shiro's attention was indeed diverted. She tilted her head, "Little Wei Lai is going to that boring place?"

"Yes!" Yan Si nodded quickly, his expression becoming even more miserable.

"You don't know, I recently heard people in a tavern saying that the Human World is currently in some 'warring era,' with constant fighting every day, more dead than alive, corpses littering the land, and rivers of blood!"

He clutched his chest, a look of extreme discomfort on his face.

"Lieutenant, you know me, I've been weak since childhood and can't stand the sight of blood. The moment I see blood, I get dizzy, my limbs go weak, and in severe cases, I faint. Sending me to a place like that is like asking for my life, isn't it?"

As he spoke, he raised a hand to his forehead and swayed, looking like he was about to faint at any moment.

"Oh? Little Wei Lai faints at the sight of blood?" Kyunnan Shiro was indeed fooled. She furrowed her delicate brows and began to think seriously.

A few seconds later, her eyes lit up. "Wait a moment!"

She turned and ran back to her room. Moments later, she came running back, "thump-thump-thump," holding a wooden box.

She opened the box and rummaged inside, pulling out a pair of slightly old, black fingerless gloves.

"Here!" She shoved the gloves into Yan Si's hands.

"These are some old gear I used! They're the Glove of Great Strength! Once you put them on, you'll feel full of power and become super strong. That way, you won't be afraid when you go to the Human World!"

Yan Si looked at the unremarkable pair of gloves in his hand, then at Kyunnan Shiro's expectant and earnest little face. Though he was skeptical, he thought, What if they actually work? and put them on.

The gloves fit surprisingly well.

He tried throwing a punch, and felt the wind from his fist was three parts sharper than usual.

His confidence soaring, he took two steps back, aimed at a thick, flat wall nearby, let out a low yell, and punched it with all his might!

Thump!

A dull thud echoed, but the wall remained unmoved.

"Aow!"

The next second, a pig-like scream erupted from Yan Si's throat.

He yanked his hand back violently, his entire right arm trembling.

He squatted on the ground, clutching his fist, tears of pain welling up as he continuously blew on his knuckles.

"Lieutenant... these things are fake!" His voice was distorted by the pain.

"They are not fake!" Kyunnan Shiro immediately retorted, mimicking her own punch with her small fist.

"When I wear these gloves, I can even smash mountains with one punch!"

She gestured with great seriousness.

Kensei Muguruma, standing nearby, finally couldn't take it anymore. He raised a hand to his forehead and sighed heavily:

"Kyunnan Shiro, go back to your room first. Yan Si and I have a few things to discuss."

"Huh~?" Kyunnan Shiro was a little reluctant, but seeing the Captain's stern expression, she pouted.

"Okay... Siwei Yan, take care of yourself!" She waved at Yan Si and "deng deng deng" ran back to her room.

After the Lieutenant's door closed, Kensei Muguruma lowered his hand, glanced at Yan Si, who was still squatting on the ground rubbing his fist, and spoke slowly:

"Still hurts?"

Yan Si nodded pitifully.

Kensei Muguruma rolled his eyes:

"Is there a possibility that Lieutenant Kyunnan Shiro can smash mountains with one punch has nothing to do with whether she's wearing those gloves or not?"

Yan Si stopped rubbing his fist.

He looked up, at his red and swollen fist, then at the Captain's face, which was full of "Are you an idiot?".

Then he recalled Lieutenant Kyunnan Shiro's monstrous strength...

Hiss!

He gasped, realizing it actually made sense!

The gloves might offer some minor assistance, but the true source of power was the Lieutenant herself.

Once he understood this, Yan Si felt like an idiot.

He simply maintained his squatting position, tilted his head back, and looked at Kensei Muguruma with the most helpless eyes, his voice trailing on:

"Captain~~~ You really can bear to push me into the fire pit~~~~"

Kensei Muguruma pursed his lips, completely unfazed:

"Don't try that with me. It's a good thing for a man to go out and gain experience. Although the Human World is chaotic, you'll be safe with the Eleventh Division looking after you."

He looked at Yan Si, his tone leaving no room for doubt:

"It's settled then. Spend the next two days handing over your duties in the division and get ready."

"Captain, please reconsider. I really faint at the sight of blood, I'll just be a burden, I..."

No matter how much Yan Si wailed or how many excuses he made, Kensei Muguruma simply turned his back to him and waved his hand.

Siwei Yan's wails gradually subsided, finally turning into a sigh of resignation.

He stood up, looked at his still swollen and red fist, then at the empty courtyard gate.

It seemed this trip to the Human World for "inspiration" was unavoidable.