"That's everything that happened."
Amid the ruins, Mayuri Kurotsuchi and the others were pulled out looking utterly disheveled, without a trace of their previous mad elegance.
He gave the arriving captains a detailed account of what had happened and condemned Azashiro Soya's actions in the strongest terms.
"Thirty-six Research Labs have been swallowed by flames, and hundreds of millions of experimental records have been completely destroyed."
Mayuri counted them off on his fingers. "Besides that, there are all kinds of experimental materials and research results."
As he spoke, he looked around at the crowd, the corners of his mouth stretching wide. "This isn't merely a loss for Squad 12 and the Department of Research and Development. It's a tremendous loss for the entire Seireitei, even the Soul Society!"
"If you want to squeeze out more research funding, just say so." Su Feng gave Mayuri a disdainful glance, seeing through his true intentions at once. "Don't tell me you didn't have a backup prepared."
"The cost of these buildings combined isn't even worth one of Old Man Ginrei's scarves!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? The buildings themselves indeed aren't that expensive," Mayuri retorted. "But don't forget that they housed vast quantities of experimental materials, as well as the most sophisticated equipment and instruments in the Soul Society. Those are the real losses!"
"Just say it. How many scarves?"
"At least two—no, two and a half!"
The two men's bickering left the nearby captains in silence.
Ginrei Kuchiki instinctively looked down at the Ginpakukazahana around his neck. His mouth twitched as a thought surfaced in his mind.
When had the symbol of the Kuchiki Family become a unit of monetary measurement?
And why did that suddenly feel so humiliating?!
Watching the two continue to argue, Ginrei Kuchiki realized that the discussion