The Great Chef

Of course, Rangiku Matsumoto actually shared a common goal with Aoto.

That was her interest in Shiro as a promising talent, believing she could recruit him into the 10th Division in the future.

The 10th Division was the patrol and security unit, responsible for maintaining order within the Seireitei, handling emergencies, and disseminating urgent information.

Because of this, Rangiku Matsumoto was highly skilled in high-level Kido like Heavenly Boar Void and Beak-Clutching Sparrow, even capable of combining them to transmit important messages rapidly.

However, when things were not busy, the 10th Division was also the most leisurely unit.

This resulted in any graduate with even the slightest ambition avoiding the 10th Division.

Rangiku Matsumoto, who held deep affection for the 10th Division, found this quite heartbreaking!

But her own anxiety was useless; even the current captain of the 10th Division, Isshin Shiba, was so unreliable that she could only pin her hopes on the next generation.

Rangiku Matsumoto felt that Shiro was quite suitable.

Once she became captain in the future, she could order him around as she pleased!

But her plan had barely begun when a massive obstacle appeared in her path.

How was she supposed to trick this 11th Division 4th Seat away?

"Don't even think about it!" Aoto could roughly guess what Rangiku Matsumoto was thinking. "The conditions I can offer Shiro are ones you can't match!"

"That's not necessarily true!" Rangiku Matsumoto was very unconvinced.

"I can have him join the 11th Division directly and allow him to go on field missions frequently to visit his grandmother. Can you do that?"

Aoto's single sentence sealed Rangiku Matsumoto's lips.

She truly couldn't.

Having won, Aoto gave her a cheeky grin and turned to walk toward the Seireitei.

Time to head back!

If he let Ikkaku or Yumichika write the report, the Captain-Commander's reprimands would be coming his way again!

Watching Aoto's swaggering, leisurely retreating figure, Rangiku Matsumoto gritted her teeth.

What a hateful guy!

Seireitei, 11th Division, training grounds.

The members of the 11th Division were engaged in sparring here.

On the wall of the training ground, a large slogan—[More sweat in training, less blood in battle]—encouraged the members here to face their comrades... and still strike with lethal intent.

In any case, the 4th Division's barracks were right next door, and the only thick wall separating them had been broken during a clash between a 3rd Seat and a 4th Seat, and it still hadn't been repaired.

This meant that even if the 11th Division had wounded, they could be sent directly to the 4th Division without ever leaving the barracks.

However, when the bell rang on the training ground, all the members uniformly sheathed their Zanpakuto, then pulled out meal trays from who knows where and charged toward the cafeteria.

Everyone was fighting for that first position... perhaps that was how their Flash Step was trained.

Yet, despite such chaotic circumstances, they all lined up obediently when they reached the cafeteria entrance.

When the cafeteria doors finally opened, Aoto's head appeared at the window, looking out. "Not bad, no one broke the rules this time! Alright, serve the food!"

"OH!!!"

The members cheered.

Dressed as a chef, Aoto watched the cafeteria staff serve the members without a hint of hesitation, nodded, and then walked toward the officers' cafeteria with peace of mind.

Aoto being in charge of the cafeteria meant exactly that... he was the head chef of the cafeteria.

All this food was cooked by him alone.

At this moment, in the officers' cafeteria, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika were already eating.

The officers' cafeteria had opened ten minutes earlier, and they could take as much as they wanted... since the total amount was fixed, there was no fear of other officers going hungry or resorting to blades; they could simply help themselves.

"You really do love being this chef, don't you!" Madarame Ikkaku looked at Aoto's attire and mocked him ruthlessly.

He said this often, and Aoto had endured it almost every time.

But today, he didn't have to endure it.

"What, you don't like the food I make anymore?" Aoto raised an eyebrow, then called out toward the person behind Madarame, "Lieutenant, this guy Madarame told me to stop cooking!"

Yachiru Kusajishi had just run in looking adorable, and upon hearing Aoto's words, she didn't hesitate for a second before vanishing from where she stood, reappearing behind Madarame Ikkaku, opening her little mouth, and biting directly onto Madarame Ikkaku's bald head.

Madarame Ikkaku surrendered immediately!

"I surrender, I surrender, I surrender! Lieutenant, I surrender!"

Madarame Ikkaku hadn't even surrendered that quickly when facing his own captain.

It could only be said that the Lieutenant, Yachiru Kusajishi, completely countered the 3rd Seat, Madarame Ikkaku.

"Hehe!" Yachiru Kusajishi let go and then hopped onto Aoto's shoulder. "No one is allowed to stop Aoto from cooking!"

Feeling not even a hint of weight on his shoulder, Aoto responded to Yachiru Kusajishi with a genuine smile. "Lieutenant, the special meal prepared for you is ready; I'll go bring it to you right now!"

Yachiru Kusajishi was even happier!

Madarame Ikkaku clutched his bleeding head, glaring at Aoto. But given that the lieutenant had not yet left, he dared not utter a single profanity.

Aoto could finally consider this a debt repaid!

When Aoto set down the children's omurice he had prepared for Yachiru Kusajishi, and she was happily eating with rice grains all over her face, 11th Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi also walked in.

It was already standard practice for him to arrive late due to getting lost.

Although Zaraki Kenpachi sometimes delayed matters, when it came to mealtime, all the seated officers felt the later the captain arrived, the better.

After all, as long as he showed up, no matter how much food was left in the seated officers' cafeteria, he would finish it all.

If late-arriving seated officers didn't want to go hungry, they had no choice but to eat with the regular division members.

But that would be far too embarrassing!

Each division had a total of twenty seated officers, yet not every officer was capable of achieving Shikai.

In the current 11th Division, only up to the 16th seat had mastered Shikai, which was already the highest number of any division besides the 1st Division.

Their positions remained fixed, but the last four seated officers would be replaced if challenged and defeated by other division members.

Perhaps other divisions were not like this, but the 11th Division certainly was.

Once one became a seated officer, they could eat in peace at the seated officers' cafeteria without having to fight for food like those outside.

Therefore, the personnel from the 17th to the 20th seats were always changing.

However, Aoto hoped to see all twenty seats achieve Shikai, and with so many division members who could also use Shikai... would anyone dare to directly challenge the top five seats?

Take Zaraki Kenpachi, for instance; he was originally from the Rukon District, but because he slashed down the previous captain, he leaped straight to the position of captain and inherited the title of Kenpachi.

However, the positions of other seated officers did not necessarily involve life-or-death struggles.

If one dared to challenge for the position of captain, then only death would decide the outcome.

But such a situation shouldn't happen, right?

If there were truly that many division members who could use Shikai, they would surely be distributed to other divisions!

Although those other divisions didn't have a master chef like Aoto!

After all, Aoto had learned this culinary skill back when he was in the Twelfth Division, from the captain at the time, Kirio Hikifune.

While he didn't use Modified Souls to cook, but rather basic Reishi, the effect of enhancing the consumer's strength still remained.

Otherwise, would these division members be so fond of eating?