Want the money and the man?

By the time Kisaragi Akira woke up, he had been moved to a different place.

The unchanging ceiling of the dojo was gone, replaced by a pristine white wall decorated with elegant paintings.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air, along with the unmistakable smell of disinfectant.

A burning pain spread throughout his body. Even the slightest movement brought the agonizing sensation of his skin and flesh being torn apart.

Kisaragi Akira tried to raise his right hand, only to find it pinned beneath something he couldn't identify.

"Is Sosuke here to look after me?"

"What a great brother. When Shizune isn't around, the only one who—"

When he turned his head, he was met with the sight of a hulking man whose muscles bulged to the extreme.

His expression froze.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Kisaragi Akira's body trembled, his face contorted as he tried to pull his arm out from under Hikifune Tessai's massive hand.

"Akira, you're awake?"

Hikifune Tessai came to his senses and instinctively lifted his hand. Then someone moved too forcefully, and the whole person toppled right off the hospital bed.

The loud crash immediately drew the attention of the patrolling squad members.

Before long, another familiar figure in white walked slowly into the room, a gentle smile on her delicate face.

"It's been less than half a year since you enrolled, and this is already your fourth visit to the General Infirmary."

Unohana Retsu walked to the bedside and expertly settled Kisaragi Akira back in place, then straightened his bandages and smoothed out the rumpled bedding.

Now that someone was there to take care of him, Hikifune Tessai politely took his leave.

There was another student waiting for him to look after.

He'd had rotten luck today. The incoming Grand Kido Chief had somehow managed to teach two Kido idiots.

One had mishandled the technique and gotten Shakkaho blasted right in the face.

The other was even more alarming, detonating Shakkaho inside his own body.

Geniuses often thought alike, but fools all had their own special ways of being stupid.

Even after racking his brain, Hikifune Tessai couldn't understand why anyone would dare detonate a Kido of Shakkaho's level inside their own body.

No, wait—this guy had almost thrown him off track.

The question was, why would anyone detonate Kido inside their own body?

Realizing that his way of thinking was starting to resemble someone's, Hikifune Tessai broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately quickened his pace and left the room where Kisaragi Akira was staying.

"Captain Unohana..."

Unable to escape the room, Kisaragi Akira behaved very obediently.

"With your talent, you shouldn't have made such a low-level mistake."

Unohana Retsu sat beside the bed, placed both hands on Kisaragi Akira's chest, and released a more advanced Kaido.

A piercing, itchy, achy sensation swept through his body at once, contorting his features to the extreme.

It felt as if he had rolled around in a jar of honey, only to have countless ants crawling all over him.

"This was..."

"Just an accident!"

Even as he endured it, Kisaragi Akira didn't forget to defend himself.

"You said the same thing the last few times."

Unohana Retsu spoke softly with a smile, her fair hand gently pressing against the most severely injured area, his chest, as it glowed with Kaido light.

Though the boy's behavior was rather unreliable, in a way, it was a form of a genius's unconventionality.

His physical constitution was far beyond ordinary, and his willpower was especially strong, so he recovered at an astonishing rate.

It hadn't even been half a day, yet his injuries had already healed about seventy to eighty percent.

After this Kaido treatment, he should be ready to leave.

The treatment continued for nearly half an hour.

When the Kaido light faded, Kisaragi Akira realized that all his previous pain had vanished. Apart from a slight burning sensation, he no longer felt the least bit uncomfortable.

But he wasn't happy about it. Instead, his brow furrowed, and he looked as if he'd suffered a terrible loss.

During the half-hour Kaido treatment, those fair hands had practically touched him all over.

The pressure and sensation had been excellent, but he couldn't shake the feeling that some lecherous woman had taken advantage of him.

"Treatment complete. That'll be thirty-six thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven kan."

Unohana Retsu smiled. "Would you like to pay on credit or in cash, Akira?"

Kisaragi Akira sucked in a sharp breath.

The cost had started at a thousand kan, then climbed to several thousand. And now, for treating his injuries, this calculating woman had raised it to thirty thousand?!

That amount wasn't much to him now.

But he was used to being frugal, and the thought of pulling tens of thousands of kan out of his pocket all at once was bound to hurt.

"If you can't pay, you can always join the Fourth Division."

Unohana Retsu smiled gently. "My offer still stands. The Fourth Division's doors will always be open to you."

Kisaragi Akira gazed at the gentle, tender woman before him, and his mind instinctively recalled their earlier Kendo match.

His nerves had been taut to their limit, Danger Instinct had triggered again and again, and the threat of death had surrounded him at every turn. It had felt as if he were in Hell.

He shuddered and hurriedly said:

"Put it on credit! Put it on credit!"

"I'll go home and get the money, then come right back."

Without bothering about the slight discomfort, Kisaragi Akira got out of bed and vanished from the room in a flash of Shunpo.

A lecherous woman was terrifying.

Unohana didn't just want my money—she wanted me too!

Watching the boy disappear, Unohana Retsu's smile gradually faded, replaced by deep thought.

After a brief moment of contemplation, she murmured softly in the room:

"His spiritual body is far too strong."

"And also..."

"Why is there an electric current in his spiritual body? Is it the ability of his Zanpakuto?"

"Or is there some other reason..."

Unohana Retsu lowered her gaze slightly, the lovely curve returning to her lips.

"So many secrets. It's enough to make anyone curious, Akira..."

Kisaragi Akira hurried out of the Fourth Division Barracks, only to spot Aizen waiting on the street.

"Since you're recovered, let's head back first."

Before Kisaragi Akira could speak, Aizen said calmly:

"This time, I made a mistake. I underestimated the difficulty of inscribing the Kido pattern."

"Let's try again after I've improved it."

He turned around, about to head back to the Spiritual Arts Academy, when he heard someone's smug voice behind him:

"Actually..."

Aizen turned back, looking at Kisaragi Akira with some confusion.

A boastful expression appeared on Akira's face. He raised his left hand, then held up his middle finger.

Aizen's face darkened.

He didn't understand what it meant, but he had a feeling it was mentally contaminating.

"I successfully inscribed half of the Kido pattern earlier."

Kisaragi Akira put on an "I'm a genius" expression and pointed to the incomplete Fireball Mark on his middle finger.

"No need to change anything. Your idea will definitely work!"