Wanting Both Money and People?

By the time Kisaragi Akira regained consciousness, the setting had changed.

It was no longer the unchanging ceiling of the dojo, but a pristine white wall adorned with elegant, simple murals.

The air was filled with a faint, delicate fragrance, underscored by the lingering, unmistakable scent of disinfectant.

A burning pain permeated his entire body; even the slightest movement brought a sensation of agony, as if his skin and flesh were being torn apart.

Kisaragi Akira attempted to lift his right hand, only to find it pinned firmly beneath some unknown weight.

"Is that you, Sosuke, here to look after me?"

"Truly a brother in need. When Shizune isn't around, you're the only one who..."

As he turned his head, what met his eyes was a massive man with muscles swollen to the absolute limit.

His expression froze instantly.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

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

"Student Kisaragi, you're awake?"

Hikifune Tessai realized what was happening and instinctively loosened his grip, causing the other man to use too much force and flip himself right off the hospital bed.

The massive commotion immediately drew the attention of the patrolling squad members.

Before long, a familiar white-clad figure walked slowly into the ward, a gentle smile gracing her refined features.

"It hasn't even been half a year since you enrolled, and this is already your fourth visit to the General Infirmary."

Unohana Retsu walked to the bedside, skillfully repositioning Kisaragi Akira while tidying up his tangled bandages and the messy bedsheets.

Seeing that someone else was taking care of him, Hikifune Tessai politely took his leave.

There was another student waiting for his attention.

He had truly hit a streak of bad luck today; the soon-to-be Grand Kido Chief was actually teaching two Kido idiots.

One had botched the operation and taken a Shakkaho blast straight to the face.

The other was even more terrifying—he had detonated a Shakkaho inside his own body.

The ideas of geniuses often align, but fools have their own unique ways of being foolish.

Even if Hikifune Tessai racked his brain, he couldn't understand why anyone would dare to detonate a Kido of the Shakkaho caliber inside their own body.

No, he was almost being led astray by this guy.

He should be asking why anyone would detonate Kido inside their body at all.

Suddenly realizing that his own way of thinking was leaning toward that of a certain someone, Hikifune Tessai broke into a cold sweat and immediately quickened his pace, exiting the ward where Kisaragi Akira lay.

"Captain Unohana..."

Unable to escape the ward, Kisaragi Akira behaved with extreme docility.

"With your talent, you shouldn't be making such low-level mistakes."

Unohana Retsu sat by the bed, pressing her hands against Kisaragi Akira's chest as she released a higher-tier Kaido.

A piercing, itchy, and stinging sensation instantly coursed through his entire body, causing Kisaragi Akira's features to contort to the extreme.

It felt as if he had been rolled in a jar of honey and then covered in countless crawling ants.

"This..."

"It was just an accident!"

While enduring the sensation, Kisaragi Akira did not forget to defend himself.

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

Unohana Retsu said softly with a smile, her fair, jade-like hands pressing gently against his chest—the area with the most severe injuries—under the shroud of the Kaido light.

Although the young man's actions were somewhat unreliable, in a way, this was also a form of the eccentricity that came with being a genius.

Because his physical constitution was superior to others and his willpower was exceptionally firm, his recovery speed was also incredibly rapid.

Barely half a day had passed, and his injuries were already seven or eight-tenths healed.

After this round of Kaido treatment, he should be ready for discharge.

The treatment lasted for nearly half an hour.

As the light of the Kaido faded, Kisaragi Akira realized that the previous agony had vanished entirely; aside from a slight lingering warmth, he felt no discomfort at all.

However, he wasn't happy about it; instead, his brows were tightly locked, his expression one of having suffered a massive loss.

During that half-hour of Kaido treatment, those fair, small hands had touched almost every part of his body.

Although the pressure and touch were excellent, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had been taken advantage of by a female rogue.

"Treatment complete. That will be thirty-six thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven Kan."

Unohana Retsu smiled, "Student Kisaragi, will you be putting this on credit or paying in cash?"

Kisaragi Akira gasped.

From the initial one thousand Kan, to the later several thousand, this black-bellied woman had actually hiked the price to thirty thousand Kan for this round of medical treatment!

Although this figure meant nothing to him now, he had always been accustomed to frugality, and suddenly shelling out tens of thousands of Kan inevitably made his heart ache.

"If you cannot afford the fee, you could choose to join the Fourth Division."

Unohana Retsu smiled gently, "My previous promise remains valid; the Fourth Division's doors are always open to you."

Kisaragi Akira gazed at the woman who appeared as gentle as water before him, his mind subconsciously recalling the scene of their previous Kendo duel.

His nerves had been stretched to the limit, his Danger Instinct triggered at a high frequency, and death had hovered all around him as if he were trapped in hell.

He shuddered instinctively and hurriedly blurted out:

"Put it on my tab, put it on my tab!"

"I'll go back to get the money and return immediately."

Without waiting to worry about his lingering discomfort, Kisaragi Akira rolled out of bed and vanished from the ward with a flash of Shunpo.

A female hooligan is just too terrifying.

Not only does this Unohana want my money, she wants my person too!

Watching the youth's retreating back, the smile on Unohana Retsu's face gradually faded, replaced by deep contemplation.

After a moment of silence, a soft whisper echoed in the ward:

"The spiritual body intensity is somewhat too high."

"And also..."

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

"Or perhaps, some other reason..."

Unohana Retsu lowered her gaze slightly, the corners of her mouth curling into a beautiful arc once more:

"Too many secrets easily pique one's curiosity, Student Kisaragi..."

Kisaragi Akira rushed out of the Fourth Division barracks, only to find Aizen waiting on the street.

"Since you have recovered, let us return."

Before Kisaragi Akira could speak, he heard Aizen say calmly:

"This time it was my error; I miscalculated the difficulty of engraving the Kido patterns."

"We shall attempt it again once I have made improvements."

He turned to head back to the Spiritual Arts Academy, only to hear a smug voice call out from behind:

"Actually..."

Aizen turned his head, looking at Kisaragi Akira with slight confusion.

He saw a look of showmanship on the boy's face as he raised his left hand and held up his middle finger.

Aizen's expression darkened instantly.

Although he did not understand the meaning, he felt a sense of being mentally polluted.

"The previous Kido pattern engraving was half successful."

While Kisaragi Akira wore an "I am a genius" expression, he pointed to the incomplete Fireball Mark on his middle finger to demonstrate:

"No need to change anything, your idea is absolutely feasible!"