Central 46, underground assembly hall.
In the suffocatingly oppressive air, the rustle of paper sounded especially grating.
The Rotating Speaker held the thick application in his bony fingers, scanning the lines on the third page several times before snapping the document shut with a sharp smack.
"Captain Urahara, what exactly is this Shinigami Research and Development Institute you propose establishing in your application?"
The Rotating Speaker's voice descended from the shadows of the raised platform, laden with undisguised confusion and deep impatience. "We already have the Reishi Research Institute. Now you want Central 46 to approve an enormous additional allocation for your Twelfth Division to establish a new institution with similar functions and even heavily overlapping authority? This is an absurd waste of resources!"
Faced with the harsh rebuke from the platform, Kisuke Urahara merely spread his hands casually, that inscrutable, breezy smile still on his face.
"My, my, Speaker, you've misunderstood me. How would I dare ask Central for money? Of course I'm not asking for additional funding."
Kisuke Urahara lowered his hands, his tone growing a little more serious. "I simply intend to separate out the Reishi Research Institute's miscellaneous functions related to practical development and establish an independent institution-the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. As for the original Reishi Research Institute, it would only need to focus on basic reishi theory and routine field assignment coordination from now on. By separating theory from development, we could multiply our efficiency."
The Sages in the hall, who had been listening intently for something they could use against Urahara, immediately broke into low whispers.
In the shadows behind their wooden placards, several Sages leaned toward one another, brows tightly furrowed. They had assumed Kisuke Urahara was taking the opportunity to expand the Twelfth Division's authority and funding, and had