In Soul Society, All I Want Is to Coast into Retirement

I could manage to instantly kill a Menos Grande now, but how could someone instantly kill an Adjuchas?

Although Adjuchas of this era could not undergo Shinigami-fication and were not as strong as the later Espada, their Reiatsu was genuinely captain-class. Even if they could not defeat a captain in a direct confrontation, they should not have been killed in a single slash!

Looking across the current Gotei 13, Yamamoto was probably the only one capable of instantly killing an Adjuchas with one strike.

"Brother Yamabuki, look over here! There's a Shinigami corpse!" Sashō Chōjirō shouted.

Yamabuki Chidori hurried over. Amid the pile of corpses was one dressed in noble clothing. He appeared to be from Central 46. Why had these noble lords died here?

And it looked like they had been killed in a single strike as well!

Their swords had only been drawn three inches. They had not even had a chance to resist.

"Instructor, what do we do now?" one of the rookies asked nervously, afraid that some monster might be lying in ambush nearby.

"Leave this place immediately, then report this to the squad. Someone specialized will come deal with it afterward. Move!" Yamabuki Chidori said. He had no idea what kind of monster had stacked these corpses into a mountain, but he knew that if they really fought, he would definitely be no match for it.

His strength was worlds apart from when he had first started, but defeating an Adjuchas would still require a hard battle.

This was no longer something he could handle.

"Go! Hurry up!" Yamabuki Chidori shouted.

The five of them left as quickly as they could.

After all five had gone, someone within the mountain of corpses suddenly moved.

She was a stunning woman with long black hair. Hidden among the corpses, she had gone completely unnoticed. She had been watching the five of them from the very beginning, and the reason she had not acted was because they were simply too weak. None of them could withstand even a single exchange with her.

Apparently unwilling to remain in the pile of corpses any longer, the woman swayed to her feet, a bloodstained longsword in hand, and continued searching for her ideal opponent.

"Earlier... some people said they were nobles from Central 46... What did they say after that? I can't remember. I cut them down with one slash. I thought nobles should be a little stronger than ordinary people. They really were, but only a little." As she wiped the blood from her blade, the woman muttered, "Seireitei? There should be strong people there worthy of fighting me!"

Through the reflection on her blade, the woman stared directly into her own lifeless eyes.

This world was so boring.

The five of them left the Kusakashi District without stopping for even a moment. Yamabuki Chidori finally breathed a sigh of relief once they reached an inhabited area.

He was not worried about an epidemic breaking out in Soul Society. When spiritual beings died in Soul Society, their souls dispersed into Reishi, so they would not even pollute the environment.

Only captains with exceptionally powerful Reiatsu were different. The Reishi within their bodies was too dense, preventing them from naturally returning to Soul Society after death. They could only be forcibly suppressed in Hell through the Soul Funeral Ritual.

Of course, there was no need to worry about that now. The details regarding Hell would not be introduced for at least another thousand years.

"Instructor, what exactly happened back there?" a rookie team member asked between gasps.

"How would I know? It's not like I'm All-Knowing All-Powerful. Anyway, once we get back, have the Captain Commander send someone to investigate." Yamabuki Chidori was deeply versed in the art of passing the ball. Anything he could not solve, he kicked over to the Captain Commander.

Yamabuki Chidori found a place to get something to eat and calm himself down.

He spotted a relatively luxurious building not far away.

"What kind of place is that? Someone in the Rukon District can build a house like that?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

A team member from a noble background explained, "Instructor, that is the residence of the Shiba Clan, one of the Five Noble Clans. Their family is rather unusual. Though they are great nobles, they have always lived in the Rukon District among commoners. They're practically an embarrassment to the nobility..."

Before he could finish, the team member saw his instructor glaring coldly at him and hurriedly shut his mouth.

Yamabuki Chidori recalled that when he had negotiated with Central 46, the Shiba Clan head had been there too. Should he go in and say hello?

Just then, Yamabuki Chidori saw the Shiba Clan head seeing guests off. More importantly, he actually knew those guests.

They were the sisters Katoru Hatsunoya and Katoru Chimu!

Rob... Robbery

Why were these sisters here? Yamabuki Chidori was a little puzzled, but after giving it some thought, he understood. It was perfectly normal for great noble families to visit each other.

Many nobles were tied together through marriage alliances. Their relationships were tangled like a spiderweb, so he had better not get involved in their struggles.

"Instructor, look! It's Lady Chimu. Should we go say hello?" one of the team members said excitedly.

As one of only two female members of the Gotei 13, Chimu was young and beautiful, so of course she was pursued by many boys.

What? You mean Saitō Fubōfu? How could that kind of creature be called a girl? She was merely a terrifying creature that happened to resemble one.

"Hello, my ass! Don't forget we still have a mission! Besides, can't you see they have business to attend to? Have some tact! You all go back and report what happened in the Rukon District to the Captain Commander. I'll go check on Chimu's injuries," Yamabuki Chidori said flatly.

The team members, including Sashō Chōjirō, were all speechless. Was this the legendary double standard?

Yamabuki Chidori did not go directly over to greet Chimu and Katoru Hatsunoya. Instead, he secretly observed the sisters.

According to the course of Gotei 13 history, Katoru Hatsunoya would definitely join the Gotei 13. Yet this girl was currently extremely resistant to joining. He needed to find out why and help her resolve her inner conflict.

Sashō Chōjirō asked curiously, "Brother Yamabuki, why are you sneaking around watching them? Aren't you going to say hello? Is this... peeping? Are you a pervert?"

Yamabuki Chidori replied with a solemn expression, "Chōjirō, today I'll tell you a truth: men are perverts by nature. You too!"

Don't drag me into this! You're obviously the one sneaking around watching young girls! Why do you have to drag someone down with you before you die? You really are unreliable!

"Didn't I give you a task? Hurry back and tell the Captain Commander what we saw in the Kusakashi District. Go, go! Don't delay my important business!" Yamabuki Chidori said.

His important business was naturally figuring out how to recruit Katoru Hatsunoya into the Gotei 13, but Sashō Chōjirō completely misunderstood him.

Peeping at beautiful women with such confidence—truly a role model for us all.

The head of the Shiba Clan was a middle-aged man. Yamabuki Chidori had met him once at Central 46. He was carefree and straightforward, and seemed like a very decent person.

Compared to the other noble clans, the Shiba Clan was practically a breath of fresh air.

They had lived in the Rukon District for generations, never formed marriage alliances, upheld justice, and were always the first to stand up when Soul Society was in trouble. Their entire family was filled with loyal martyrs.

Fearing the Soul King's power, the Tsunayashiro Clan had continuously dismembered the Soul King, hollowed out his internal organs, reduced his power, and cast the pieces down to the lower realm.

The Shiba Clan had always opposed the Tsunayashiro Clan's actions. They had even developed a secret technique that could temporarily raise a Shinigami's power to the Soul King's level, easing the Soul King's suffering. Whether that was Mugetsu or not was impossible to say.

Unfortunately, they were too far away for Yamabuki Chidori to hear what they were saying. Katoru Hatsunoya was no weaker than he was, and getting too close might expose him. It would be terribly awkward if he could not explain himself then.

The Shiba Clan head had a carefree appearance, while Katoru Hatsunoya and her younger sister Chimu still carried themselves with the grace of young noble ladies.

After exchanging a few words, the two sides parted. Katoru Hatsunoya and her sister prepared to return to the Seireitei by carriage. Yamabuki Chidori followed from afar, looking for a chance to get closer to Katoru Hatsunoya. As the saying went, it was not thieves breaking in that people feared, but thieves setting their sights on them. Bah, I'm not a thief. I'm making a great contribution to the Gotei 13.

There was still some distance to the Seireitei, and the roads were far from peaceful. Thugs and warriors who robbed travelers could often be seen wandering the streets.

The only purpose these people served was to maintain the balance of the Three Realms. Thus, neither the nobles nor the Soul King Palace had ever dealt with them. Whenever the Three Realms became unbalanced, the nobles would even kill off a batch of commoners to restore equilibrium.

There was no helping it. Order did not mean justice.

Chimu held a box in her arms. It seemed to be a gift from the Shiba Clan. She leaned over and sniffed it with her little nose, catching a sweet fragrance.

"Sis, I bet there are pastries in this box. Let's open it and take a look," Chimu said curiously.

Before Katoru Hatsunoya could stop her, Chimu had opened the exquisite lid. Inside were several delicate cakes.

"It's white sugar cake!" Chimu's eyes lit up. In this era of low productivity, refined white sugar and salt were extremely expensive. Ordinary people could not eat them at all.

Katoru Hatsunoya did not blame her sister, merely smiling indulgently. Her own life would likely remain this way, spent under repression until the end. Therefore, she hoped her younger sister could live happily and freely, doing whatever she wished.

Chimu took a bite of the white sugar cake. It was sweet and delicious. Katoru Hatsunoya helped wipe the sugar from the corner of her mouth.

"Sis, do you want some too?" Chimu asked.

Katoru Hatsunoya had just picked up a piece of white sugar cake when the carriage suddenly came to a sharp stop, causing the cake in her hand to fall to the ground.

"What happened?" Katoru Hatsunoya's voice remained as gentle as ever, without blaming the driver.

The driver said nervously, "Family Head, this is bad. There are people blocking the road ahead. What should we do?"

Katoru Hatsunoya gently drew back the curtain and found their carriage surrounded by bandits. There were quite a few of them—at least twenty or thirty.

They were quite far from the Seireitei. Calling for help would probably be too late.

The bandits repeatedly struck the carriage with wooden clubs and sheathed swords, shouting threats.

"People in the carriage, hand over all your food and money! Otherwise, don't expect to get through here easily!" the bandit leader shouted.

The driver gripped his sword hilt and barked nervously, "Insolence! Do you know whose carriage this is?"

Chimu was nervous too, but they had only gone out to visit someone today, so she had not brought a weapon. Moreover, she had only recently recovered from a serious illness. She might not be able to defeat so many desperate criminals.

Katoru Hatsunoya sighed softly. "Tell them to move aside. Give them some money."

With that, Katoru Hatsunoya stepped out of the carriage, removed her purse, and held it out to them.

Judging by its weight, there was quite a lot of money in the purse. Yet the bandits did not take it. Instead, they stared blankly at Katoru Hatsunoya.

"A noble chick! I've decided—I want the money, and I want the woman too! Hahaha!" the bandit said with a lecherous grin.

He completely failed to notice the white gleam flashing across Katoru Hatsunoya's glasses.

What Should You Do When Someone Discovers a Young Girl's Little Hobby?

At this moment, Katoru Hatsunoya still wanted to maintain the image of a proper young lady. She gave a slight bow and said, "Take whatever money you wish. Please let my sister and me go. We would be most grateful."

However, the bandit leader completely missed the point. His eyes lit up as he said, "Sisters? There's another woman in the carriage? Excellent! Brothers, you've never played with noblewomen before, have you? Once I've had my fun, you can all enjoy yourselves too!"

The bandits around them burst into laughter. These nobles were truly naive. After running into them, they still thought they could leave unharmed? How could that be possible?

This was fat meat delivered right to their mouths.

"Boss, look at that woman's chest! It's bigger than your head! Once we're done playing with her, how about we cut them off and keep them as decorations?"

"I wonder whether the woman in the carriage is as pretty as this one?"

"Quit wasting time and get started! I can't hold it in anymore!"

Katoru Hatsunoya looked at the beasts before her, still completely calm. In fact, she was calm to an abnormal degree.

Meanwhile, Yamabuki Chidori watched from afar and considered what to do. Should he play the hero and save the beauty? No. Katoru Hatsunoya was stronger than him. Even if he went down to help, it would only be icing on the cake. She might not feel particularly grateful to him. Should he wait a little longer and see what happened?

Katoru Hatsunoya said calmly, "Gentlemen, life has not been easy for my sister and me in these troubled times. Please... make way."

The bandits did not realize the seriousness of the situation at all. Their desire had clouded their minds, and they stared at Katoru Hatsunoya like starving wolves.

The bandit leader laughed arrogantly. "Fine! If you willingly stay behind and serve us, I'll let the people in the carriage go. How about it?"

Chimu in the carriage could not stand it any longer. She was about to rush out and teach these bandits, who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth, a lesson. I can't beat Hollows, but can't I beat you lot?

Just as she prepared to launch a Kidō attack and seize the initiative, Katoru Hatsunoya suddenly grabbed her wrist and nodded. "Fine. I'll stay. Let the carriage go."

Chimu's face filled with panic. "Sis..."

Katoru Hatsunoya said quietly, "Keep going forward. Don't look back, no matter what."

The driver was equally anxious. If he left the young mistress here, dying ten times would not be enough to atone for it.

"Go. I am the family head. Listen to me," Katoru Hatsunoya said softly.

"I'm not leaving..." Before Chimu could finish, Katoru Hatsunoya suddenly struck the back of her neck and knocked her unconscious.

Katoru Hatsunoya remained behind. At the bandit leader's signal, the bandits made way for the carriage. With tears in his eyes, the driver drove away. He had to return to the Seireitei as quickly as possible to seek reinforcements. He only hoped the family head would still be alive by then.

Katoru Hatsunoya watched her sister and the driver depart into the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Now... all the troublesome people are gone.

The bandit leader could no longer hold himself back. With a lecherous grin, he reached for Katoru Hatsunoya's chest. It was so big that one hand definitely would not be enough to grasp it!

Suddenly, blood sprayed everywhere!

Before the bandit leader understood what had happened, his hand flew far away. After staring blankly for a moment, he let out an inhuman scream.

"My hand!!!"

Katoru Hatsunoya still wore the expression of an obedient young lady, but a naginata had appeared in her hands at some point.

A naginata was a weapon used by monks and women. It had a blade attached to a long wooden shaft, was relatively light, and easy to handle.

Yet the naginata in Katoru Hatsunoya's hands was forged entirely from steel. It looked as though it weighed dozens of pounds.

The over-two-meter-long naginata spun on Katoru Hatsunoya's fingertips like an embroidery needle.

"Do you know what moment I love most?" Katoru Hatsunoya asked with a gentle smile.

The bandit leader had finally realized how serious the situation was, but it was too late for regret.

"I love the moment blood bursts from a person's body! Please don't scream. That would ruin this beautiful scene. Clench your teeth and endure it!" Katoru Hatsunoya looked even more playful than usual. Then, the naginata smashed directly into the bandit leader's body.