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

These bandits regretted everything.

Though they were ignorant and poorly informed, they had still heard of a demon-like woman in the Rukon District.

"Sword of Death... Unohana... Yachiru! Run... Run!"

Unohana looked coldly at them. Don't be stupid. There was no escape!

Blade light and blood sprayed through the air!

The once-peaceful crossroads turned into a living hell in the blink of an eye!

Every strike was fatal. No one could withstand a single slash from her!

After killing them all, Unohana returned to her gentle demeanor and took out her purse to pay. However, Geng Jiro had already fled in terror.

Unohana could only leave the money on the table, hoping the owner would see it when he returned.

You're so gentle!

A Heart Loftier Than Heaven, a Life Thinner Than Paper

Seireitei.

"This is the Gotei 13 dormitory. If you want to experience ordinary life, you can stay here for a few days," Yamabuki Chidori introduced. "But a young lady like you probably has no need for it, right?"

Katoru Hatsunoya asked curiously, "Why wouldn't I need it? Doesn't Senbu live here too?"

"She's just an ordinary member, so naturally she has to follow the Gotei 13's rules. But you're different. You have privileges," Yamabuki Chidori said.

"Privileges? Because I'm a noble?"

"No, because you're strong enough. In the Gotei 13, what grants you privilege isn't status or position, but absolute strength. With your abilities, becoming a captain shouldn't be a problem," Yamabuki Chidori said.

As Yamabuki Chidori explained the matter of privileges, an extremely irritating voice came from nearby. "What's the Chief Strategist doing? Don't tell me you're courting someone? Isn't this the Katori Family's girl? I haven't seen you in years, and you've grown so beautiful!"

Yamabuki Chidori's mood instantly soured. Yet the moment he turned around, he still put on a smile so fake it could not have been faker. "Who could it be? So it's the Tsunayashiro Family Head. By the way, why haven't I seen you during training lately? Don't tell me you've been slacking off?"

Tsunayashiro Fūka laughed. As the head of one of the Five Noble Clans, how could he train alongside those people? Besides, with his strength, couldn't he become a captain already? Why would he need training?

Of course, he could not say that aloud.

"I can't compare to those energetic young men. After all, I have a huge family to manage. It's exhausting! I simply can't spare that much time," Tsunayashiro Fūka said, having long prepared this excuse.

With a smile that did not reach his eyes, Yamabuki Chidori said, "If you neglect your training, you might lose your status as a Reserve Captain! Quite a few powerful people have joined the Gotei 13 lately. Take this one beside me, Katoru Hatsunoya. I'm sure you know her too, right? She also wants to run for captain."

Katoru Hatsunoya's face filled with question marks. When had she said she wanted to run for captain?

Tsunayashiro Fūka looked at the little girl before him and burst into laughter. "Stop joking, stop joking. Let her run for captain? What can she do? Nurse babies?"

Katoru Hatsunoya's little face instantly reddened. She glared fiercely at Tsunayashiro Fūka. He was the head of a great noble clan, so how could he say something so crude?

A wicked glint flashed through Yamabuki Chidori's eyes. "You know the Gotei 13's rules. To become a captain, one must possess sufficient strength. We don't look at appearance or background. How about you two have a spar? Consider it an early preliminary round!"

Tsunayashiro Fūka wore a disdainful smile.

"Katoru Hatsunoya, go prepare at the dojo. I'll have him come find you in a moment," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Katoru Hatsunoya obediently nodded and went to wait at the dojo.

After the little girl left, Yamabuki Chidori sighed. "You don't understand my suffering. Since the Gotei 13 was established, nobles have come to me every day wanting to pull strings. How could an upright person like me agree? But it's awkward to refuse them outright. Even little girls like her are joining in. Since you're here, help me teach her a proper lesson. Let her know the height of heaven and depth of earth. Oh, but don't hurt her, or I won't be able to explain myself."

Tsunayashiro Fūka smiled confidently. "I see. I love putting newcomers in their place. Leave it to me! I definitely won't hurt her. We're acquaintances, after all."

Tsunayashiro Fūka strode proudly toward the dojo.

Yamabuki Chidori silently counted in his heart.

"One, two, three..."

"BOOM!!!"

It was as though a bomb had been thrown into the dojo. It exploded outright!

Tsunayashiro Fūka was tossed out of the dojo like a torn sack.

By the time Yamabuki Chidori reached him, Tsunayashiro Fūka had already been beaten to the point of foaming at the mouth and was barely clinging to life.

"I told you that trying to pull strings was a bad idea, but you just wouldn't listen!" Yamabuki Chidori sighed and began administering first aid. Before long, Tsunayashiro Fūka woke up, utterly horrified.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

He only remembered arriving at the dojo, then a huge blade coming straight down at his face. Who had launched a sneak attack? How shameless!

"Cough, cough. Chief Strategist, that was definitely an accident. Let me go in again..."

Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly held him back. The main issue was that if he went in again, whether he could come back out in one piece would be another matter.

"Fūka, actually... being a captain isn't that easy..." Yamabuki Chidori said. He had intended to tell Tsunayashiro Fūka that people should know their limits and retreat in the face of difficulty.

However, Tsunayashiro Fūka had become obsessed with the captain's position.

"Chief Strategist, I understand what you mean. I underestimated her just now. I guarantee it won't happen again. This time, the moment I enter, I'll release my Zanpakuto. This sword is a family heirloom! I'm going!" Tsunayashiro Fūka declared boldly.

"Come back quickly... I don't want to collect your corpse!" Yamabuki Chidori reached out to grab Tsunayashiro Fūka, but it was already too late.

At that moment, a cold laugh came from the side. Yamabuki Chidori turned and saw Gen'en Kinra.

"Good advice cannot save one destined to die. He doesn't know the height of heaven and depth of earth, so let him go," Gen'en Kinra said calmly.

"Uncle, why haven't I seen you these past few days?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

"The Captain Commander asked me to train the students at Gen'shi Academy, since you couldn't spare the time," Gen'en Kinra said. "But I might not be suited for that kind of work. Every time I teach, those students vomit their guts out!"

Could you at least tell me what you did to those students?

Seeing Yamabuki Chidori's suspicious look, Gen'en Kinra said with a composed expression, "During every lesson, I merely taught them how to inflict the greatest harm on an enemy with the smallest movements. Was I wrong? Isn't that perfectly normal teaching?"

Put that way, it did not sound wrong!

"To help the students understand the human body, I even went to the Rukon District and captured quite a few thugs. Then I dissected those thugs bit by bit during class so the students could see more clearly, and had them take notes. Isn't that normal?" Gen'en Kinra asked.

That was not normal at all!

Even the King of Hell was not as ruthless as you!

You actually used living people for dissections!

Forget the students—even I would probably vomit all over the floor if I attended your class!

"Uncle! How about I handle the students from now on? You really don't seem suited for it!" Yamabuki Chidori said.

"The Captain Commander said the same thing. I truly don't understand the way you people think. This was clearly a good thing. Sigh!" Gen'en Kinra sighed.

Payday

At that moment, Tsunayashiro Fūka had already arrived at the dojo.

He had not even seen clearly what had happened just now, so he absolutely refused to admit that he had lost.

This time, he would go all out from the start.

Kyōten'en was an extremely unusual Zanpakuto that had been passed down through the Tsunayashiro Clan since ancient times. It had no form of its own, but it could copy the Shikai of other Zanpakuto.

That included bug-level Zanpakuto such as Ryūjin Jakka and Kyōka Suigetsu.

"I already know which Zanpakuto is the strongest in the world! With this, I'll definitely become a captain. All things in the universe, return to ashes—Ryūjin Jakka!" The instant Tsunayashiro Fūka saw Katoru Hatsunoya, he directly copied Ryūjin Jakka.

What he did not know was that Ryūjin Jakka was called the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto not because the blade itself was so powerful, but because the Soul Reaper who wielded it was the strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years.

Yamamoto had made Ryūjin Jakka what it was, not the other way around.

Clearly, Tsunayashiro Fūka had failed to grasp this principle.

He believed that wielding Ryūjin Jakka made him invincible!

Outside, Yamabuki Chidori was counting again.

"One, two, three..."

"BOOM!!!!!"

Tsunayashiro Fūka was blasted out once more like a torn sack, his eyes rolled back and foam spilling from his mouth. With no choice, Yamabuki Chidori had to rescue him again.

Being forced to gain medical experience. Seriously.

When Tsunayashiro Fūka woke up again, he was completely devastated.

"I think you should just give up..." Yamabuki Chidori advised.

He truly meant well. He knew exactly what kind of lunatics the original Gotei 13 were. Tsunayashiro Fūka was indeed not weak; he could easily serve as a Lieutenant. But insisting on challenging a captain was simply unnecessary.

"There are thirteen captain positions. I refuse to believe the Soul Society can find that many monsters. If they can't gather thirteen people... Chief Strategist, I can fill one of the spots, right?" Tsunayashiro Fūka tightly gripped Yamabuki Chidori's hand, his face full of hope.

Looking into those incomparably sincere eyes, Yamabuki Chidori truly could not bear to refuse. After all, this man had indeed made great contributions to establishing the Gotei 13.

"I'll do my best!"

After seeing Tsunayashiro Fūka off, Gen'en Kinra said, "The Captain Commander wants the two of us to temporarily switch duties. You'll be responsible for training the students at Gen'shi Academy, while I'll handle combat training for the official members."

"No problem! Though I might occasionally borrow a few people from you," Yamabuki Chidori said as he watched Tsunayashiro Fūka's upright retreating figure with deep pity. Having dreams was a good thing, but sadly... sadly...

Looking toward the dojo, Gen'en Kinra asked, "That new little girl seems rather strong?"

Of course she was strong! She had chased me through the Rukon District with a sword, all the way to the Captain Commander's office. I had more authority than anyone on just how strong that she-devil was.

"She's also a Reserve Captain, like you. You'll be colleagues in the future, so get to know each other," Yamabuki Chidori said weakly.

He had truly worried himself sick for this family.

Katoru Hatsunoya walked back from the dojo with a calm expression, as if she had merely done something insignificant. If she had not known he was a great noble, her first strike would have sent Tsunayashiro Fūka straight to hell.

Yamabuki Chidori deeply sympathized. He too had been chased to exhaustion by that she-devil. He needed to go back and rest properly. See you tomorrow.

The next day.

Yamabuki Chidori planned to sleep in, but before he had gotten enough rest, Sashō Chōjirō shook him awake.

"Brother Yamabuki, Brother Yamabuki, are you awake?" Sashō Chōjirō shouted.

"No. Don't disturb me. I'm going back to sleep. Today is my day off," Yamabuki Chidori said impatiently.

"Don't close your eyes. Hold on, get up first!" Sashō Chōjirō tugged Yamabuki Chidori's ear and dragged him up. Finally, Yamabuki Chidori could take no more and snapped impatiently, "Kid, if you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'll show you why flowers are red!"

Sashō Chōjirō said sheepishly, "It wasn't me who called you. The Captain Commander did. He said... he said it's payday."

The instant he heard it was payday, Yamabuki Chidori's eyes widened like bells. After working hard for an entire month, he could finally get paid?

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Yamabuki Chidori complained.

Sashō Chōjirō: "..."

Yamabuki Chidori dressed at top speed, then used Flash Step to reach the Captain Commander's office. Sure enough, all the captains and Reserve Captains were there to collect their pay. Even that guy Tsunayashiro Fūka was here. You came from a great noble clan—did you really lack a few coins?

"Shunshun Shidō." Yamamoto called Shunshun Shidō's name. Shunshun Shidō walked over with a cheerful grin to collect her pay. It came in a white money bag, heavy and bulging. There was clearly quite a lot inside.

Yamabuki Chidori was thrilled. No matter what, he was the Lieutenant of the First Division. On top of that, he was the Gotei 13's Chief Strategist and a new recruit instructor. With so much work on his shoulders, his salary certainly would not be lower than those captains'. This was his first pot of gold since coming to this world. It was absolutely awesome!

"Saitō Fubōfu!" The Captain Commander called Saito's name next. Saito stepped forward to collect her pay, receiving a similarly full bag of money.

"Gen'en Kinra!"

Although Gen'en Kinra received less than the two captains above, it was still quite a substantial sum. Besides, the Gotei 13 provided food and lodging, so it was enough to spend freely for quite some time.

Two captains and one Reserve Captain had collected their pay. It should be my turn next, right? Yamabuki Chidori thought excitedly.

"Tenjirō Kirinji!" The Captain Commander called Tenjirō Kirinji's name again. Yamabuki Chidori kept comforting himself. Though Tenjirō Kirinji had arrived later than him, he was still a technical specialist and now the Gotei 13's only official doctor. It was only right to show him some respect.

"Tsunayashiro Fūka!"

Huh? Why was that bastard getting paid before me too? What was going on?

Calm down, calm down. Tsunayashiro Fūka might not be much, but he had indeed contributed to establishing the Gotei 13. As one of the Gotei 13's founders, I should be magnanimous. Magnanimous!

"Hachisato!"

Hachisato? Wasn't he just an ordinary member? Why was he ahead of me too? That wasn't right, was it?

Mm! I understand now. The Captain Commander must have intentionally put me later so I could demonstrate selflessness. That had to be it.

Stay calm, stay calm. Yamabuki Chidori pressed his thumb against his philtrum. He had to stay calm.

One by one, the members collected their salaries. As Yamabuki Chidori watched the money bags before the Captain Commander grow fewer and fewer, he became increasingly anxious.