In Soul Society, I Only Want to Coast into Retirement

The two hit it off immediately and sprang into action.

The Katori Family was considered a major clan, so they moved quickly.

Before long, they found a storefront in eastern Seireitei. The building was already there and only needed minor renovations. Finding a place for the venue was more difficult, but they eventually found a secluded plot of land at the far eastern edge, near the Rukon District.

After that, recruiting workers and constructing the building could all be left to the Katori Family.

After ten days of work, Yamabuki Chidori's shop finally opened.

Product quality alone was not enough. They also needed plenty of publicity, and Yamabuki Chidori thought of the perfect poster girl.

"You want me to stand outside your shop in this stuff and attract customers? Just stab me to death already!" Saitō Fubōfu handed over her sword with a look of utter despair.

I'm the dignified captain of the Gotei 13's Sixth Division, and you want me to be a poster girl? Do I have no pride?

"Sigh, forget it! Some people just can't afford to lose. I'll go ask Katoru Hatsunoya instead. Her figure is better than yours, she's prettier than you, and she's gentler than you..." Yamabuki Chidori said with a dramatic sigh.

"Get back here! Who says her figure—cough, cough. I admit her figure is better than mine, but she might not be prettier than me, and she might not be gentler either. If she can do it, why can't I? Give me the clothes!" Saitō Fubōfu had always followed a wild, untamed style. The thought of wearing a Maid Outfit and serving as a poster girl was oddly thrilling!

"Then let's agree on a time limit. I can't stay there forever, can I?" Saitō Fubōfu said.

"Thirty days, then. Once you've worked thirty days, you're free! Sounds reasonable, right?"

"Fine, thirty days it is! I'll do it!" Saitō Fubōfu gritted her teeth and changed into the outfit. Unexpectedly, she looked rather cute!

And so, amid a lively bustle, Yamabuki Chidori's shop finally opened.

The result was obvious. Business was booming on the very first day. Never mind whether these people had actually come to buy anything; the shop had gained plenty of popularity. Within a single day, all of Seireitei knew that an unusual clothing store had opened here.

The Strongest Poster Girl, Saitō Fubōfu

People needed to relax.

Entertainment was the best way to do that.

But a thousand years ago, even nobles had few forms of entertainment. Walking birds, teasing dogs, and lying around daydreaming were probably the best ways to pass the time. That was why these people came to Yamabuki Apparel Store just to see the spectacle.

In an instant, it was as though they had opened the door to a whole new world.

Because standing there with a stiff smile, welcoming customers in a maid outfit and white stockings, was none other than Saitō Fubōfu!

"Captain Saitō? What are you doing here? Are you working part-time?" a Gotei 13 member asked, utterly unaware of the danger.

"You've got the wrong person! I'm not Saitō!" Saitō Fubōfu's sense of humiliation was about to explode. One of her own subordinates had recognized her. There was no helping it—she would have to silence them!

"No roughing up the customers, Captain Saitō Fubōfu!" Yamabuki Chidori's gleeful voice came from the side.

Crack!

What had shattered all over the floor?

The sanity of a young girl! Nothing to worry about, then.

"It really is Captain Saitō? Why are you dressed like this? You're so cute! You're completely different from how fierce you usually are!" The member still had no idea what was coming as they tugged at Saitō's little skirt.

Saitō forcibly suppressed the urge to murder them and smiled with a grin that could make evil spirits cry. "Say one more word, and you won't live to see tomorrow's sun."

"..."

These young noble masters and ladies had not come merely to watch the show. Their purchasing power was equally astonishing. In just one hour, they cleared out the entire inventory. Mainly because Saitō's current appearance was simply too adorable.

Girls who liked pretty clothes each bought a set for themselves.

Some men bought a set for their wives as well.

Katoru Hatsunoya smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. The better business was here, the more her family earned.

At the same time, Yamabuki Chidori had finally earned his first pot of gold through his own efforts. When they divided the money that evening, he was so excited he could have laughed himself awake from a dream.

Still, his main job was serving as the Gotei 13's Chief Strategist. He could not neglect the important for the trivial. Making money was not his ultimate goal.

He left the daily management of the shop entirely to Shūtara Senjumaru, while he continued going to work when it was time to work and going home when it was time to go home.

Right, he had been staying with the Shihōin Clan this whole time.

It was time to buy a home of his own.

The next day, Yamabuki Chidori took the money he had earned and prepared to buy himself a small house.

By sheer coincidence, he ran into Tsunayashiro Fūka.

"Buying a house? Chief Strategist, that's treating me like an outsider. You should have told me about something like this. I still have several decent estates on hand. Take one and live there for now. If I find something better later, I'll trade it for you." Tsunayashiro Fūka opened with a barrage of sweet promises.

Yamabuki Chidori politely declined.

No matter how large or small the gift, accepting it would mean owing a favor. If Tsunayashiro Fūka asked him to do something later, it would be hard to refuse.

Spending money he had earned himself felt much more comfortable.

In the end, he bought a modest estate on the edge of the noble district.

It was spring, and fresh green grass covered the ground. There was also a cherry blossom tree in the courtyard, blooming brilliantly. Before long, he would probably hear cicadas singing. Now that he had a home, he had truly put down roots in this world.

Then... it was time to begin the plan.

That night, Yamabuki Chidori began his excavation project. He dug more than a hundred meters underground, reinforced the tunnel, and began opening up a massive training ground below.

Some of his abilities could not be seen by outsiders, so he could only train in secret.

Fortunately, his control over Reishi was exceptionally strong. In only a few days, he had carved out an enormous underground space, large enough for him to do whatever he wanted.

And tonight, with the moon dark and the wind high, was the perfect time to strike.

Dressed in black night clothes, Yamabuki Chidori crept through the darkness until he reached Tenjirō Kirinji's clinic.

Tenjirō Kirinji had already gone to sleep because he had no patients. Yamabuki Chidori quietly snuck into his home.

"My first time being a thief. I'm so excited!" Yamabuki Chidori's target was naturally Bone Hell and Blood Pool Hell. Researching something from scratch might be difficult for him, but copying something? Come on, I'm practically a penguin.

As long as he brought back a little spring water, he could quickly analyze the composition of the two hot springs and replicate them perfectly.

Kirinji, I'm sorry. I swear on my biceps that I'll never leak the secret formula or tell a third person. You have to trust me!

Bang!

Just as Yamabuki Chidori was thinking that, he accidentally kicked a medicine jar. It fell to the floor and shattered.

"Who's there?" Hanako's voice rang out.

It was Yamabuki Chidori's first time stealing, and he lacked experience. He wanted to find somewhere to hide, but the place was completely bare. In the end, he could only climb onto a ceiling beam.

Just then, Hanako came over carrying an oil lamp, looking around in confusion. "No one's here! Hm? Why is the window open? I clearly remember closing it before going to bed!"

With a puzzled look, Hanako muttered to herself as she shut the window, checked it twice more, and finally left.

Yamabuki Chidori let out a breath of relief.

Carefully jumping down from the ceiling, he recalled that Tenjirō Kirinji had seemed to press some sort of button before a passage appeared in the floor. But in this pitch-black darkness, where was he supposed to find a button?

He lay on the floor and pressed around blindly. Finally, he found a strange button. With a light press, the floorboards made a piercing creeeak.

Great!

Yamabuki Chidori quietly slipped down and indeed found Bone Hell and Blood Pool Hell. He took out the small bottles he had prepared in advance, filled one with water from each spring, and swiftly turned to leave. But when he looked up, Tenjirō Kirinji was staring coldly at him.

"You dared to steal from me? You've got some nerve!" Tenjirō Kirinji attacked in an instant. He was known as Swift Thunder Tenjirō, and with his already formidable Reiatsu, he immediately forced Yamabuki Chidori into a frantic scramble.

The crucial point was that Yamabuki Chidori was already in the wrong for coming here to steal. To conceal his identity, he could not use his Zanpakuto, much less reveal his Reiatsu. He could only strike wildly.

"One look tells me you came for Bone Hell and Blood Pool Hell, didn't you? This is the most advanced technology currently available. Even if you take it, you won't be able to learn it. Surrender quietly, and I'll let bygones be bygones!" Tenjirō Kirinji said.

The Gotei 13's dignified Chief Strategist had been caught stealing! If word got out, how could he keep living?

Yamabuki Chidori found an opening and ran for his life!

As long as he was not caught red-handed, he would deny it to the death!

Tenjirō Kirinji flashed forward to block the exit and threw a punch. Yamabuki Chidori did not defend himself. Even if he had to take the blow, he would force his way out!

Bang!!!

The Birth of the Captain's Haori and Shinigami Uniform

The punch landed squarely on Yamabuki Chidori's eye socket.

The pain nearly brought tears to his eyes. That bastard had done it on purpose, hadn't he? He had specifically aimed for his face!

Still, he endured the punch to the eye and escaped for his life. Behind him, Tenjirō Kirinji cursed loudly, "You little brat, stop right there! Don't think I don't know who you are!"

Hmph. As long as he had not been caught red-handed, he would deny it to the death!

There were no surveillance cameras in this era anyway. What could Tenjirō Kirinji do to him?

The next day at work, Yamabuki Chidori wore a huge pair of sunglasses to cover his bruised black eye.

Chōjirō Sasakibe leaned over curiously. "Big Brother Yamabuki, why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"Don't you think sunglasses look cool? I'll give you a pair too!" Yamabuki Chidori pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his clothes and handed them to Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"Thank you, Big Brother Yamabuki!" Chōjirō Sasakibe happily put the sunglasses on.

But as soon as Yamabuki Chidori entered the division, he saw Tenjirō Kirinji standing there with a smile that did not reach his eyes, staring at him. Feeling guilty, Yamabuki Chidori gave an awkward smile.

"Sigh! My house wasn't clean. A rat got in yesterday. Does the Chief Strategist know anything about that?" Tenjirō Kirinji asked coldly.

"I... don't."

"That rat ran very fast. After I punched it, it scurried away in a flash. But forget it. Nothing was stolen from the house anyway." Tenjirō Kirinji suddenly tossed over a small bottle of medicine, which Yamabuki Chidori caught with one hand.

"What's this?"

"Bruise medicine," Tenjirō Kirinji said calmly.

A cold sweat broke out across Yamabuki Chidori's back. "Why are you giving me bruise medicine?"

"The dignified Chief Strategist is going on missions with a black eye. Maybe you aren't embarrassed, but the Gotei 13 is. Find somewhere private and apply the medicine later. Also..." Tenjirō Kirinji paused slightly. "The techniques behind Bone Hell and Blood Pool Hell may be mature, but they absolutely cannot fall into the hands of anyone with ulterior motives. Otherwise..."

"Cough, cough. Got it." Behind his sunglasses, Yamabuki Chidori's eyes darted everywhere.

Fewer than ten people in the entire Gotei 13 knew of Bone Hell and Blood Pool Hell, and they were all captain-level figures. Other than Yamabuki Chidori, there was not a second person interested in them.

Just then, Yamamoto walked in.

Everyone obediently shut their mouths and waited for the old man to speak.

"Yamabuki mentioned that we may face a major war in the future. Our current numbers are certainly insufficient, so we need to expand recruitment. The first time we recruited members, we only covered Seireitei and the nearby Rukon District. This time, we will expand our reach. Every one of the Soul Society's four regions and three hundred and twenty districts, without exception." Yamamoto said.

The appearance of the Quincy was a major matter. Yamamoto had already told the captains about it, and they had vaguely guessed that a fierce battle might await them in the future.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll trouble each captain to travel throughout Soul Society to promote the Gotei 13 and recruit personnel along the way. As Captain Commander, I will personally take the lead. Yamabuki, the responsibility of guarding Seireitei will temporarily be left to you... Hm, leaving you alone makes me a little uneasy. Fine. Saitō Fubōfu and Gen'en Kinra, the two of you will remain in Seireitei as well." Yamamoto said.

In this era, three captains working together were nearly unstoppable.

"Don't worry. Leave it to us," Yamabuki Chidori said solemnly.

"Good. Go attend to your affairs," Yamamoto said calmly.

The Quincy's appearance had indeed put everyone on alert, but it was not enough to make Yamamoto nervous. He was extremely confident in his own strength. Quincy King or not, just stand in front of him and take a slash if you had the ability.

With the coming expansion, the resources they needed would increase greatly, especially Zanpakuto and clothing. All of these logistical matters were decided by Yamabuki Chidori alone.

Right!

An idea flashed through Yamabuki Chidori's mind. Why not take this opportunity to standardize Soul Reaper uniforms? Then all production could go through his own shop. Not only would it solve the clothing problem, he could make a fortune too!

I really am a little genius!

He immediately brought the proposal to the Captain Commander!

Yamamoto had actually been considering the same thing. Standardized clothing would make them look more official, but there had never been a suitable opportunity. Now that Yamabuki Chidori had his own clothing factory, they could settle the matter at the same time.

"Good. I'll leave this matter to you. And I can't let you take a loss, either. After all, the nobles will be paying." Yamamoto said grandly. Since he did not have to pay out of pocket, he was happy to be generous!

Yamabuki Chidori had long decided on the prototype for the Gotei 13 uniform: the famous Shinigami Uniform.

However, the Shinigami Uniform had almost no practical function. Some said it was defensive gear with extremely low defense, while others said it was a tool for monitoring the Reiatsu within a Soul Reaper's body.

For example, when Kurosaki Ichigo transformed into a Soul Reaper, a Shinigami Uniform would automatically appear on him.

Moreover, the more of the clothing that was missing, the greater his Reiatsu depletion represented. But for ordinary members, these functions were practically useless.

After returning to the factory, he told Shūtara Senjumaru about the matter. Shūtara Senjumaru patted her chest and promised that she would handle it. No problem.