A new round of rectification has begun in Soul Society.
So-called criminal gangs are like mosquitoes and flies; they always pop up every now and then.
There was no such problem during Aizen's reign. It wasn't that he did anything particularly good; it was entirely based on suppressing people's minds, treating them like puppets on a shelf, and constantly weeding out the bad ones.
They used religion to maintain a foolish rule over the people, in order to achieve a superficial appearance of happiness.
That kind of beauty is false; it is essentially pure evil.
No one is perfect; even saints have flaws. The right path is to embrace those flaws, correct them, and continue to move forward.
The rectification campaign continued until the twelfth lunar month, and the Stone Calendar was about to turn a new page.
To ensure everyone has a good New Year, Shiraishi has halted the rectification campaign. It's not that he doesn't want to clean things up, but rather that continuing the crackdown would turn a legitimate rectification campaign into a form of exploitation of those below him.
[By the way, the best app for reading aloud right now is Wild Fruit Reading (yeguoyuedu). Install the latest version.]
Occasionally, such actions can create a deterrent effect. If you always keep a sword at someone's throat, they will get used to it and start having new ideas for making money and abusing their power.
The rectification campaign will lose its original effect.
To put it bluntly, nine out of ten of his cabinet members are corrupt officials, and the remaining honest official is a potential rebel. To eradicate them completely will be a long and arduous task.
Late December.
Unlike last winter, there was no snow falling outside the window. The snow from last night was piled up on the roof and the road, and no one was clearing it away.
The wind was biting cold.
Shiraishi stayed in his office, processing the documents that the Captain-Commander needed to handle, without any rush.
Last year's experience taught him that he shouldn't go back too early, lest he get caught up in the women's struggles and find himself in a dilemma.
The office door opened, Ichigo Kurosaki walked to the desk carrying documents. "Mr. Shiraishi, these are the documents I approved. Take a look. If there are no problems, I'll go home now."
Shiraishi took the document and smiled, "What are your plans for this year?"
"Same as always, staying home and watching TV programs, like the New Year's Eve gala."
Ichigo Kurosaki answered casually, scratching his head and complaining, "Dad, Ganju, Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko are going to drink themselves into a stupor again."
Without their leader Kūkaku, they'll just let loose and do whatever they want.
"Haha, a once-a-year celebration!"
Shiraishi chuckled, glanced at the documents in his hand, and said, "Okay, no problem. Go home now."
Ichigo Kurosaki bowed and said, "Then I'll be going now."
See you next year.
Shiraishi replied, glanced at some documents on the table, stretched, and continued dawdling. It wasn't until lunchtime that he finished and chose to use the Steel Tempest" to return home.
The cold wind was like a knife.
Shiraishi opened the door and stepped into the warm, cozy house, where cheerful laughter filled the air, accompanied by the aroma of food.
Retsu Unohana, Isane Kotetsu, Soi Fon, Nelliel, Tier Harribel, Kūkaku Shiba, and Nemu Kurotsuchi gathered in the living room, teasing the increasingly adorable Hakuhō.
Seeing him return, Nelliel's eyes lit up, and she headbutted him, "My husband~"
Shiraishi reached out and grabbed her waist, gently hugging her, and said, " Nel, I'm back."
Retsu Unohana said decisively, "Let's eat."
"Hmm." Shiraishi nodded. The lunch on the table was very lavish, with everything that flies in the sky, swims in the sea, and runs in the mountains.
Hakuhō's mouth watered at the sight, but she was too young to eat that much, so there were special baby meals available.
Retsu Unohana stewed the meat until it was as tender as mud, then mixed it into the nutritious soup, intending for Hakuhō to drink it through a straw.
Shiraishi glanced at the soup's color—bright red—and exclaimed, "Lie, Little Hō is still so young. Is it alright to give her such a spicy soup?"
"Don't underestimate our daughter; she'll definitely inherit my love for spicy food."
Retsu Unohana answered with a smile that she liked spicy food and naturally hoped her daughter would inherit that love.
A mother simply wants to cram everything she thinks is good into her child.
Shiraishi rolled her eyes and said, "Don't forget she has half my genes. I don't really like spicy food. Besides, she's not even a year old yet, how can she eat spicy food?"
"Our daughter was born with powerful Spiritual Power, so you don't need to worry. I didn't put in that much spice; it's just that the color looks red."
Retsu Unohana is a doctor, so she naturally knows the baby's physical condition better. If she dared to let her drink it, then there must be nothing wrong with her.
Kūkaku Shiba laughed, "Let Little Hō try a sip and we'll know if she likes it or not."
"Stop bullying Little Hō."
Soi Fon retorted.
Seeing that they were about to start arguing, Shiraishi had no choice but to say to his daughter, "Let's give it a try."
As he spoke, he held Hakuhō in front of the baby food, "Little baby, try it, and spit it out if you don't like it."
Hakuhō gripped the straw with both hands. She knew exactly what was going to happen next, and with a strong suck, she poured the soup into her mouth.
Shiraishi was watching closely to see if she would cry from the spiciness.
Unexpectedly, Hakuhō inherited Retsu Unohana's love for spicy food and drank it with great relish while holding the straw.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but then a worry arose in his mind: if the fierce gene was dominant, wouldn't Hakuhō become a battle maniac in the future?
He imagined his daughter following in Kenpachi Zaraki's footsteps, carrying a sword and going around challenging people.
He quickly shook his head, shooing away the female version of Zaraki.
He doesn't object to Hakuhō becoming stronger; this world needs powerful forces to protect itself, but a battle maniac still doesn't really want that.
The father-daughter interaction he envisioned was not one of daily knife fights.
The kind of overly filial daughter who wants to defeat her father is not the kind of sweet, caring daughter he wants.
No, education must start from a young age.
Shiraishi thought to himself, and decided to immediately start preparing to establish a kindergarten so that babies born in Soul Society could have a unified learning opportunity.
The right path is to first focus on education and clarify people's thoughts before deciding to teach force.
According to Shiraishi's estimation, a fifth-grade elementary school student should be able to teach the "Zankensoki.
A set of educational questions regarding Hakuhō's future gradually took shape in his mind.
After the meal, all the empty plates on the table were cleared away.
Hakuhō was drowsy, yawning, her little eyes half-closed, wanting to sleep.
Retsu Unohana wasn't going to let her sleep properly. She laid out many trinkets on the table, pinched her cheek, and said, "Baby, go pick something out there and see what you want."
Hakuhō was forced to open her eyes. Looking at all the things on the table, she became curious and started to get up, heading straight for a shiny toy knife.
"Well done!" Retsu Unohana clapped her hands. As expected of her daughter, she was interested in fighting.
Shiraishi's face darkened.
Hakuhō didn't stop. She reached out her free little hand, grabbed a miniature toy book, giggled, and then, regardless of what her parents thought, she hugged the two of them to sleep.
If you dare to wake her up again, she'll cry her heart out.