"Good morning."
"Good morn— Wh-What happened to that!?"
It's probably still about thirty minutes before the starting bell rings. I arrive at the Comprehensive Relief Station a little early and drop by the Shihakusho Sewing Room.
There were already several seniors there who had started working before the starting time, but as soon as they saw me, they raised voices of surprise.
To be precise, it wasn't me, but rather what I was holding that they looked at.
"Um, actually, I was wondering if you could do something about this..."
Saying that, what I held up was a tattered Shihakusho. As a result of yesterday's training with Captain Unohana, it had transformed into a miserable state.
But there should still be hope. Wondering if it could be fixed somehow, I brought it here to the specialized department.
"D-Don't tell me it was torn due to bullying!? ...Wait, but you're a new recruit who just arrived the other day, so it's too early to become a target for that... In the first place, everyone is busy, so pushing work onto you would be much better than doing such unproductive acts..."
"No, that's not it—"
While listening to words that made me sad just hearing them, I explained the circumstances of how this rag came to be.
"...So, the result of combat training... is that right?"
"Y-Yes."
"How should I put it, Yukawa-san, you... are unusual."
Ugh, she looked at me with eyes like she was looking at a pitiable child.
As expected, in the Fourth Division, there's no one who takes combat training this seriously.
Basically, when Fourth Division soldiers stand on the battlefield, it refers to joining later at a place where other squads are fighting to perform treatment.
Standing at the forefront and swinging a sword is extremely rare. If the healer goes down, everyone goes down together. Running away if it gets dangerous! Focusing solely on supporting allies! These are also respectable tactics.
Even in games, the Healer is important.
The other day, while learning the job from my senior, I had an opportunity to be dispatched, and I actually experienced it there!
...And yet, why do they complain... the Soul Reapers of other squads...
"Also, about this Shihakusho... it would be faster to buy a new one than to repair it."
"Is it hopeless after all?"
"Considering the effort involved. It's not impossible, but rather than fixing this and trying to hide the repair marks..."
Returning to the topic of my Shihakusho, it seems repairing it is hopeless no matter how you look at it.
Even though I was just issued it, one set is already ruined...
"W-Well, well! Cheer up! You're a soldier of the Sewing Team, so I'll tailor it for you at a special discount price!!"
"Really!? Please! Please do!! If possible, several sets!!"
Since I'm a new recruit, my salary is low.
Special discount price!! Ah, what a wonderful sound!!
Above all, I think it will probably end up tattered like this every time I have training with the Captain, so let's buy multiple sets!
"Also, shall I simply repair that tattered Shihakusho? If it's on the premise that you wear it only during combat training where it's okay to ruin it—in other words, times when you won't appear in public—then it shouldn't be a problem..."
"That too, please!"
She must have her own work, yet she even offered that.
Everyone really is a nice person.
Instead of a thank you, I helped with the work in the sewing room.
Checked that no pins were left behind, and ironed properly.
The work of the Fourth Division is extremely busy every day.
I've said it several times, but in addition to normal duties, there are duties pushed—passed on from other squads.
To be honest, I'd like to ignore work and just train.
But that's impossible for various reasons.
"Phew, cleaning finished."
What I'm doing now is cleaning inside the Comprehensive Relief Station.
After all is said and done, it's a medical facility. The inside must always be kept clean and sanitary.
Even normally, injured soldiers are carried in, scattering blood and germs around. If an infectious disease were to break out, it would be a disaster.
I remove dirt with cleaner and wipe every corner clean with a rag.
After finishing the cleaning generally and confirming it's clean—
"Shrimp Crab Scorpion."
—As the final touch, I chant a Kido.
This is a Kido unique to me, developed independently, belonging neither to Hado nor Bakudo.
You might think "Amazing!", but basic Kido uses incantations of spirit words, so anyone can do it once the formula is established.
Of course, there's a wide range, and creating spells with powerful effects requires specialized knowledge and skills.
However, just creating a Kido itself is not that difficult.
The problem is whether it has value.
"I made an original offensive Kido!" "But how is it different from Shakkahō? Shakkahō is far superior in both perfection and convenience."
Such things are a path everyone walks once.
It means it's difficult for an individual to easily overturn what various Soul Reapers have researched and improved over more than a thousand years.
Besides, standardizing tactics makes management easier for the organization.
Anyway, back to the topic.
Let's return to the Kido I chanted earlier.
The name is Shrimp Crab Scorpion—can you read this?
The kanji are Ebi (Shrimp), Kani (Crab), and Sasori (Scorpion).
Speaking of the part common to these creatures... yes, it's scissors (hasami)!
Speaking of scissors... snip snip—Jokin.
(TL Note: "Jokin" sounds like the Japanese word for "sterilization".)
"Jokin."
It's a Kido that blows away the surrounding germs at once when chanted.
"Alright, this makes it perfect."
From a former modern person's perspective, it's unthinkable for a medical site not to be disinfected.
"Good work."
"Ah, Yukawa-san. Good work."
When I came back after finishing a job, a girl from my cohort was there. She was someone I was with during the Academy days too.
Several other female soldiers were also sitting and resting.
A short break during hard work, as they say.
"Hey, Yukawa-san. Can I ask for that after a long time?"
"Yes, of course, I don't mind. Though it'll have to be a simple one."
"No problem at all! Please!!"
There's no particular reason to refuse.
As requested, I put my hands on her shoulders and massaged them, putting strength into it.
"Aah... that works..."
"It seems your shoulders were quite stiff. This must have been tough, right?"
"It... was... Nn! There, there more, stronger...!!"
"Yes yes, here, right?"
It's a massage I've done many times since the Academy days.
Ideally, I'd want to thoroughly satisfy... or rather, perform the treatment on her whole body without leaving anything out. But as expected, given the location, that's impossible.
Just the shoulders and waist—and out of stubbornness, around the buttocks too.
"Fuwaa... that's good... I want to sleep just like this..."
"Come now, we're still on duty. You can't sleep, okay?"
When I finished the treatment, she looked dreamy.
It's still working hours so... wait, hmm?
"Um, Yukawa-san. Could I ask for the same thing just now?"
"After that is me! I reserved the second spot!!"
"Ah! Unfair!! I was supposed to be second!!"
It must have looked very pleasant, and fatigue must have accumulated for everyone.
The nearby female soldiers rushed over. It's a very high evaluation.
Not only that—they must have heard rumors from the Academy days. I was asked if they could request a thorough full-body session taking time on a holiday, not just a short time like this.
Well, since it combines my hobby and practical benefits, there's no reason to refuse.
I massaged various parts of my seniors thoroughly.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]