"4th Seat Yukawa, I appoint you as the Lieutenant of the Fourth Division."
"...Huh?"
I inadvertently asked Captain Unohana to repeat herself.
"Did you not hear me? I said I appoint you as the Lieutenant."
The sound of my colleagues' applause echoed through the General Relief Station.
—Wait, we already did this routine once!!
The midnight major surgery incident with Mr. Soifon ended without incident. He is still in the middle of recovery and cannot leave his futon, but he has regained consciousness and his progress is favorable.
Well, it is my failing that I couldn't restore him completely to his original state, though...
Soifon-chan threw a tantrum wanting to stay permanently in her brother's hospital room, but as expected, we couldn't keep a small girl there forever. We contacted her family and had them come pick her up.
Come to think of it, I was curious why she was alone in the middle of the night like that and asked, and she said, "I felt a bad premonition, like a bug's warning, and slipped out alone in the middle of the night."
There, she met the heavily injured Mr. Soifon and his companion, and thought to contact the Fourth Division alone in a great hurry.
Even though she's a little girl, she has incredible spirit... but thanks to that guts, she was able to save her brother.
Just in case, I put in a good word for her indirectly with the family member who came to pick her up, asking them to consider everything and "keep it to a light scolding for slipping out alone in the middle of the night".
Has it been about a week since that major incident? During the morning meeting, the Captain suddenly announced my promotion to Lieutenant.
If told suddenly, of course I'd be surprised!!
"...Lieutenant, is it?"
"That is correct."
"But Lieutenant Yamada is already here...?"
Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada has a bad personality, but his skill in Kaido is absurdly amazing...
Possibly, if he had been there, maybe Mr. Soifon's injuries could have been completely cured? His skill is outstanding enough to make one think so.
With such a person in active service, pushing him aside to make me Lieutenant!? That's impossible...
"Ah, there is no need to worry. Because I am quitting the Gotei 13."
"...Eh!?"
"I was invited by the Seireitei Mao Relief Station, asked 'Won't you work as a doctor?'"
"Ehh!?"
The Seireitei Mao Relief Station is a relief station specializing in upper-class nobles centered around the Five Great Noble Houses—in short, a hospital targeting only super VIP patients.
I've only heard about it in rumors, but apparently, it's incredibly muddy... Throughout all ages and places, what those with money and power wish for next is eternal youth and longevity.
It is rumored that demons and monsters are rampant there, trying to get a share of that or dragging each other down.
...Eh, I won't get invited. Because I'm from Rukongai, I'm out of the scope of invitation at that point. Noble authoritarianism is rampant there, you see...
"I could have rejected it, but it seemed like I wouldn't be able to ignore it before long. 4th Seat Yukawa left a significant achievement the other day, so it was a perfect opportunity."
"...This is the first I'm hearing of this, though."
I am technically a 4th Seat, right? A high-ranking officer, right? I'm reasonably important, right? So why was I not told at all about the Lieutenant quitting or me becoming Lieutenant...??
"Because I didn't say it."
Captain!? Eh, why didn't you tell me!? I am the party involved, right!?!?
"I heard that in the World of the Living, this is called a 'surprise'. I tried imitating it."
Surprise... ah, a surprise. I was certainly surprised, though! This is more like a prank, isn't it!?
"The official appointment is from the next fiscal year. Until then, through handover tasks and such, you will act together with me and learn the Lieutenant's duties. Well, the authority and treatment are no different from a Lieutenant's, so be prepared."
That means the Lieutenant's work and responsibilities will weigh on me, but my treatment and salary will remain as a 4th Seat's, right...?
"Understood. I, Yukawa, humbly accept the seat of Lieutenant."
Well, fine.
When I become a Lieutenant, the house I can rent becomes quite luxurious too. Massage work will progress well.
What should I do? If I rent a house, maybe I'll hire a maid, spend more money to gather massage-specific rooms and tools, and maybe even build a sauna!?
...Ah! Before that, I have to go to the government office to submit the notification... too troublesome...
Amidst the Fourth Division where applause echoed again, I alone was feeling depressed without reading the atmosphere, thinking, "I never get used to this notification no matter how many times I do it..."
"4th Seat Yukawa... ah, no. Should I call you Lieutenant already...? A-Anyway, congratulations!!"
"Yes, thank you, Officer Kotetsu."
She saw off Airi, who was wrapped in a somewhat lethargic atmosphere, while thinking her behavior was strange.
"...Haa."
"It seems you are not feeling well. Officer Kotetsu."
"Eh... U-Captain Unohana!?"
After her figure disappeared, a sigh inadvertently spilled from Isane's mouth.
A voice called out to her there, and when she looked to see who it was, it was Unohana. She was surprised in a double sense.
"Do you have some worry? If you don't mind, I can give you advice."
"N-No... um... that..."
Desperately spinning her mind, confused by surprise and nervousness—
"Advice... or rather... um, it's about that incident the other night..."
—Eventually, she began to speak slowly.
"It was my first night shift... Then such a heavily injured person came, and I was taken to the operating room by 4th Seat Yukawa... but, I couldn't be of any use in that place... I was scared... and pathetic..."
"I see..."
Unohana had already heard in detail from Airi about what happened that night.
Certainly, facing that many injured people, bringing a new recruit along would likely be a hindrance rather than being useful.
There are stages to everything. Even if the purpose was to let a newcomer gain experience, that situation was a bit too much.
"Indeed, it is not normal."
Normally, one would have her babysit Soifon quietly and do the assistant's assistant work.
Even more so since Airi was the person in charge of that place. She isn't incompetent enough not to understand that, and Unohana hasn't raised her softly enough to allow incompetence in the first place.
"However, she dared to do so... If she thought you were truly useless, she wouldn't have called you to help. That means she thought you would be useful. Isn't it because she has expectations for your future that she dared to do so?"
"M... My future!?"
Hearing that she was expected by a high-ranking officer, she showed a face full of joy for a moment, but perhaps due to her naturally timid personality, Isane hurriedly began to deny it.
"I-Impossible! Someone like me... no way... I can't even reach 4th Seat Yukawa's feet..."
"That is not true. She had her time as a newcomer too, and in the past, she was truly... ah, let's keep this silent for the sake of the person's honor, just in case."
"Since she will be Lieutenant from next term," Unohana said, but giggled with an obviously pretentious air.
"Also, in my personal opinion, you are excellent even without the colored glasses of being a new recruit. Comparing just Academy grades, Airi doesn't even reach your feet."
"Eh...!? 4th Seat Yukawa was like that!?"
"Oh my, no good. It seems I let it slip."
Seeing Unohana smile mischievously, even Isane thought, "She absolutely did that on purpose." However, hearing that story, somehow a little bit of motivation and hope welled up: "Maybe I can do it too? Maybe I can become like her?"
"However, no matter how much she expected of you, the method this time was too rough... Who on earth does she take after... I must make the next training session stricter..."
"She takes after her master." If someone else were in this place, they would have retorted like that... probably only in their heart, since they wouldn't have the courage to say it out loud.
"Training, is it...?"
"That is correct. She requested it when she was a newcomer, and ever since then."
"Um, Captain! That training... can I, can I... receive it too!? If I polish my Kaido skills more, can I become like 4th Seat Yukawa!?"
"Hmm... let me see..."
While furrowing her brows as if slightly troubled, Unohana looked Isane up and down carefully once.
"Depending on your effort... and effort is not always justly rewarded, but if you are fine with that..."
"Yes! It's okay!!"
"Good answer. However, I am not free either. I will make time, but I cannot look after you that closely."
Isane Kotetsu had a motivation for aspiring to the Fourth Division that she told no one—she was too embarrassed to tell even her own sister.
That was the existence of Airi Yukawa.
Isane in her Academy days learned of Airi's existence by chance and developed a strong admiration.
True, her rank was low—at the time she was only about 15th Seat—but despite being a woman like herself, she was tall, yet dignified, and active with high ability.
Especially, that figure of not being ashamed of her tall stature at all, which was a complex for Isane, looked very dazzling in Isane's eyes.
She wanted to be like her, wanted to get even a little closer. Her wish was granted, she was assigned to the Fourth Division, and while her heart was pounding on her first night shift, she made a huge blunder.
She definitely disappointed her. She thought so.
But she was able to recover with Unohana's words. The fading thought was ignited. True, she didn't hear it directly from Airi, but the reason was more than enough for Isane to be convinced.
She thinks of the future.
Retsu Unohana was very satisfied with this result.
It took a very, very long time, but Airi Yukawa finally bloomed. And with a result exceeding what she had imagined.
Time is not a problem. She produced results. Her Kaido skill has become more than sufficient.
Then next is sword skill.
Just a little more.
Just a little more.
She thinks of the future.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]