"N-Nice to meet you! I am Nanao Ise!"
"Nice to meet you. I am the Lieutenant of the Fourth Division, Yukawa."
I lightly introduce myself to the young girl in front of me.
She also has black hair, glasses, and a serious-looking face. She's the class representative type.
Only her hairstyle is short rather than braided, but she's still plenty cute.
Actually, she's short... really short.
I'm currently crouching down with my knees bent, just in case... but even then, I feel like I'm slightly taller...
Just how much of a little girl are you...
"Lisa, this child is...?"
"A new recruit for the Eighth Division. Amazingly, she's an honorary member of the Shino Library."
"Honorary member!! This child!?"
I inadvertently peer closely at the young girl's face.
An honorary member is a title given to those whose annual number of borrowed books exceeds one thousand.
Even if you go every day, it's impossible unless you borrow an average of three books a day. That alone is a big deal.
"Y-Yes... Because of being an honorary member, I was able to get to know Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Yadomaru!"
"And that means you got to know me too... being able to meet such a cute child, should I thank the connection of books?"
"No way... to be able to get acquainted with Lieutenant Yukawa who was featured in the Seireitei Communication, I should be the one thanking you!!"
She has a sparkling expression like she became acquainted with a celebrity. Cute.
'Um, my Lord...'
What is it, Nubatama, what's wrong? Did you finally become a lolicon?
'!?!? No, no, not that... Looking at this little girl in front of you, don't you notice?'
...Eh? Notice what...??
'This child is, um... let's see... yes! She is that person!'
What is that, some powerful enemy... eh, wait.
...Aah! That's right, isn't it! She should have been with Captain Kyoraku!!
'Did... did you seriously not notice...?'
Because this child had few appearances, and her boobs were small...
'That is... no, it is nothing... or rather, my Lord! Didn't you say there is no hierarchy in size!?'
There is no hierarchy, but whether it stands out is a separate issue!! Also sorry, Nanao-chan. I'm really sorry for forgetting!!
"Um, Lieutenant Yukawa..."
"...Ah, I'm sorry. I was spacing out. Is something wrong?"
"I heard from my seniors that Lieutenant Yukawa showed remarkable performance not only in treatment but also in swordsmanship during the battle with the Quincy!"
"Oh, oh my... that's been transmitted quite exaggeratedly..."
Calling it remarkable performance is, as expected, saying too much.
Well, I certainly did my best, but hasn't the rumor grown a tail and fins?
"Um, actually I am not good at Zanjutsu... if you don't mind, could you please teach me Zanjutsu!?"
"Eh?"
This is also an unexpected request.
"(Lisa, is this your doing?)"
"(Dunno, dunno, it's unexpected for me too)"
When I turned a reproachful eye to her, she appealed with her eyes like that while lightly waving her hand sideways.
"I can't make an Asauchi my own... As a Shinigami, I thought I absolutely must master all of Zankensoki after all...!!"
I see... so that's it.
"Ise-san, listen well."
"Y... Yes!"
"I am still in the middle of training myself, I cannot teach you the sword."
"No way...!"
Because I'm nearly killed by Captain Unohana regularly every month.
If I become strong enough to at least score a point against the Captain, maybe somehow...
Besides, this child is a character appearing in the original work, right? Then even if I don't teach her, she'll become strong, right? So—
"Besides, you just became a Shinigami, right? Even if there are things you are not good at, there is no need to worry."
"B-But...!"
"Also, if you are going to learn, shouldn't you ask Captain Kyoraku or Lisa... Lieutenant Yadomaru first?"
"That's right, just as Master says. My Captain often skips work, so swing him around until he collapses."
Unexpected covering fire flew from Lisa.
...Aren't you pushing it onto him because it's troublesome? Putting skipping aside, you should look after her, you know? She's your junior.
"Above all, it's natural for it to take time. There are Shinigami who reach Bankai in the blink of an eye, and there are Shinigami who took one hundred and fifty years to learn Shikai."
"One hundred and fifty years... is it?"
"Yes, a Shinigami called Yukawa, though."
When I told them that, the two stopped moving for a moment.
"Eh... ehh!?"
"...Wait, that's Master's name! Eh, is Master like that!?"
"Was it unexpected?"
When I ask that, the two nod vigorously.
"From the stories I heard, I completely thought you were a high-ranking noble with amazing talent..."
"Not at all. In the first place, I was born in Rukongai too... It's been about five hundred years since I became a Shinigami... In my Academy days, I was a senior to Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku..."
When I looked into the distance, I felt like the eyes of the two looking at me became somewhat gentle.
"And yet... I still can't learn Bankai..."
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...!!"
She hurriedly apologized, but rather, being apologized to makes me feel unbearable, so could you stop?
"Don't worry about it. What I wanted to say is, since even someone like me can become a Lieutenant if they work hard, don't be so overly anxious. Things one is good at and bad at vary from person to person, so why not think about it more easily?"
"Yes, thank you very much!!"
Yup, she has a better smile than when we first met.
"Or rather, I am happy to have met Ise-san, but... Lisa, why did you introduce her to me?"
"Well, I just wanted to introduce her to Master as a fellow book lover."
"Compared to Lisa or Ise-san, I don't read at all, you know?"
"Master knows various books so there is no problem."
...Is that how it works?
After this, I started introducing recommended books at the Shino Library frequently.
Well, setting that aside.
"There is this one too, you know? This is a work with a slightly strong idiosyncrasy, but..."
"Ooh...hh..."
"Just by reversing the genders, various depictions look fresh, don't they? See, like here, the woman invites the man..."
"What is this, are things like this still sleeping in the world..."
"Oh my, Lieutenant Yadomaru? Lieutenant Yukawa? Where are you?"
We, who leave the still-small Ise-san alone and read ero-books, are definitely not humans to be respected, I thought.
No, we are looking after her properly! Just disappearing for a bit...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]