The next day, in Soifon's office.
Marechiyo Ōmaeda presented an urgent notice: suspicious individuals, likely thieves, had recently appeared in the Noble District. The notice requested an increase in night patrol squads.
It seemed Ginrei Kuchiki had given her some face by not naming her directly in the report.
"Hmph! This is simply too much! Don't you agree, Captain?" Ōmaeda said indignantly, holding the document Soifon had just stamped. "What 'thieves'? If I ever see that fellow, I'll make sure they never return!"
For once, Soifon did not scold Ōmaeda. Instead, she simply stared at him in silence with a gaze that made his skin crawl.
"Then I look forward to your performance, Lieutenant Ōmaeda," she said calmly.
"You will lead the patrol squad yourself tonight."
Captain Soifon was as vengeful as ever today.
*
A few days later, in the First Division Meeting Room.
Because Zaraki Kenpachi had soundly defeated the supposedly 'invincible under heaven' (?) Kiganjō Kenpachi, a Captains' Council was convened as per tradition.
Inside the meeting room, Soifon repeated her investigation report on the Adjuchas attack before the assembled Captains. The experienced Captain-Commander suspected that something had shifted within Hueco Mundo.
However, given that the Gotei 13's current combat strength was severely lacking—to the point where even patrolling the Rukongai was short-staffed—the matter regarding Hueco Mundo was temporarily shelved.
Hueco Mundo was vast, after all. The appearance of one or two freakish mutants was possible, so there was no immediate rush.
Furthermore, Soifon wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt as if Aizen was glancing her way from time to time during the meeting.
Whenever she looked back, however, he was merely staring at the Captain-Commander speaking from the head of the table, nodding occasionally with a solemn, contemplative expression.
Once the formal procedures were concluded, it was time for the Captains' informal chat.
"Cough... Zaraki Kenpachi, your Zanjutsu is truly an eyesore."
"Come and learn the way of the sword from this old man."
The only person capable of disrespecting a Captain so blatantly was undoubtedly Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
He ignored Unohana Retsu's dissatisfied gaze and led Zaraki Kenpachi out of the meeting room.
It seemed the Captain-Commander was also afraid; if he let Unohana Retsu and Zaraki Kenpachi lock eyes and start a fight, he would likely suffer another loss in personnel.
Moreover, their combat power was on a completely different level compared to someone like Kiganjō.
As he passed by Unohana Retsu, the Captain-Commander paused for a moment, and Unohana nodded back with a beaming smile.
It seemed the two had reached some sort of secret understanding, which sent a chill down Soifon's spine.
And then...
"Captain Soifon~" Unohana Retsu tilted her head with a smile, looking toward Soifon nearby. "That bill for the Second Division... have you received it?"
"Yes, I received it..."
Soifon swallowed hard and nodded with difficulty.
Because of this matter, she had been bombarded with complaints from Ōmaeda for the past few days. He kept saying things like, "Zaraki Kenpachi was the one who slashed them, so why is the Second Division paying the bill?"
He had even clamored about charging into the Eleventh Division to demand an explanation from Zaraki.
Unable to stand him wandering around with his released Gegetsuburi while she felt guilty, Soifon had no choice but to promise him a week-long vacation.
Though Soifon suspected that Ōmaeda was completely putting on an act and had no intention of actually going.
"I truly must thank you for generating so much revenue for my Fourth Division," Unohana Retsu said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Sometimes, when I see the sword wounds on those patients, I really can't help but want to take those strikes for them..."
Her gentle voice was as warm as a spring breeze. Combined with her elegant features and kind smile, she perfectly embodied the image of a compassionate, beautiful doctor.
Of course, no one who actually knew Unohana Retsu would think that.
Beside them, Ginrei Kuchiki and Shunsui Kyōraku instinctively shifted their positions, naturally moving away from the two women as if they were just casually chatting.
You've played with fire, little Soifon...
You've actually triggered Captain Unohana's urge to slash.
Shunsui Kyōraku pulled down the brim of his straw hat, casting a look of helpless pity toward Soifon.
"Come, Captain Soifon." Unohana Retsu pressed her hand to her chest to steady her tone, trying her best not to look at the others. "Please come to the Fourth Division. Let me check how your recovery from your injuries is progressing."
There was no helping it. Who told Soifon to bring a man like Zaraki Kenpachi back to the Seireitei?
Being able to 'invite' Zaraki Kenpachi back unharmed indeed gave Soifon the qualifications to make Unohana Retsu's hands itch for battle.
And Soifon was the only one available to scratch that itch.
Gulp—
Sister Unohana, what is wrong with you?!
Does just seeing the sword wounds Zaraki dealt trigger your berserker passive?
Then go find Zaraki Kenpachi!
Despite the logic of her internal scream, Soifon looked at the slender fingers gripping her wrist and nodded in silence.
She couldn't break free. She couldn't break free at all.
"Good luck, little Soifon~"
"Captain Soifon, please take care of your health."
As Soifon and Unohana passed by Shunsui Kyōraku and Ginrei Kuchiki, those two were still standing there offering sarcastic words of 'encouragement.'
*
Unohana Retsu didn't speak a word along the way. She simply held Soifon's wrist gently, like a parent leading a child across the street.
"Captain... and Captain Soifon?"
As the two entered the Fourth Division courtyard, which was filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs, Isane Kotetsu hurried over. She paused in surprise when she saw Soifon behind Unohana.
Isane circled Soifon twice but failed to find a single wound on the Captain's body.
"Captain Soifon is suffering from hidden injuries," Unohana Retsu explained patiently to Isane. "I'll handle it. You go back to your work, Isane."
"I see. It seems my medical skills are still lacking."
The problem was that Isane Kotetsu actually believed her.
Unohana Retsu led her through the winding corridors of the Fourth Division barracks, finally stopping before an unremarkable stone door near the training grounds.
"We're here."
Only then did Unohana finally release her grip on Soifon's wrist.
Could this be... the place she meant for 'treating hidden injuries'?
Soifon looked up at the black stone room, which radiated an ominous aura, and reached out to touch the coarse texture of the stone door.
"This is..."
Her pupils shrank slightly. Soifon finally realized why the aura felt so familiar.
It was Seki-Seki Stone!
Clack.
Unohana Retsu's pale hands pressed against the heavy stone door. Accompanied by a low rumbling sound and falling dust, a scent completely different from the medicinal fragrance outside wafted toward them.
Driven perhaps by curiosity, Soifon followed the other woman into the cold stone room.
The room was quite spacious but had no windows. Only high up on the walls near the ceiling were a few narrow vents. Faint sunlight angled in through these slits, forming clear pillars of light in the dust-filled air.
A faint, delicate fragrance lingered in the secret room. Soifon felt this scent actually matched Captain Unohana's temperament quite well.
In one corner of the room, several wooden swords were piled haphazardly, each one covered in a dense network of cracks.
Training dummies crudely carved from Seki-Seki Stone were covered in intersecting slash marks of varying depths.
It looked less like a clinic and more like a secret torture chamber.
Thud—
Suddenly, the stone door behind them slammed shut.
"Um..." Soifon instinctively took a half-step back. "This doesn't exactly look like a ward for checking hidden injuries, Captain Unohana..."
"Captain Soifon..." Unohana Retsu's voice remained gentle, echoing through the secret chamber. "A so-called 'hidden injury' is, of course, something that cannot be detected by ordinary means."
So, what 'extraordinary' means are you planning to use?
Soifon snapped her head up. Standing in the darkness, Unohana Retsu tilted her head slightly, with only the beams of light separating them.
One had to admit, the lighting was terrifyingly dramatic.
"A 'hidden injury' is a critical factor that can determine victory or defeat in an intense battle."
"Captain Soifon, do you understand what I am saying?"
Beneath her calm tone was a surging undercurrent. By the time Unohana finished speaking, even the end of her sentence carried a slight tremor.
Even though Unohana Retsu had not released any Reiatsu or made any threatening movements, Soifon felt...
As if she had been locked onto by something invisible.
____
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