The wind plucked a cherry blossom petal and presented it to Shigū Takeru. His gaze, however, traveled from the hand on his own, up the arm, to the face that was more beautiful than any late-blooming sakura.
"Hello, Shigū-kun."
"..."
Takeru slowly reined in his sharp intent and calmed his Reiatsu, simultaneously relaxing his aggressive quick-draw stance.
Seeing this, the visitor also removed her hand. "My timing is poor. I apologize for interrupting your training," she said softly.
"It's fine. Your timing was poor, but... Captain Unohana, you made the normal choice."
Takeru wasn't offended. He'd only shown a flicker of surprise at her arrival.
As he spoke, he glanced at the source of the rustling.
Near a tree not far away, the 4th Division Vice-Captain, Kotetsu Isane, who had the build of a European supermodel, was standing awkwardly.
"Let's talk somewhere else."
His training interrupted, Takeru picked up his water bottle and towel and left the field.
Unohana and Isane followed.
"Captain... did I... did I mess up again?"
"Not at all. Protecting my subordinates is never a 'mess'."
"Captain...!"
Unohana's words were like a warm spring breeze, smoothing Isane's anxiety and moving her deeply.
But her next words were not quite as "moving."
"If I had let him draw reflexively, and he had 'accidentally' cut you down for making that noise... that would have been a mess."
"Ehhhhh?!"
...
Dorm Room 001.
Takeru tidied up a bit and poured two cups of coffee for the 4th Division's Captain and Vice-Captain.
"This is a drink from the human world, isn't it? I was fortunate enough to try it at a tea party hosted by the 1st Division. But yours has a better taste, Shigū-kun," Unohana praised.
"It's probably because it's cheap coffee."
Takeru picked up his own mug and blew on it. The rich, sweet aroma calmed his nerves. He'd had Yayahara special-order this mocha. It wasn't high-end, just a casual drink to replenish sugar and relieve stress. But "cheap" things like this were often the most popular.
"By the way, Vice-Captain Kotetsu, you've been on edge since you got here. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah! No, it's nothing! Please, don't mind me!" Isane waved her hands, her expression unnatural.
Takeru raised an eyebrow.
Just then, someone else pushed the door open.
It was Rindo Itaru.
Seeing two strangers in the room, Rindo paused. He recognized their rank from the haori and armband.
He gave them a nod, which served as a greeting, and then sat down next to Takeru.
"Allow me to introduce my friend, Rindo Itaru. I specifically asked him to be here as a third-party witness," Takeru said.
"A witness... It seems I don't need to explain my reasons for being here."
With that, the atmosphere in the room quietly shifted.
Even the gentle, elegant smile on Unohana's face became a shade more serious.
"It's about the 'medicine,' isn't it," Takeru stated bluntly.
"I have no intention of playing dumb. I knew Ōmaeda would screw this up eventually."
"Even so, Vice-Captain Ōmaeda is responsible enough to keep the situation under control. And since you only sold the 'medicine' to him, it would be difficult to trace whatever he did with it back to you."
"Furthermore, the product was defined from the start as a 'laxative.' Such a... frivolous and base... 'product' is unlikely to trigger anyone's sensitive nerves, weakening the 'crisis' of an illegal drug to its minimum."
"And that is why you can sit here so calmly, facing me—the Captain of the 4th Division, the one who holds all medical authority—without a trace of fear."
Unohana finished his thought for him.
Rindo Itaru and Isane, who were hearing the full story for the first time, both looked at Takeru.
The man in question, however, remained impassive, save for a glint in his eye.
His next words made the atmosphere snap tight.
"Is this the result of the Captains' meeting, or is this just your own idea, Captain Unohana?"
Unohana smiled, showing no aggression.
"I won't play dumb about that, either. This was my idea. However, Captain Aizen used my reasoning to persuade the others. In the end, it was decided that I would be responsible for handling this 'incident'."
"Are you here to give me an official business license?"
"If Shigū-kun is willing to dedicate himself to producing this... potion... the 4th Division can sponsor you. That would, in effect, grant you legitimate operating rights. In exchange, you would sell the potion only to the 4th Division. If those terms are agreeable, we can sign the spiritual contract right now."
As she spoke, Unohana took a document, tied with a red string, from Isane and placed it on the table.
Takeru curiously picked it up. The contents were exactly as she'd said. But the price... had taken a nosedive.
"One hundred kan? Ōmaeda was paying twenty thousand. Even if this is the 'official' price, you can't just cut it by two hundred times, can you? Captain Unohana, I think you should get a check-up. See if your heart has turned black."
"Shigū-kun... for you to say such a thing. Never mind your heart, is your entire bloodstream black?"
Unohana sighed, as if genuinely hurt that such a good person as herself was being slandered by a villain.
"What kind of talk is that! To denigrate the future successor of the Seireitei, the pillar of the Gotei 13! That's not the kind of magnanimity a senior officer should have!" Takeru's expression was frosty.
"Shigū-kun, are you aware that the Women's Shinigami Association has a weekly budget of only 250,000 kan? That's 12 million a year. And in this short time, you have earned at least five million from Vice-Captain Ōmaeda."
"Of course, that's not the key point."
"The key point is that your 'product' is, in essence, water. It costs you nothing."
Unohana watched as Takeru subtly sheathed his claws and put on an 'oh-really?' expression, and she found it rather amusing.
"I do not know where you found it, but I know exactly what that water is."
"To be honest, when Captain Kenpachi found out his men were drinking someone else's 'bathwater' as medicine, he was furious. He almost got into a fight with Captain Soi Fon. And whose fault was all that? I think you know very well, Shigū-kun."
"Hmph."
Takeru took a sip of his tea, then looked at the contract again, his expression dissatisfied.
"But this price is still too low."
"If you find it too low, there is... another option."
"I'm listening."
"Sell the source of the water to the 4th Division."
Unohana's smile widened.
-------
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