"Mr. Makoto!"
The blonde saint waved to the two in greeting, a warm smile on her face that felt like bathing in sunlight.
The white-haired witch glared back fiercely, her face wearing a feigned ferocity like a puppy guarding its food.
As their eyes met, both were stunned for a moment, and then the superfluous thoughts in their minds vanished like smoke.
She is indeed Jeanne—this was the answer they shared in their hearts at that moment.
Although their appearances were different, their armor was different, and their figures were different, from the very first moment they saw each other, the two young girls confirmed Suzuki Makoto's previous words in their hearts.
Standing opposite was, indeed, Jeanne d'Arc.
Jeanne from the Western Branch extended her hand toward Black Jeanne.
"Hello, I am Jeanne. Jeanne d'Arc."
"Hmph, me too."
Black Jeanne somewhat reluctantly withdrew her hand and shook hands with Jeanne.
After the greeting, the blonde girl turned to bow and apologize to Suzuki Makoto.
"I apologize, Mr. Makoto. I apologize for my previous doubts about your words and for suspecting your friend. This Miss Jeanne is indeed not what I previously thought; she is not an existence like a Disguised Dragon."
"Disguised Dragon? What is that?"
"A type of... Hollow that can occupy the body of the deceased and acquire all their memories. After all, yours is a very rare Western face here, and you possess Captain-level combat power, so it would inevitably arouse suspicion from others. This Miss Jeanne comes from the Western Branch of the Soul Society; the place where we are located should be called the Eastern Branch."
Suzuki Makoto explained to her.
"Then shall we continue looking around or..."
"Let's go over there and check again first. There will be plenty of time and opportunities to look around later. We'll go through the process and leave a good impression. Who knows, maybe we'll go to the Western Branch to have fun in the future."
"If the two of you come to the Western Branch for sightseeing, please be sure to notify me. I can be your guide."
Although Black Jeanne was somewhat reluctant, she still obediently followed the two. They walked all the way to the barracks of the 1st Division. A venue had already been cleared out here, and some machines brought from the Western Branch were running. Aside from the people Jeanne brought, there were some others gathered around.
The arrival of the three attracted their attention, but a person with a peculiar appearance, wearing a Captain's haori, merely looked up for a glance before continuing to lay his hands on the Western Branch's machines. The person next to him, who was actually responsible for operating the machine, looked like he dared to be angry but dared not speak.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, it is time to do business," Retsu Unohana reminded him.
"I know. I'm just a little interested in the production methods of these machines. Such a regulated, collectivized production process... I applied long ago to build a line like this in the Seireitei, but Central 46 just wouldn't agree, claiming that only things crafted by hand possess a 'craftsman's heart'—what bullshit craftsman's heart! This inefficient production method should have been thrown into Hueco Mundo to rot ages ago!"
Mayuri Kurotsuchi cursed as he reassembled the machine. The operator hurriedly began debugging it, surprisingly finding that the machine not only had no issues but was even running faster.
The Director of the Department of Research and Development was not the kind of person who dismantled things without caring about fixing them.
His gaze fell upon Suzuki Makoto, sweeping past him only to land on Black Jeanne, where it paused.
"Strange, why doesn't this look like a normal Shinigami? Could it really be that so-called Disguised Dragon?"
Mayuri muttered, his gaze wandering back and forth between Black Jeanne and Suzuki Makoto's sword case. His research on Reiatsu and Reishi might be slightly inferior to his predecessor Kisuke Urahara, but when it came to the research of biology and souls, perhaps aside from Sosuke Aizen, no one could surpass him. Therefore, he could more or less detect some clues.
But what truly puzzled him was that Black Jeanne was undoubtedly a complete soul. This point was completely inconsistent with his speculation, so in the end, he fell back on the 'Disguised Dragon' proposed by the Western Branch. After all, this was a creature he had never seen before, so perhaps it might possess such peculiar properties.
"Everyone, no need to be nervous. Just proceed according to the original plan. I have already confirmed that this Miss Jeanne is not a Disguised Dragon. We just need to check again to ensure there are no other problems."
The blonde girl's words made the technical staff from the Western Branch breathe a sigh of relief. After all, they had seen too many dragon disasters caused by Disguised Dragons. This time, they had even heard about the combat power of this Black Jeanne. If the other party really were a Disguised Dragon, the resulting battle would likely not be small.
"Can you be certain?" Mayuri Kurotsuchi suddenly spoke up to ask.
"Yes, Mr. Kurotsuchi. She is absolutely not a Disguised Dragon."
Because the Department of Research and Development was responsible for assisting the Western Branch with this inspection, Jeanne recognized this peculiarly styled Captain.
"That makes it interesting—hey, you from the 4th Division, what exactly is the situation with this female companion of yours?"
"Miss Jeanne is my companion."
"Tsk, truly a slippery one."
Feeling the gaze from the seemingly harmless Captain of the 4th Division beside him, Mayuri could only resentfully put away his dangerous thoughts. He was a researcher who had once studied under Senjumaru Shutara, and back then, he had seen with his own eyes Yachiru Unohana, who was following Tenjiro Kirinji to learn healing arts.
The people from the Western Branch didn't mind the small actions between the Captains. They just continued the inspection process step by step, their expressions becoming more and more relaxed. It seemed that this time it was purely a formality, and there shouldn't be any major issu—
Mayuri Kurotsuchi's expression suddenly changed. He could clearly feel the Reishi fluctuations within the Seireitei. The originally calm and stable Reishi suddenly began to turn violent.
Various machines instantly blared alarms incessantly, and the technicians were all sweating profusely in their busyness, but they couldn't get the machines to resume operation. Quite a few people were looking at Black Jeanne in terror, but those who were truly sensitive to Reishi all cast their gazes outside.
"What is going on? Akon! What happened!"
Mayuri connected to the internal communication channel of the Department of Research and Development.
"I don't know! It seems there is something currently activating all the Reishi. At this rate, it might even affect the buildings of the Seireitei!"
"Wait there, I'm coming back immediately."
Before his voice had even faded, the Captain of the 12th Division activated Shunpo and vanished.
"Suzuki-kun, let us return to the 4th Division first."
Retsu Unohana had already arrived at Suzuki Makoto's side and looked toward Jeanne.
"Miss Jeanne, I will trouble you to manage the team here yourself. The 1st Division is still very safe; it is best that you all continue to remain here."
"Alright, Miss Unohana—goodbye, Mr. Makoto, and Miss Jeanne. Once this matter is over, may I come to visit you?"
"Of course."
____
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