But now her lieutenant had become another headache. Isane had returned from her day off and made a rather difficult request.
A child who has suffered from the Hollow. The creature's energy had taken root in the young soul and was slowly killing it. Unohana scolded her subordinate for the foolish decision to shorten the child's life for the sake of his happiness. Isane had given in to her emotions and acted rashly. But it was already too late to change anything.
The captain of the 4th Division sighed again. She understood her lieutenant perfectly. It is very difficult to let a child die and stand by, watching the suffering of others. Ever since she had left her bloody battles behind, she had learned compassion. Yet a doctor must not give in to emotion.
This was the second time her lieutenant had done something reckless. The previous incident had been with that boy, Karasumaru — and now this.
Isane's request stirred mixed feelings in the captain, just as it had last time.
On the one hand, she had a mountain of work. There were always patients. Hollows don't have days off. And after training sessions, there were always plenty of injuries. No, of course she was glad Zaraki was trying and drilling his ragged bunch, but when they ended up in her hospital almost every day — and often behaved insolently, mistreating her staff — it started to get irritating. Only her presence kept them in check.
But then, almost all of them came from the Eightieth District. Many of them are quite heavily involved in criminal activities, which other captains strongly dislike. Zaraki, however, believed that with relentless training he could beat the bad habits out of them.
Let's hope he's right — because his mistake would cost someone dearly.
Yet on the other hand, Unohana had her own reasons to check everything. And Isane's request came at just the right time.
Strangely enough, there were two — perhaps even three — reasons for this.
First: a personal request from Captain Kuchiki Byakuya. His wife had recently fallen ill. But the examinations revealed nothing. Even Unohana could not determine the cause. Hisana had simply been weakening day by day. And now Isane comes to her and described almost the same symptoms. Perhaps the cause was similar, and it was worth checking. If there was even a small chance to save the girl, they had to take it. Byakuya would not remain indebted — and his protection would shield her from the constant waves of the clingy aristocracy. And in general, the gratitude of the Kuchiki family would greatly benefit the hospital.
The second reason was the oddities. She remembered that incident with the Hollow attack. Something about that incident had been suspicious. Even if the Hollow's penetration so deep into Rukongai could be explained, the carelessness of the doctor who failed to detect it was offensive to the honor of the best medics — and extremely strange. The traces of the Hollow had been unmistakable; if something like this could have remained without her knowing about it, then something was very wrong.
And third — Karasumaru himself. The strange boy Isane had found where no survivors should have existed.
Three years ago, a strange outbreak of Hollows had occurred. They had appeared in the middle of the district from a suddenly opened Garganta. Everyone in the area had been devoured, and only one child survived — the child who had lost an eye.
But the next morning, in the ward, Unohana had been surprised to find the missing eyeball restored. It was suspicious. But the tests had shown nothing. The boy was healthy, clean, with no trace of Hollow corruption.
He had said he saw someone before he fell asleep. Someone had slipped into his ward and done something to him. But repeated tests showed nothing. Everything was exactly the same.
Everything needed to be checked again — this time thoroughly. And now there was an opportunity to examine him before he entered the Academy.
And besides, it was simply interesting to finally see the boy who had caused such a stir at the last Shinigami Women's Association meeting.
Matsumoto Rangiku had brought photos and handed them around.
Poor boy. Judging by his face, he had almost been tortured in that clothing store. And he endured it all for the sake of training. How patient.
And even now, looking at the photo of a short, slender boy with bright blue eyes, medium-length black hair, and a sullen expression, she felt that he reminded her of someone. But she could not recall who. Something about him felt familiar. But no one else had noticed anything — meaning it must have been someone only she had known.
Perhaps he had died long ago. Or perhaps he came from some noble family Unohana had once treated. His calmness might have been the result of upbringing — but it seemed as though he had lost his memories.
Returning from her thoughts, she looked at her subordinate. Isane was once again making big, sad eyes at her. It was hard to resist — and unnecessary.
Fortunately, she only needed to shame her lieutenant a little. Make her nervous. Let her stew while the captain "considered."
There was no need to torment her further.
"All right," Unohana nodded. "Bring the boy here."
"Thank you, Unohana-taichō!" Isane brightened.
"And one more thing… His friend, Karasumaru, I believe." She pretended to struggle with the name. "Bring him as well. He might have been infected there too. Better safe than sorry."
"Okay!"
"Go. I'll expect them tomorrow. Now get back to work."
"Yes!.."
***
"Are you sure you checked everything?" asked the Boss.
"Yes, Boss," the burly man nodded. "Everything's been checked several times. No one will notice anything."
"And did you pass on my order?"
"Yes! They'll be there tomorrow."
"Good. You may go."
"Yes, Boss…"
The subordinate left, and the man who called himself the Boss smiled. Everything was going smoothly. The main thing was to be careful and precise. Check everything multiple times. Get the necessary documents. Pay the right people.
And the expenses would be fully recouped if everything went according to plan. He would earn a fortune — and gain many other advantages.
There was one inconvenience: he would have to manage everything himself. Those people did not work with small fry.
But it was worth it. Besides, he would be completely safe.
"In this country, they still don't understand how to do real business," he chuckled and returned to work…
(End of Chapter)
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