There is a term called 'parachute appointment.'
It refers to taking a high-ranking position from the start through connections such as blood ties, regional ties, or school ties.
As the description suggests, this term 'parachute appointment' is obviously not meant in a positive light.
While it isn't an absolute rule, most 'parachutes' brought in through personal connections are incompetent.
But in a way, this is unavoidable.
Even in a part-time job, one is bound to be clumsy and confused on the first day, not knowing where to start or how to handle things. Imagine dropping into a complex organization as a parachute appointment.
Handling tasks that bubble up from below and pressure that presses down from above simultaneously, all without knowing how the organization functions? And doing so as a 'parachute' with zero practical experience?
If someone were capable of that, they shouldn't be taking a parachute position and getting cursed at; they should be starting their own organization instead.
Sakurano Hiei, the Vice-Captain of Squad 4, thought exactly that upon hearing about the newly appointed 'Acting Captain.'
'The duties of a dojo and the duties of the Gotei 13 are strictly different.'
As a medical squad, one must be able to monitor the condition of patients and use Kaido as a basic requirement. To provide accurate diagnoses for the injured, one must major in at least one of the many daunting fields of medicine: anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, psychopathology... just thinking about it was overwhelming.
Kaido was not omnipotent. If Kaido truly were a miracle cure for everything, disease would not exist in this world.
Moreover, despite being a medical squad, Squad 4 was responsible for managing various facilities in the Seireitei—specifically the water and sewage systems that could cripple the entire Seireitei if contaminated—and even the general maintenance and beautification of the Seireitei.
This meant it wasn't a position someone could just sit in simply because they knew how to fight or because they were faster than others, unlike other Captain roles.
'No matter if Captain Unohana personally brought him in, or if he is Captain Unohana's husband, wrong is wrong.'
As the Vice-Captain of Squad 4, she had a duty to protect the squad now that the Captain was away.
So, she decided to watch closely and see how he fared.
With that thought, Sakurano knocked on the Captain's office door.
"This is Sakurano Hiei, Vice-Captain of Squad 4. May I come in?"
Regardless of her private thoughts, a Captain was a Captain. She knocked lightly and asked politely.
However, for some reason, the door didn't open, nor did a response come giving her permission to enter.
"Captain Shimon! It's Sakurano Hiei, your Vice-Captain! May I enter!"
Thinking he might not have heard, she asked again in a louder voice, but still, there was no reply.
'Could he be slacking off on his very first day...?'
No, surely not. Even so, that was unlikely. She was bordering on paranoia. She told herself to refrain; it was a bad habit.
Sakurano took a deep breath and knocked one last time, asking for entry.
Again, silence.
Bracing for the worst, she threw the door open to reveal an empty office.
To make matters worse, a mountain of unapproved documents was piled high on the desk.
Just in case, she walked to the desk and checked the documents twice, then thrice. They were indeed unprocessed.
"...."
For a moment, Sakurano felt a surge of irritation, but she tried not to assume he was simply loitering.
Even if he was temporary, he was the newly appointed Captain. And since he was Captain Unohana's husband, there had to be a reason.
Trying to steady her trembling breath, she closed the office door and began to search the Squad 4 barracks.
In the distance, she spotted a regular member walking toward her, looking quite cheerful.
Upon spotting Sakurano, the member immediately corrected their posture and saluted.
"Good morning, Vice-Captain Sakurano!"
"Skip the greetings. Can I ask you something? Have you heard anything about the newly appointed Captain while you were out? Like where he is or what he's doing?"
"Ah, I heard Captain Shimon is currently making his rounds through the wards."
"You didn't see him yourself?"
"I'm off duty from the wards today, so I only heard the news.... I'm sorry!"
"No, it's fine. It's your first break in four days, I can't fault you for that. I understand. Get some rest."
"Yes! Thank you! Have a good day!"
'Patrolling? He seems more diligent than I thought. Right, no matter how much of a parachute he is, he wouldn't destroy his squad evaluation by slacking off on the first day.'
Sakurano adjusted her evaluation of Shimon in her mind and headed toward the medical wards.
The Squad 4 wards were as busy as a marketplace with patients flooding in from all over the Soul Society, but since there was an established system, it wasn't entirely chaotic.
"Ah, Vice-Captain Sakurano. Welcome. What business brings you here?"
"I have business with the newly appointed Captain. Do you know where he is?"
"Ah... Captain Shimon? He finished his inspection a moment ago and went to check the water and sewage facilities."
"Inspection? Not a patrol?"
"Pardon? I don't think he was patrolling. He just stopped by for a moment, watched us work, wandered around, and then left quickly. It took him maybe... less than five minutes."
"I see.... Understood."
"Oh, and also—"
"Sorry! I have to move fast if I'm to catch the Captain! If it's not important, I'll hear it later! Keep up the good work!"
The Squad 4 wards were quite large. Even a cursory patrol would take at least thirty minutes to cover everything.
But ten minutes? He just watched them work and left? Was he using Flash Step to get around?
Whether he used Flash Step or not, both were problematic.
The former meant he was running through a hospital ward, and the latter meant he was doing a half-assed job.
In Sakurano's heart, Shimon's rating plummeted once again.
After that, Sakurano went to the water facilities and searched throughout the Squad 4 barracks, but even as the sun began to set, she could not find the Captain.
'What is this? Is he avoiding me on purpose? More importantly, how can a person wander around all day without doing a shred of work? Even if he's temporary, he's supposed to be the Captain of Squad 4...!'
Frowning deeply and cursing under her breath, Sakurano finally spotted a man dressed in pure white from head to toe in the distance.
The Squad 4 Captain's haori draped over his shoulders, white Iromonzuki Hakama, and a jet-black obi.
It was the man whose appearance matched exactly what she'd heard from the seated officers and squad members.
The moment she saw his nonchalant back, Sakurano felt fury boil up to her head, but the experience and reason she had cultivated as a Vice-Captain over the years suppressed it to some extent.
'Calm down. He's the new Captain. I haven't even spoken to him yet. Although the impression so far is poor, he is still my superior. There will be plenty of time to find fault after we talk. Calm down, Sakurano Hiei...!'
Steadying herself, Sakurano cautiously approached the man.
As she got closer, she heard the rustling sound of paper being flipped. He was looking at something.
'I'll start with a cough to announce my presence.'
She decided to cough a bit forcefully to subtly hint that she was not in a good mood.
It was her compromised final point of anger: a subtle, unspoken protest.
However, that plan failed from the start.
As soon as Sakurano approached, the man turned toward her and spoke first.
"It looks like you've been running around searching for me all day. Do you have business with me? Sakurano Hi...ei? Ah, Vice-Captain Sakurano. Correct?"
Startled, Sakurano flinched and looked around to see if anyone else was there, but it was just her and the man in the vicinity.
"I am Vice-Captain Sakurano Hiei. By the way.... Did you know? That I was looking for you."
"How could I not know when you were trailing exactly where I'd just been? I figured it would take some time to survey everything in a day, so I didn't join up and just went about on my own. I even left a message just in case you kept following me. Did you not hear it?"
At his casual shrug—as if he were asking the obvious—Sakurano felt a surge of irritation. Then, she remembered the regular squad member at the ward who had tried to say something else.
'Was that it...?'
"Is... that so. I suppose I was too preoccupied to listen properly."
Feeling like she had been played from the beginning, Sakurano cleared her throat with a disgruntled expression and changed the subject.
"Ahem. Let me introduce myself again. I am Vice-Captain Sakurano Hiei, and I will be assisting you, Captain Shimon. I was looking for you to guide you through the handover and the administrative procedures, but somehow our paths kept crossing until now."
Perhaps because she had suffered all day, even though she knew it wasn't entirely the man's fault, Sakurano's voice had a sharp edge to it.
The man showed no reaction to her tone, simply scratching his head while looking back at his papers.
The feeling of being blatantly ignored made the skin beneath Sakurano's eye twitch.
"Captain Shimon!"
"Whoa, you startled me. What?"
"I will start by saying I apologize for my tone! But I went to greet you only to find the office empty without so much as a note! Even knowing I was following you, you didn't wait and just left a message through others! Not a single document has been signed! Don't you think this is a bit much, even for a temporary appointment!"
Panting, Sakurano caught her breath and glared at the man with narrowed eyes.
"This is Squad 4, the medical squad that Captain Unohana raised herself! Coming out like this on the first day... isn't that just dragging Captain Unohana's name through the mud? Even if you are her husband, wrong is wrong! Please, be more prudent in your actions!"
The man, who had been watching Sakurano's outburst with a surprised expression, suddenly broke into a gentle smile.
'He's... laughing?'
The medicine of truth is bitter, while flattery is sweet. Especially for those who gained their positions through connections, she expected him to have nothing but pride and react with anger to such a blatant challenge.
She was prepared to be struck if necessary. If getting hit meant she could protect Captain Unohana's Squad 4, it was a price she was willing to pay.
She believed that was her duty as Vice-Captain.
But the man simply smiled.
He smiled with the face of a parent looking at a grown child—the kind of expression a parent shows when their child finally returns home after work.
"I'm sorry. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't consider yours. I wasn't slacking off because I didn't want to work today. Here."
"This is...?"
Taking the papers the man handed her, Sakurano's eyes widened in shock.
Simplification of administration through standardized forms, detailed patient triage methods, departmentalized clinical care, medical guidelines, sewage infrastructure improvement projects, Seireitei landscaping initiatives, and more.
Everything was written down in meticulous detail; it was nothing short of a complete overhaul of the existing system.
"You organized all of this in just one day... no, in just half a day?"
"I've done this sort of thing a few times before. A quick glance is all it takes to see what's needed. I'm planning to start slow with the small stuff so we don't cause confusion by doing it all at once. Can you help me with this, Vice-Captain Sakurano?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes...."
Sakurano nodded instinctively, but as she looked back down at the documents, her body began to tremble.
The work.... The workload had become astronomical.
"Haha, we'll probably have to work overtime for a while, so let's do our best."
"Um, Captain. I apologize for shouting at you earlier."
"Hmm? No, don't worry about it. I wasn't angry at all. I didn't think for a second 'how dare you look at Yachiru's husband like that.' It's just better to process these things as quickly as possible, right? So, overtime starts today."
Ah....
What have I... done....
Vice-Captain Sakurano fell into despair.
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