Rukongai's East District, 57th Sector, residential area.
"Little Eri, your cooking is getting better and better!"
Next to an open-air stove, San Hana-bāba was tasting Iwasaki Eri's teppanyaki, picking up a piece of beef that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sprinkling a little salt, and then slowly savoring it.
Makoto-Nii had just walked to the door when he smelled a strong aroma of meat.
"It smells so good, looks like I came back just in time!"
Makoto-Nii pushed the door open and saw the two people eating roasted meat at a glance, and neither of them was surprised to see that the person who came was Makoto-Nii. San Hana-bāba continued to eat on her own.
Iwasaki Eri, on the other hand, called out with a cheerful tone:
"Makoto-Nii!"
It wasn't until Makoto-Nii walked to the stove himself that Iwasaki Eri handed him a bowl and chopsticks. Just as Makoto-Nii was about to dig in, San Hana-bāba slowly spoke:
"When you get old, your eyesight isn't good. Isn't this the famous Vice-Captain Ito? What brings him to an old woman like me?"
Upon hearing this, Makoto-Nii immediately gave a wry smile and scratched his head:
"Give me a break, Grandma!"
How could he not hear the complaint in her words? But it was indeed his fault; he remembered the last time he came back was three months ago.
"Before, the Fourth Division's duties were too busy. Starting today, it won't be…"
Upon hearing this, Iwasaki Eri and San Hana-bāba suddenly looked up and realized that Makoto-Nii, who had returned this time, was not wearing his soul reaper uniform, and the shoulder patch symbolizing his Vice-Captain position in the Fourth Division was also gone.
They did not ask anything about this.
Because in their impression, Makoto-Nii was a man who could become a Gotei 13 Vice-Captain within a few years of joining the squad. In their eyes, Makoto-Nii was omnipotent. Even if he really encountered any problems, Makoto-Nii could solve them quickly.
San Hana-bāba took a sip of hot soup and slowly said:
"Remember to come home often…"
…
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, Makoto-Nii handed all the spirit coins given to him by the Fourth Division members to San Hana-bāba. After all, he would soon be teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy, so he would not lack spirit coins, and this money could greatly improve the lives of the grandmother and Iwasaki Eri.
Three days later, Makoto-Nii arrived at the Spiritual Arts Academy early in the morning to report.
He never expected that the person who greeted him would be his old acquaintance, Yano Masahiko.
"Senior Yano, why are you at the Spiritual Arts Academy…?"
At this time, Yano Masahiko was vastly different from when Makoto-Nii first met him more than ten years ago. Although he was also an old man back then, he had a full head of black hair and was full of vigor, looking hale and hearty. Now, however, his hair was completely white, his body was stooped, and the flame of his life was like a flickering candle in the wind.
Given the long lifespan of Soul Society nobles, ten years was not a long time at all. But his changes were so great.
Upon hearing Makoto-Nii's words, he realized that the person he was greeting was Makoto-Nii.
"So it's… Ito-kun."
At this moment, Yano Masahiko's cloudy old eyes seemed to flash with tears.
"It's all gone, all gone. I'm the only one left in the Yano Family…"
After a brief exchange with Yano Masahiko, he knew that the Yano Family had no hope of revival since the last Noble Hunt tournament. Disheartened, he applied to Central 46 to become a history teacher at the Spiritual Arts Academy, responsible for teaching newly enrolled students the history of Soul Society.
Yano Masahiko had already learned about the death of his nephew and the burning of the Yano Family ancestral home. However, his heart was calm, because his heart had died more than ten years ago. He knew that the Yano Family's demise was only a matter of time.
Makoto-Nii felt a slight sympathy for Yano Masahiko's plight, but that was all.
The reason the Yano Family encountered this series of events was because they were too weak, which led to them being crushed to death in the struggle between the major noble families.
In fact, the Yano Family's tragic situation was not even intentionally caused by the Kasumioji Family and the Four Great Noble Families; it was merely an impact of the mutual struggles between the major noble families.
It truly echoed the saying:
"Your destruction has nothing to do with me!"
…
Led by Yano Masahiko, Makoto-Nii successfully completed his onboarding procedures and then went to meet the other teachers who would be teaching with him.
As soon as Makoto-Nii walked into the faculty office, a young man with a buzz cut came up to him with a smile and greeted him.
"Ito-kun, do you still remember me? I'm Togo Ki."
"You are…?"
Makoto-Nii really couldn't remember who this person was, but he didn't want to interrupt his enthusiasm.
"I was the examiner you punched away during your Hakuda assessment!"
Togo Ki scratched his head, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth, and laughed brightly and straightforwardly as he told the story, without any reservation.
"Ito-kun, you're amazing! I heard you were a Fourth Seat when you first joined, and you've been a Vice-Captain for over ten years…"
Togo Ki was overly enthusiastic, following Makoto-Nii and asking him all sorts of questions, with what seemed like stars twinkling in his eyes.
"Oh, oh, oh ~ Little Togo finally met his idol!"
At this moment, a short-haired girl wearing round-rimmed glasses also walked in.
Makoto-Nii remembered her; she was the short-haired woman who gave him the movement test during the entrance exam.
"Ito-kun, hello. My name is Suzumebachi Hoshina!"
"Hello… Your last name is Suzumebachi? Are you…?"
Facing Makoto-Nii's surprise, Suzumebachi Hoshina smiled gracefully:
"That's right, my Suzumebachi is the same Suzumebachi as Soi Fon, the Captain of the Second Division and Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō. I'm her cousin. I heard Ito-kun has a pretty good relationship with her."
When Suzumebachi Hoshina mentioned Soi Fon, her eyes were full of pride.
Apparently, for the lower-ranking Suzumebachi Family to produce such a famous Squad Captain was quite an achievement.
Suzumebachi Hoshina pushed up her glasses and looked at Togo Ki beside her, laughing:
"Ever since little Togo was punched away by you more than ten years ago, he's been telling everyone that you have the potential to be a Captain, that you're a true prodigy. He even bet us that you'd become a Captain within fifty years."
"Hey, Togo, now that Ito-kun is here teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy like us, I guess you lost that bet, right? You'll have to treat everyone to dinner tonight."
In response, Togo Ki scratched his head and laughed:
"Treat is treat! Ito-kun, you have to come too!"
And so, Makoto-Nii and his new colleagues became acquainted amidst laughter and joy.
From then on, Makoto-Nii began his teaching career at the Spiritual Arts Academy.
He was surprised to find that the teaching salary here was almost comparable to that of some Seat Officers in the Gotei 13, and there was no risk whatsoever. He only needed to teach eight classes a week.
"No wonder most of the teaching staff are nobles…"
Teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy was much more comfortable than working overtime treating the injured in the Fourth Division!
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"