Ever since the day I reconciled with Unohana, I was tormented for several nights.
It was a build-up of everything that had been suppressed, plus a heavy dose of apology... Yeah, it was that 'reconciliation sex' you only ever see in doujinshi.
I thought the saying 'Don't fight, just have sex' was just a joke floating around the internet, but I never expected to actually live it.
Ah, right. That slang doesn't exist here yet.
Anyway, after several days of hard work, it felt as though my struggles were being rewarded; the bond between Unohana and me became tighter than ever.
Well, things became 'sticky' in more ways than one, but as the saying goes, the ground hardens after the rain.
"I'm heading out. I love you."
"I love you too. Be careful on your way."
After seeing Unohana off to work, I headed not toward the dojo, but toward Squad 5.
If I went straight to Squad 5, I'd have to pass through Squad 4 where Unohana was, so I took the long way around.
You ask what's happening with the dojo while I'm away? It's fine. I've retired.
I'm sure the Second Master will handle things just fine.
I really didn't expect to live a life where I'd retire twice.
But what can you do? It had to be done.
"Huh? Dad?"
While circling halfway around the Seireitei to reach Squad 5, I ran into my daughter coming out of the Squad 9 barracks.
She mentioned she'd found a position recently; I guess it was Squad 9.
"Hey, Sweetie. What are you doing here?"
"Organizing paperwork, obviously. Especially... with this incident. I have to re-examine all the newspapers we were going to publish, re-do all the censorship, overhaul the research data... and the Captain and Lieutenant who were supposed to sign off on the documents are missing... Hehe... Hehehe..."
As Haruno spoke, she hugged a mountain of documents to her chest and began to laugh gloomily, a dark aura radiating from her entire body.
She looked exactly like a Digimon on the verge of a 'Dark Evolution.' To calm her down, I pushed my original goal aside and marched into Squad 9, taking the documents from her.
"Dad?!"
"I'll lend a hand. Believe it or not, your dad used to be pretty good at paperwork back in the day."
"No, everything is under censorship review, so you can't just walk in...!"
"It's fine. If something goes wrong, I'll take responsibility. You trust your dad, right?"
"Augh... I'm not supposed to..."
By the way, daughter, why are you pushing my back while saying we're not supposed to?
I swallowed the question before it could escape and kept walking.
'I'm getting a bad vibe right from the entrance.'
You know that eerie chill you feel right when you stand in front of the door of a haunted house? It felt exactly like that.
Oh wait, the people in the Soul Society are technically ghosts anyway, right? Then I guess it's not that weird.
With that thought, I kicked open the door to the Squad 9 barracks, and the thick scent of ink and stale, stagnant air greeted me.
I expected the members and Seated Officers of Squad 9 to turn and look at the sudden intruder, but they didn't even turn their heads, utterly absorbed in their work.
"Gabe (:Coffee)... bring me Gabe... I can't fall asleep now..."
"Senior, that's already your 20th cup... Don't you remember you were hospitalized in Squad 4 last time for reflux esophagitis and a stomach perforation? Captain Unohana warned you back then to stay away from Gabe if nothing else..."
"What...? I can't drink Gabe...? It's fine... As long as I don't die after drinking it, Squad 4 will save me somehow... I'm the most senior member here right now, so if I sleep, everything's fucked... So go get some Gabe... or even just the beans... If I chew them raw, at least I won't get heartburn..."
"Regarding the disappearance of souls in the Soul Society... This was classified... Many Seated Officers, Lieutenants, and Captains mobilized... This was also classified... Hehe, hehehe... Maybe I should just erase everything and say I had no choice because of censorship? It's better to submit a blank page than something full of holes..."
Good grief. Looking at them, they weren't 'absorbed' in work; they were in the middle of a mass escape from reality.
Every single member sitting there had a face that looked half-dead. It was to the point where I wondered if a Quincy from the Sternritter who could turn people into zombies had just swept through the place.
'Judging by the look of them, they've been suffering like this for days...'
Well... considering almost all the Captain seats were currently vacant except for a few squads, I suppose it's only natural.
You're the cause of this, you maniac. Do you even have a conscience? These kids are dying.
The porcupine—no, the 'mountain-maniac' in my heart stood its quills on end and started bouncing around, shedding sharp needles of guilt.
Becoming human makes these feelings quite inconvenient, yet oddly welcome.
'I was planning on taking responsibility even without you acting up, you bastard, so just stay quiet.'
Silently suppressing the storm within, I headed for the Captain's office.
"Haruno. Can you do me a favor while I work for a bit?"
"Eh...?"
Haruno had dark circles under her eyes, but after a moment's hesitation, she let out a deep sigh and nodded.
My daughter really is the sweetest.
"Well, okay. What's the favor?"
I fed ink to a dried brush and quickly scribbled a letter.
The content was simple: I would temporarily handle the workload for the squads with vacant Captain seats.
You might ask how one person could handle the specialized duties of multiple squads like it was nothing.
You just do it. That's how.
Have you tried?
You haven't, right?
For the record, I have.
Back when I was building Hell from scratch, I smashed my head against the wall and somehow made it happen through sheer trial and error.
"Deliver this to the Captain-Commander. I should probably use my official seal just in case. Do you know where the inkpad is here?"
"I'm just a low-ranking member, so I haven't really been in the Captain's office much..."
Well, then it's probably in the second drawer. Slide. I opened it, and there it was—the inkpad.
Checking its condition, I carved a wooden seal on the spot and stamped the letter.
"There. Do this for me, sweetie."
"...Fine. If I get scolded, I'm seriously going to resent you!"
Don't worry, that won't happen. Haha.
With those words, I sent my daughter off and quickly began processing the documents.
Of course, since there were censorship mandates from Central 46, newspaper reviews, and various other tasks, it took longer than when I was helping with the temporary Captain work at Squad 4. Still, I finished everything in thirty minutes.
See? It's possible if you just do it.
Feeling a brief moment of pride as I looked at the pile of cleanly organized papers, I stepped out of the Captain's office, knowing I had other places to visit.
The living corpses in the main office were still writhing in agony with brushes in hand... but there was nothing more I could do for them, so I left them behind.
"Dad, where are you going? Don't tell me you saw the workload and are running away after promising to help? Dad, I can trust you, right?"
'Am I really that unreliable?'
For a split second, I felt a sting, but I soon realized that wasn't the case and could only manage a bitter smile.
Just how much had the poor kid suffered to be this desperate? I felt sorry for her, and pitying...
A sigh almost escaped me, but I didn't want to sigh in front of my daughter. I suppressed it and patted Haruno on the head.
"Don't worry. I'm leaving because I've already finished it all. Did you deliver the letter?"
"Ah, yeah... As soon as I said it was your letter, Lieutenant Sasakibe came over immediately and took it. He told me to wait a moment because the Captain-Commander had some things to verify..."
"I see. Good job, sweetie. Well, your dad has to go now—"
Suddenly, Haruno gripped the hem of my robe tightly. At the same time, a cold shiver ran down my spine.
"—Why are you leaving so soon?"
For a fleeting second, I saw a overlap of the Yachiru from her 'Eight Thousand Styles' days in my daughter's face.
I'd heard rumors that our daughter was the hidden powerhouse of her squad, and seeing her like this, I can understand why.
'I thought that was just a rumor, but it clearly wasn't.'
"Then I'll wait here a bit. Go check the documents."
When I said that and patted her head, Haruno stared at me with a pouty expression before scurrying back into the barracks.
While waiting, I guess I'll think about what to do next.
"Dad."
"Hm? You came back sooner than expected. Is the check finished..."
Before I could finish, a candy was thrust toward me.
The same kind of candy I used to give Haruno whenever I praised her in the past.
"...Thank you."
Ah, she didn't stop me to make me wait for a document check; she stopped me to give me this.
Seeing her face flush with embarrassment while she steadfastly held out the candy made me look up at the sky to keep from tearing up.
I rarely cry, but the tears are coming.
I wanted to savor this emotion longer, but I didn't want to hold up my busy child, so I quickly regained my composure and took the candy.
"Thanks, sweetie. I'll cherish this."
"Yeah... get home safely."
"Sure."
Leaving Haruno behind as she gave a small wave, I walked away from the Squad 9 barracks and tucked the candy into my robe.
I'll have to visit Tessai later and learn some time-suspension Kido.
I have to keep this candy forever.
With that thought, I headed toward my original destination, Squad 5.
Squad 5 had lost its Captain as well, but perhaps because Aizen was there—a man whose competence was among the top five in the Soul Society—the situation looked much better than Squad 9.
Everyone looked tired, but at least they seemed to be holding it together.
"Huh...? Master Shimon? What brings you here?"
"Is Lieutenant Aizen Sosuke in? I have some business with him. If he's around, could you call him out?"
"Ah, yes. He's at his desk. I'll bring him right away."
"Great. Thanks."
Alright then... let's get to work.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 148
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T