Gazing at the building before him, Satoru stroked his chin.
"Suì—uh, young lady, who's the current Corps Commander?"
He'd almost called her "Suì-Fēng" out of habit before remembering that she hadn't taken that name yet.
But "Soi Fon" felt awkward to say, so he settled for "young lady" instead.
Soi Fon blinked in surprise.
Hadn't Vice-Captain Ōmaeda said this man was about to join the Second Division?
How could someone on the verge of joining not know the Corps Commander's identity?
Though puzzled, professionalism kept her from questioning it.
She straightened slightly, pride coloring her voice. "The Corps Commander is Lady Yoruichi Shihōin—a figure destined to become Captain of the Second Division and renowned throughout the Soul Society!"
So it was Yoruichi.
Satoru wasn't particularly surprised.
Though Yoruichi was still young and her strength not yet fully matured, she was the head of the Shihōin Clan.
If she couldn't be a Captain yet, she at least had to be given a high-ranking position in the Second Division.
Otherwise, where would the Shihōin family's dignity be?
"Have you met the Corps Commander?" he asked.
Soifon wasn't taken aback by the question.
Most members of the Onmitsukidō revered Yoruichi.
She assumed Satoru was just another admirer.
"After I joined the Corps Commander's reserve unit, Lady Yoruichi summoned me for an audience."
At the mention of Yoruichi, Soi Fon's gaze softened.
"Lady Yoruichi praised my talent and said that in the future, she would have me by her side as her right hand!"
As if envisioning that scene, Soi Fon narrowed her beautiful large eyes, a faint blush appearing on her fair cheeks.
Watching Soi Fon's blissful expression, Satoru imperceptibly shook his head.
Yuri is infinitely wonderful, but alas, it cannot bear fruit.
Well, this "cannot bear fruit" doesn't entirely refer to reproduction.
Although between girls, various techniques and tools can achieve something akin to great harmony.
But psychologically, it still falls somewhat short.
Come to think of it, he had always been quite curious.
Given Yoruichi's personality, did she actually do anything to Soi Fon in the original story?
Imagining that scene, Satoru couldn't help but wear a longing expression similar to Soi Fon's.
Snapping out of it, he was about to say something when he noticed the somewhat despondent look in Soi Fon's eyes.
"Although Lady Yoruichi is wonderful... she's too busy. As just a reserve member of the direct guard unit, I rarely get to see her."
"Especially recently, Lady Yoruichi seemed to have been caught up in some incident and didn't appear in the 2nd Division for many days."
At this point, she suddenly realized something and quickly stopped herself.
"My apologies, I spoke out of turn."
The young girl bowed slightly to Satoru in apology.
From an angle she couldn't see, Satoru gave a subtle look.
Was Yoruichi really that busy?
That woman often sneaked out to play with him at the academy when she wasn't training.
Calculating all the times he'd gone out or trained with Yoruichi, Satoru couldn't help but shed a sympathetic tear for Soi Fon.
That Yoruichi was truly wicked.
Leaving behind a girl who adored her to secretly meet some wild man outside.
Utterly heartless!
With this critique of Yoruichi and some wild man in mind, Satoru followed Soi Fon on a tour around the 2nd Division.
After completing the circuit, Satoru couldn't help but marvel.
As expected of one of the busiest divisions in Soul Society, the 2nd Division's scale, personnel numbers, and department count were all astonishing.
A thought suddenly occurred to Satoru.
Was Yoruichi so desperate to recruit him into the 2nd Division because they were short-handed and wanted to trick him into being cheap labor?
As he pondered this, Soi Fon stopped walking.
"Report! All departments of the 2nd Division have been inspected. Awaiting further instructions!"
Hearing this, Satoru smiled.
"I have no further questions. You may return to your duties."
"Understood!"
Soi Fon gave a slight bow.
Straightening up, she instinctively glanced toward Training Ground One.
A moment later, she averted her gaze and began walking toward her assigned training area.
Watching the girl's retreating back, Satoru raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly he called out, "Wait."
"?"
Soi Fon turned back, awaiting instructions.
Under her gaze, Satoru pointed at Training Ground One.
"I've been wandering around all morning, wasting a lot of time. Now I feel like sparring with someone."
"Coincidentally, you were about to train too, right? Let's go have a match over there."
Hearing Satoru's words, Soi Fon showed genuine surprise for the first time.
"But that place is..."
"I'm a guest brought here by Vice-Captain Ōmaeda. Surely I'm allowed to use a training ground?"
Satoru said with a smile.
Soi Fon frowned slightly.
If Satoru were just a guest, that would certainly not be acceptable.
But Vice-Captain Ōmaeda had said this man would soon be joining the Second Division.
Judging from the vice-captain's attitude toward him, plus the fact that she—a reserve member of the direct combat squad—had been assigned as his "guide," it was clear this man wouldn't be just an ordinary member after joining.
After some thought, she lowered her head and said, "Please wait a moment."
With that, she quickly ran over to the guard stationed at the training grounds and spoke a few words while looking up.
The guard initially shook his head, but upon raising his head to get a clear look at Satoru, he paused briefly before nodding.
He turned and entered the training area, speaking to several members currently practicing to clear out a space.
Soi Fon ran back.
Her small face still carried a trace of surprise.
"Report! The training area is ready!"
Then she hesitated slightly. "But for sparring partners... wouldn't it be better to find full-fledged squad members?"
Satoru shook his head. "If they want to fight me, I'll give them the chance later."
"But right now, I only want to spar with you."
Hearing this, Soi Fon blinked in surprise.
Leading the young girl, Satoru entered the training grounds.
Many members who had been training turned their gazes toward them.
Seeing Soi Fon bring an "outsider" into their space, everyone couldn't help feeling curious.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Satoru stood on one side of the training area and nodded to Soi Fon.
The girl bowed seriously.
Among the crowd, a young man with messy straw-colored hair—appearing a few years older than Satoru—quietly observed the scene.
So this was Satoru Mikami, one of the central figures in the recent 12th Division incident... the prodigy from Shin'ō Academy.
He'd been somewhat curious about what kind of person this was.
How fortunate to encounter him like this today.
The blond youth curled his lips slightly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Seeing that Satoru showed no intention of making the first move, Soi Fon decided to take the initiative!
Taking a deep breath, she moved her feet—
Swish!
His figure vanished!!
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