Regarding Minami Yojuro's "paranoia," Ikkaku had already heard about it, so at this moment he looked at Yojuro with an expression full of regret.
Ikkaku had always considered Yojuro a formidable rival, and Yojuro's strength truly was outstanding. But that personality of his… really…
"I'll say it again! I am not paranoid! This is just normal risk management! You—one narcissist and one battle junkie—don't understand a damn thing.
Do you even know how many nameless Shinigami die in Seireitei every year? Why do Shin'ō Academy graduates flood into the Gotei 13 every year, but the Gotei 13 never once manages to be at full strength?
You two at least have names and screen presence as important side characters. Me? I'm just a background extra! If I don't tread carefully, how the hell am I supposed to survive in this brutal world?"
Seeing Ikkaku and Yumichika look at him with such regretful faces, Yojuro naturally argued back. Unfortunately, the two of them didn't believe a word—only patted his shoulder with comforting smiles, their eyes saying, "We understand."
"Anyway, my goal is clear. From the very start, I've always planned to join the Eleventh Division, the combat division. Yumichika, what about you?"
Casting his sharp eyes around the various recruiting points, Ikkaku spotted the beefy muscle-heads gathered at the Eleventh Division's booth and immediately grinned with satisfaction.
"Of course I'm joining the Eleventh too. If possible, I'd love to join the Sixth Division, since it matches my refined temperament far better.
But the Sixth is a noble division—hardly any Rukongai commoner can get in without strong connections.
So, ruling that out, the Eleventh—where I can show off often—naturally becomes my top choice. I'm not as obsessed with fighting as you are, Ikkaku, but being able to appear frequently, to let other Shinigami see my beauty, is also quite a fine thing."
As Yumichika spoke, he pulled out a mirror and a jar of hair wax, narcissistically styling his hair to boost his chances of being accepted.
The moment Yojuro saw the hair wax, though, he quietly stepped back a little. He was allergic to the stuff—especially after finding out that a certain big boss in this world was also fond of using hair wax.
"Yojuro, has my beauty truly reached the level where even you have to retreat before it?"
Everyone here was handsome… or at least Yumichika considered his own looks unrivaled. So noticing Yojuro's small retreat, he naturally felt a little displeased.
A narcissist never cares about others' feelings. Yumichika was always self-centered, but when it came to his few friends, Yojuro's reaction still made him unhappy.
"No, I think he just hates your hair wax. And not only him—I hate it too!"
In front of a bald man, smearing on hair wax—was this mocking Ikkaku, or flaunting his own hair?
Every bald man had a deep obsession with his follicles, and would not tolerate such insults!
"This hair wax is the hottest seller in all Seireitei right now. They say it even has miraculous effects for the hairless."
Ikkaku: "(°□°;) R-really!? Quick, give me some to try!!"
After parting ways with the ever-comedic Ikkaku and Yumichika, Minami Yojuro also began searching for the division he wanted to join.
The Gotei 13 had, in the past, essentially been an assassination organization. It was only due to certain reasons that they were "whitewashed," assassins rebranded into security guards, thus becoming what is now known as the "Gotei 13."
Each division had its own role. The 1st Division was called the "Head Division," essentially the leader of the Gotei 13. To enter that division, a Shinigami needed extraordinary qualifications. For a greenhorn fresh out of the Shin'ō Academy like him, it was impossible.
The 2nd Division was the Onmitsukidō, responsible for arrests, assassinations, overseeing the "Maggot's Nest," and other duties. It was one of the most specialized and powerful divisions.
The 3rd Division was support, the 4th Division was medical, and the 5th Division was rescue. These three were collectively known as the "rear guard divisions"—good places for "retirement."
The 6th Division was a noble-led squad, said to have been created by old man Yamamoto back in the day specifically to pull in noble sponsors.
The 7th Division guarded the Seireitei interior, the 8th Division handled intelligence, the 9th Division oversaw the prison, and the 10th Division was in charge of patrol and security.
The 11th Division was devoted exclusively to combat, the 12th was the Research and Development Bureau, and finally the 13th Division was responsible for purification.
Aside from the 1st Division and the noble-run 6th Division, most other divisions were open for Shin'ō Academy graduates to join.
And just by looking around at the lines forming at the recruiting booths, you could easily tell which divisions were the most popular.
As the combat division, the 11th had always had the highest death rate. But ever since the arrival of a monster captain named Zaraki Kenpachi, the death toll had been dropping year by year.
The reason was simple. The new captain, Zaraki, was ridiculously powerful, and every time there was a battle, he insisted on charging in at the very front himself. This not only boosted the morale of the Eleventh's hot-blooded maniacs, it also dramatically cut down on casualties.
Because of its dangerous role, the Eleventh also had the best benefits. Back when the death rate was sky-high, the division still drew plenty of eager graduates. Now that the risks had gone down, it was all the more sought after.
The 2nd Division's Onmitsukidō and the 12th Division's R&D Bureau were more specialized. They also recruited, but only specific talent.
The 2nd needed Shinigami with mastery of shunpo, while the 12th wanted brains—students with outstanding academic scores.
Clearly, since Yojuro had been deliberately hiding his true ability, these two divisions were out of his reach.
Not that he cared. From the very beginning, he had already decided what divisions he wanted.
The 4th and 13th were his first choices. If those didn't work out, then the 7th, 8th, or 10th.
And if even those were impossible, then he would reveal a bit of his skill in shunpo or advanced reiryoku theory, and slip into the 2nd or the R&D Bureau.
In short, aside from these, he never even considered the other divisions.
As a transmigrator himself, he knew the truth: though the 3rd and 5th might look like good "retirement squads" just like the 4th, very soon they would become the test subjects of a certain hair-gel-obsessed maniac.
And why were the 4th and 13th his first choices? The reason was simple. Look at all the transmigrators who had crossed into the Bleach world before him—who didn't end up in the 4th Division, sipping tea and acting cool?
In all of Soul Society, the only one whose… chest could rival Unohana's was Rangiku, after all.
But since the 10th's captain, Isshin Shiba, would soon leave for the Human World to play at being a third-rate doctor, and the 10th Division overall was far too weak, Yojuro felt the 4th was the much safer bet.
°°°
A/N: Comment down your thoughts