When Arata woke up again, he found himself lying on a large bed in a bedroom.
Who brought me back?
His thoughts were a bit jumbled. Could it be that a thief entered the house?
Just as Arata entertained that idea, the Zanpakutō placed beside the bed suddenly trembled, and at the same time, a familiar female voice rang out in his head.
"My stupid master, of course I was the one who brought you back."
"Eh? Is that Meigetsu?" Arata was startled. How could Meigetsu's voice appear in my head?
Although it's normal for Shinigami to communicate with their Zanpakutō, it requires entering a state of Jinzen.
It's rare to be able to talk like this without releasing and entering the inner world.
Throughout the entire story, only Kurosaki Ichigo, Kyoraku Shunsui, and Zaraki Kenpachi had such a situation.
"Hmph, I'm not that stupid.
"After all, even though that old woman's swordplay is a bit flashy, it's still useful to learn from her from time to time. But don't let her seduce you again!"
"Also, I've already 'uploaded' your Zanpakutō's abilities into your head. You can study them yourself slowly. Just don't bother me while I'm sleeping. That's all!"
Meigetsu spoke a whole string of sentences, then sank into a deep sleep.
In yesterday's fight with Arata, even though she had the upper hand, she had actually used up a lot of energy.
On top of that, she had to carry Arata, a grown man, from the underground space back to the bedroom, which also consumed strength. If she didn't nap a little, she'd be out of breath.
"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Before Arata could finish the question, the female voice in his head disappeared, and the waves of spiritual pressure from the Zanpakutō also went quiet in an instant.
"What a troublesome Zanpakutō…" Arata awkwardly scratched his head.
Yesterday she was boiling with malice toward Unohana Retsu, and now she's changed her tune and says it's okay to learn kendo from her from time to time.
Confirmed, tsundere, cold on the outside, warm on the inside, says one thing, means another.
What's this "the Zanpakutō's abilities have been set into your head"? It sounds as overblown as what Roger said about leaving all the treasure!
Arata was just about to check what knowledge Meigetsu had left behind when he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Grrr grrr—
He felt a sharp wave of hunger in his stomach.
"Well then, food comes first."
Arata decided to grab a bite. After all, he had just gone through a rather brutal battle, and afterward, he needed to head to the Fourth Division for treatment.
Earlier he had only used Kaidō to stop the bleeding. Even though the self-healing ability granted by his Soul King bloodline was quite strong and the X-shaped wound was slowly healing, that didn't mean he didn't need serious treatment.
---
"Beeee—"
After finishing his late breakfast at the Omaeda Hotel, Arata couldn't hold back a belch once he had filled his stomach. Although it was a bit rude, fortunately, he was alone in a private room and no one else knew about his image-ruining behavior.
After quickly settling the bill, Arata left for Seireitei to the cheerful farewell of the front desk manager.
Passing through Rukongai, he reached the familiar gate Hakutōmon. The gatekeeper Jidanbō Ikkanzaka opened the gate for Arata with a smile.
Since Arata's first visit to the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu had given him a pass with her signature.
Since then, whenever Arata entered or exited Seireitei, all he had to do was show the permit and the gatekeeper wouldn't stop him. You could say, very convenient.
Passing through Hakutōmon, Arata easily arrived at the barracks of the Fourth Division.
The afternoon sun shone through the eaves of the team house onto the stone tiles. Instinctively, he touched the wound on his chest and felt a slight sting from the scab from time to time.
The lingering chill of the purple flames still pierced deep into his brain and bone marrow like icy needles.
"Meigetsu is really ruthless…" Arata chuckled. He quickened his pace and reached the hall of the team quarters.
Today the Fourth Division seemed much busier than usual. Soldiers with medical bags were running back and forth through the hallways and treatment wards. The sounds of crushing herbs and administering therapeutic infusions came from the direction of the treatment room.
As Arata stepped into the front hall, he heard a clear female voice from behind the medicine cabinet: "Yamada, please update the inventory list of hemostatic vines. "
Kotetsu Isane, holding a thick record book, turned around the hallway corner and nearly collided with Arata, who was walking toward her. Her short silver-gray hair lightly fluttered from the sudden stop.
When she saw who it was, her eyes instantly widened and she exclaimed in surprise: "Sa... Saito-san? It's been a while since I saw you here."
"Good afternoon, Miss Isane." Arata gave a slight bow, but even that small movement pulled on his wound, and he unconsciously winced.
As a medic, Isane sharply noticed something was wrong with Arata. Her eyes immediately caught the sight of his chest. Tiny droplets of blood had stained his white uniform a faint crimson.
"Saito-san, excuse me." Not caring whether Arata minded, Isane gently lifted the front of his uniform with cold fingers, revealing part of the inner wound.
When she saw the X-shaped scar stretching across his chest and stomach, she couldn't suppress a gasp: "Saito-san, how did you get so badly hurt? The signs of spiritual pressure erosion are very clear!"
Arata didn't know how to explain, so he just dodged the main point and said he had fought a vicious opponent.
Isane didn't doubt him and immediately arranged an empty treatment room for his private use.
Several assistants carrying supplies hurried to move out of the way. One of them whispered: "Why is Vice-Captain Kotetsu so concerned today…"
In the treatment room, Isane locked the door and took a glass bottle filled with dark green liquid from a cabinet.
She gestured for Arata to lie down on the examination table and skillfully undressed him. When her eyes and fingers saw and touched Arata's bare upper body and fully exposed wounds, her fingers trembled slightly.
"There are signs of crystallization at the edge of the wound, and the shallow part is slowly scabbing over…" Isane gently wiped the wound with cotton soaked in medicine. The moment the cotton touched his skin, a sizzling sound was heard.
"It looks like something akin to flame burned this. Saito-san, who did you fight?"
Arata stared at the warm chandelier light on the ceiling, feeling the coolness of the medicine seep into the wound. "Just a small mishap while wandering through Rukongai."
Isane wasn't satisfied with Arata's answer, and she also realized he was hiding something.
But the two of them were merely acquaintances who had met a few times, and there was no reason for him to confess everything to her, so she could only quietly apply the medicine and bandage Arata.
The air gradually fell silent.
Arata hesitated for a moment, then decided to offer a half-truth: "Actually, it's because of the final exam in three months. I got a little injured while training."
If your Zanpakutō hits you, that counts as "injuring yourself."
Yes, that's right.
The cotton suddenly stopped at his collarbone, and Isane's expression momentarily froze, then softened slightly. "Ah… So Saito-san already found out about the changes to the final exam?"
"Yes, basically everyone in the sixth year at the Spiritual Arts Academy already knows." Arata pretended not to notice her shift and continued speaking.
"They say we'll be joining an expedition to Hueco Mundo or something. Miss Isane is always well-informed in the Fourth Division, have you heard any related news?"
Isane shook her head.
"I don't know about the other divisions, but as far as the Fourth is concerned, it's confirmed that Captain Unohana and I will both be joining the expedition."
"What?"
Arata's eyes widened.