The next day.
Squad 4 Barracks.
As the sole medical and relief unit among the Gotei 13, Squad 4 boasted the largest personnel count and land area of all the squads.
The vast barracks housed a fully equipped General Emergency Relief Station, which treated injured members from every squad year-round.
Kotetsu Kiyone led Suō Tsukasa through the clean, orderly corridors with practiced ease.
Unlike typical Shinigami, Squad 4 members generally operated in squads and were almost always seen carrying large rucksacks emblazoned with their squad's insignia.
As Tsukasa followed her, a group of members happened to march past them, their rhythmic footsteps echoing loudly through the hallway.
The two arrived at an elegantly decorated guest room.
This area was a stark contrast to the functional, Spartan style of the rest of Squad 4's facilities; even the medicinal scent in the air was much fainter here.
"Tsukasa, have a seat. My sister will be here shortly. Let's wait a bit."
"I explained your situation to her in detail yesterday. She'll definitely be able to find out what's wrong."
As Kiyone spoke, she skillfully took a tea set from a nearby cabinet.
"Alright, thank you, Kiyone-san."
Tsukasa sat down on a soft floor cushion.
Kiyone gently pushed a cup of freshly brewed tea toward him.
Before long...
The door was pushed open quietly.
A tall, slender female Shinigami stepped into the room.
She had short, neat, silver-grey hair, with several thin braids hanging by her right ear, and wore a pair of red, bar-shaped earrings.
Her gaze landed on Tsukasa, sizing him up briefly before she spoke softly.
"You must be 3rd Seat Suō. Kiyone told me about your issue yesterday. My apologies for keeping you waiting."
"Please follow me to the examination room. I'll perform a checkup for you."
She bowed slightly, her every gesture exuding a modest and polite demeanor.
"Lieutenant Isane, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your help."
"I appreciate you taking the time."
Influenced by her attitude, Tsukasa immediately stood up and returned the greeting with a formal bow.
His politeness and humility were a perfect match for hers.
"Ahhh, what are you two being so formal for?"
"I can't take it."
"Tsukasa, call her 'Sister'!"
"Sister, don't be a stranger either. Just call him Tsukasa!"
Standing off to the side, Kiyone found their polite back-and-forth unbearable.
She pushed her way between them, placing one hand on Tsukasa's back and hooking the other around her sister's arm as she spoke bluntly.
Their distance from each other closed by a step.
Looking at the woman before him—who seemed slightly taller than himself—Tsukasa felt no burden at all. He nodded and greeted her again.
He wasn't the one losing out, so why wouldn't he?
"Isane-neesan."
"Tsukasa—Tsukasa-kun."
Startled by the address, a faint blush rose to Kotetsu Isane's ears.
The previously composed, elegant expression on her face was replaced by a look of flustered awkwardness, revealing her naturally shy and timid personality.
"That's more like it!"
Seeing this, Kiyone clapped her hands in satisfaction.
"Tsukasa, I'm heading back then. I can't help with the medical stuff anyway, and I have a pile of reports to write."
"Sister, give Tsukasa a thorough checkup. I'm leaving him in your hands!"
"Rest assured."
Isane nodded gently in agreement.
Having finished her handoff, Kiyone waved to them and left with a relaxed expression.
Once her footsteps faded into the distance...
"Tsukasa-kun, please follow me."
Isane glanced at the smiling Tsukasa, her awkwardness fading slightly.
She cleared her throat, making an effort to regain her previous professional composure.
"Understood."
Tsukasa followed her out of the first-floor guest room and up the stairs leading to the second floor.
Examination Room.
The sliding door opened.
A light scent of lavender wafted toward them, a far cry from the heavy medicinal smell of the relief area downstairs.
Diagrams of the human meridians hung on the walls, and a well-maintained garden landscape was visible through the window.
In the center of the room stood an examination bed covered in starched, white sheets.
"Tsukasa, please sit here for a moment."
"Alright."
Isane pointed to the edge of the bed. Now that she was in her element, her voice had completely regained its prior calm.
Once Tsukasa sat down, she took a stethoscope from a nearby cabinet. She rubbed the diaphragm gently against her palm to warm the cold metal.
"Please undo your shirt, lie down, and remember to keep your breathing steady and even."
Tsukasa followed her instructions, unfastening his robes and lying down half-naked on the examination bed.
The moment the stethoscope touched his chest, both of them instinctively slowed their breathing.
The diaphragm moved slowly across his skin in rhythm with his breath.
"Raise your arms."
"Does this hurt?"
Isane's fingertips moved across his ribcage, applying pressure from time to time.
The stethoscope and her fingers traveled over various parts of Tsukasa's body.
"No pain."
Tsukasa exhaled slowly, reporting his sensations honestly.
Under Isane's guidance, he underwent a comprehensive physical examination from his chest down to his abdomen.
"From the routine checkup, your physical condition is extremely healthy."
"Since we've ruled out physical causes, we need to check the status of your Reiryoku points and meridians next."
"Please relax your whole body and do not resist the infusion of my Spiritual Pressure. The process might be a bit uncomfortable, but it will help me judge your condition more accurately."
She set the stethoscope aside, lifted her gaze, and spoke in a level tone.
"I understand."
Tsukasa nodded in agreement, actively cooperating with the diagnosis.
"Then I shall begin."
Isane moved a chair next to Tsukasa, and a soft spiritual glow emanated from her palms.
She placed her hands gently on his body—her right hand over the Saketsu (Soul Chain) at his chest, and her left hand over the Hakusui (Soul Sleep) at his abdomen.
Closing her eyes to concentrate, she let her Spiritual Pressure flow through Tsukasa's meridians.
The further she investigated, the tighter her brow furrowed.
Tsukasa's internal meridians were exceptionally broad and resilient, far exceeding those of an ordinary person.
However, the two vital points that maintained the essence of a Shinigami were in a state of unnatural hyper-activity, as if they had undergone high-frequency overloading in a short period of time.
Just what kind of training method could lead to such a strange scenario? In all her years of medical practice, she had never encountered a case like this.
"Tsukasa-kun, the condition of your Saketsu and Hakusui is very unusual. They are extremely active, but they are like bowstrings that have been repeatedly stretched to their limit. They look intact on the surface, but the interior is riddled with microscopic damage."
She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with unmistakable concern as she spoke solemnly.
"Is it a serious problem?"
Tsukasa himself was aware that every rapid recovery after exhausting his Spiritual Pressure placed an invisible burden on his Saketsu and Hakusui.
It was just that he had been immersed in the positive feedback of his steadily rising Spiritual Pressure. Combined with the assistance of his Hikari' (Dawn Light) ability and the medical hot springs, he had become somewhat negligent mentally.
"The problem... is both large and small."
"My recommendation is for you to convalesce at Squad 4 for a period of time, and to refrain from such high-intensity training for at least a year."
She chose her words carefully as she slowly withdrew her hands.
"A year?"
"That's too long, Isane-neesan. Is there any other way?"
That length of time wasn't much to a Shinigami, but for Tsukasa, it felt far too long.
He propped himself up and asked with a hint of reluctance.
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