Inside the treatment room.
A faint lingering trace of spiritual pressure rippled in the air, a remnant of the dissipated energy from Hisagomaru.
"Suō, why don't you test the results of the treatment?"
Unohana Retsu's voice carried her characteristic, unwavering gentleness.
Suō Tsukasa took a deep breath and closed his eyes, carefully guiding the high-speed circulation of spiritual pressure within his body. Gradually, a faint, almost imperceptible glow flickered across the surface of his skin.
He focused on the state of his spiritual vents.
The dull ache he had previously felt in his spiritual vents had vanished completely. The spiritual pressure flowing through his meridians was now as smooth as an inexorable ocean current. After a long moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his brow relaxing as he spoke with delight.
"The slight stinging sensation from before is entirely gone."
"Thank you, Captain Unohana, Sister Isane, and Mr. Hanataro."
"Thanks to all of you, I feel better than ever before."
Suō Tsukasa stood up and bowed, his tone filled with sincere gratitude.
Standing before him, Yamada Hanataro was so overwhelmed by the unexpected respect that he waved his hands frantically. A bashful blush crept up his cheeks as he chuckled sheepishly.
"Hehe."
"No—No need for thanks! It's just my duty."
In his past experiences as a healer, most people took the Fourth Division's assistance for granted; very few ever expressed thanks. This was the first time he had received such heartfelt gratitude from a patient, not to mention the recognition and respect coming from a seated officer. At this moment, he felt a sense of blissful lightheadedness, as if floating on clouds.
Kotetsu Isane stepped forward slowly, placing her hand lightly on Suō Tsukasa's Saketsu and Hakusui points for a re-examination. After a moment, she withdrew her hand, a relieved smile blooming on her face.
"Captain Unohana's judgment was indeed correct. Hanataro's Hisagomaru is very well-suited for treating this kind of overexertion injury."
"I was the one who didn't consider things thoroughly enough earlier; I nearly wasted your time."
She recalled that she hadn't initially thought of Yamada Hanataro's unique Zanpakuto, and her words carried a hint of self-reproach.
"Sister Isane, you're being too hard on yourself," Suō Tsukasa shook his head, his gaze sincere. "Without your thorough and meticulous check, the cause wouldn't have been identified so quickly. Besides, in the end, you were the one who went out of your way to invite Captain Unohana. I am truly grateful."
His mind was perfectly clear; without his connection to Kotetsu Isane, a person of his rank—unless wounded in the line of duty—could never dream of a Captain of Unohana Retsu's caliber personally attending to him.
"Don't say that."
His words were gentle and earnest, causing the slight gloom on Isane's brow to dissipate, replaced by a warm smile.
Unohana Retsu stood quietly to the side, her gaze as calm as water as she watched the scene. She could see that this young man was not only exceptionally talented but, more importantly, knew how to be grateful.
The word "gratitude" was easy to say, yet it was the quality most lacking among many Shinigami in the Seireitei today. Too many people viewed the hard work of others as their due. At this thought, she chose not to name certain members of a particular division—noisy, rowdy individuals who not only ignored doctor's orders but treated the rules of the Comprehensive Relief Station as non-existent.
As these thoughts surfaced, some unpleasant memories flickered in her mind.
In an instant, a tangible chill permeated the treatment room. It was as if a wisp of dark aura rose behind Unohana Retsu, manifesting into the ghostly mask of a Hannya. The temperature in the room plummeted.
Among the three others present, Suō Tsukasa—the one with the sharpest spiritual senses—felt an inexplicable chill race up his spine at that exact moment. He shivered slightly. He instinctively scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of this abrupt sensation.
However, before his gaze could reach Unohana Retsu's figure before him, the strange sensation vanished, as if it had been a mere hallucination. Before him, Unohana Retsu remained standing poised with her hands clasped in front of her, a gentle, spring-breeze smile on her serene face.
Suō Tsukasa's eyes flickered, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply nodded slowly with a composed expression, returning a polite smile. He thoroughly suppressed the flash of curiosity in his heart.
Curiosity killed the cat; she's not someone to be trifled with.
The atmosphere in the treatment room returned to normal. Unohana Retsu spoke slowly.
"Suō, your condition may seem simple, but it is actually quite perilous."
"While this method of training certainly allows for rapid progress, it is like walking on the edge of a blade. It is extremely dangerous."
"Once your body's recovery capacity fails to keep pace with the rate of damage, or the extent of injury exceeds the threshold and your spiritual vents suffer severe trauma, your spiritual pressure levels will stagnate or regress at best. At worst, you could lose your powers as a Soul Reaper entirely."
Though her voice was light, the weight of her words made the air feel heavy. Every word struck a chord in the hearts of those listening.
"Ah!"
Suō Tsukasa, the person in question, wasn't the one startled; instead, it was Yamada Hanataro, who gasped out of concern for his new acquaintance. Kotetsu Isane felt the same, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Suō Tsukasa. She never wanted to see the high-spirited Suō lose his Soul Reaper powers one day.
Suō Tsukasa fully understood the deep meaning and the warning behind her words. He did not avoid her gaze and spoke the truth.
"If I were to easily abandon my current method of training because I was afraid of the consequences, it would mean my caliber as a person is only so much. Losing my power would then be my destiny."
From the state where a single "budget" version of Kurohitsugi nearly drained his entire body of spiritual pressure to his current state where he could fire off three or four enhanced versions with ease, his extraordinary progress relied precisely on this extreme taxing of his spiritual vents. If he were to give it up, he didn't know how much his rate of progress would slow down.
"Abandon it?"
"I never said... anything about wanting you to abandon it."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Unohana Retsu's face shifted slightly. Her gentle eyes held an indescribable depth. She looked at Suō Tsukasa and said with certainty, "Suō, you know Kaido, don't you?"
"Yes, I've studied it a little. My level is average."
Suō Tsukasa nodded in acknowledgment, his tone devoid of pride. Up until now, he had only dealt with direct physical trauma, such as suturing wounds or stopping bleeding and pain. Unlike other Kido, Kaido lacked obvious benchmarks for comparison; he truly had no idea where his skills ranked.
Unohana Retsu ignored his modesty. Her eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and said softly, "Perfect. Our Fourth Division is constantly short-staffed."
"We especially need Shinigami like you, who have large reserves of spiritual pressure and know Kaido."
"Suō, come with me. I have some small favors I need help with; consider it payment for your treatment today."
"Isane, Hanataro, you two go ahead and attend to your other duties."
There was a hint of genuine helplessness in her words. The Fourth Division was inherently scarce on talent yet burdened with the vast majority of medical tasks in the Seireitei; the daily workload was immense. While there were plenty of ordinary Shinigami, the elite backbone capable of independently handling the severely wounded was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the massive number of patients. Suō Tsukasa, a laborer who had delivered himself to their door, was a perfect fit.
Having finished speaking, she turned with elegant poise to lead the way.
"Yes."
Suō Tsukasa agreed immediately and followed behind Unohana Retsu.
Shrewd as he was, he instantly grasped her intention. This wasn't about him "paying a fee"; she clearly wanted to use the opportunity of hands-on practice to give him guidance and help him improve his Kaido proficiency.
He understood this perfectly in his heart, but he showed no special reaction on his face, following her quickly with an honest demeanor.
A kindness like this would be foolish to refuse.
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