Ichigo had heard of Yecheng's so-called "paranoia" from Yumichika, so when he looked at Yecheng now, his expression was one of regret.
He had always seen Yecheng as a strong rival, and Yecheng truly was powerful. But that personality of his was just...
"I'll say it again! I'm not paranoid. This is normal risk management! You, a narcissist, and you, a battle maniac—what the hell do you two know about real survival?
Do you know how many nameless Soul Reapers die in Soul Society each year? Why do so many graduates from the Shin'ō Spirit Academy join the Gotei 13, but the squads are never at full strength?
You two are named supporting characters at least, but I'm just a background extra. If I'm not careful, how the hell am I supposed to survive in this brutal world?!"
Seeing Ikkaku and Yumichika looking at him with regretful expressions, Yecheng naturally spoke up to defend himself. Unfortunately, neither of them believed him. Instead, they just patted his shoulder comfortingly and gave him that classic "We understand" look.
"Anyway, I've made up my mind. I've always planned to join Squad Eleven, the combat division. What about you, Yumichika?"
Ikkaku swept his fierce gaze around the squad recruitment stations. When he saw a few muscle-bound guys gathered at Squad Eleven's booth, he broke into a satisfied smile.
"Of course, I'm also joining Squad Eleven. If I could, I'd love to join Squad Six since it fits my refined image better.
But Squad Six is a noble squad, and it's almost impossible for someone from the Rukongai to get in without connections.
So, excluding Squad Six, Squad Eleven—with all its screen time—is the next best choice. I may not love fighting as much as you do, but being seen often and letting other Soul Reapers admire my beauty? That's good enough for me."
As Yumichika spoke, he pulled out a mirror and a bottle of hair wax, narcissistically styling his hair to boost his chances of getting in.
Seeing Yumichika take out the hair wax, Yecheng subtly stepped back a little. He was allergic to hair wax—especially after learning that one of the major villains in this world also loved using it.
"Yecheng, is my beauty really so overwhelming that it makes you retreat?"
They were all handsome guys here… or at least Yumichika believed himself to be unmatched in looks. So seeing Yecheng react like that made him a little unhappy.
Narcissists don't care about others' opinions. Yumichika had always been self-centered. But Yecheng was one of his few friends, so that little reaction made him a bit upset.
"No, I think he just hates your hair wax. And not just him—I hate it too!" Ikkaku chimed in.
Applying hair wax in front of a bald guy? Was Yumichika mocking him or just flaunting his own hair? Every bald man is deeply sensitive about his scalp—how dare someone trample on that!
"This brand is trending in Soul Society right now. Rumor says it even works wonders on the follicly challenged."
Ikkaku: "Really?! Gimme some—I want to try it!"
After parting ways with the two living comedic acts—Ikkaku and Yumichika—Yecheng began searching for the squad he wanted to join.
The Gotei 13 was originally an assassin organization. Due to various reasons, it was eventually "whitewashed" into its current role of security and protection. Thus, we have today's "Gotei 13."
Each squad has its own role. Squad 1 is the "main squad," the top leadership. Normally, only seasoned Soul Reapers with enough merit can join. For a newbie fresh out of the Shin'ō Academy like Yecheng, it was impossible.
Squad 2 is the stealth force: tasked with arresting, assassinating, and overseeing places like the "Maggot's Nest." It's a powerful, specialized unit.
Squad 3 is support, Squad 4 is medical, and Squad 5 is rescue. These three are known as the "support squads"—ideal for anyone looking to retire early in peace.
Squad 6 is the noble squad—rumored to have been created by old man Yamamoto himself to attract aristocratic funding.
Squad 7 guards internal affairs, Squad 8 handles intel, Squad 9 manages prisons, and Squad 10 does patrol and security.
Squad 11 is the pure combat division. Squad 12 is the Research and Development Bureau. Squad 13 is the purification squad.
Aside from Squad 1 and the noble-heavy Squad 6, students from the Shin'ō Academy generally have a fair chance of joining any of the others.
Just by looking around and observing the queues at each recruitment booth, one could tell which squads were the most popular.
Squad 11, the battle unit, had the highest death rate in previous years. But since a monster captain named Kenpachi Zaraki took over, the death rate had been steadily declining.
Why? Simple. This new captain didn't just have insane strength—he also liked to charge into battle first himself. This inspired the squad's battle-crazy members and greatly reduced casualties.
Because Squad 11 specializes in combat and is extremely dangerous, it also offers the best benefits. Even back when the death rate was high, it was still sought after by many graduates. Now? Even more so.
Squads 2 and 12 are special cases. While they recruit, they only want specific talents.
Squad 2 needs Soul Reapers with top-tier Shunpo skills, and Squad 12 wants intellectuals with high academic scores.
Clearly, due to keeping a low profile, Yecheng didn't qualify for either.
Not that he cared—he had already decided from the beginning which squad he wanted.
Squad 4 or Squad 13 were his first choices. If those didn't work out, then maybe Squad 7, 8, or 10.
If even those didn't pan out, he'd show off a bit of Flash Step skill or advanced spirit particle theory and join Squad 2's penal corps or Squad 12's tech department.
In short, any squad outside of those? Not even worth considering.
As someone from the "Transmigrator Army," he knew all too well that Squads 3 and 5—though they looked like peaceful retirement squads—were soon going to be test subjects for a certain hair-gelled maniac.
As for why Squad 4 and 13 were his top choices? Simple. If you looked at all the transmigrators who ended up in the Bleach world, who didn't join Squad 4 to look cool and act aloof?
And in all of Soul Society, the only one whose bust could rival Unohana's was Rangiku.
But Squad 10's captain, Isshin Shiba, was about to leave for the human world and become a third-rate doctor. The squad would be too weak overall. Joining Squad 4 was clearly the safer bet.