Chapter 25: Retsu Unohana: Who Is the Villain Here?
The wind carried a drifting cherry blossom petal across Takeru's face, but his gaze followed the hand resting over his own, tracing it upward until it settled on a face more beautiful than late blooming sakura.
"Hello, Takeru kun."
"…"
Takeru slowly drew back the sharp edge in his heart, calming his spiritual pressure. At the same time, he let his body relax out of his aggressive drawing stance, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, the newcomer also withdrew her hand and spoke gently.
"I arrived at a bad time. I apologize for interrupting your training."
"It's fine. Even if the timing is bad, Captain Unohana made the reasonable choice."
Takeru showed no sign of irritation, only a brief flicker of surprise that it was her.
As he spoke, he glanced toward the source of the earlier rustling.
Near a tree not far away, Fourth Division Vice Captain Isane Kotetsu, with a model tier tall figure, stood there looking flustered and guilty.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Takeru said.
With his training forcibly interrupted, he picked up his water cup and towel and walked off the field.
Retsu Unohana and Isane followed behind him.
"Captain, did I cause trouble for you again?" Isane asked quietly.
"No. Protecting my subordinates is never troublesome."
"Captain…!"
Like a warm spring breeze, Unohana's words soothed Isane's anxiety and moved her deeply.
Her next sentence, however, was far less comforting.
"If I had allowed him to reflexively draw his sword and you happened to be the one who made that noise and got killed, that would have been real trouble."
"Eh?!"
…
Dormitory Room 001.
Takeru did a quick tidy up, then poured coffee for both the Captain and Vice Captain of the Fourth Division.
"This is a drink from the World of the Living, isn't it?" Unohana lifted the cup and took a sip. "I had the pleasure of tasting some at a tea gathering held by the First Division, but yours is even better, Takeru kun."
"Maybe it's because it's cheap coffee."
Takeru raised his own cup and blew over the surface. The rich, sweet aroma filled his nose and slowly settled his mood.
It was mocha he had specifically asked Hachihara to order from the World of the Living. It was not high end, just a casual drink to replenish sugar and ease mental strain, but precisely such affordable things often won the widest favor.
"By the way, Vice Captain Kotetsu has been restless since just now," he said. "Is she feeling unwell?"
"Ah? No, no, it's nothing. Please don't mind me."
Isane waved her hands frantically, her expression extremely unnatural.
Takeru raised an eyebrow.
At that moment, the door opened again.
Rindo Yu stepped inside.
Seeing two strangers sitting in the room, he paused for a heartbeat. Their Captain's haori and Vice Captain's badge made their identities obvious.
He nodded politely in greeting, then came over and sat down beside Takeru.
"Let me introduce him," Takeru said, pointing toward his roommate. "This is my friend Rindo Yu. I asked him here specifically to act as a third party witness."
"Witness, is it?"
As Unohana repeated the word, the topic shifted and the atmosphere in the room subtly changed.
The elegant smile on her face gained a certain weight.
"It seems I do not need to explain my purpose too much," she said.
"It's about the medicine, right?"
Takeru went straight to the point.
"As for that, I have no intention of pretending ignorance. Vice Captain Omaeda was always going to expose everything sooner or later."
"That may be true," Unohana replied, picking up the thread smoothly, "but out of a sense of responsibility, Vice Captain Omaeda will still try to keep things within acceptable bounds. Since you only sold the medicine to him, it is difficult to trace anything he does with it back to you.
"Furthermore, you labeled the medicine as a laxative. That light, somewhat vulgar packaging dulls everyone's nerves. The sense of danger normally aroused by illegal drugs is reduced to an absolute minimum.
"That is why you can sit here so calmly, facing me, the Captain of the Fourth Division who holds the highest authority over medical matters in the Seireitei, without the slightest fear."
Rindo Yu and Isane, hearing this full explanation for the first time, could not help turning to stare at Takeru.
The person at the center of it all, however, remained calm, only a faint glint crossing his eyes.
His next words tightened the air instantly.
"Is this conclusion the result of the Captains' meeting, or Captain Unohana's personal judgment?"
Unohana smiled softly, her expression entirely nonthreatening.
"On that point, I have no intention of pretending either. It is my judgment. However, Captain Aizen used the reasoning in it to persuade the others, and they ultimately decided that I would be responsible for handling this incident."
"Are you planning to issue me a formal business license?"
"If you would be willing to specialize in potion making, the Fourth Division can vouch for you," Unohana answered. "That would grant you legitimate operating rights. In exchange, the potions you make could only be sold to the Fourth Division.
"If this is acceptable, we can sign the spiritual law contract document now."
As she spoke, she took a scroll tied with red string from Isane and placed it on the table.
Curious, Takeru picked it up and skimmed it. The contents were exactly as she had described.
But the price had fallen off a cliff.
"One hundred ryo?" he said flatly. "Omaeda paid twenty thousand per bottle. Even on the black market, you don't slash a price two hundredfold in one go. Captain Unohana, I think you should get checked. Your heart might have gone completely black."
"Takeru kun, if you say something like that, then never mind my heart, even all the blood in your body must be black, mustn't it?"
Unohana sighed lightly, as if genuinely helpless at being painted as the villain by a textbook bad kid.
"What kind of thing is that to say?" Takeru shot back, face solemn. "To belittle the future pillar of the Seireitei, the successor of the Gotei 13, so casually… that is hardly the generosity a senior ought to have."
"Takeru kun," Unohana replied, "do you know that the Women's Shinigami Association's weekly budget is only two hundred fifty thousand ryo, twelve million for the entire year, while you have already earned at least five million ryo from Vice Captain Omaeda alone in this short period?"
"Of course, that is not even the main issue."
"The main issue is that your product is, in essence, water. Water that costs you virtually nothing."
She watched Takeru rein in his sharpness just a little, putting on a casual look, and could not help finding him somewhat amusing.
"I do not know where you found it," Unohana continued, "but I know exactly what kind of water you are using."
"Captain Zaraki, by the way, was furious when he learned that his squad members had been drinking someone else's bathwater as medicine. He almost ended up starting a fight with Captain Suì Feng.
"And all of that, I believe, is thanks to you, Takeru kun."
"Hm."
Takeru took a sip from his cup, then lowered it and looked over the document once more, his expression clearly displeased.
"But this price is still too low."
"If you think it is too low," Unohana said, "there is another option."
"I am listening."
"Sell the water source you discovered to the Fourth Division."
Her smile deepened.
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