Unohana’s Attention

"Miss Rangiku, do you know this Tachikawa Shin?"

Unohana Retsu asked softly, having noticed Rangiku's reaction. As the captain of the Fourth Division, she was always attentive when it came to promising students—especially top-ranked ones. And as the vice-captain of the Tenth Division, Matsumoto Rangiku's interest hadn't gone unnoticed.

Rangiku asked, "You just said… this Tachikawa Shin's Zanpakutō is Kaidō-type?"

Unohana nodded. "Correct. It's been a long time since the Academy produced one like that. For us in the Fourth Division, that's quite a rare and fortunate piece of news."

"…"

Rangiku stood there, stunned. Nearby, Kusajishi Yachiru hadn't registered a word they'd said—her focus remained on why Rangiku had suddenly stopped tossing flowers at her.

Tachikawa Shin…

How the hell could that guy have a Kaidō-type Zanpakutō?

Rangiku couldn't believe it. Shin didn't give off the vibe of a healer at all. Not that his Kaidō was bad—but compared to his other talents, it was always his least remarkable subject.

That brat had even told her a few days ago that he was considering the Tenth Division after graduation.

But if his Zanpakutō was Kaidō-type, then his only possible destination… was Squad Four.

Because only in the Fourth Division could a healing Zanpakutō reach its full potential.

Rangiku's thoughts were a whirlwind. Given the talent Shin had displayed so far, he was already at seated officer level. Reaching vice-captain was just a matter of time. Even becoming a captain wasn't out of the question.

And now they were just supposed to watch that kind of talent get snatched away?

She'd already put in the groundwork!

"Miss Rangiku?"

"...It's nothing," Rangiku forced a smile.

If Shin hadn't awakened a Zanpakutō yet, she'd still have had room to compete for him. But now that it was confirmed to be Kaidō-type, any such hope was gone.

Damn it, she thought bitterly. Why did it have to be that kind of Zanpakutō…

She tossed another flower to Yachiru, who accepted it gleefully, munching on the petals.

Ise Nanao glanced over at her in confusion.

Unohana, however, didn't dwell on it. She'd guessed that Rangiku must've had contact with Shin, but to her, it made no difference. A student with a Kaidō-type Zanpakutō simply wasn't up for contention. No other squad had the grounds to challenge Squad Four for such a recruit.

She handed the file back to Kotetsu Isane and resumed her flower arrangement, unfazed.

Rangiku, meanwhile, stormed out of the room and made straight for the Tenth Division barracks.

As expected, when she flung open the door to the captain's office, she found her captain—Shiba Isshin—napping with his head on the desk.

Her anger exploded.

"Captain!"

Isshin shot upright in a panic, glancing around. "Huh? What's going on?!"

"Captain, they just snatched him right out from under our noses! And here you are slacking off again! Why don't you just quit while you're at it?!"

Listening to her yelling, Isshin stretched and yawned. "Wait—who's trying to poach you? Last I checked, every division's got a vice-captain."

Rangiku pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm talking about Tachikawa Shin!"

"Him?" Isshin raised a brow.

"It's not even graduation season yet. What about him?"

"I was just at Squad Four—I heard Shin has already awakened his Zanpakutō. It's Kaidō-type."

Now Isshin actually paused and looked serious. "Are you sure?"

"It was in the official files sent by the Academy to Squad Four. Can't be fake."

"...I see." He stroked his chin, frowning thoughtfully.

"Well, if that's the case, then there's nothing to be done. Squad Four's where he belongs, Rangiku. It's out of our hands."

Rangiku sighed in frustration. "It took me so long to find someone that promising… If only you took your job seriously, maybe I wouldn't have to do all the recruiting myself."

Isshin scowled. "Hey now, being a captain's not easy, you know. You may be off today, but I was working hard all morning. You just happened to catch me on my first break."

Rangiku didn't believe a word. If Isshin were ever caught working hard, it'd be a sign the sun was rising in the west.

Isshin shrugged. "Regardless, Tachikawa Shin's a gifted rookie. If he joins Squad Four, he'll accomplish great things. Who knows—maybe we'll be relying on him to patch us up during missions someday."

In the end, he was just a student. A top-ranked one, yes—but the Academy produced those every year. Maybe Shin was more impressive than most, but not enough for Isshin to lose sleep over it.

The way he saw it, helping Shin establish the student council had been worthwhile. No regrets there.

But for Rangiku, who had chased Shin for weeks, hoping to recruit him to the Tenth, it was maddening to watch the catch of the year slip through her fingers.

No. I need to find someone even better!

Someone like Kaien… or Gin…!

Back in Squad Four.

After the Soul Reaper Women's Association gathering ended, Unohana and Isane remained behind despite it being their day off.

"Isane, find time to visit the Academy and assess this Tachikawa Shin," Unohana instructed. "Miss Rangiku seems rather invested in him."

If the boy possessed both talent and character, he could be fast-tracked to a seated officer position within Squad Four.

Unlike other squads, Squad Four didn't emphasize combat ability in their officer rankings. A Kaidō-type Zanpakutō, properly developed, could far surpass any standard healing Shinigami.

Even in Squad Four, healers with such Zanpakutō were exceedingly rare.

"I understand, Captain."

Unohana glanced once more at the file on the desk.

This child even created a student council. Didn't that become quite a buzz recently? she mused. He might be a rather interesting one… It's been a long time since Squad Four welcomed fresh blood.

Soul Reapers lived long lives. Their sense of time was far looser than that of mortals. What Unohana called "recent" had already been a month ago.

"Born in the 78th District of South Rukongai, specializes in Zanjutsu… even defeated his swordsmanship instructor…"

Just how far did his so-called "specialization" go?

A thoughtful glint flickered in Unohana's calm eyes—perhaps stirred by a memory.

She paused in her flower arranging, lost in contemplation.