I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

She floated to the edge of the jar and kicked her legs a few times with a motion like kicking off a blanket in her dream, making the jar walls rattle.

However, this action lasted only a short time. After being repeated a few times, Shihouin Hyakugetsu's Bankai became motionless again, as if he had fallen asleep.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"This...this is going to..."

Mima swallowed hard, trying to find a suitable word: "Is the baby about to be born?"

"I do not know either."

Slightly dazed, Shigure Gyouki subconsciously shook his head: "Although I brought them in, the fact that there are Zanpakuto inside Zanpakuto is unprecedented, so I really don't know when they will be... um, 'born'."

"I forgot to ask last time."

Mima calmed down for a moment and continued, "If these five guys jump out of the jar... you said they would have consciousness, but to what extent would that consciousness be?"

"The raging torrents washed away all their memories, so... there are two possibilities."

Shigure Gosho replied, "The first type is an adult with amnesia, while the second type... is a real baby."

“In that case, I think we might have overlooked a crucial issue.” Mima’s expression turned somewhat grim. “You said… you would take care of the ‘five children,’ and I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now…”

He glanced subtly at Ni Yue Shi Yu and Liu Yue, cleared his throat, and said in as tactful a tone as possible, "Leaving aside the former, if five babies really do come out clean... then childcare will be a big problem. Can you really take care of five children at once?"

Perhaps it was Mi-chan's tone that made her less confident.

Shigure touched her chin, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I... I should be able to... right? After all, it's not like I have no experience."

Mi Zhen's vision went black.

Before he could speak, Liu Yue suddenly jumped up.

"You're not planning to use the whip again, are you?"

"Of course not. I already said that what you did back then was just a temporary expedient."

Nizuki Shigure replied, "But these guys are outsiders after all. We can't expect them to know what to do as soon as they have the ability to think, like you and me. If there are a few unruly ones among them, I'll have to use some tough measures, which may even include killing them and expelling them from this world if necessary. Of course, this is just an emergency plan that must be taken."

"..."

Shigure's personality is actually very extreme. Apart from her relationship with Mima and Ryugetsu, her standards of conduct do not follow morality such as good and evil, but only weigh gains and losses.

So... if a few unruly creatures jump out of the jar, will I be able to see this old hag wielding a whip and starting another round of animal taming?

The whip cracked loudly, lashing the little figures so that they ran around in agony, their cries of pain echoing everywhere.

After imagining the terrifying future that might occur, Liu Yue's face quickly turned green.

"Wait, wait a minute." Liu Yue swallowed hard, forcing herself to calm down. "This kind of thing can't be left to you... I'll handle it! Leave it to me!"

Nizuki Shigure nodded: "If you can do it, I have no objection."

Mizhen shrugged beside him.

That should solve it.

At least Ryugetsu dared to speak to Nigetsu Shigure now.

Many things are hardest at the beginning. Once you get started, the rest of the development will generally go smoothly. But I always feel like I get interrupted by strange incidents every time I try to reason with someone... Is that just my imagination?

Chapter 145: Promotion, Conference

a few days later.

After initial reconstruction, the ravaged Seireitei has been restored to a presentable state.

The building ruins have been cleared, and the treatment of the wounded (mainly civilians who were blown away and injured by the aftershocks of the battle) has come to an end. What follows is a long reconstruction process, although it will probably be difficult to repair within the next year.

The investigation into Shihouin Hyakugetsu and Shikatori Hakunsai continues, but it's impossible to mobilize all personnel as they did a few days ago. Firstly, there's a shortage of manpower, and secondly, the Gotei 13 has begun to suspect that Shihouin Hyakugetsu may have been murdered by the "messenger" in collusion with Shikatori Hakunsai—after all, the spiritual pressure information is there, but there's no evidence.

Everyone's smart enough to figure out who's behind this mess—after all, Shihouin and Tsunayoshi handled things terribly, and all their plans were based on the assumption that the old man would be killed by Shihouin Hyakugetsu and Ansou Mitsu. Once the incident happened, it was impossible to hide it from those who were interested.

But as I said before, from the perspective of the 13th Guards of the Imperial Household Agency, they really couldn't go and force His Majesty to tell him why he was rebelling, so they could only hold their tongues and bear it for now, and slowly think of ways to get back at him later.

However, that's a matter for the upper class. For the lower-class people and the Grim Reapers within Seireitei, the great battle three days ago had truly terrified them, so the rulers had to find a way to appease the people as soon as possible.

For ordinary people, this measure will be a limited benefit for a period of time, while for Death, it will allow them to see the heroes who are active in this turmoil.

Thus, a "promotion ceremony" was held three days after the battle ended.

.............................................

Inside the Eighth Division barracks, Mima helplessly fiddled with the armband in his hand.

A simple wooden plaque, engraved with the character "eight" and a simplified bird-of-paradise flower pattern, represents the second-highest authority in the Eighth Division.

Lisa used to wear this thing, but now it's his turn.

In the end, I still couldn't refuse.

He rose to the position of vice-captain after only twelve years in the team, which can only be described as incredibly fast—even looking at the entire Gotei 13, probably only Aizen's promotion speed could be faster than his.

Although he wasn't interested in it.

The rank of the Gotei 13 is not of much significance to him. In the end, status is just a byproduct of strength and merit. He is now also shouldering the heavy responsibility of saving the three realms, so whether he has another vice-captain or not is irrelevant.

It will also significantly increase the workload.

If things continue like this, he won't be able to enjoy slacking off for the next hundred years or so.

"Ugh……"

He shrugged and tied the armband above his left arm.

He then casually straightened his collar a few times, combed his hair in front of the mirror, and after tidying himself up to look presentable, he stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and walked out the door.

The promotion ceremony is about to begin in an hour, and as one of the main figures, he needs to go to the headquarters in advance to make some preparations.

However, there is one more thing to deal with before that.

After pausing behind the door for a few seconds, Mima silently turned around, walked to the window, and then suddenly stuck her head out.

"Stop hiding, I know you're here."

"babble--!"

The small figure wearing glasses was startled by him. She panicked and covered her head, unsure whether to run or stay. She could only hide her head like an ostrich lying on the sand, as if that would make her invisible.

"Xiao Qixu, it's very impolite to spy on others."

Mima stood by the window, first sighing, then chuckling inexplicably, "Although this kind of thing seems to fit our Eighth Division's style in a strange way... I still won't allow you to do it."

Upon hearing this, Qixu immediately retorted instinctively, "I...I don't need your permission to do anything!"

That's strange...

“Tsundere has become obsolete… Oh, it’s still the late 19th century, never mind.” Mima said something Nanao couldn’t understand, then continued, “So? What’s Nanao doing here so early in the morning? Is there some problem with her studies again?”

To be honest, the fact that he had knocked Nanao unconscious with a karate chop made Mima feel a little guilty when facing this girl... Although he had a legitimate reason for doing so, it was still not very respectable to talk about bullying a child, and even Mima's skin couldn't withstand such moral condemnation.

So he's been avoiding Nana these past few days.

But unexpectedly, she came to our door herself...

"Watanabe-nii-san!"

The next instant, Nanao suddenly made a loud noise.

Mima was immediately startled by her—

In a spiritual sense.

There's nothing wrong with that title; that's what Lisa used when she first introduced him to Nanao.

However, after some parenting tragedies occurred, Nanao only insisted on calling him Watanabe Gosei, and never changed her address for five or six years.

And now, surprisingly... he called back with a flushed face?

And that expression didn't look like shyness, but rather more like... the excitement of being overwhelmed with passion?

"What's wrong?" Mi Zhen's expression softened as she asked softly.

"I have a question... Please be sure to answer it!"

Nanao raised her head, stared into his eyes, and stammered, "I asked the captain... but he wouldn't tell me directly, and no one else knows the answer, so... so..."

"Speak slowly, there's no rush."

"..."

Nanao took a few deep breaths, hardening her gaze, and then asked, "Is...is Lisa still alive?"

Hmm... this question?

That's understandable. After all, Nana is only a middle school student. When she suddenly experiences the major blow of losing someone who is like a mother and sister to her, it's hard for her to figure out what to do. It's normal that she spent so many days asking him questions.

Judging from her words, it seems she has already asked many people, which must be a very difficult thing for a little girl whose mental development is not yet complete.

As expected of Chunshui's niece, her initiative is truly remarkable.

So... how should we answer?

Mi Zhen's eyes lit up, and she immediately had an idea.

So he cleared his throat and immediately smiled slightly as he rattled off a long string of platitudes: “Those who know, know; those who don’t, there’s no point in explaining. Don’t ask either, the interests involved are too great, it won’t do us any good to talk about it. I can only say that things are very complicated here. Those who know, know; those who don’t, there’s nothing I can do.”

If Nana can't even understand this kind of explicit suggestion, then she should just go back to her simple and unpretentious life as a top student. These things that require emotional intelligence are not suitable for her.

Nana didn't disappoint him; after only a few seconds of stunned silence, her eyes immediately lit up.

She even understood the hidden meaning in his words, and without asking any further questions, she simply bowed deeply to Mijin with excitement:

"Thank you! Watanabe...brother!"

She's so sweet when she calls Lisa "sister," but why does she stumble over her words when it comes to me...?

But since you've come to me of your own accord, I won't stand on ceremony.

Just like the spring water three days ago, a wicked plan suddenly flashed through Mi Zhen's mind.

"Wait, I have something to tell you."

Mima straightened up, reached into his sleeve, and pulled out a sash embroidered with "8th Division, 5th Seat," tossing it to Nanao.

The latter hurriedly caught it, then looked at Mizhen with a puzzled expression.