With a Friend Like You...

The next moment, a smooth pale hand rested on Akira Morisawa's forehead and interrupted his thoughts.

"Akira, why is your reiatsu still this low? Do you feel anything wrong with your body?" Retsu Unohana asked.

Akira looked weak, but he still gave her a relaxed smile.

"I am all right, Teacher. At the time, I kept Shinra Bansho active to continue treating the Tenth Division members. Then I was caught in the Cero and had to perform emergency treatment on myself. I probably overused my reiryoku."

Only after hearing that did Unohana seem fully reassured. She slowly stood.

"I have given your injuries preliminary treatment. Rest here for now. In a while, I will take you back to the barracks for further care."

"Mm."

Akira nodded.

"Teacher does not need to worry about me. I am Lady Unohana's disciple. I can take care of myself. Once my reiatsu recovers a little, I can handle the remaining injuries on my own."

The more gentle and considerate her pure, obedient disciple seemed, the more a trace of guilt stirred in the cold, bloodthirsty depths beneath Unohana's warm exterior.

If she had waited for Akira a little longer instead of rushing back so urgently to attend that temporary captains' meeting, perhaps he would not have been wounded this badly.

Then Unohana asked in the gentlest voice possible, "What is this? Planning to talk back to Teacher already? Not listening to Teacher's words anymore?"

"N-no. I would not dare..."

Hearing Akira's very honest answer, Unohana finally turned with elegance and walked toward the temporary treatment tent that two medical teams had set up on the other side.

Watching Unohana's beautiful back, Akira could not help letting one thought flash through his mind.

Could this index finger of his draw blood from Teacher Unohana?

Of course, it was a serious thought.

In a certain sense, Shinigami combat could also be called a battle of reiatsu.

Reiatsu formed an invisible field over the spiritual body. When the gap in reiatsu between two spiritual bodies was too large, substantial damage became impossible. Even Zanpakuto abilities that targeted the spiritual body could fail.

But Akira's index finger had already completed its Ultimate Spiritual Body transformation. In essence, it existed on a completely different level from an ordinary spiritual body, so the density of reiatsu it produced was also entirely different.

That was why Akira had been able to stop the Adjuchas's attack so easily with one finger and, with a slight bend, crack the bony tail through pure spiritual muscle strength.

If Unohana had not arrived just now, perhaps Akira, in his fury, would have attempted to stab an Adjuchas the size of a house to death with one finger.

Why did that image look a little indecent?

Akira imagined his enraged self at that moment attempting something extremely strange.

He immediately threw several dangerous images out of his head and sensed the reiatsu inside his body. It was roughly at the level of a third- or fourth-year student from Shin'o Academy.

However, with the Forest Seeds continuously drawing in leaking reiryoku from different Shinigami, his reiatsu was steadily recovering. At the very least, it should prevent anyone from noticing that his reiatsu had once vanished completely.

The complete disappearance of reiatsu.

Although outsiders who did not understand Shinra Bansho's ability would not be able to deduce Akira's trump card from that alone, it would undoubtedly attract troublesome suspicion and attention.

Akira narrowed his eyes slightly and reviewed the whole incident.

The beings who could have noticed the process in which he truly released Shinra Bansho and his reiatsu vanished were...

The Adjuchas had already turned to ash. Besides it, there was Gin Ichimaru, and... perhaps Sosuke Aizen or one of his subordinates hidden nearby.

Gin Ichimaru...

His entire orbit had already bent around Rangiku Matsumoto.

That was why Akira had never thought about recruiting or subduing Gin, and had not planned to build a deep connection with him. He wanted to avoid getting involved in the loving hatred between Gin and Sosuke Aizen.

The reason he treated Gin and Rangiku had been mostly because it was his duty as a doctor.

But to Akira's surprise, when facing the Adjuchas's threat, Gin had not run away. Instead, enduring the pain after the Soul Transplant had just been completed, he had forcibly released his Zanpakuto, Shinso, and blocked one of the Adjuchas's attacks for Akira.

That made Akira feel some gratitude and recognition toward Gin.

At the very least, Gin Ichimaru, who looked like a cold venomous snake, had a hot heart that understood gratitude. Akira did not worry too much that a kid like him would choose to leak secrets.

So the most troublesome person was still Sosuke Aizen.

Just as Akira felt deeply troubled by that, the curtain of the tent was suddenly lifted.

Sosuke Aizen walked in, wearing black-framed glasses, his appearance and bearing mild and refined.

'Damn it.'

Akira nearly lost control and cursed aloud.

Watching Aizen approach step by step, Akira's body, which looked too badly injured to move, almost could not hold still. He was ready to spring up at any moment, use Shunpo, and dive straight toward Retsu Unohana.

But Aizen only sat down beside the bed and asked in a gentle tone, "Akira, I came to see you. Are you all right?"

Even so, Akira did not dare relax or lower his guard in the slightest. He was afraid Aizen's next sentence would be: Scream if you want. Everyone is already under my Kyoka Suigetsu. Even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one will hear you.

Inwardly vigilant, Akira showed only gratitude and a properly measured surprise on his face.

"Lieutenant Aizen, thank you for your concern. I am all right. But why are you here?"

"When the Adjuchas attacked Rukongai, I came to provide support with Captain Shinji Hirako. It seems we were a step too late. Captain Unohana had already dealt with the Adjuchas, so I helped with some of the miscellaneous work."

Here, Aizen sighed. His expression showed a measure of pity and sorrow.

"Still, the Third Seat, Seventh Seat, Nineteenth Seat, and twenty-three officers were killed. Ten more officers had part of their souls devoured. This was a heavy price. Fortunately, you seem to be all right. That is one good thing within bad news. Otherwise, I would have lost another friend."

Akira stared at him.

That display of infectious, sincere emotion...

If Akira were not a transmigrator, he might truly have believed it.

Sosuke Aizen. With a friend like you...

What great fortune I have.

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