Unohana offered a warm smile and gently pulled Kotetsu Isane from behind her, placing her in front of Shimo.
"Shimo-kun, since today is your first official day as Liutenant, I'd like Isane to help you get familiar with the responsibilities for now."
Isane cautiously extended her right hand in greeting, her face stiff with nervousness and timidity. Clearly, witnessing Shimo's overwhelming combat style had left a lasting psychological shadow.
Even for someone as naturally shy as Isane, this level of fear was abnormal.
"P-Please take care of me!"
That final line sounded as if she had mustered every ounce of courage in her body.
She bowed deeply, eyes tightly shut.
Shimo was momentarily stunned by her extreme display.
This was the first time he'd met someone so introverted.
"Uh… please take care of me as well."
Unohana watched the scene unfold with satisfaction and chuckled softly:
"Since you two are getting along so well, I'll leave the rest to you."
"I've got plenty of paperwork to handle."
With that, she turned and gracefully departed—leaving just Shimo and Isane standing at the entrance of the Sixth Relief Unit's barracks.
The atmosphere froze a little.
Shimo glanced at Isane, who seemed to be subtly avoiding eye contact, and sighed inwardly.
How am I supposed to communicate ?
I can't exactly draw my Zanpakutō and threaten her into talking, can I?
He played out that scenario briefly in his head—and wisely abandoned it within seconds.
No, better go with a gentler approach…
He let out a light sigh and took the initiative to break the silence.
"Isane, could you tell me about the duties I'm expected to handle?"
Isane looked down at her hands, nervously entangling her fingers like she was testing if they could be tied into knots.
Shimo's sudden question startled her, making her even more flustered.
"U-Um, that is, well…"
It took her a while to gather herself.
Shimo stood calmly beside her, patiently waiting.
"A Liutenant's duties… mostly involve tasks that regular squad members can't handle."
"Like what?" Shimo asked, intrigued.
"Healing critical injuries, responding to emergency situations in dangerous areas…"
"Also, mediating conflicts if they arise between divisions."
As their conversation continued, Isane gradually began to relax.
She realized that Shimo wasn't nearly as terrifying as he seemed during yesterday's duel.
Just as Captain Unohana had said—Shimo-kun was actually very approachable.
She remembered the rumors circulating within the Division—that the previous Liutenant, Yamada Seinosuke, had repeatedly made things difficult for Shimo when he first expressed interest in joining the Fourth Division.
Maybe… that was part of why Shimo had gone so hard on him during the Seat Challenge.
Isane couldn't help but speculate endlessly.
Meanwhile, Shimo, hand on his chin, was already thinking about his future plans when—
The two had barely sat down inside the barracks when the door was rapped sharply.
The urgency in the knock suggested something serious.
Shimo stood and opened the door.
"Li-Liutenant Shimo!"
"There's been an emergency at the Eleventh Division. Several members are critically wounded—we need to provide immediate medical aid!"
The one delivering the message was Rokushima Yusuke—the same squad member who had shown Shimo around the day before.
Despite being a bit timid, he was an extremely responsible member of the Unit.
Shimo had even entrusted him with some assistant responsibilities yesterday.
Before Shimo could respond, Isane abruptly stood up from her seat, visibly flustered:
"Prepare the emergency kits immediately—!"
Halfway through speaking, she remembered this wasn't her squad's station anymore.
Shimo was in charge now.
She froze mid-sentence, a little embarrassed.
"It's alright, Isane," Shimo said calmly. "You'll handle this mission."
"I'll follow and observe."
Isane's eyes lit up. She instantly felt that this Liutenant was far superior to the previous one in every way.
The Sixth Relief Unit mobilized at top speed, quickly gathering all necessary emergency medical supplies.
With Isane leading the way and Shimo following, they made their way toward the Eleventh Division.
Given the Eleventh's combat-heavy nature, situations were almost inevitable.
But when they arrived, they found things were far worse than anticipated.
Inside the barracks, multiple Shinigami lay unconscious on the beds, their breathing faint and shallow—clinging to life by a thread.
Many of them bore injuries too gruesome to describe. Some looked like they had been torn apart.
Blood had soaked straight through the white bedsheets, dyeing them deep red.
"Why did only two of you come?!"
A bald man's angry voice boomed across the room.
"Where's the rest of the Fourth Division?!"
"If anything happens to my men, don't think for a second you'll walk away!"
Isane's expression turned firm as she strode directly toward the most critically wounded patient.
Her hands glowed with a soft green light as spiritual pressure flowed outward, enveloping the injuries.
"Third Seat Madarame," she said firmly, "please watch your tone."
"We came here the moment we received the call. This is the fastest response you could possibly expect."
At this moment, Isane was composed, resolute, and unwavering.
"We'll do everything in our power to treat every injured person here."
"But if you continue speaking like that, I'll have no choice but to report this to Captain Unohana."
Before she could finish her sentence, Shimo stepped in and cut her off.
"No need to report to Unohana."
His gaze sharpened, faint traces of light flickering in his eyes.
"I'm the Liutenant here. That means—I'm in charge."
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