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The next day at noon.
Ishikawa suddenly opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room.
"Hiss—"
He rubbed his head, aching from a long-lost hangover—a feeling Ishikawa hadn't experienced in a while.
However…
"Where is this?"
Ishikawa's eyes flashed with confusion as he looked at the dormitory-like room around him, subconsciously trying to recall what had happened yesterday.
Immediately, Ishikawa's expression darkened, and he checked his physical condition at once.
He breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming his clothes were intact and he wasn't injured.
Ishikawa still remembered drinking with Matsumoto Rangiku, but after about half the bottle, his memory became blurry.
Vaguely, Ishikawa suddenly recalled a conversation.
("Just kidding. Do you believe I can get the Central 46 to drop his charges once he's apprehended?")
Slap!
The words that surfaced in his mind made Ishikawa involuntarily slap himself…
Drinking really messes things up; he actually made such a promise!
Fortunately, Matsumoto Rangiku didn't take it to heart at the time, dismissing it as drunken rambling.
But, who ended up getting drunk first?
At this thought, Ishikawa couldn't help but glance at the system interface. When he saw his current experience points, a look of joy appeared on his face, only to be replaced by worry.
Current Experience: 175944
Seeing the sudden surge in experience, Ishikawa immediately opened the favorability interface.
He saw…
[Matsumoto Rangiku Favorability +1… ]
[Matsumoto Rangiku Favorability +1, gained 5120 experience points, current favorability: 60]
[Kotetsu Isane Favorability +1, gained 51200 experience points, current love value: 61]
[Kotetsu Isane Favorability +1, gained 51200 experience points, current love value: 62]
The preceding system notifications were fine, but the last two lines made Ishikawa's face change drastically. His first reaction was to inspect the room he was in.
His expression only improved slightly after confirming it was a single dormitory with no signs of female occupancy, but it was still only a slight improvement…
What exactly did he do last night?
Ishikawa hesitated for a moment, then activated his investigative senses, confirming his location, which extinguished his last shred of hope.
Because this was precisely…
The Fourth Division Barracks!
Although he had never lived there, the Floral Arrangement Society hosted by Captain Unohana had always been held within the Fourth Division Barracks, so Ishikawa was not unfamiliar with the Fourth Division.
Ishikawa continuously tried to recall what happened after he got drunk, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember anything from last night.
If he had, like last time, gotten drunk and gone to fight Zaraki, he would definitely not have no impression of it.
Therefore, it seemed he hadn't 'acted drunk' by challenging Captain Unohana!
But what about Kotetsu Isane?
He couldn't have possibly gone to challenge Isane, could he?
Besides…
Even if he had fought with Kotetsu Isane, she wouldn't have felt pleasure like Unohana Retsu; her favorability towards him would have plummeted, not broken through the limit to become 2 points of love value.
Although after discovering that love value wasn't as terrifying as he imagined, Ishikawa had considered slightly increasing the favorability of those who had already reached the limit.
Preferably to maintain it around 65 points.
So, when Ishikawa interacted with Kotetsu Isane, the female Vice-Captain whose favorability towards him had reached 60 points the earliest, he always had ulterior motives, hoping to raise her favorability to 65.
Of course…
These ulterior motives referred only to experience points.
Moreover, based on Ishikawa's long-standing 'experience' in Rukongai and the Commercial Street, 65 points of favorability merely meant that the person was considered somewhat decent, barely acceptable for a lifelong partnership.
But, with a few exceptions, there was generally no desperate clinging or an 'only Ishikawa' situation…
Instead, most people at 65 points would proactively distance themselves from Ishikawa, no longer acting like intimate friends without inhibition.
Furthermore, it was very easy to revert the love value back to 60 points of pure friendship, and it would be difficult to raise it again.
Therefore, Ishikawa had always wanted Isane's favorability towards him to break through 60 points.
However…
The idea was beautiful, but its execution was incredibly difficult.
He had tried many methods, whether it was discussing Kaido with Isane, working diligently, or spending leisure time with Isane arranging flowers, or chatting at gatherings… In short, no matter what method he used, their interactions always progressed rapidly in the direction of confidant and close friend.
The same was true for Ishikawa.
Not the slightest hint of romantic feelings had emerged.
So…
He must have done something yesterday.
At this thought, Ishikawa straightened the wrinkles on his clothes and stood up, walking to the dormitory door.
But as he tried to push the door open and step out, a look of struggle appeared on his face.
Without knowing what he had done yesterday, Ishikawa was even a little afraid to open the door, even wanting to use 'Kyōka Suigetsu' to conceal his figure and secretly leave the Fourth Division Barracks.
Speaking of which…
What was Kanon doing?
Ishikawa stood by the door, his expression fluctuating between uncertainty and gloom.
Before drinking with Matsumoto Rangiku yesterday, he had specifically gone to the Everything Store to instruct Kanon to inform Ōmaeda at the Onmitsukidō, asking Ōmaeda to have the Patrol Corps keep a closer eye on him, to prevent him from causing any trouble after getting drunk.
Preferably, after he got drunk, they should directly send him to the Maggot's Nest… or other cells in the Second Division.
The result…
He woke up and found himself in the Fourth Division!
Go out?
Or escape?
Ishikawa's eyes were filled with struggle, and finally, he gritted his teeth fiercely.
Go out!
He hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, Ishikawa had extremely high control over his body; if there had been any changes, he would have discovered them during his previous check.
Based on this alone, Ishikawa didn't need to worry about anything.
At least he hadn't made any fundamental mistakes.
Creak—
As the dormitory door was pushed open, the midday sun made Ishikawa squint involuntarily.
The familiar courtyard confirmed Ishikawa's location.
This should be the male dormitory of the Fourth Division.
Although the Fourth Division Barracks were not as luxurious as the Second Division's, they were still divided into two areas, left and right, by a long corridor leading to the Comprehensive Relief Station.
The left side was the male area, the right side was the female area, and the middle was the shared office area for both, as well as the hallway leading directly to the Comprehensive Relief Station courtyard.
"Mr. Ishikawa, you're awake?"
A familiar voice came, and looking up, Ishikawa saw Hanatarō holding a broom, cleaning the courtyard. Upon seeing Ishikawa come out, he immediately walked over.
His words also caused everyone else in the courtyard to gather around.
"Mr. Ishikawa, you're truly amazing."
"Hahaha, it's rare to see the usually gentle Mr. Ishikawa drunk."
"More than rare. I've been in the Fourth Division for almost ten years, and I've never even seen Mr. Ishikawa drink, let alone get drunk."
"…"
In a flash, the male Squad Members of the Fourth Division who were not on duty today all swarmed towards him.
Their gazes towards Ishikawa were filled with admiration.
This scene made Ishikawa's heart skip a beat, and he managed to force out a stiff smile:
"Um… I… uh… why am I here? Yesterday, I had…"
Even though Ishikawa kept telling himself to stay calm, he still couldn't help but stammer, because the way these people looked at him made Ishikawa feel a strange sense of unease.
"You don't remember?"
"Yesterday, you caused quite a stir."
"Later, it was Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane who brought you here."
"…"
Everyone's words, one after another, made Ishikawa's face grow paler.
"Don't worry."
Ogido Harunobu teased, "Nothing like what you're imagining happened. Otherwise, Mr. Ishikawa, you wouldn't have been sent to the male dormitory."
Ishikawa was startled by this, and subconsciously looked at Ogido Harunobu.
"I don't know the exact situation very well either."
Ogido Harunobu didn't keep him in suspense as usual, but said directly, "It is said that late last night… around three in the morning, you suddenly burst into the female area of the Fourth Division Barracks… Hmm, you didn't sneak in; you immediately released your powerful Reiatsu as soon as you arrived."
"At that time, not only the Fourth Division, but the entire Seireitei felt your Reiatsu, which led to other Squads constantly coming to inquire what happened at the Fourth Division. However, those are later matters. At that time, Mr. Ishikawa, you entered the female dormitory and went directly towards the Captain's and Vice-Captain's residences."
"… " Ishikawa.
Hearing this, Ishikawa already had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
Because using Reiatsu to oppress someone was usually an intentional provocation, and could also be seen as a signal for a challenge.
Did he end up challenging Captain Unohana after all?
But if that were the case, why would he be lying here safe and sound, instead of in the intensive care unit?
Could it be that he won?
Although Ishikawa no longer needed to fear most Captains, there was still a significant gap between him and Unohana Retsu and Commander Yamamoto. Not to mention those two, even with Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake, Ishikawa still had a slight gap with them.
"It's just as you thought."
Ogido Harunobu chuckled, "According to the female Squad Members, when you arrived outside the Captain's dormitory, you directly asked Captain Unohana for guidance… not in Kaido, but in swordsmanship, saying you hoped to experience Captain Unohana's swordsmanship."
Seeing Ishikawa's twitching eye, Ogido Harunobu continued, "You don't have to worry. Captain Unohana, and the other Captains, all went to the First Division for a meeting last night. It's said to discuss matters related to the Human World, and they haven't returned yet…"
Hearing this, Ishikawa finally let out a long sigh of relief.
No wonder~
He was able to lie there safely!
"It is said that after the female Squad Members explained the situation, they wanted to pull you to rest in the female dormitory for the night."
But Ogido Harunobu's next sentence made Ishikawa's relaxed heart tighten again.
Seeing Ishikawa's reaction, Ogido Harunobu's face immediately showed a mischievous smile, and he burst into laughter: "Don't worry, at that time, you were single-mindedly determined to challenge Captain Unohana. No matter who tried to persuade you to rest, you just stood straight in front of the Captain's dormitory."
"… " Ishikawa.
Can't you just finish your story at once?
"What happened then?"
"What else could happen?"
Ogido Harunobu laughed: "The Captain went to a meeting, so you couldn't find anyone to challenge. After Vice-Captain Kotetsu Isane was startled awake by you, she finally managed to persuade you to come back, and then helped you, completely limp after losing your will to fight, back to the male dormitory… Oh, by the way, Mr. Ishikawa, I was the one who brought you to the dormitory."
"You didn't see the scene yesterday, those female Squad Members, their eyes were full of fierce glares at me, scaring me so much I almost sent you back to the female Squad Barracks."
"…"
"Later, you must treat me to a meal, okay? To save you, I risked being beaten up."
Ignoring Ogido Harunobu's teasing, Ishikawa frowned.
That simple?
Then why did Kotetsu Isane's favorability increase?
From Ogido Harunobu's words, he hadn't done anything out of line.
As for being helped…
To be honest… this kind of contact would only matter to him. Ishikawa later realized that Kotetsu Isane didn't care about such contact at all, just like Rangiku; getting drunk and having arms around shoulders was common… although most of the time, it was wrapping an arm around the other person's neck and force-feeding them alcohol.
Although he hadn't tried it, Ishikawa felt that…
Even if he ran up and hugged Kotetsu Isane, she would probably think he was feeling unwell somewhere and would forcibly drag him for an examination.
Moreover, most importantly…
There were practically no secrets about his entire body to Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane.
Because every time he was severely wounded to the brink of death, it was Unohana Retsu and Kotetsu Isane who treated Ishikawa together.
And after Captain Unohana's treatment ended, it was always Kotetsu Isane who bandaged him and changed him into a patient gown.
Ever since he learned this, Ishikawa had already realized…
Not to mention just some physical contact, even if he ran naked in front of Kotetsu Isane, she would probably remain calm, observe carefully, and thoroughly check if Ishikawa was injured.
Because, at that time, Ishikawa was merely a patient in her eyes; she wouldn't blush or feel embarrassed because of it. She would only think that Ishikawa's mind might have a problem and urgently needed examination and treatment.
So, being helped like that could not possibly change Kotetsu Isane's perception of him.
"Is that all it was?"
Ishikawa looked confused, muttering, "Then what's with Isane?"
"Oh?"
Ogido Harunobu's eyes immediately lit up, his usually relaxed expression becoming intrigued.
"Mr. Ishikawa, what did you say?"
Ogido Harunobu immediately leaned towards Ishikawa, his eyes sparkling with gossip: "Is there something else we don't know about?"
"Uh, no…"
Seeing Ogido Harunobu's expression, Ishikawa quickly explained, "I was just a little curious why Vice-Captain Kotetsu didn't just send me directly to the Comprehensive Relief Station to rest. After all, me, an outsider, staying in the Fourth Division Barracks, doesn't conform to the Gotei 13's rules."
This Ogido Harunobu, although he seemed straightforward and very refined, was essentially a prankster who particularly enjoyed playing tricks on others.
As the Vice-Leader of the First Relief Squad, he often teased his superior, the Leader of the First Relief Squad, Fourth Division Third Seat Iemura Yasochika.
Ishikawa didn't want him to catch anything on him…
"You are not an outsider."
Ogido Harunobu replied seriously, then smiled: "And have you forgotten? The Human World invasion caused the Eleventh Division to be almost completely wiped out. Although more than a week has passed, there are still many Eleventh Division Squad Members hospitalized in the Comprehensive Relief Station. There are no empty rooms there at all."
"I see."
Ishikawa nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter.
Although he didn't know what was going on, it was greatly beneficial to him.
Anyway, from Ogido Harunobu's words, he hadn't done anything out of line, and it was only 62 points; it wouldn't be difficult to lower it.
With his mood relaxed, Ishikawa looked at the experience points on the system interface, and a look of joy finally appeared on his face.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr