Chapter 104: Aizen the Doraemon, Please Help Me!
"Hey hey, Sōjun?"
Satoru Flash Stepped to Sōjun's side, his face filled with shock.
He extended his hand, using the rudimentary Healing Kaidō he had synchronized from Aizen.
A green glow emanated from his palm, enveloping Sōjun's body.
At the same time, he raised his Spiritual Pressure, preparing to call for help.
"Cough, Satoru, no need to call anyone."
Feeling the sudden surge in Satoru's Spiritual Pressure, Sōjun quickly reached out and tugged his sleeve.
Under Satoru's puzzled gaze, he smiled bitterly. "This condition of mine has always been there. It's nothing serious."
As he sat up, he explained his situation.
After hearing Sōjun's words, Satoru's expression turned to realization.
Since childhood, Sōjun had been frail and sickly.
If his training intensity was even slightly high, his body couldn't handle it—coughing up blood and fevers were minor issues; in severe cases, he would even fall into prolonged unconsciousness.
To prevent worse outcomes, Ginrei had always restricted his training methods.
Any training that placed excessive strain on his body was forbidden.
Satoru recalled that during their six months at the Shin'ō Academy, Sōjun had indeed rarely engaged in physical training.
During every Hakuda class, Sōjun would merely go through the motions before retreating to rest.
At the time, he thought it was just the Kuchiki family's rule—only learning elegant techniques and not engaging in reckless brawls.
Who would have thought, in the end, it was for this reason...
I wonder if the Hell Springs can cure congenital deficiencies.
If the Hell Springs don't work, there's always Kisuke.
Given Kisuke Urahara's genius, curing someone shouldn't be too difficult, right?
And even if, by some stretch, Kisuke couldn't find a solution…
A translucent crystalline orb suddenly surfaced in Satoru's mind.
The next second, he quickly shook his head, tossing the thought away.
The Hōgyoku was just too eerie.
It was just a tool, yet it had a will of its own.
Only someone with Aizen's grand vision and nerves of steel would dare use something like that to seek a breakthrough.
He certainly wouldn't pin his hopes on such a thing!
Snapping back to reality, he looked at Sōjun.
"Young Master Kuchiki, I think your old man is right."
"If you're not suited for combat, then just don't fight, simple as that."
"Take me, for example—I can never focus on reading, so I just don't read!"
Sōjun couldn't help but laugh. "Don't give up on yourself like that. You still have to study!"
Then, he shook his head. "But I can't back down. I'm the Kuchiki family's only legitimate heir. No matter what, I must grow stronger—to ease my father's burdens and bring honor to our family!"
Satoru scratched his head.
Then, his eyes lit up.
"I've got an idea."
Under Sōjun's gaze, he raised a finger.
"Young Master Kuchiki, the reason you have to push yourself so hard is because you're the heir, and no one can replace you."
"In that case, if you hurry up and have a kid now, won't the Kuchiki family have a legitimate grandson?"
"Perfect timing, too—isn't that girl from the backhouse about to marry you? Put in the effort, make sure she's pregnant this year and gives birth next year!"
"From what I can see, the old man's still in good health. Before he passes, your son will have plenty of time to grow up."
"Then, the old man can just pass the family headship straight to your son, and you're off the hook! Easy, right?"
At first, Sōjun was speechless, thinking the idea was utterly ridiculous.
But the more he thought about it, the more surprised his expression became.
...Now that he considered it, Satoru's suggestion was actually a pretty solid plan.
"But what if the child I have turns out to be useless like me?"
Sōjun wore a worried expression. "What then?"
Satoru grinned. "No need to worry about that. I'll bet one of the Captain-Commander's arms on it—your son will absolutely be a genius!"
Sōjun: "?"
His own son—he wasn't even confident about him, so where did Satoru get such unwavering faith?
The most absurd part was that when this guy said it, his face was full of certainty, as if he had already witnessed it firsthand.
Watching Satoru's expression, Sōjun couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
What a strange fellow.
If only he could have half—no, even a tenth—of Satoru's confidence…
Just as Satoru was about to say something more, a voice suddenly boomed into his ears—
"Satoru! You idiot!! Are you planning to spend all day in the bathroom?!"
Hearing Yoruichi's shout, Satoru snapped back to reality.
Damn, he had excused himself to the bathroom, but that must have been half an hour ago.
He glanced in the direction of Yoruichi's voice.
That crazy girl had actually amplified her voice with spiritual pressure, broadcasting it throughout the entire Kuchiki estate.
For a socially anxious person like him, this was downright mortifying.
Sōjun smiled.
"That must be the head of the Shihōin family. It seems you two are quite close."
"Yeah, in every sense of the word."
Satoru nodded.
"Alright, my slacking's been exposed. I'd better hurry back."
"I'll keep an eye out for treatment options in the meantime. You take care not to overwork yourself!"
"Eat properly, sleep well!"
"Oh, and seriously consider what I said about your kid! Trust me, my future nephew is absolutely a prodigy!"
Listening to Satoru's stream of reminders, Sōjun nodded patiently, unfazed.
...
...
After leaving the Kuchiki estate, Satoru rubbed his stomach and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
"Ah, that hit the spot… As expected of the Kuchiki family. The food's practically endless—I should drop by more often when I'm free."
Hearing this, Yoruichi pouted.
"If it's good food you want, the Shihōin household has plenty too. Come by tomorrow, and I'll show you what a real feast looks like!"
Satoru's eyes lit up.
The two reached a fork in the road and went their separate ways.
Yoruichi needed to report the day's events to the clan elders and discuss how to respond.
Meanwhile, Satoru hurried toward the 1st Division.
Just as he was nearing his destination, he suddenly stopped in surprise.
Standing before a large notice board was Aizen, deep in thought.
"Sōsuke?"
Satoru sidled up to him.
Hearing his voice, Aizen turned to look.
Before Satoru could ask anything, Aizen pointed at the notice ahead.
"Recruitment slogans for each division. I came to take a look."
Satoru glanced up at the board.
Noticing the date, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Turns out, their early graduation timing was quite fortuitous.
For sixth-year students, the final half-year of studies involved internships in various divisions.
Both he and Aizen would be able to join this wave of "new recruits."
In a way, this saved them a lot of trouble.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, Satoru reached out and tugged at Aizen's sleeve—
"Sōsuke-Doraemon, help me out!!"
Aizen: "..."