Chapter 106: The 2nd Division's Paradise
Lately, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi had been very busy.
By order of the Captain-Commander, he had joined the Special Operations Unit assembled by Satoru.
After joining, he had essentially become an errand runner.
Every day, Satoru would send him to Rukongai to buy all sorts of strange things.
One day it might be snacks, the next day clothes, and the day after that, rice, flour, oil, or salt.
These past couple of days, however, Satoru had developed an obsession with tea.
In just two days, under Satoru's orders, he and Kensei Muguruma had scoured every major tea shop in both Seireitei and Rukongai, purchasing who-knows-how-many varieties from who-knows-how-many stores.
Sometimes, for the exact same type of tea, they had to buy different quantities from different shops, then go back and repurchase in multiple batches.
If this were some modern-day story, he might have even suspected Satoru of preparing some bizarre ritual to summon a tea god of chaos.
"Idiot. That bastard Satoru is obviously just messing with us."
Kensei walked with his hands behind his head, lazily voicing his thoughts.
Rōjūrō raised an eyebrow. "Now, now, Kensei. That's not quite right."
"Satoru was personally appointed as unit commander by the Captain-Commander himself, and he holds Class-A authority!"
"The Captain-Commander would never joke about something as serious as Class-A authority."
"Commander Satoru must have a deeper meaning behind all these tasks he's assigned me!"
Kensei: "..."
Though he still believed this was just Satoru fooling around, he had to admit Rōjūrō made a fair point.
Seeing Kensei fall silent, Rōjūrō hummed a cheerful tune and headed toward the Second Division barracks with a pleased smile.
Satoru's temporary command center was set up in the Second Division quarters—an arrangement Rōjūrō had no complaints about.
If he weren't working under Satoru, he'd be stuck listening to Granny Iba's lectures, enduring her harsh guidance on captain duties. Compared to that, running errands for Satoru was far more enjoyable.
"Commander Satoru! We've arrived!" Rōjūrō announced at the doorway.
"Hmm... Captain Ōtoribashi? Wait, don't open the door yet!" Satoru's voice came from inside.
Something about his tone struck both men as odd.
"Hey, idiot, that's my—"
A woman's voice abruptly cut through the room.
Rōjūrō didn't recognize it, but Kensei—having served as vice-captain before—had heard it a few times. His eyes widened.
Yoruichi Shihōin? Commander of the Onmitsukidō?
What the hell were those two doing in there?
From the sound of it... were they hastily dressing?
Kensei was stunned.
Scuffling noises suggested chaos inside.
"Forget it, I'm not wearing this! Everything's tangled!"
"Whose fault is that? You had to strip right next to me! It's just a pile of fabric scraps now..."
Ōtoribashi: "..."
Muguruma: "..."
They exchanged horrified glances.
This was bad. Really bad.
Maybe they should just leave?
As they debated fleeing, Satoru's voice called out again:
"Ahem. Captains, come in!"
Both men's pupils trembled.
Who in their right mind would enter?
After a few seconds of silence, Satoru repeated the invitation.
Gritting his teeth, Kensei slid the door open.
Inside, Satoru sat at a desk, cradling a black kitten. Behind him stood Suì-Fēng, massaging his shoulders with visible disgust.
The dark aura radiating from her made them wonder if she was plotting to strangle Satoru given half a chance.
Their sharp eyes immediately noticed Satoru's hastily donned shihakushō, its disarray betraying a rushed dressing.
A terrifying realization dawned:
Satoru, Yoruichi, and that girl—what unholy activities had transpired here?
Yoruichi's absence suggested she'd hidden somewhere, possibly beneath the desk, unable to dress in time...
The thought nearly brought them to tears.
If they accidentally saw something they shouldn't, the crime of insulting nobility could send them straight to the Sōkyoku.
Steeling themselves, Rōjūrō ignored Suì-Fēng and adopted a professional tone.
"Commander Satoru, what are my orders for today?"
Satoru stroked his chin thoughtfully.
After a few seconds of thought, he spoke up: "Go to the North Rukongai, District 7, and buy some tea for me."
"Hmm... Get it from Ito-ya, their finest tea. A hundred catties of it!"
"Huh?!"
Hearing Satoru's words, Rōjūrō couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.
Ito-ya was the finest tea shop in the Soul Society.
Their tea was already more expensive than other shops to begin with.
Their best tea was a rare treasure sold by the mace—how could there possibly be a hundred catties available?
His eye twitched as he said, "Um, Commander Satoru, is this some kind of joke?"
"Who's joking with you?" Satoru rolled his eyes. "A hundred catties means a hundred catties!"
"If the money isn't enough, go ask the Ōmaeda family for it."
"Remember, it must be in stock—no backorders accepted."
"If they can't produce it on the spot, make them transfer stock from other stores immediately!"
"If they can't gather it by today, flex your captain's authority and shut their shop down!"
Seeing how serious Satoru was, Rōjūrō froze in place, momentarily at a loss for words.
Since childhood, he had always been a rather timid and introverted person.
Forcing others through authority was something he found difficult to do.
Noticing his troubled expression, Kensei clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He reached out, placed a hand on Rōjūrō's shoulder, and pulled him behind himself.
"Commander Satoru, let me handle this one instead. I guarantee the mission will be completed!"
"Oh, sure, whatever."
Satoru waved his hand dismissively, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes lazily.
With Suì-Fēng continuing to massage his back from behind, Satoru wore the unmistakable, despicable expression of a tyrannical landlord.
Kensei shook his head with a mix of amusement and exasperation before turning to leave.
Once he was gone, Satoru turned his gaze to Rōjūrō.
"Captain Ōtoribashi, how are the preparations coming along for the soldiers—ahem, the squad members—you and Captain Muguruma have been organizing during this time?"
Ōtoribashi nodded. "Rest assured, as per your instructions, three hundred squad members have been assembled. Here is the roster."
As he spoke, he pulled out a thread-bound book from his robes.
A member of the Onmitsukidō flashed into existence, took the book, and used Shunpo to appear beside Satoru, handing it over.
Satoru accepted it, flipped through it casually, then nodded.
"Good. Now, return immediately and have them all change into civilian clothes. Divide them into four groups and station them in ambush across the four main districts of Rukongai!"