“No…” Makoto Senju parted his lips feebly, wanting to explain, but Risa Aoki seemed to have already constructed a completely self-consistent logic for her assumption.
She even reached out and gently pinched Makoto’s cheek, marveling, “Makoto-kun, no wonder you look so delicate and beautiful.
Your disguise is absolutely flawless—you really look like a handsome boy…” Pausing, Risa Aoki leaned a bit closer to Makoto.
Having completely written him off as a fellow girl, she continued, “No wonder when I saw you at the Mortuary, my heart skipped a beat for no reason.
I’ve never been interested in men, so when I realized that afterward, I was shocked.
But now it all makes sense.
It’s because Makoto-kun is actually a girl.” As she finished speaking, Risa patted her own budding chest with one hand while continuing to pinch Makoto’s cheek.
“Makoto, your skin is so smooth and soft.
Do you use milk for skincare?
Why don’t we discuss it tonight?” “???” Makoto Senju stared.
This…
made sense?
Catching the faint scent of lilies drifting from Risa Aoki, Makoto felt this didn’t make any damn sense at all.
No wonder she had behaved like such an absolute extrovert yesterday.
No wonder her face had flushed when he grabbed her wrist earlier.
It turned out this girl really had a hidden agenda.
For someone so young, how did she have such smooth, aggressive moves?
No…
wait!
Wasn’t the main point that he was being hit on?
He was a hundred percent pure man.
Looking a bit delicate was just to maintain an unassuming, harmless aura.
And what did that last sentence mean?
*Lilies…
don’t you dare bloom on my pristine green pastures!* Just as Makoto, slightly exasperated, was about to brush Risa Aoki’s hand away and scold her with righteous indignation, a familiar, gentle voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
However, that gentle tone, which normally felt like a warm spring breeze, suddenly plunged Makoto straight back into a freezing winter.
“Makoto, I didn’t expect that in the short time I was gone, you would already be getting along so affectionately with your colleague.
Well…
this way, I won’t have to worry about you being ostracized here in the gynecology department.” Retsu Unohana looked at Makoto Senju and Risa Aoki, who were leaning close to each other in an ambiguous posture.
Her gentle smile did not waver in the slightest as she added a warning, “However, this is the gynecology department after all.
Makoto, you should mind your behavior a little.
Otherwise, if you provoke a patient, they might just draw their blade.
You must always take the doctor-patient relationship seriously.” Yet, to Makoto’s ears, these earnest, gentle words were indistinguishable from a blatant threat.
When Retsu Unohana appeared, Risa Aoki froze for a moment.
Then, quickly snapping out of it, she hurriedly pulled away from Makoto, bowing respectfully with an embarrassed look.
Retsu Unohana nodded gently and asked with a bright smile, “You must be Fifth Seat Aoki’s daughter, right?
Your performance has been excellent.
Please keep up the hard work from now on.” “Yes, Captain!” Hearing this, Risa Aoki looked as though she had been injected with pure adrenaline.
Her eyes practically sparkled as she looked at Retsu Unohana—not just with pure admiration and respect, but also with a faint, hopeless glimmer of girls’ love.
Only now, having been subtly warned by Retsu Unohana, did Makoto notice the Soul Reaper standing beside the captain.
She possessed the aura of a mature, elegant woman.
More accurately, she was an attractive, mature, yet stern older woman who wore the armband of the Squad 4 Fifth Seat.
Her features bore a strong resemblance to Risa Aoki’s.
Fifth Seat Aoki also noticed Makoto’s presence, but her stern expression did not change at all.
Sweeping her gaze over him, she spoke on Risa’s behalf.
“The Captain praises her too highly.
Risa is still very immature.
She has only just barely finished her training at the Mortuary.” “Chiyoko, you mustn’t be too harsh on the children.
Proper recognition gives them more motivation to move forward.
Besides, Risa’s performance has been quite commendable.
She should be ready to treat patients directly here in the department, shouldn’t she?” Unohana asked.
“Yes, Captain,” Chiyoko Aoki replied meticulously.
Unohana nodded.
“Then let’s partner Makoto and Risa up.
At the same time, let’s induct Risa into the Fifth Relief Squad, which is directly under the gynecology department.
What do you think?” Hearing this, Chiyoko Aoki’s eyes flashed with surprise, and she quickly protested, “Captain, how can that be?
Risa’s abilities haven’t reached the level required to join a Relief Squad yet.” “It’s fine.
Giving juniors more opportunities is the best virtue of a senior.
Besides, Makoto’s emergency handling skills are excellent, making this the perfect chance for them to learn from each other.” By the end, Unohana’s tone grew slightly firmer, effectively settling the matter and leaving Chiyoko Aoki no room to object.
“Then…
I shall thank the Captain on Risa’s behalf,” Chiyoko Aoki said gratefully.
The Gotei 13 was by no means a loose, disorganized group.
On the contrary, its internal structure was rigorous, and its hierarchy was strictly enforced.
Except for a few true monsters, or geniuses who easily mastered Bankai, it was not easy for ordinary Soul Reapers to rise to high ranks within the Gotei 13.
Becoming a seated officer was often the loftiest dream an ordinary Soul Reaper could hope to achieve.
Unlike the other squads, Squad 4 did not appoint seated officers based purely on combat strength.
Furthermore, because specific Kaido and medical skills were difficult to evaluate and rank accurately, Squad 4 had its own traditions.
Aside from needing the Captain’s approval, Squad 4 seated officers were almost always selected from the members of the Relief Squad directly under their jurisdiction.
This served to show that the previous seated officer’s Kaido and medical skills had been thoroughly passed down to the next.
The departmental system was simply Squad 4’s daily administrative structure for managing medical duties throughout the Seireitei.
The true elite members of Squad 4 were selected to join the Relief Squads corresponding to each department, handling emergency medical dispatches.
Therefore, Retsu Unohana’s special permission for Risa Aoki to join the Fifth Relief Squad was undoubtedly the greatest reward and encouragement the Aoki family could receive.
Beyond that, it greatly relieved the heavy burden carried by Chiyoko Aoki.
Her family had produced Squad 4 seated officers and led a Relief Squad for generations to maintain their status as mid-level nobles.
Since her husband sacrificed his life decades ago, this was undoubtedly the best news Chiyoko Aoki had heard.
She believed that once the news of Captain Unohana specially permitting Risa to join the Relief Squad spread, the Aoki family’s somewhat precarious mid-level noble status would be completely secured.
With this in mind, as Chiyoko Aoki watched Retsu Unohana leave the department, the image of Makoto Senju surfaced in her mind, and she subconsciously felt a bit more warmly toward him.