As the schoolyard's gazes relentlessly converged upon Genji Takamitsu, he knew he couldn't delay any longer.
After all, an invitation extended by the captain himself was a major event for anyone! The invitee would inevitably become the focus of everyone's attention.
While Genji Takamitsu himself was uncertain about entering the Fourth Division, he seemed to have no other options at this point!
"Hopefully, today's commotion won't attract the attention of Sōsuke Aizen…" Genji Takamitsu muttered to himself.
Then, feigning shyness, Genji Takamitsu scratched the back of his head and said, "Hehehe... Thank you, Captain Ukitake, for thinking so highly of me! Well, I shall respectfully accept your invitation!"
Hearing Genji Takamitsu's response, a smile even brighter than before bloomed on Ukitake Rukia's face.
"Then, Genji-kun, come with me back to the Fourth Division! I'll leave the rest of the graduation procedures to you, Kiyonobu!"
"Yes!" Yamada Kiyonobu replied, bowing respectfully.
And thus, Genji Takamitsu was led by Ukitake Rukia into the Fourth Division.
"Captain! Why did you return so early? And who is this?" A mature woman wearing a lieutenant's sleeve badge inquired at the entrance to the Fourth Division.
Upon hearing the woman's question, Ukitake Rukia smiled and said, "Ah, haha… It's because I found a remarkable talent! So, I couldn't wait to bring him to our Fourth Division! Aogiri!"
The woman named "Aogiri" immediately shifted her gaze towards the individual in the True Soul Society Academy student uniform behind Ukitake Rukia.
"Hello! I'm Aogiri Aogiri, the Third Seat of the Fourth Division. Nice to meet you!"
Genji Takamitsu bowed and respectfully said, "Hello! I'm Genji Takamitsu, newly joined the Fourth Division. Nice to meet you!"
"Ah, haha…" Ukitake Rukia chuckled, "Since Aogiri and Takamitsu-kun have met, I'll leave Takamitsu-kun in Aogiri's care!"
"Understood! Captain!"
Then, Aogiri Aogiri respectfully asked, "So, Genji-kun's work arrangements…?"
Ukitake Rukia contemplated for a moment, then smirked mischievously, "How about starting from the fourth floor?"
Before Aogiri Aogiri and Genji Takamitsu could voice their bewilderment, Ukitake Rukia vanished in front of them.
Seeing Ukitake Rukia depart, Genji Takamitsu could only turn to Aogiri Aogiri and ask, "Aogiri Third Seat! I wonder what this so-called fourth floor is...?"
Aogiri Aogiri hesitated for a moment, then said with a stoic expression, "Follow me! Once we reach the fourth floor, I'll explain it to you!"
However, recalling Ukitake Rukia's mischievous smile before her departure, Genji Takamitsu hesitated, wondering for a moment if he had made the wrong choice!
"Follow me!"
Hearing Aogiri Aogiri's mature and sensual voice, Genji Takamitsu shook his head, urging himself not to think too much, before following her.
Genji Takamitsu followed Aogiri Aogiri, Third Seat, through the treatment room, then entered a descending staircase through a back door.
"From here on, this is the Fourth Division's second floor! Its primary function is to accommodate injured patients deemed enemies by the Soul Society, and it also serves as a confinement area."
Genji Takamitsu remained expressionless, saying nothing as he followed Aogiri Aogiri, Third Seat, while listening to her.
"The third floor is for treating special patients, such as experimental subjects who might lose control at any moment…"
After rounding a corner with Aogiri Aogiri, Third Seat, their footsteps came to a halt.
Only to hear Aogiri Aogiri, Third Seat, say, "Behind this door is the Fourth Division's fourth floor! The first room you enter after passing through this door will be your living quarters and workshop. Your daily work will be to constantly monitor their spirit particle dissipation, and then push them into the furnace!"
Recalling Aogiri Aogiri's words, Genji Takamitsu entered the door.
Aogiri Aogiri had already returned to the treatment room on the first floor.
Upon entering this place, Genji Takamitsu realized that the so-called Fourth Division's fourth floor was actually a "morgue"!
At this moment, he understood why he had felt a flicker of unease after witnessing Ukitake Rukia's mischievous smile.
"But… it doesn't make sense. Normally, when a Shinigami dies, their body transforms into spirit particles and returns to the Soul Society's earth. In other words, there should be no need for a morgue in the Soul Society… Could it be that the spirit pressure of these corpses is all above Third-Rank Spirit Pressure?"
After pondering for a while, Genji Takamitsu had no thoughts, so he disregarded the corpses lying there and went back to his supposed room and workshop.
The room was divided into two sections: the front room and the back room!
The front room was the workshop, and the back room was the bedroom.
After a brief rest in the back room bedroom, Genji Takamitsu went to the front room to examine the recent work records.
After flipping through a few pages of work reports, Genji Takamitsu finally understood what the work here was about.
First, it was important to realize that the so-called fourth floor of the Fourth Division was a "morgue"!
And the Shinigami assigned here was essentially a guardian of corpses.
Likewise, the work here was simple: examine the spirit particle dissipation of each corpse and, once the spirit particles of a corpse were completely dissipated, push that corpse into the furnace to be burned.
Upon seeing this, Genji Takamitsu seemed to understand why such work existed in the depths of the lower floors of the Fourth Division.
Firstly, in the Soul Society of ancient times, the nobility often divided spirit pressure levels into ten to one-rank spirit pressure.
And starting from Third-Rank Spirit Pressure, which was roughly the level of a Fourth-Seat Lieutenant or higher, the spirit pressure within the bodies of Shinigami after death could not return to the earth!
Therefore, placing corpses in this special barrier was essentially about accelerating the dissipation of a Shinigami corpse's spirit pressure.
"Really… What was Ukitake Rukia thinking? Why would she assign someone she considers a talent to such a place?"
Genji Takamitsu couldn't figure out what Ukitake Rukia's purpose was for him.
However, if Ukitake Rukia were here, she would most likely say, "Ah, haha… This is just a punishment for you not being honest!"
Then, in the ensuing time, Genji Takamitsu, bored and listless, started patrolling the barrier.
However, not long after entering the barrier, Genji Takamitsu suddenly discovered something!
"This is…"
Genji Takamitsu crouched down and used his finger to touch the dust-like substance on the ground.
Suddenly, Genji Takamitsu's expression tightened, and he whispered, "This is… similar to the sand from Hueco Mundo… but definitely not the same sand! This must be the residue left behind after a Hollow dies!!"
Genji Takamitsu stood up cautiously, gripping the Zanpaku-tō at his waist, and looked around.
After enduring ten minutes in this high-pressure atmosphere, Genji Takamitsu slowly retreated from the barrier's range and returned to his room.
"Whew…"
Genji Takamitsu only breathed a sigh of relief after returning to his room.
"Why?! … Why is this here?!"
Based on everything Genji Takamitsu had seen on the fourth floor, it could only mean that this was simply a morgue.
After calming his emotions, Genji Takamitsu began to ponder some of the secrets of the Soul Society that were recorded in the Genji family.
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