"Take care, Captains! Please come visit us again!"
Mirai had a warm smile on his face. He stood at the entrance of the Ninth Division and watched Retsu Unohana and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi walk away.
Then he turned around quickly. He walked back into the courtyard with fast steps.
He looked at Kensei Muguruma, who was still at the door. Mirai spoke in a loud voice.
"Captain! My dear Captain! What are you doing!"
He held out his hands. He started counting on his fingers to explain things to his Captain.
"Think about it. Our Ninth Division has so many daily tasks. We take care of the prison, organize papers, talk to new people, and move division members..."
"Which of these tasks can be done without me? If I leave, who will do the work of this hardworking 5th Seat?"
He stopped on purpose and spoke slowly.
"Will we depend on the Lieutenant?"
Kensei Muguruma's eyebrows and eyelids moved.
He did not understand why this person was so confident. Mirai called himself a "hard worker" while talking about "daily tasks."
Kensei admitted that he sometimes left the building because Mashiro Kuna asked him to.
But he was sure that he spent all his energy on division work, except for six hours of hard training every day!
Now he looked at this 5th Seat Mirai. Kensei thought about when Mirai first joined from the school.
He could not remember even one day where this person sat and worked from morning to night!
He was always hiding in his room to write, or leaving to drink. Sometimes he used strange excuses to miss work.
Not even for one day!
Kensei crossed his arms. He leaned back a little and looked at Mirai from the side.
His look told Mirai to keep lying.
Mirai saw this reaction and felt discouraged. He knew that talking about the importance of his work would not help.
His mind worked quickly. He immediately changed his plan. His voice became more honest.
"Captain, think again. I just gave 100,000 Kan to the division money. Exactly 100,000 Kan!"
He held up ten fingers and moved them to show the number.
"If I did not work hard every night writing books to earn money, would our warehouse have such good tea? Could we host two Captains properly today?"
The more he spoke, the more he believed it. His voice became louder.
"Look at our Lieutenant. She breaks things everywhere she goes. Every month, the cost to fix things is probably more than the medical bills for the whole 11th Division!"
"Who is working hard to pay for this? Is it not..."
"Adah!"
A loud shout happened. A fast white shadow attacked Mirai from the side and back suddenly!
A small foot in a white sock looked cute, but it hit Mirai's lower back very hard.
"Thud!" Mirai stopped talking. He stayed in the same position and flew through the air.
"Smack!" His face hit the wall of the yard. He slowly moved down and sat on the ground in a cloud of dust.
Mashiro Kuna put her hands on her hips. Her cheeks were full of air. Her lips were pouting. She looked at Mirai in the corner.
"Mirai! You were talking bad about me behind my back!"
Mirai stood up while making a pained face. He cleaned the dust off his clothes. His lower back felt numb and sore.
He turned and looked at Kensei Muguruma. He felt betrayed.
He thought that the Captain was not being fair. The Lieutenant was nearby and the Captain did not warn him.
Kensei looked away. He pretended to look at the trees in the yard.
Mirai rubbed his back and made another face. Then he turned to the angry Mashiro. His look changed quickly to a sad one.
"The Lieutenant is wrong! I did not mean that. I meant... the Captain wants to force me to go to the World of the Living! You have to save me!"
"The World of the Living?" Mashiro's focus changed. She tilted her head. "Is Mirai going to that boring place?"
"Yes!" Mirai nodded quickly. He looked even more unhappy.
"You do not know. I heard people at the tavern say that the World of the Living is in a time of war now. People are fighting every day."
"More people are dead than alive. There are bodies everywhere and blood is everywhere!"
He put his hand on his chest. He looked like he felt very bad.
"Lieutenant, you know I have been weak since I was a child. I cannot look at blood. When I see blood, I get dizzy and weak."
"If it is serious, I even pass out. Sending me to that place is like killing me!"
He put a hand on his head. His body shook like he might pass out.
"Eh? Does Mirai pass out at blood?" Mashiro was tricked. She moved her eyebrows and thought about it.
A few seconds later, she looked happy. "Wait for a second!"
She turned and ran to her room. Soon, she ran back while making sounds with a wooden box in her hands.
She opened the box and looked inside. She took out a pair of old, black, fingerless gloves.
"Here!" She pushed the gloves into Mirai's hands.
"This is equipment I used before. They are 'Super Strength Gloves'! If you wear them, you will feel full of energy and become super strong!"
"This way, you will not be afraid to go to the World of the Living!"
Mirai looked at the simple gloves. Then he looked at Mashiro's happy and serious face.
He was not sure, but he thought maybe they worked. He put the gloves on.
The size was correct. He tried to throw a punch. He felt the air move faster.
He felt more confident. He stepped back and looked at the thick wall. He shouted and hit it with a strong punch!
Thud! There was a dull sound. The wall did not move.
"Aaaaah!" A second later, Mirai let out a very loud and painful scream.
He pulled his hand back quickly. His whole right arm was shaking.
He knelt on the ground holding his fist. He almost cried because of the pain. He kept blowing on his hand.
"Lieutenant... this thing is a fake!" His voice sounded different because of the pain.
"It is not a fake!" Mashiro argued immediately. She threw a small punch to show him.
"When I wear these gloves, I can even break a mountain with one punch!" She looked very serious.
Kensei Muguruma finally could not watch anymore. He put his hand on his head and sighed.
"Mashiro, go back to your room first. I have some things to tell Mirai."
"Eh~?" Mashiro did not want to go. But she saw the Captain's serious face and pouted.
"Fine... Mirai, take care!" She waved at Mirai and ran back to her room.
After the Lieutenant's door closed, Kensei moved his hand. He looked at Mirai, who was still on the ground.
"Does it still hurt?" he asked slowly. Mirai nodded in a sad way.
Kensei looked at him. "Is it possible that Lieutenant Mashiro can break a mountain... even if she is not wearing those gloves?"
Mirai stopped rubbing his fist. He looked at his hand and then at the Captain's face.
Kensei's face looked like he thought Mirai was an idiot.
Mirai thought about the Lieutenant's very strong power. He breathed in deeply. It seemed that was true!
The gloves might help a little, but the real power came from the Lieutenant.
Mirai felt like a fool. He stayed on the ground.
He looked up at Kensei with a helpless look. He spoke in a long, sad voice. "Captain... You really want to send me to a dangerous place..."
Kensei did not care. "Do not say that to me. A man should go out and get experience."
"The World of the Living is messy, but you will be safe if you follow the 11th Division."
He looked at Mirai and his voice was firm. "It is decided. Give your work to others during the next two days and get ready."
"Captain, please think again. I really pass out when I see blood. I will be a problem for everyone. I..."
Mirai kept complaining and making excuses, but Kensei just turned his back and moved his hand to say goodbye.
Mirai's crying slowly stopped. Finally, he let out a long sigh because he lost the argument.
He stood up and looked at his hand. Then he looked at the gate of the courtyard.
It seemed that he could not avoid this trip to the World of the Living.