Capítulo 2: Chapter 2: “Need a Nanny?”
Of course, not every member of the Gotei 13 is open to graduation candidates choosing freely.
Among them, some special divisions, such as:
The First Division, as the command division, will not typically extend invitations to graduates unless they are exceptionally talented and have been scouted ahead of time.
The Second Division, known as the "Stealth Force," is also a personal stronghold of one of the Four Noble Families, the Shihōin family. They have their own training system for reserve members and rarely recruit regular graduates.
The Sixth Division, the "Noble Leadership Division," operates on the principle of nobles leading nobles. Even if they do open up to the Shin'o Academy graduates, only those from noble backgrounds are considered. Ordinary graduates from the Rukongai are unlikely to have a chance unless they have special connections.
Apart from these, each division will recruit based on their current vacancies.
Among them, the Eleventh Division, being a combat-heavy unit with a high casualty rate, always has significant vacancies. As for the Thirteenth Division, which is responsible for purifying the real world, they require a large number of graduates each year to fill the vacancies of Shinigami stationed in the human world.
Thus, the representatives present at this gathering are from the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Divisions.
"Alright, now that the representatives of each division have spoken, it's time for the graduates to select a division. Following that, each representative will assess your eligibility for joining their squad."
"If you don't meet the qualifications, you can consider applying to join the Kido Corps, the Onmitsukidō, or become retainers to one of the noble families…"
With the announcement from the former Headmaster of the Shinigami Academy, the graduates in the arena began to disperse, heading toward the division representatives they had in mind.
Senju Makoto, who had already made his choice in his heart, took a deep breath and prepared to step forward when, suddenly, he felt someone grab his wrist.
Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of a shiny bald head appearing right in front of him.
"Senju, join the Eleventh Division with me!"
Ikkaku Madarame, dressed in the Shinigami Academy uniform, had a look of excitement on his face as he eagerly spoke to Makoto.
Makoto froze. He had purposely tried to avoid Ikkaku, but somehow, this bald-headed guy had caught him anyway.
"I'm not good at fighting. I won't meet Captain Zaraki's assessment requirements," Makoto helplessly repeated to Ikkaku.
"Don't worry!"
Ikkaku patted his chest confidently and assured Makoto.
"Captain Zaraki is an old buddy of mine and Ayasegawa from the Rukongai. He'll definitely give me some face."
"Right…"
Before Ikkaku finished speaking, another man—someone who looked like a flashy pretty boy—stepped forward, blocking Makoto's path. He flicked his bangs and said:
"Senju, your attempt to sneak off like this isn't very glamorous. Just come with Ikkaku and me to the Eleventh Division. We'll do it like we used to—Ikkaku and I will be in the front lines fighting, and you'll be behind us healing. It'll be a perfect, glorious combination."
Senju Makoto's eyes twitched involuntarily, and he couldn't help but regret the time he had used the word "nurse" to coax Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa into stepping forward on his behalf in order to avoid a fight.
Now, with graduation fast approaching and a bright future ahead, how could Senju Makoto ever choose to "nurse" with a bald man and a pretty boy?
Besides, the only woman in the entire Eleventh Division who looked even remotely tough was Yachiru Kusajishi. Even if Senju Makoto lost his mind, he would never choose to join the Eleventh Division.
Were all the other female Shinigami in Soul Society already dead?
"Heh..."
Senju Makoto forced a smile, inwardly trying to free himself from Ikkaku's tight grip. But to his surprise, Ikkaku's hold was stronger than ever, his muscular arm giving off an undeniable aura of strength as it twitched.
Sensing Senju Makoto's desire to break free, both Ikkaku and Yumichika Ayasegawa drew even closer, cornering him with a front-and-back maneuver, not allowing him a single chance to escape.
In that moment, amidst the gradually splitting crowd in the venue, the sight of Senju Makoto trapped between two men was nothing short of awkward.
For a moment, Senju Makoto felt a strange numbness from the sudden onslaught.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing? I'm not cut out for fighting! If I join the Eleventh Division and have to fight all the time, I'll probably be dead in no time..."
He paused, his expression showing resignation and regret. "Ikkaku, Ayasegawa, even though I really don't want to part ways with you guys, I bet you don't want to be at my funeral anytime soon, right?"
Yumichika Ayasegawa narrowed his eyes at these words, his face showing a noncommittal expression.
At the Shin'o Academy in Seireitei, as reserve members of the Gotei 13, these students were hardly delicate flowers; the entire training process often required them to face off against Hollows in combat.
Senju Makoto's performance in battle could only be described as average. Whether it was Flash Step, hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, or Kido, he wasn't particularly skilled. His only strong suit was his proficiency in healing Kido and medical techniques.
Aside from that, Senju Makoto's only standout feature compared to other graduates was that he had already mastered his Zanpakutō's Shikai.
However, Senju Makoto's Shikai seemed to lean entirely toward healing abilities, making it seem as though his combat skills were practically nonexistent. As a result, during his years at the Shin'o Academy, he had mostly teamed up with Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame.
It was precisely because they had spent so much time with him that Yumichika Ayasegawa, who had always hidden his true Shikai abilities, had developed a hunch: Senju Makoto might be like him, only ever showing half of his Shikai's power.
Of course, Yumichika Ayasegawa had no proof of this. His suspicion was based mainly on how calm and composed Senju Makoto remained when facing Hollows.
Especially during several occasions when both Yumichika and Ikkaku had found themselves in dire situations, battered and bloodied from battle, Senju Makoto was always the one who remained pristine, leisurely healing them.
That... didn't add up.
With that thought in mind, Yumichika Ayasegawa couldn't help but give Senju Makoto another scrutinizing look, tightening his grip as Ikkaku Madarame pressed in from the front.
There hadn't been much opportunity to test Senju Makoto's abilities at the Academy, but now that he was pulling him into the Eleventh Division, there would be plenty of chances for a closer examination.
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