Under Kujo Taimei's arrangement, Senju Makoto was placed in a relatively well-maintained house to prepare, while Taimei hurried off to finalize the arrangements.
After a while, he returned, leading an elderly man with white hair and a shriveled spiritual body, who was holding a young girl—no older than seven or eight by human standards—in his arms.
"Makoto-kun, can you take a look at them and see if they can undergo the transplant procedure?" Taimei asked, his tone casual and lighthearted, as if intentionally trying to ease the nervous tension radiating from the elderly man behind him.
Having spent the time preparing himself, Makoto nodded with a calm confidence and replied, "Leave it to me."
"Alright," Taimei said as he left the room with his usual easygoing steps, making sure to close the door behind him.
"Don't worry..." Makoto spoke gently, guiding the old man to sit down. His tone was warm and casual, like a soothing breeze, subtly alleviating the unease in the room.
"How should I address you?"
"Sorry, it's been so long I've forgotten," the elderly man replied.
"And the little girl? What's your relationship to her?"
"She's my adopted granddaughter. When I first found her, she was no taller than this," he said, gesturing with his hand, "huddled under an eave, crying her heart out..."
Perhaps it was Makoto's gentle demeanor that unlocked his memories, but the old man began to recount their story, his words flowing like a stream. His voice carried a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy, and his gaze softened as it rested on the child. Clearly, the young girl had become his sole beacon of light in this dim and desolate world.
From his account, Makoto learned that the little girl was a soul from the living world, sent to the Soul Society after a soul burial by the Shinigami. By chance, she had been placed in this remote, impoverished, and chaotic district of the Rukongai.
Although the girl possessed a small amount of spiritual power, which caused her to experience hunger and required occasional food, the old man and the child—both lonely souls—had relied on each other for survival despite their hardships. Their fragile equilibrium had shattered when the girl unexpectedly fell into a coma.
"Are you fully aware of the potential risks this procedure might have on your spiritual body?" Makoto asked in a final confirmation.
"Yes, I understand. Please, Shinigami-sama," the old man replied, bowing his head slightly. He glanced down at the lifelessly dull and expressionless face of the child in his arms and said, "This child is everything to me. If she can recover, I'll be forever grateful to you."
"Understood!" Makoto nodded solemnly. After conducting a thorough examination of both their spiritual bodies, he instructed them to lie down together on a wide bed.
"Alright then, I'll begin. Get some rest—when you wake up, your granddaughter will be able to smile again."
Makoto then unsheathed his Zanpakutō, releasing its power. With great care, he guided two vines of grass to wrap around their spiritual forms, sustaining the repair process as he began the intricate soul transplant.
Meanwhile, outside the house, Unohana Retsu stood atop a nearby rooftop, her sharp eyes observing through the window as Makoto executed the delicate soul transplant.
During the process of the soul transfer, Unohana Retsu quietly observed every detail of Senju Makoto's actions, prepared to intervene if necessary.
Though Unohana Retsu also believed that using this method for healing would only spread the damage from one soul to two, making it ultimately meaningless, especially considering that most of the souls lost by these residents were connected to emotional aspects. Even after the "soul transplant," the two spiritual bodies would inevitably retain certain emotional deficiencies.
From Unohana Retsu's standpoint, the only benefit of this painstaking effort was that it would gain Senju Makoto some favor from the residents of Rukongai and, perhaps, help his growth as a Soul Reaper.
As Senju Makoto's soul transfer technique smoothly entered the right track, Unohana Retsu couldn't help but appreciate his exceptional abilities. "Indeed, Makoto's talent is impressive…"
With a relieved heart, Unohana Retsu shifted her focus away from observing the process and began considering the unusual nature of this small-scale soul loss incident.
"Given the information we have, this seems highly suspicious. We cannot treat this as a routine matter. I need to remind the Captain-Commander to take it seriously…"
She murmured to herself.
---
Meanwhile, Senju Makoto, unaware that Unohana Retsu was silently watching him, had successfully used the "soul transplant" technique, anchoring part of the soul as a spiritual anchor and stabilizing the little girl's soul. After supplementing her with the missing emotional fragments, Senju Makoto wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
He didn't stop there, though. He continued to do everything he could to complete the final spiritual repair for the little girl.
Fortunately, his studies in the Fourth Division had granted him a breakthrough understanding of spiritual body structure, and the little girl's soul had not completely collapsed. With the help of the "Omnipresent World" ability, it could be repaired.
After a while, the green light representing the completed soul transfer faded from Senju Makoto's hands. He took a final look at the little girl, ensuring she was well.
"Everything looks good—no extra complications. The repaired spiritual body will develop normally in the future…"
Senju Makoto nodded with satisfaction, pleased with his first large-scale soul transfer healing process.
When he opened the door, Kujo Taimei, who had been waiting anxiously outside, rushed in and quickly asked, "Makoto, how did the treatment go?"
"I'm sorry…"
Senju Makoto instinctively apologized, which immediately made Kujo Taimei's face turn pale. His eyes reddened as if he might collapse from the stress.
Seeing this, Senju Makoto quickly reassured him, "Sorry for the wait. The treatment was very successful. They just need to rest for a while before they wake up."
Kujo Taimei froze, caught between tears and a smile. "Makoto, can you please not sound so out of breath when you speak?"
"It's just that you were too impatient," Senju Makoto said, looking innocent, as if he wasn't taking advantage of the situation.
After a brief pause, Senju Makoto, curious about Kujo Taimei's reaction, asked, "What's your relationship with them?"
At the mention of this, Kujo Taimei's gaze softened with a touch of nostalgia. "It's a story from over ten years ago. If it weren't for her kindness, I probably wouldn't have…"
Before Kujo Taimei could finish, Senju Makoto interrupted without hesitation.
"Stop, stop, stop! Let's call in the next resident who is eligible for the 'soul transplant' treatment."
===============
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