* The following entry happen 10 years after the events of the last chapter *
Happy New Year Lei!
I can't believe that it's already been 10 years since I graduated from the Soul Academy and 16 years since I entered this world. Time really flies by!
…
Hah, what am I saying? Each of those 16 years was paid in blood, sweat, and tears. I'm really trying here. Bleach is honestly such a hard world. I miss my home. My sister. My job. Even the god d*mn modern toilet.
Like seriously? We can fly, carve mountains with our hands, and control the elements, but we still need to manually scoop our sh*t into the latrine?
Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my connection to my home world…
Anyways, for my standard gratitude statement, I guess I'm really grateful for my Zanpakuto spirit. Without the imitation connection to my world, I think I would have honestly lost it…
Not think. Definitely so.
And on another positive note, it's finally the year! God knows that the last 10 years have been for this day. I already submitted my application to transfer to the Senkaimon division last year, and the process was approved. I should be starting in 4 months.
I do feel a little bad about leaving my Kido corps behind, but they can take care of themselves. My salary 9-5 life awaits!
…
Hehehe. I can't stop thinking about the transfer. The benefits in the service were even better than I thought. Only 8 hours a day, with 20 days off per year? I never thought I would appreciate the return to a salary life (or as close I can get to it in Bleach lol). This has been a long time coming. Accordingly, I can even use my PTO to travel through the mortal world. It'll almost be like a second home…
Hah. I made myself a little upset again thinking about home. Cheer up, Lei! The past 10 years were used as upfront payment for this - it's going to be great!
———
*back to 3rd person*
Pages flipping over, the sound of paper crinkling in the air, a weathered, scarred hand wrote in the leather-bound journal.
Lei sat back and a sigh came out, the burdens of his 10 year journey coming out. Glancing over at a side mirror, his fingers absentmindedly brushed against his cheek, tracing the scars that now marred his once-smooth skin.
The early years of his service in the Kido Corps had been a relentless grind, filled with long hours, grueling field assignments, and harsh lessons. Nothing had truly prepared him for just how bad it was. He had gone into the Kido Corps knowing that his combat experience was lacking, but still confident, believing that his massive reiryoku reserves and deep understanding of Kido would be enough to carry him through any engagement.
Reality had proven otherwise.
During his first few years, he had been assigned to the enforcement division, tasked with handling rogue souls and spiritual disturbances. Time and time again, he had been caught off guard by low-tier criminals—opponents who, in theory, should have been far beneath him.
Scars served as reminders of those early failures.
With enough time though, even an old dog can learn new tricks, and over the years, the lessons started to hold. From team newbie, to experienced member, to captain of a small group, Lei was proud of moving up from someone who could barely cover his own to a leader.
Although his combat skills still sucked though.
Turns out survivability and combat trained two different things.
Thinking to this point, shaking his head slightly, Lei chastised himself for the thought.
It's not like I'm TOTALLY incompetent and didn't improve. It's more that I prioritized what was more important. Definitely.
But anyways, that's all over now.
Lei's final transition into a Senkaimon operator was beckoning him. Initially, he was a little concerned that the applications for such a stable job would be overwhelming, but his worries were unfounded. In a military-based society such as the Soul Society, retiring to such an uneventful position was actually looked down upon.
Hmph. The meatheads. It's moments like these when, even after 16 years in Soul Society, Lei still felt like an outsider in terms of mindset and culture in Soul Society.
Speaking of being an outsider, the years had not been kind to Lei's social relations.
He had tried—really, he had—to reconnect with Toshiro, Momo, and the others. But no matter what he did, Toshiro adamantly refused to get along with him.
Not quite outright hostility, certainly not quite friendliness, the boy always maintained a cold distance.
Lei wasn't sure what he had done to earn such treatment, but by this point, he had mostly given up trying to fix it.
The others were friendlier, at least. Momo always greeted him with warmth, though there was a subtle hesitancy in her eyes whenever he smiled too much. Renji and Izuru treated him with mutual respect, but even they seemed to unconsciously keep a certain distance.
It wasn't hard to figure out why.
Lei caught his reflection in the polished surface of the mirror. His smile, which had always been just a little too wide, had become even more unsettling over the years. Scars and a giant toothy smile evoked too many similarities with a certain battle-crazed Kenpachi.
Sighing, leaning back into the table, Lei finished off his journal entry.
Whatever is the case, 16 years of blood, sweat, and tears have finally passed. Here's to hoping that the future is going to be great.