At noon the next day, Uehara Shiroha arrived at the 8th Division's cafeteria. Most of the Shinigami gathered here were ordinary soldiers, sitting in groups of twos and threes, chatting happily as they ate. The atmosphere was lively and relaxed.
It was a stark contrast to Hueco Mundo, where Hollows had to devour their own kind to evolve constantly. Before reaching the Vasto Lorde stage, failure meant degenerating into mindless beasts. Even after becoming a Vasto Lorde, their immense spiritual pressure made it impossible for lesser Hollows to approach, leaving them in isolation.
The Quincy didn't have it much better. With Yhwach—the King of Loan Sharks who valued money more than life itself—breathing down their necks, every Quincy was under immense pressure. No wonder their mental state was in shambles during the Thousand-Year Blood War.
Of course, Uehara Shiroha wouldn't normally eat in the division's cafeteria. While the food here was free and unlimited, the taste was average at best. Today, however, he had a special reason for coming—to accompany Ise Nanao.
The truth was, he valued Ise Nanao greatly—the "little red hand" of good fortune—and needed to strengthen their bond.
As Uehara Shiroha took his seat, he felt the envious and curious gazes of the other Shinigami around him. Ise Nanao had already prepared a meal for him and sat down beside him.
"Sit across from me. You're a grown woman now, keep a little distance," Uehara Shiroha said, adopting the demeanor of a "Sigma male."
It wasn't that he was afraid of [Bankai: Hata Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinshin] or anything—it was just that he wanted to maintain their proper teacher-student relationship. If that relationship was going to change, it certainly wouldn't be in public. The thrill was in secrecy.
Ise Nanao's face flushed red before she quickly realized what he meant. Embarrassed, she got up and moved to sit across from him.
Watching this somewhat clumsy side of Ise Nanao, Uehara Shiroha shook his head. Compared to the usually serious and composed vice-captain of the 8th Division, this "little Nanao" was far less mature—but undeniably cuter.
As they ate, Ise Nanao carefully peeled shrimp for him, her delicate fingers deftly picking out fish bones before placing the fillets on his plate.
If Kyoraku Shunsui saw this, he'd probably be jealous to the point of tears.
His dear uncle had never once received such treatment from her—and at this rate, he probably never would.
Meanwhile, the other 8th Division Shinigami looked on with undisguised envy. The male officers' eyes turned red with jealousy, practically evolving into Sharingan, while the female Shinigami glared daggers at Ise Nanao.
True suffering is watching someone else enjoy what you can't have.
To Uehara Shiroha's surprise, the meal was far more enjoyable than he had expected.
Earlier that morning, he had discussed matters regarding the Onmitsukidō with Kyoraku Shunsui. Kyoraku, ever decisive, had waved his hand and put all the useless deadweight and arrogant freeloaders on the expedition list.
Having those people serve as cannon fodder would significantly reduce the Gotei 13's overall losses.
Even Yamamoto Genryūsai and Kyoraku Shunsui agreed that Uehara Shiroha's proposal was excellent.
Even Suì-Fēng, who was known for her stubborn pride, hadn't objected to it.
With the list quickly approved, those individuals were now officially part of the Hueco Mundo expeditionary force.
Uehara Shiroha could only hope they would uphold their so-called dignity and die gloriously.
Ise Nanao seemed to have caught wind of something. She hesitated before asking, "Mr. Uehara, the war is about to begin, isn't it?"
Uehara Shiroha raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you thinking about joining? Aren't you afraid?"
He knew that Kyoraku Shunsui didn't want Ise Nanao to take unnecessary risks.
In Bleach, Kyoraku had protected her too well—largely because he still had PTSD from Lisa's disappearance.
As a result, Ise Nanao had almost no real combat experience. She never overcame her fear of swords, and in the end, she couldn't even wield a blade properly.
"I'm scared," Ise Nanao admitted, but then her gaze turned firm. "But I still want to participate—because I am a Shinigami of the 8th Division. But Captain Kyoraku..."
She wanted to prove herself, yet she also didn't want to worry her uncle.
"If your Kidō proficiency reaches the vice-captain level, I might consider pleading on your behalf," Uehara Shiroha replied.
He felt that Ise Nanao was worth training.
A loyal, capable, and dedicated disciple wasn't easy to find.
Moreover, only by strengthening herself could she truly wield the Eight Mirror Sword to its full potential.
Most importantly, Uehara Shiroha was confident in his ability to protect her.
In that case, why not push her forward a little?
After all, pleading was one thing—whether it would succeed was another.
"Really? Thank you, Mr. Uehara! I'll work even harder!" Ise Nanao's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Not that she saw it as a condition—becoming stronger was already her goal.
To her, Mr. Uehara was merely helping her in his own unique way.
How foolish!
After dinner, while there was still time, Uehara Shiroha and Ise Nanao headed to the training grounds once again.
While Ise Nanao focused on honing her Kidō, Uehara Shiroha worked on refining his combat techniques.
Just as there were no useless Stands—only useless Stand users—except for Hermit Purple, there were no useless abilities, only those who didn't know how to use them.
From time to time, Uehara Shiroha needed to experiment with different ability combinations and their applications in real combat.
At his secret training ground, a "sparring NPC" was always available for refresh.
With that, theory and practice could merge, allowing him to rapidly master his abilities.
At the moment, he was focused on enhancing his Hakuda and Shunpo techniques.
The previous Onmitsukidō had been useless—collapsing before he could even fight back—so Uehara Shiroha never got the chance to fully test the advanced Hakuda techniques he had copied from Yoruichi.
In addition, spending the past few days teaching Kidō to Ise Nanao had, in turn, strengthened his own proficiency in the art.
Now, he had a deeper understanding of the three fundamental Shinigami combat skills: Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō.
The next step was to integrate them into his fighting style and develop his own signature technique.
As for Zanjutsu, Uehara Shiroha glanced at the [Breath of the Sun] ability on his system panel.
A sword technique capable of slaying demons?
It would definitely look spectacular when cutting down Hollows.
Every slash burning like a brilliant flame.
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