Chapter 55: A Tsundere, Ear‑Back, Love‑Brain Doesn

Boom!

Accompanied by a roar, Araki rode the Heaven Pillar Carriage and thrust straight through the Eleventh Squad's barracks.

"What's happening?!"

"Enemy attack? Enemy attack!!"

The Eleventh Squad members who rushed over at the sound quickly surrounded the towering pillar and shouted anxiously.

"Crack~"

Just as everyone was tense, the door of the Heaven Pillar Carriage suddenly opened, and Araki's figure stepped out.

"It's the Captain, sir!"

"Captain Araki, so you've returned!"

"Captain Araki, you finally came back! I thought you'd abandoned us; they all said you went to the Zero Squad to enjoy yourself!"

"Welcome back, Captain, to the Eleventh Squad…"

The Eleventh Squad members, seeing that the person emerging from the Heaven Pillar Carriage was not an enemy but their own captain Araki, breathed a sigh of relief. They first sheathed their Zanpoko Blades back into their scabbards and greeted Araki excitedly.

"Who else could it be but me? If anyone else were coming, it'd be none," Araki said after stepping out of the Heaven Pillar Carriage, shaking dust from his clothes, then continued, "Also, 'they' say I went to the Zero Squad to enjoy myself? Who are 'they'?"

"Enough. Remember, no matter who says these things, as Eleventh Squad members you should have some judgment and not take every rumor as truth…" Araki thought to himself, "The Zero Squad only has a 'fake monk' and a 'knife‑play' guy; it's nowhere near as interesting as the Guardian Court Thirteen Squad!"

Then Araki seemed to recall something else and said, "By the way, one more thing! Don't forget to deliver that big pillar behind me to the Zhi Bo family lands. The current head of the Zhi Bo family should know how to deal with that contraption…"

He paused briefly, hesitated, then explained to his squad what the big pillar behind him actually was: "This thing is called the 'Heaven Pillar Carriage'; it's the Zero Squad's transport. The Zero Squad is poor, and the whole squad only has one Heaven Pillar Carriage. If I don't return it, they won't be able to get down from it."

"Huh~" After saying so much in one breath, Araki changed tone slowly and finally instructed, "Lastly, after you deliver the Heaven Pillar Carriage to the Zhi Bo family lands, repair the barracks I crashed."

"At once!"

The Eleventh Squad members straightened their backs and saluted Araki upon hearing this.

Ever since Araki's solo duel with Yuhabach spread throughout the Soul Realm, he has earned the respect of all Shinigami in the Pure Spirit Court…

Coupled with Araki's several days of rescuing the wounded, he has won the favor of over half the Shinigami in the Soul Realm and gained the Eleventh Squad's heartfelt loyalty.

Though Captain Araki of their squad usually ignores the squad's daily affairs, when a crisis hits, Araki truly steps up!

To be fair, who doesn't like someone who's like 'air' most days—hardly noticeable, never praising, never dangling promises, never criticizing—but when trouble comes, they become the main pillar, the boss who supports the subordinates like a load‑bearing column?!

"Hmm…"

Araki nodded at the squad members and then walked straight into the Leader's Chamber.

"Araki, you're back~"

As Araki pushed open the Leader's Chamber door, he saw Mao Zhi Hua Lie already prepared tea and snacks for him, greeting him with a smile; at that moment she looked just like a "newlywed wife"…

"Hmm! Lie, I'm back."

Seeing this, Araki smiled and nodded at Mao Zhi Hua Lie.

But immediately after, when Araki looked around the Leader's Chamber and saw someone who shouldn't have been there, his smile froze and his expression grew serious.

"Hey hey hey! Araki, what's with that face!"

"What? Aren't you happy to see me?!"

The person who shouldn't have been in Araki's Leader's Chamber, angry at his sudden change of expression, sprang up from the seat, leapt up together with two purple "rein ropes" behind her…

Ah, no, it should be "ponytails"!

"Lie, can you explain how this guy ended up here?"

Araki ignored the "person who shouldn't exist" and looked at Mao Zhi Hua Lie.

"Hehe…"

Mao Zhi Hua Lie heard this and gave a light smile.

"What do you call 'this guy'? I have a name; I'm Zaitou Bulaobusi!"

Before Mao Zhi Hua Lie could speak, Zaitou Bulaobusi spoke first.

"So, as Captain of the Guardian Court Sixth Squad, why didn't you return to your own squad but came to our Guardian Court Eleventh Squad?"

Araki seemed to ask "Bulaobusi," but actually looked at the side at "Lie."

"Hmph! Of course it's me, abandoning that lousy Sixth Squad captain! Hmph, I don't care about any lousy captain! Freedom is better; I'll go wherever I want from now on!"

Zaitou, hearing this, placed both hands on his hips and spoke proudly.

"So what's the real situation?"

Araki ignored Zaitou and looked at "Lie".

"Because this guy, during the Yuhabach Invasion Period, wanted to make a name in one battle and grabbed enough merit, she, as the Sixth Squad leader, tossed her own squad aside and ran to Qingliu Gate to cut it up for fun…"

"The result was heavy casualties among the Sixth Squad members when they ran into Yuhabach's Mieque Corps, so Central Room 46 held them accountable! Seeing this, Chief Captain Yamamoto removed Zaitou from his post to appease Room 46."

Lie watched Araki explain.

"I see."

Araki's expression showed a hint of realization.

"Hey hey hey! What do you mean I was dismissed by that Cross Zaitou? I voluntarily left the squad, okay?! Do you know how, when I asked to leave, our squad members and other squad leaders tried to keep me? You definitely can't guess…"

Zaitou, after hearing Mao Zhi Hua Lie's words, impatiently explained to Araki.

"In fact, nobody wanted to keep her; even her own squad members, after hearing she was dismissed, went to a tavern and celebrated for hours…"

"In other words, Zaitou is now 'homeless', and aside from our Eleventh Squad, no other squad is willing to take her in."

Before Zaitou could finish, Mao Zhi Hua Lie's voice sounded again beside Araki's ear.

"Those damned white‑eyed wolves! If I get a chance, I'll beat them up!" Clearly Mao Zhi Hua Lie's words pierced Zaitou's fragile heart, and she suddenly teared up.

Then Zaitou, as if in despair, shouted at Araki, "Yes! Right, I'm homeless! So what? If you don't want me, someone else will…"

"Got it…"

Through Mao Zhi Hua Lie's words, Araki briefly clarified the events that occurred while he was away from the Pure Spirit Court training with the Zero Squad…

In other words, someone saw the overwhelming power of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads during the Yuhabah Invasion War, decided to get a share of the spoils, and thus, under the pretense of Central Office 46, launched an attack on the original Thirteen Court Guard Squads…

And the person wielding that level of power, Araki could guess without even thinking, must be the aristocratic groups led by the various "top nobles"! However, Araki prefers to call them the "Termite Group".

Araki was not surprised at all, having long anticipated it; he even thought these people were slower and less decisive than he expected, but there was nothing he could do…

After all, the current Thirteen Court Guard Squads are not the weak, pliable peaches of later generations that let Central Office 46 manipulate them; the original Thirteen Court Guard Squads are a bunch of "madmen", wandering in the Soul Society as "ox‑ghosts and snake‑gods", and when pressed to the limit they simply "rebel", continuing to be their "great villains"!

Therefore, in Araki's view, this time the "lords" of the various aristocratic groups offered conditions that the Mountain Old Man could not refuse, trading the position of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads with him, which made Zaitou the so‑called "political" sacrificial lamb.

Thinking of this, Araki turned his body and walked toward the doorway of the Eleventh Squad's captain's office.

"Eh! Eh?!"

"No, Araki, are you really giving me up? You really don't intend to take me in?"

Zaitou Bulaobusi watched Araki turn, and performed a textbook‑level "Sichuan opera face change"; almost the instant Araki turned, Zaitou completed the expression shift, sprinted to his back, and grabbed the hem of his robe…

At the same time she made up her mind: if Araki truly didn't intend to take her in, then she would… cling to Araki's thigh and not let go until he agreed to accept her.

"What? So, Lie, you still haven't processed this girl's enrollment?"

After hearing Zaitou's words, Araki raised an eyebrow slightly, turned, and asked Maozhihua Lie.

"That ultimately requires your approval; I'm only a vice‑captain and lack that authority."

Lie answered Araki's question with a faint smile.

"There's no need for us to be so calculative," Araki said, first waving at Maozhihua Lie, then casually pointing at Zaitou, who was holding his robe, and added, "Process this girl's enrollment! Just give her three seats."

"Alright~"

When Maozhihua Lie heard that Zaitou Bulaobusi's rank was three seats, his smile grew even brighter.

"Three seats?! I don't want three seats! I want the vice‑captain!"

In response, Zaitou chose to employ her signature moves, "Snake‑Striking Staff" and "Nose‑Kick Face".

"If you can beat Lie, you'll be the vice‑captain."

Araki, hearing this, reached out and lightly patted Zaitou's shoulder.

"What? You want to have a duel with me? Little Zaitou?!"

As if echoing Araki's words, Maozhihua Lie's thumb, which held the Zanpoto Blade, gently slipped the sword from its scabbard, revealing a flash of cold light.

"Ugh…"

Zaitou fell silent; she stared at the Maozhihua Lie before her, who seemed like a different person, shivered involuntarily, then shook her head: "Actually, three seats is fine. Let me be clear—I'm not afraid of Maozhihua Lie; I just like the number three."

"As long as you're happy."

Araki said as he pushed open the captain's office door.

"Araki, where are you going?!"

Seeing this, Zaitou tried to follow Araki out.

"Swish!"

Then, she was blocked by a blade that emitted a cold gleam.

"Little Zaitou! How about we have tea together in the captain's office?!"

Maozhihua Lie looked at Zaitou Bulaobusi, smiled warmly, and asked.

"Alright, alright!"

Zaitou's body trembled slightly; she chose to "obey".

"I'm going to find the Mountain Old Man to discuss this properly; whoever bullied my subordinates without permission must give this captain an explanation."

Araki said as his figure vanished beyond the doorway.

"My people? Araki just told me earlier that I'm his person? Hehe…"

After hearing Araki's words, Zaitou's cheek flushed; she covered her face, feeling a bit shy and fidgety.

"Heh…"

In response, Maozhihua Lie remained especially composed; she had never regarded Zaitou as an opponent.

At the same time, if Maozhihua Lie possessed modern knowledge, she would silently mutter in her mind: "Tsundere, ear‑back, love‑brain types don't belong in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

Too much~

(End of chapter)