"Hey, newbie! Stop daydreaming and follow me!" shouted a sharp, impatient voice.
Kaito calmly looked up.
It was Hiyori Sarugaki, the vice-captain of the 12th Division at that time.
Small, irritable, loud.
The kind of person who screams before thinking.
Kaito honestly couldn't understand how a brat like her had become the vice-captain of a scientific division.
> "Is it just because she yells louder than everyone else?"
"Or maybe no one can stand her whining for more than ten minutes?"
"Alright, I'm coming..." Kaito replied, his tone caught somewhere between respect and veiled disdain.
He began to follow her, but quickly shifted his gaze to what really mattered:
> [Character Login: Hiyori Sarugaki]
Condition: Become her captain
Reward: Support Companion: Tinker Bell
Kaito blinked.
> "Tinker Bell... as in the Peter Pan fairy?"
> "That doesn't sound like a very useful reward... though I guess a tiny fairy is kind of cute."
"Still, maybe fairy dust could be a great material for study."
Then he thought about the condition:
> "And it's easy, too."
"Hirofune will leave for the Zero Division in a few years, and with my help — after I get Dr. Gero's memories and free Mayuri — her research will likely be finished ahead of schedule."
"If everything goes as planned, she'll ascend sooner... and the position will be mine."
---
As they walked through the corridors, Kaito kept glancing not only at Hiyori's panel but also at the surroundings of the division that now belonged to him — and that, one day, he would lead.
> "What can I say...? It looks kinda messy around here."
Hiyori noticed his critical gaze and spoke up:
"The captain started a new research project recently,
and since it's still in the early stages, things are all over the place. That's why it's busier than usual."
She was still explaining when she spotted a shinigami carrying a heavy instrument… in the wrong direction.
"Hey, Saiko! You idiot! That's supposed to go to the captain's lab! Why are you walking the other way?!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, Vice-Captain! I… I got confused."
Hiyori sighed loudly.
"It's fine. I'll take it. I'm heading there anyway — gotta introduce this newbie."
"Oh! So this is the genius who chose our division?"
"I heard he's a high noble… but his grades were beyond exceptional…"
"His combat skills are insane. Why would he pick our division…?!"
The veins on Hiyori's forehead instantly bulged.
Without hesitation, she slammed a clean punch into Saiko's head while yelling:
"YOU IDIOT, YOU'RE SAYING THAT OUT LOUD AGAIN!!"
With a grumble, she snatched the instrument from the now-unconscious shinigami and continued walking toward Hirofune's lab.
Kaito watched the whole thing with mild amusement.
> "Honestly… watching Hiyori's temper from time to time might actually be entertaining."
With that thought, he kept walking right behind her.
---