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"Alright."
Ishikawa Katori nodded at the patient on the bed, not paying attention to the patient's and the nurse's gratitude, but instead falling into deep thought.
His previous treatment targets were mostly ordinary people in Rukongai, and he never had the opportunity to study a Shinigami's Spirit Body. This treatment, however, was an excellent chance. With continuous treatment, he almost studied the physical condition of all patients.
His main research subject was the Shinigami's Spirit Core, which was different from that of ordinary people.
According to Kotetsu Isane, even if an ordinary person lived in Seireitei, the dense Reishi would enter their body through breathing, and the Reishi that entered the body would be converted into spiritual power through the Spirit Core.
If the Spirit Core was compared to a human heart, then as long as the Spirit Core did not stop beating, it would continuously produce spiritual power within the body.
However, the density of an individual's soul would add an upper limit to the spiritual power produced in this way. The higher the soul density, the faster the spiritual power production, and the faster the Spirit Core recovery.
When this upper limit was exceeded, a Shinigami could passively, or actively, increase their spiritual power density more quickly, converting the produced spiritual power into high-density spiritual power, which was commonly known as Spirit Core.
But for ordinary people who couldn't convert it, exceeding this limit meant certain death.
Ishikawa Katori's research on the Spirit Core was not to save ordinary people with Spirit Core problems, but after hearing Isane's words, he suddenly had an idea.
That was whether he could speed up his breathing and exhalation, thereby quickly increasing the strength of his own Spirit Core.
Although Ishikawa Katori's current Spirit Core was already the highest attribute on his system panel, the cultivation of Spirit Core had always been Ishikawa's weakest aspect.
In other aspects, Ishikawa Katori's cultivation was no slower than that of the Gotei 13 Shinigami; but without a Zanpakuto, he was completely unable to compare with the Gotei 13 Shinigami in terms of Spirit Core improvement.
Because he had already lost from the very beginning.
The Shinigami's sword meditation was a method used to accelerate this process. Simply put, it was to treat the Zanpakuto born from the Spirit Body as a second 'Spirit Core,' forming a cycle between the external 'Spirit Core' and the internal 'Spirit Core,' thereby doubling or even multiplying the speed at which one produced spiritual power.
Of course, the Spirit Core did not produce spiritual power every moment. Taking Ishikawa Katori himself as an example, even when in Seireitei, a 'high-spirit area,' without cultivation, relying solely on breathing, it might take several hours, or even several days, for the Spirit Core to produce a trace of spiritual power.
And this was already under the condition that Ishikawa Katori's soul density was extremely high. If it were an ordinary person, they might never reach the upper limit, leading to a stagnation of spiritual power. This was also why Kotetsu Isane would say that ordinary people in Seireitei 'had a chance' of developing spiritual power stagnation.
Ishikawa Katori's idea was very simple: to allow his body to produce spiritual power with every breath, even when not cultivating.
This way, whether eating or sleeping, he would be in Spirit Core cultivation at all times.
Even if the spiritual power produced each time was very weak, through accumulation, his cultivation speed in terms of Spirit Core might not be slower than that of a regular Shinigami with a Zanpakuto.
Moreover, if he had the opportunity to obtain an Asauchi, he could completely overwhelm all Shinigami in terms of Spirit Core improvement speed.
Of course, Ishikawa Katori was not overly ambitious. His current main goal was to transform this passive improvement method into an active one by modifying the Spirit Core, or by creating a Kido that could be applied to the Spirit Core, shortening the time it took to produce spiritual power from several days to one day, or even less!
Ishikawa Katori did not believe that his research on spiritual power could compare with the scientists in Seireitei, but he had the system as an aid behind him. Even if he only shortened this process by one second, it would be enough to prove that his idea was feasible and could be recognized by the system.
Next, he could fully exploit the system's deduction ability to perfect this idea.
However, even if it was only a one-second improvement.
Ishikawa Katori also needed to observe a large number of Shinigami's Spirit Cores, and…
He needed a large number of experimental subjects!!
The Spirit Core was different from other vital points; it was the core of the Spirit Body. Once a problem occurred, it would be fatal. Without 100% certainty, Ishikawa Katori would never experiment on himself.
As for experimental subjects, the prisoners in the Maggot's Nest were very suitable.
As for observation subjects, it was a bit difficult, because what needed to be observed was not only Shinigami but also their Zanpakuto; and the Zanpakuto of those prisoners in the Maggot's Nest had already been confiscated when they were captured.
Moreover, it had to be kept secret.
Research on spirit bodies and Spirit Core was a taboo in Seireitei. Whether it was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who was once imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest, or a certain person who hid in the Human World to open an Everything Store, they were all cautionary tales for Ishikawa Katori.
"…Ishikawa-sama… Ishikawa-sama…"
A series of calls woke Ishikawa Katori from his contemplation. Only then did he realize that Kotetsu Isane had arrived by his side at some point.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about Kaido."
Ishikawa Katori pondered for a moment and continued, "Um… Isane, I have a request, I wonder if you can agree to it."
"Hmm?"
Isane was startled upon hearing this and asked with some confusion, "A request?"
"Yes, through the treatment just now, I found that treating Shinigami is somewhat different from treating residents of Rukongai, which gave me some new insights into Kaido."
Ishikawa Katori organized his words and said with a serious expression, "I really want to take my Kaido a step further, so in the future, when I don't have a commission, can I continue to come to the Comprehensive Relief Station to help Shinigami heal, like this time?"
"Of course, if I gain new insights, although they may be insignificant to your Fourth Division, I can give all these insights to you."
Kotetsu Isane was stunned for a long time upon hearing this, then her eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded, "Of course you can."
How was this a request? It was simply a godsend.
The reason she brought Ishikawa Katori to visit the Comprehensive Relief Station was to keep Ishikawa Katori, whom she saw as 'extremely passionate about Kaido,' and let him spend more time at the Comprehensive Relief Station, thereby gradually recruiting him into the Fourth Division.
Originally, she was still hesitating how to speak, but unexpectedly, Ishikawa Katori brought it up first, which made her both excited and admire Ishikawa Katori's passion for 'Kaido.'
Sure enough…
Ishikawa-sama, is a gentle, kind, and passionate person who loves to heal and save lives.
Thinking of this, Isane couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. If it weren't for the fact that becoming the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division required not only Kaido but also extremely strong Spirit Core, she would have wanted to teach the position of Vice-Captain of the Fourth Division to Ishikawa-sama.
Ishikawa Katori also had a joyful expression. What was the best disguise for researching Shinigami?
Without a doubt, it was a doctor!
No matter how he studied the patient during the treatment process, as long as the result was good, the patient would consider it a treatment method and would not suspect anything.
Of course, the experimental subjects were still more suitable for the prisoners in the Maggot's Nest; as long as they didn't die, he could do whatever he wanted with them.
[Kotetsu Isane Affection +1, gained 1280 experience points, current Affection 35.]
…
Early the next morning.
Ishikawa Katori woke up amidst a clamor. Looking at the white ceiling, a hint of confusion flashed in his hazy, sleepy eyes, but he quickly realized…
This was not his bedroom, but a ward in the Comprehensive Relief Station.
Yesterday, after treating the Eleventh Division members, Isane took him to learn about the Comprehensive Relief Station's situation.
By the time it was over, it was already close to midnight, so Ishikawa Katori did not leave immediately. Instead, at Isane's insistence, he rested for the night in a ward at the Comprehensive Relief Station.
The Comprehensive Relief Station was not without a lounge, but the men's lounge was full… Although the women's lounge was not full, it was obviously not suitable for Ishikawa Katori to rest in. In the end, Ishikawa Katori was simply arranged in a single ward.
Although Ishikawa Katori didn't mind resting in the women's lounge and was confident that he would definitely not do anything out of line, at most, he would just communicate with the Fourth Division members in the lounge all night to deepen their relationship…
But to avoid being seen as a pervert by Isane, Ishikawa Katori ultimately did not express his thoughts.
"Is Ishikawa-sama really resting in this ward?"
"Yes, I heard the members of the 14th Upper Relief Squad discussing it early this morning."
"I heard about it too. It's said that Ishikawa-sama showed off his skills yesterday. The two Upper Relief Squad members on duty yesterday were amazed by Ishikawa-sama's attainments in Kaido; he could easily heal any kind of injured person."
"…."
Listening to the discussions outside the door, Ishikawa Katori finally knew where the noise came from.
Ishikawa Katori pushed open the ward door, and the discussions outside immediately quieted, everyone turning to look at Ishikawa Katori.
Suddenly being stared at by so many people, Ishikawa Katori's semi-social phobia symptoms suddenly showed signs of recurrence, and he almost closed the door and hid back in the ward, but fortunately, he managed to control it in time.
Looking around, he saw many Fourth Division members dressed in shinigami uniform and medical attire standing outside the door. Among them were faces Ishikawa Katori was familiar with, and faces Ishikawa Katori had not seen before.
"It really is Ishikawa-sama."
"Ishikawa-sama, have you joined our Fourth Division?"
"Did Vice-Captain Isane's seduction succeed?"
"…."
Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched, and he scanned the crowd, wanting to see where the person who dared to say Isane was seducing him was.
"I haven't joined the Fourth Division. After all, my Everything Store still has a lot of work to do, so I can't stay in one place every day."
Ishikawa Katori answered everyone's questions one by one, then smiled and said, "However, Isane has allowed me to come to the Comprehensive Relief Station when I don't have a commission, to work with everyone and exchange Kaido."
"Really?"
Nao and Sugishita Hanami, for some reason, didn't rest but hid in the crowd. Upon hearing this, both their eyes lit up.
Not only them, but also the Fourth Division members who had learned Kaido from Ishikawa Katori all showed joy.
They understood Ishikawa Katori's attainments in Kaido better than anyone. Although Ishikawa not joining the Fourth Division disappointed them somewhat, being able to work together and exchange Kaido was no different from joining the Fourth Division.
"Please take care of me in the future, seniors."
Ishikawa Katori smiled and said, "If you need anything, please don't be shy. Just treat me as a temporary member of the Fourth Division. It is my honor to work with you."
"Ishikawa-sama, you are too kind."
"Exactly, exactly!"
[Sugishita Hanami Affection +1, gained 20 experience points, current Affection 6.]
[Shibata Affection +1, gained 20 experience points, current Affection 3.]
[Nao Affection +1, gained 640 experience points, current Affection 55.]
[….]
A series of experience point gains made Ishikawa Katori unable to hide his joy.
Current experience points: 5020
From yesterday until now, he had gained over 3000 experience points. Although Soi Fon, Kotetsu Isane, and Nao provided nearly half of these, the remaining were from the ordinary members of the Fourth Division.
But compared to the experience points gained in Rukongai, this was already a significant income.
Moreover, this was only one day, and most people had an affection level of 10 or less. If one day he could raise the affection of all ordinary Fourth Division members to the full friendship value of 60…
Just thinking about it, Ishikawa Katori almost laughed out loud.
Setting aside certain dangerous individuals and certain power layers in Seireitei, Seireitei was indeed a good place. Faced with a huge amount of experience points, Ishikawa Katori even had the impulse to join the Fourth Division right then and there.
Of course…
It was just an impulse.
For Ishikawa Katori, this was just a workplace. He might frequently enter and exit Seireitei in the future, but he couldn't regard it as his home.
His home was only the Everything Store.
Because there, he could live more easily, and all the people and things he was familiar with were there.
As for Seireitei…
He had no prejudice against individual entities, but overall, he couldn't say he liked it.
Moreover, staying in Seireitei, he always felt a strange sense of unease, having to be cautious in everything he did.
Besides, he could now freely enter and exit Seireitei, so joining the Gotei 13 or not didn't make much difference. To gain an Asauchi while being subjected to many restrictions and risking imprisonment in the Maggot's Nest was simply not worth it.
Anyway, even without becoming a Shinigami, there was a chance to obtain an Asauchi; the only difference was whether it was sooner or later.
After a conversation, Ishikawa Katori then worked with the Fourth Division members at the Comprehensive Relief Station for a morning. During work, he did not forget to increase their affection by helping and guiding them, thereby gaining over 300 more experience points.
It was a fruitful harvest, the only disappointment being…
This morning, he did not see the Captain of the Fourth Division, whom he had been looking forward to meeting, and Isane had been resting in the Squad barracks due to working late yesterday.
However, Ishikawa Katori did not get discouraged.
Anyway, as long as he came often in the future, they would meet one day.
Although staying at the Comprehensive Relief Station would likely allow him to continue gaining affection from female members he didn't know, there were simply too many things Ishikawa Katori needed to attend to upon his initial entry into Seireitei.
And, most importantly…
To gain more experience points, Ishikawa Katori was determined not to put all his eggs in the 'Fourth Division' basket.
There was another Captain in the Second Division waiting for him to go and gain affection from her.
What had been promised had to be completed as soon as possible. Only then could he further increase Soi Fon's affection for him with a serious work attitude.
After leaving the Comprehensive Relief Station, Ishikawa Katori returned directly to Rukongai.
But he did not return to West 38th District immediately. Instead, he first went to a textile factory in Rukongai and asked them to help him procure a batch of fabric and cotton. He would come back to make the items himself once they arrived.
As for wood, Ōmaeda had already said he would be responsible for it, so Ishikawa Katori didn't need to go to the mountains to cut trees himself.
"After returning today, I'll see if there are any new commissions. If there are, I'll finish them this afternoon. The fabric and cotton will take three days to be transported here. Tomorrow morning, I'll go to the Maggot's Nest to see if the wood is ready. If it is, I'll replace the prisoners' doors, tables, chairs, and beds first."
Ishikawa Katori planned his upcoming work, then purchased some tools that might be useful, and then walked towards West 38th District with the purchased items.
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