Naraku Sora froze on the spot, staring blankly at the flawless face so close to his own. His brain momentarily crashed and went completely empty.
Ever since he transmigrated, this was the first time he'd been this close to a woman who was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.
And on top of that, she was really beautiful.
That flawless face seemed to gather all the world's elegance into one place—charming yet dignified, with a hint of confidence in her eyes.
A confidence that didn't allow rejection.
Off to the side, Nishikawa was completely stunned.
Strictly speaking, Shutara Senjumaru hadn't been in the Central Prison as long as he had.
And from the moment she arrived till now, this exalted Warden had always given people the impression of a cold, distant ice queen.
Serious about her work. Rarely smiling.
Yet what was he seeing now?
Shutara Senjumaru repeatedly trying to win over a boy who'd just started as a rookie jailer, even going so far as to lower herself from her lofty position.
In a sense… this basically counted as seduction.
Was the gap between people really this big?
Nishikawa stole a careful glance at Naraku's stiff expression, then tried to recall his own face from years past.
…Forget it. Better not.
Looks didn't mean everything—this was Soul Society, where only strength really spoke.
Wait a second. Wasn't this kid already not that much weaker than him now?
Thinking back to Naraku's performance escorting the Adjuchas, Nishikawa jolted.
So no matter how you looked at it, he was inferior to a freshly graduated Shinigami from the academy?
Is that why Lady Shutara was treating him so differently?
Naraku, meanwhile, had no time to care about Nishikawa's spiraling thoughts.
He himself couldn't figure out what kind of game Shutara Senjumaru was playing.
Could she seriously just be… into his body?
Given that he didn't really understand her personality, Naraku decided it was better to play it safe. Staying right next to her felt a little too dangerous.
"I'm sorry, Warden," Naraku said seriously, "but I don't think I'm suited for clerical work."
Shutara Senjumaru's slender brows lifted slightly. The smile in her eyes didn't fade as she asked slowly:
"And why is that?"
Rejecting the Warden's kindness a second time, Nishikawa felt there was nothing more he could do to save this kid.
Might be time to start booking him a nice seat in Muken.
"To tell you the truth," Naraku said earnestly, "I joined the Central Prison with another purpose in mind."
"If it were just clerical work, the Gotei squads, the Kidō Corps, even the Onmitsukidō would all do."
"But none of those places can fulfill my ideals!"
Seeing the boy stand there so upright and righteous, Shutara's face showed a flicker of doubt.
"Ideals?"
"That's right." Naraku raised his voice, "To prevent Seireitei from being destroyed, to protect the peace of Soul Society and strike down criminals—that work starts with me!"
Shutara fell silent.
It wasn't hard to tell from Naraku's sincere eyes that he meant every word.
But…
This was the first time she'd ever seen anyone join the Central Prison for the sake of protecting Soul Society.
Normally, that's exactly what the Gotei 13 were for, wasn't it?
Guarding was literally their job.
The Central Prison just handled arrests.
Did this brat misunderstand something?
Shutara's gaze turned a little more complicated.
But she was clearly not like a certain old man whose only talent was roasting sweet potatoes.
As a highly skilled researcher who'd worked across many fields, if she couldn't accept new ideas and keep up with the times, she'd have been eliminated hundreds of years ago.
Her lips curved up in a smile as she praised:
"Very good. Very spirited."
"The Central Prison really does lack young people with your kind of drive."
"But…"
Naraku perked up his ears.
The smile on Shutara's face took on a teasing edge as she softly asked:
"Do you know how the Central 46 usually deals with Shinigami who've been contaminated by Hollow traits?"
The moment the words fell, Naraku went rigid.
He stared in shock at the smiling eyes in front of him, his own expression turning stiff.
For a brief instant, he felt his brain completely shut down and go blank.
All that "planning before acting," all that "stealth first," all that "headed for the peak of life"…
None of it mattered in that moment.
His most unthinkable secret had been torn open in a single sentence, and he didn't even dare imagine what would come next.
Locked away in Muken?
Or smashed to his knees in a single punch and treated as a Hollow to be "dealt with accordingly"?
"Brat, you look very surprised."
Shutara wore the expression of someone who'd just found a new toy, and a playful note crept into her gentle tone.
This time, the little pony was the one being dragged around by the cart.
"You should know…"
"Everything that happens on the top seven levels of Hell, save for the very bottom Muken, cannot escape my sight."
In the lightest, most casual tone, Shutara was saying things that made the scalp crawl.
"I liked how you performed during the escort."
"But I'm rather dissatisfied with you lying through your teeth."
Nishikawa stared in total confusion, not understanding what any of this meant.
Naraku, on the other hand, slowly calmed down. Forcing a dry, awkward smile, he said:
"Lady Shutara, I've thought it over, and actually… clerical work sounds pretty good."
"We're all working for the stability of Soul Society. There's no such thing as 'higher' or 'lower' jobs."
He had to admit, when his secret was first exposed, he'd panicked.
After all, in Soul Society, a hollowfied Shinigami was an unacceptable aberration.
Once discovered, a trip to the execution grounds of Sōkyoku Hill was basically guaranteed.
And Naraku seriously doubted that the current him could withstand the Sōkyoku.
But then he thought about it from another angle.
If Shutara Senjumaru were really the sort of person who couldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in her eye, she would've dealt with him the moment he revealed Hollow traits.
Instead, not only had she refrained, she'd chosen to test and court him in this vague, ambiguous way.
He still didn't really know what her goal was,
but based on the situation so far, he was safe—for now.
Hearing his response, Shutara's smile gained a hint of satisfaction.
It proved that when someone's secret was in another's hands, nobody could remain completely calm.
And this kid wasn't completely stupid.
He'd heard the second layer of meaning hidden in her words.
"I never force people," she said.
"I don't feel forced at all. Those were words from the bottom of my heart," Naraku replied righteously.
Their unspoken exchange left Nishikawa utterly lost, with no idea what was going on.
But at least the outcome seemed good.
"In that case, report to the research lab tomorrow," Shutara said softly. "There are some things I need to explain to you."
Research lab?
Naraku immediately caught the problem.
…So he was being used as a lab rat, wasn't he?!