Restricted Death

Chapter 215 The Mark of the Unflower
Xin felt that he had completely gotten used to Death's way of dealing with the world. In his previous life, he always had various feelings when he passed through each stage of his life, lamenting that he was no longer young and had become more mature.

But now, on a long timescale, Xin still has a feeling that his life is limitless and he is at the peak of his career.

If someone could truly stay 18 forever, they would have a completely different perspective on life.

Over the years, Soul Society may seem to remain unchanged, but many people are quietly undergoing transformations.

For example, Rukia, and Kotetsu Isane.

The most obvious change is that, on the system list, their favorability towards themselves has dropped significantly, falling below 90%.

In their early years, Shin and Rukia were able to maintain a frequency of meeting several times a month. At that time, she cherished every opportunity to see Shin, and Shin could see the joy in her eyes when she saw him.

But gradually, and from some point onward, the number of times the two met regularly began to decrease, and their passion began to fade. This was a change that could only be noticed when they looked back and thought about it later.

In the midst of this quiet transition, their relationship had already changed from a "secret couple" to friends with intimate interactions.

This change didn't have any formal trigger, no heated arguments, and no tragic farewell. Just like they never officially got together in the first place, it started vaguely and ended vaguely.

The two seemed to be tacitly aware of this.

Xin rarely took the initiative to contact her again, and even when they met, they acted more like friends, at least to outsiders.

Rukia was quite accepting of this change. Although the two would occasionally engage in intimate acts, Rukia would not resist. However, compared to before, she was less enthusiastic but more relaxed, as if she had let go of some burden.

Xin was not dissatisfied with this change. He always felt that it would be better if his relationship with each of the system's female characters was like a game episode. Once the story was over, he would no longer need to be bothered by it, thus saving himself a lot of trouble.

It had been more than a month since I last saw Rukia, and even longer since Rukia stayed at my house.

And there's Yongyin.

When she sees the letter again now, she no longer acts awkward, reserved, or at a loss as she did before. People always mature when it comes to emotional matters.

Like Rukia, she also experiences the feeling of first love.

It's special, which only makes it more memorable.

But there are also people who are different from them.

Hinamori's passion for Shin has never waned. Over the years, their relationship has only grown stronger. Even though Shin has never officially acknowledged the relationship, she seems to have gotten used to it. As they've spent more time together, her affection for him has increased by two points.

There are also those that have remained unchanged all along...

The flower of Mao is strong.

The women in the system that I know can now be divided into three categories.

Firstly, characters like Hinamori, Rukia, and Isane have already obtained what they deserved, so Shin can accept any changes that follow, whether it's closer or more distant.

Second, those relationships that still have much room for improvement.

Those who made progress over the years include Shiba Kukaku and Ise Nanao, while those who made no progress and only had names include Kusajishi Yachiru, Kurotsuchi Nemu, and Soi Fon.

What we need to consider in the future is how to extract more benefits from them.

The third category is Unohana Retsu.

Over the years, the relationship between Xin and her has become quite distant, but her favorability rating has remained unchanged at 90.

Thinking about it carefully, she is someone who can maintain the same appearance for hundreds of years and uphold her original intention for thousands of years. How much time has passed since she met Xin? It is normal that she has not changed much.

A Shinigami exchange meeting is being held between the 10th Division and the 4th Division. This is a tradition that Shin left behind in the 4th Division and has been preserved ever since. Every month, the 4th Division takes turns to spar with members of other divisions to strengthen the martial spirit within the division.

After so many years, it has finally yielded results. It has indeed enhanced the combat capabilities of some members of the Fourth Division, and it has also prevented people from other divisions from saying that the Fourth Division is the weakest division in terms of combat strength. After all, there are some people in the Fourth Division who are focused on improving their own strength.

In addition to the monthly exchange meetings held by the Fourth Division, the annual 13th Division Shinigami Exchange Tournament has also been preserved, becoming a "tradition" in the Soul Society and a program that the Seireitei nobles and the 46 Chambers would specially come to watch.

On the arena, two members of the 10th and 4th Divisions were engaged in a fierce battle. Both of them were seated officers and had released their Zanpakuto during the fight, making it quite a spectacle.

"It's rare to see Captain Tachikawa personally leading the team to the Fourth Division."

Below the arena, Retsu Unohana stood beside Shin, smiling and speaking softly.

Shin said, "It's nothing like Captain Unohana's leisurely life. The Tenth Division now has to spend a lot of energy on their daily patrol duties."

The battle on the arena was fierce. The fourth division member seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the tenth division commander's fierce slashes. However, just as the tenth division member's Zanpakuto was about to strike down, a fierce glint flashed in the fourth division member's eyes. Almost touching his opponent's body, he advanced instead of retreating, forcefully raising his hand from his sleeve—

"Broken Path No. 31: Red Fire Cannon!"

He gave a low shout, and a compressed crimson fireball was instantly unleashed.

The distance was too close! The crimson fireball, accompanied by a scorching shockwave, slammed into the chest of the 10th Division member at almost zero distance!
Boom——!
A violent explosion suddenly rang out! Flames shot into the sky, a heat wave swept over the edge of the arena, and billowing smoke carrying the smell of burning filled the air. This sudden turn of events caused the spectators below the stage to gasp in surprise! Some of the audience members in the front rows even instinctively leaned back to avoid the scorching heat wave.

The sudden change startled both Shin and Retsu Unohana.

The flames quickly subsided. On the arena, the member of the 10th Division was charred black, most of his Shinigami armor had turned to ashes, and he lay on the ground, convulsing violently a few times before losing consciousness completely. Only a faint spiritual pressure indicated that he was still alive.

The members of the Fourth Division were also knocked back several steps, their faces turning deathly pale, and they stood there dumbfounded.

Kotetsu Isane immediately led his men onto the arena to check on the man's injuries.

Although such sparring requires caution and sometimes results in injuries, most of them are minor cuts or shocks from spiritual pressure. Moreover, since it takes place inside the Fourth Division's barracks with professional medical personnel on standby, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, this time, it was clear from the naked eye that the person who fell had suffered extremely serious injuries.
The fourth division member on the stage was also startled, only then realizing the consequences of his heavy blow. He hurriedly moved to the injured man's side, his voice trembling with fear: "Captain! I... Captain!"

After examining the injuries, Yongyin frowned and ordered, "Quickly take him to the medical room."

The fourth division member, who was the one who started it all, was extremely nervous at this moment, and his words were somewhat incoherent: "Vice-Captain Kotetsu, I... I didn't mean to..."

In the face of the urgency, Yongyin couldn't help but turn around and sternly reprimand him, "You have no sense of proportion!" Her tone was unusually harsh. She didn't waste time lecturing him, but silenced him with a stern look. Then, she personally followed the stretcher and escorted the wounded away from the noisy arena. The medical team members followed closely behind and rushed to the quiet medical area.

Shin gave Hinamori, who was standing next to him, an instruction to keep the exchange meeting going, and then left the scene with Retsu Unohana.

The atmosphere inside the medical room was somber.

The wounded were placed on a hospital bed in the center. Their clothes had been quickly removed, revealing large patches of shockingly charred black skin, accompanied by blisters and carbonization marks. The air was filled with a strong smell of burning and disinfectant.

Yuuto was focused on the wound, her hands resting on it, a gentle, emerald-green healing spiritual pressure steadily outputting, repairing the damaged tissue. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on her forehead from her concentration, and the other two Fourth Division officers were also assisting her.

Shin and Unohana Retsu stood to one side of the door, watching quietly.

The wounded soldier seemed to regain a faint sense of consciousness. His eyelids twitched with difficulty, and he turned his head to see Xin's figure. His lips moved, emitting an extremely weak breath:
"Captain... I'm sorry, I embarrassed myself today."

Xin took a few steps forward and stopped not far from the hospital bed. His gaze swept over the horrific wounds, and though he felt a pang of helplessness, he maintained a calm expression and said, "Injuries are inevitable in sparring, and winning and losing are commonplace. What's shameful about losing to someone fair and square on stage?"

He deliberately kept his voice calm. "Don't talk anymore, just conserve your energy and focus on your treatment."

Yuune turned and glanced at Shin. She wanted Shin to help with the treatment, as she knew about Shin's medical skills. However, seeing that Shin wasn't wearing a Zanpakuto, she hesitated before she could speak.

"What's wrong?" Xin asked, noticing her expression.

"The injuries are quite severe; if we were to treat them, the treatment period would be rather long..."

Xin understood her meaning, paused slightly, and said, "It's alright, you should focus on treating them first."

Since handing over the asagi to Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Shin has not carried a sword when he is out. Although having Mayuri help with the research was originally a "secret" matter, it was bound to be investigated by those with ulterior motives.

Therefore, Shin has almost never publicly displayed the "healing ability" of his Zanpakuto for so long, in order to fit the persona of someone whose Zanpakuto is not by his side.

Yongyin nodded, then said to Shin, "We will give Akiyama a serious reprimand later."

The member named Akiyama is the fourth division commander who was on stage just now. Shin doesn't recognize him; he's a newly recruited member.

Xin shook his head and said, "He didn't use any underhanded methods, he just went a bit too far. This kind of exchange meeting is held to promote the improvement of the team members' strength. If you punish him for this, it will only make the other team members more timid in future exchanges. Then what is the point of this exchange meeting?"

Retsu Unohana then said, "Captain Tachikawa is quite magnanimous."

Isane naturally understands these principles, but since it was the Fourth Division that injured the Tenth Division, Isane felt she needed to say these words to show her stance.

Yongyin breathed a sigh of relief and said to Xin, "I'm glad you can understand."

"..."

Seeing Yongyin's polite demeanor, Xin remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, but said nothing more.

Yongyin turned to treat the wounded, and Xin watched for a while before quietly leaving the treatment room.

The corridor was quiet and deserted. Today, most of the members of the Fourth Division, except for those on duty, had gone to the arena to watch the battle.

Xin gazed calmly at the courtyard.

"What's wrong, Captain Tachikawa? Are you sad?"

After standing there for a while, a voice suddenly sounded beside me; it was Retsu Unohana.

She looked at the letter with a smile and said, "Is it because of Yongyin's attitude?"

Shin remained calm and said, "Captain Unohana certainly knows how to read people's minds."

"Wasn't this Captain Tachikawa's own choice?"

Without a word, Xin glanced at her sideways.

He said calmly, "I didn't say anything, did I? Does that mean my thoughts should be restricted?"

Retsu Unohana smiled: "I didn't say anything about what I wanted to ask of Captain Tachikawa, and Captain Tachikawa doesn't need to explain or give me any explanation. I'm just curious about what it would be like if someone's behavior and thoughts contradicted each other."

Xin chuckled and said, "You wouldn't understand."

"..."

Shin's gaze lingered on Unohana Retsu's collarbone, where there was a flower-shaped mark, the one he had left himself.

Unohana Retsu noticed his gaze, and said with an unchanged smile, "Is Captain Tachikawa admiring his own masterpiece from back then?"

She was referring to the mark on her collarbone. The original scar there had been altered by Shin, and it looked quite different on Unohana Retsu's body.

And this mark, Unohana Retsu has never been removed.

Shin suddenly realized that Unohana Retsu's tone just now was not the condescending mockery of before, but rather carried a sense of genuine inquiry.

In the silence, Xin suddenly raised his hand and reached for her collarbone, as if he wanted to touch the mark.

This caused a flicker of surprise in Retsu Unohana's eyes, but she did not look away.

Xin pressed his fingertips against it, close to his skin. The mark was slightly raised and didn't feel very comfortable to the touch; it was like a different kind of scar.

"team leader……"

Yongyin suddenly walked out of the medical room, and when she saw the two of them in such a strange posture and action, she stopped talking abruptly.

She paused for a moment, then quickly returned to the medical room.

(End of this chapter)