Chapter 324: Permission?

Shunsui Kyoraku, draped in his flower-patterned pink haori, a straw hat on his head, and a bit of stubble on his chin, glanced at the gates of the Shin'o Academy. He let out a deep sigh of helplessness under the slanting sunlight. He had originally passed the task of dealing with H'el to Ukitake, only for it to land back on his shoulders. Truly unfortunate.

Jūshirō Ukitake, captain of the 13th Division and a member of the Shinigami Men's Association, is known for his kindness, sincerity, and love for peace. Despite his strong sense of duty, his health is extremely poor, often bedridden for most of the month.

This time, Kyoraku had pushed the responsibility of dealing with H'el to Ukitake. But seeing Ukitake coughing up blood and still trying to head to Shin'o Academy to handle H'el, Kyoraku had no choice but to take over the task again.

Dammit! If I hadn't gone to chat with Ukitake on a whim, none of this would have happened.

Suddenly, H'el needed something, and Ukitake, despite coughing up blood, insisted on crawling out of his sickbed to work. If it weren't for two third-seats dragging him back, he would have likely crawled all the way to Shin'o Academy while coughing up blood.

In the end, due to the earnest pleas of the two third-seats from the 13th Division, Kyoraku, a longtime friend and the one who had foisted the task onto Ukitake, had no choice but to reluctantly take up the job again and head to Shin'o Academy to deal with H'el.

All of this was the result of his idle chat with Ukitake.

H'el had been holed up in Shin'o Academy for over half a year without causing any trouble. But just when he visited Ukitake, he had to make a request.

H'el made a request, and It ended up on his shoulders. Truly unlucky.

Kyoraku squinted lazily, enjoying the winter sun on his face as he strolled leisurely into Shin'o Academy, the warm sun lulling him into a sleepy state.

Classes were still in session, and the vast school grounds were empty. Kyoraku bypassed the welcoming teachers and headed straight for the lake behind the teaching building. There, he found H'el leaning against a small pavilion, looking even more relaxed than himself.

"Not carrying your Zanpakutō anymore?"

At first glance, Kyoraku noticed that H'el wasn't carrying his Zanpakutō. Previously, Kyoraku had seen H'el never part from his sword.

Now it was nowhere in sight?

What does this mean? Has he hidden it, or stored it in a space he can't perceive? Or does he simply not need it anymore?

Kyoraku's mind raced with speculations but yielded no answers.

Without having fought H'el, he had no idea about his combat style or the abilities of his Zanpakutō. Many guesses were like aimless drifting.

With a lazy smile, Kyoraku approached the pavilion.

H'el, having read nearly all the books in the library over the past half-year, was taking a few days to relax and clear his mind by the lake.

"You're quite relaxed," Kyoraku said, joining him on a stone bench, leaning against a brown pillar, basking in the slanting sunlight.

"Yeah, finished reading the books, so just taking a break for a couple of days." Enjoying the sunlight, H'el squinted and continued, "So, are you here to take me to the Great Spirit Book Gallery?"

He asked.

A few days ago, after Gin Ichimaru graduated and left Shin'o Academy, H'el had sent a message through a teacher requesting to visit the Great Spirit Book Gallery for records on creation.

Only now had Kyoraku come to give him an answer.

Kyoraku smiled wryly, "That's not an easy task, my friend."

The Great Spirit Book Gallery is a place that records all significant events and secrets of the Soul Society. It compulsorily collects and documents all information and is managed by the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Located beneath the Central 46 Chambers' underground council room, entry requires a decree from the Central 46 and permission from one of the Five Noble Clans, namely the Tsunayashiro Clan.

Typically, no one is granted access to the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

Moreover, the Central 46 doesn't understand the potential threat H'el poses, and the Tsunayashiro Clan would care even less. How could this be managed?

Kyoraku could only stall, trying to pass the buck to Yamamoto.

"You've already been freely reading in the Shin'o Academy library, so please don't make things difficult for me. I can't get the approval to take you to the Great Spirit Book Gallery." Kyoraku subtly hinted that H'el was pushing his luck.

Letting you learn so much here at the Academy, with access to every book in the library, isn't that enough? There's no need to challenge our limits further.

Even Yamamoto couldn't get the authorization for the Great Spirit Book Gallery.

This wasn't within their jurisdiction.

Just allowing H'el and the others to enroll and receive such preferential treatment had already caused discontent among many nobles, and the Noble Council had even criticized Kyoraku's family. His family had faced some targeted actions.

Of course, thanks to Yamamoto's mediation, these issues were mitigated.

But openly obtaining authorization for the Great Spirit Book Gallery was impossible. The regulations of Seireitei were firm and feudal, particularly given they didn't fully understand H'el's destructive potential yet.

"Seems like you've faced some pressure, Shunsui," H'el said with a smile. "No worries then. I'll go in myself."

He had informed them as a courtesy, giving them a heads-up. Naturally, having them escort him in would be ideal, avoiding unnecessary conflict, which wasn't H'el's preference.

Even if they couldn't escort him, H'el's notice served as fair warning.

Kyoraku felt his scalp tingle. Was he really going to force his way in? Like that?

Facing the captains of the thirteen divisions of Seireitei, plus the Tsunayashiro Clan's obstruction, would he still enter the Great Spirit Book Gallery?

Seriously?

Kyoraku was utterly helpless.

At that moment, a teacher approached, holding a letter. After saluting Kyoraku, the teacher handed the letter to H'el.

Kyoraku noticed the corner of the letter was stamped with the insignia of the Fifth Division. This was a letter on Fifth Division stationery.

Considering Gin Ichimaru had joined the Fifth Division a few days ago, this was likely a letter from Gin to H'el.

H'el glanced at the letter, then casually pulverized it with spirit particles, saying to Kyoraku, "Rest assured, my entering the Great Spirit Book Gallery shouldn't cause you any trouble."

°°°

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