* The events of this entry take place approx. 30 years after the events of the preceding chapter *
Light beamed through an aged, wooden window spotlighting a cramped office and illuminating a mountainous stack of paperwork on the single desk inside. The pile teetered from its sheer height, begging for attention, yet the sole occupant of the room paid it no heed. Instead, the stocky, Asian man was furiously scribbling in a journal, his strokes full of intent. Focus, commitment, and sheer f*cking will permeated his being - it was as if he wrote hard enough, he would be able to will his writing into existence.
Of course, if one were to look at the contents of the journal, they would be less impressed.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I HATE MY BOSS!
WHY WAS I SO DUMB TO TAKE THIS JOB!?
Yes, this was our protagonist Lei, currently going through his daily self-care routine to deal with the sheer craziness of his current job.
Three decades ago, after losing in the fight against Kenpachi, the crazy captain used his executive powers to transfer Lei from the kido corps to the 11th division. At the moment, Lei chose not to fight the decision; it seemed like a good decision to be so close to a pivotal character in the main storyline.
Well. Screw Lei from 30 years ago. Seriously - screw that guy.
The 11th division was an absolute garbage dump. True to its reputation as a battle division, no one did any administrative tasks. Leading the other brain-dead members as the most brain-dead, Kenpachi outright ignored them. Payment as an employed officer? None. Centralized cafeteria for food? None. Bedding and sheets for accommodation? None. People in the 11th division lived like ANIMALS.
Unable to reconcile such a life of destitution after over 10 years as a respected (relatively) and tenured squad captain in the Kido division, Lei took it upon himself to figure out the logistics of his new situation. It was only after handling all the necessary paperwork that he was finally able to exhale in relief.
Unfortunately, monkey see, monkey do. Or in this case, monkey give work to another. Upon seeing the newest 11th division member have disposable income to enjoy, all the others wanted to hop on the band wagon. Unable to determine the details for themselves though (or perhaps simply unwilling), they pestered Lei to handle the logistics.
Of course, Lei refused.
Of course, fights occurred.
And of course, winning didn't solve the problem. Instead, this caused 11th division members to bother him even MORE. Now they seeked him out for sparring and administrative tasks.
How did this lead to his current position?
----- 30 Years ago -----
After an entire month of relentless badgering, Lei had enough. Eyes shadowed by lack of sleep, furrowed in a stern grimace, he stormed into the disarrayed captain's office with his frustrations. Kenpachi wasn't there and instead, sitting behind a large desk that dwarfed her stature was the lieutenant captain Yachiru.
"Oh? Hey Lei-chan! Kenny isn't here right now, but you can come back later if you want to fight!"
"Wait wha-?" No!" Intense dark brown eyes stopped his outburst in its tracks. "I mean no, I'm good Lieutenant. Maybe next time."
"Okay! What are you here for then?"
"I... *SIGH*" As if waiting for permission, the accumulated frustrations from the last several weeks boiled over as Lei poured out his struggles with the other 11th divison members. Surprisingly, Yachiru for her part listened patiently without interrupting. If he was in another situation, Lei would have laughed. There was a heavy irony in the fact that the most mature person in the 11th division wasn't a person.
After nearly 10 minutes of a tirade on the characters and discipline of the 11th division, Yachiru looked at Lei with a weird gaze.
"So... what I'm hearing is that you're good at administrative tasks... " Furtive glances at the massive amounts of paper work on the desk transitioned into a disturbingly predatory glare.
"Err... yes, but that's not the poi-"
"And it seems like your problem is that you don't have enough respect from the other members..."
"Well, I mean yes. That might help solve the issue, but I wasn't real-"
"I've decided!" One hand on her hip and one hand pointing straight at Lei, Yachiru jumped on to the desk and exclaimed. "You're now the co-lieutenant of the 11th division!"
...what?
...
WHATTTTTT?
------- Present Day ---------
And so here Lei was, toiling away as the co-lietenant of the 11th division for the last 30 years. Certainly, the initial problem of random people messing with him was resolved. Instead, he now had to handle people messing with other people, which in the 11th division, was EVERYONE.
Taking a deep breath, Lei took a moment to channel his emotions into the journal.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I HATE MY BOSS!
WHY WAS I SO DUMB TO TAKE THIS JOB!?
The sound of furious scribbling echoed through the room. Upon careful observation, one could actually see that the last 100 pages of the journal was effectively the same three lines. And behind Lei was a bookshelf with at least 20 journals that looked similar...
---
Two men walked along the white walls of Seirterei, their wooden sandles clacking along the corridors. The one on the left was a bald gangster, and despite carrying himself with a languid nonchalance, his sharp, slanted eyes betrayed his propensity and readiness for battle. By his side was a man that visually was the complete opposite: a scholarly-looking person with long hair styled with an ostentatious flair.
"The lieutenant should be in his office around this time," Yumichika, the one with hair, remarked. "Are you going to fight him again?"
"Heh - of course I am! How can I let someone else be Captain Zaraki's right hand?" Although he said that, the broad grin on Ikkaku's face made it clear that his words weren't serious. Anyone in the 11th division knew that Lei was invaluable. Since his promotion to his station, the division had undergone a complete evolution. Once someone started living with free food, clean sheets, and pay, one can't live without them anymore.
"Oh? So what I'm hearing is that you're going to take over his administrative tasks too?"
"Uh..."
"Hah - I knew it. It's really just to have fun fighting isn't it?"
Sheepishly rubbing the back of his bald head at being called out by Yumichika, Ikkaku paused and scoffed in return.
"Yeah sure - like you're any better. The only reason you're following me is so that you can get your turn afterwards."
As the duo continued conversing, they quickly arrived in front of the small building their lieutenant worked at. Sparing no time, Ikkaku rushed forward with excitement, slamming open the door.
"HEY LEI! LET'S FIGHT!"
---
Lei sighed as he stamped another mission report and tossed it onto an ever-growing stack. Although he would have liked to continue in his self-mellowing, unfortunately, paperwork waits for no one. Grabbing another document, he began to peruse it...
"HEY LEI! LET'S FIGHT!"
Eyebrow twitching, hand slightly spasming at the interruption, Lei looked down at his half captured thought. Then he glared at the intruders to his work. Yumichika, to his credit, looked at least a little sheepish for interrupting (although the gleam in his eye gave away his eagerness to fight). Ikkaku was oblivious to any such social shame.
"You look like shit working on paperwork," Ikkaku said. "Let's fight instead!"
...
If there was one highlight in the drudgery that is the 11th division, it's that there are many opportunities to gain combat experience. Too many opportunities. Kenpachi on Mondays, random riff-raff over the week, and in this case, Ikkaku and Yumichika over the weekend. Over the years, Lei had accumulated at least thousands of combat experiences. From an absolute novice and taking constant losses, he is now fairly matched against a bankai-less, eyepatch-less Kenpachi in pure swordplay and shunpo.
What about Lei's extensive kido repertoire and unleashed Zanpakuto? He does use them, but only for practice and never in a serious manner. The one time he did was ... a giant mistake. The next day, Kenpachi showed up with an even more violent temper and a not insignificant power up.
Breaking out of his recollections, a heavy sigh escaped our protagonist's mouth. "Can't you pick on someone else?"
Even Yumichika scoffed at that. "No one else is worth fighting. And Captain Kenpachi would send us to the infirmary for months."
"Besides," Ikkaku added, grinning, "you're the second strongest guy in the division."
Rubbing his temples in distress, Lei decided that, like always, nothing he said was going to convince them. "Fine. Let me finish this report, then I'll kick your ass."
"Now that's the spirit!"
After filling out the current document, Lei got up and followed the two intruders out, a sudden desire to put someone in his place almost bursting out of him. Okay... he had to admit that beating someone up did SOMETIMES feel good. A broad, disconcertingly wide smile ran onto his face at the thought.
Yumichika and Ikkaku felt a gaze behind them and a chill ran through their backs. Suddenly, they were regretting this decision a little. Only a little...
As the group left, a gust of wind blew the top paper on the stack of documents off. The next piece of news had the following declaration.
"Rukia Kuchiki has been sentenced to execution for Ryoka creation!"