Within the 4th Division, improving one's combat strength was far from a priority. What mattered most was skill in Kaidō and medical expertise.
As a result, there were only two official dōjōs available for training. Many of the squad members had been assigned here by necessity rather than choice, and often sought ways to transfer out. Even so, some spent their spare time training for exactly that purpose.
For Shin, finding a quiet place to train was proving difficult.
So he went to Kotetsu Isane.
"Training?"
In the vice-captain's office, Isane pondered his request seriously.
"We have several unused infirmaries in the barracks. If we move the beds and equipment to the sides, they'd be spacious enough for you to train in… though it's a bit of a hassle."
"It's no trouble at all. May I use them?"
"Of course," Isane smiled. "Those rooms are empty unless there's a crisis. Just be careful while using them."
"Thank you, Vice-Captain Kotetsu."
She tilted her head curiously.
"Are you getting used to life in the 4th Division?"
"Quite well. Iemura-senpai has been very supportive."
"I'm glad." Isane smiled, then added, "I was a little worried you might struggle with some of the routines here. Like, say… street cleaning?"
Shin, though grumbling inwardly, replied with a straight face:
"It's not like I never cleaned at the Academy."
Which was technically true. He'd just slacked off there too.
"Originally, I planned to have you moved to the Pharmacology Unit," she continued. "But Captain Unohana assigned you to the Emergency Relief Corps. Perhaps she thought it suited you better. Iemura mentioned you've been performing very well."
Pharmacology, huh…
Shin suddenly realized—Isane herself was head of the Pharmacology Unit.
So he'd missed his chance to see her daily. And that elusive Unohana… he'd barely had any interactions with her since joining.
"What kind of work does the Pharmacology Unit handle, exactly?" Shin asked, feigning humility.
Isane was happy to explain:
"We're a medical research unit. We don't go on the front lines, but our members must have extremely advanced Kaidō knowledge. We develop new medicines, experimental Kaidō, even work with the 12th Division to create medical instruments."
She paused, then added with a soft laugh:
"Your Zanpakutō would be of great interest to us. I've had several people ask me to get your cooperation for some tests."
Shin winced inwardly. His Zanpakutō wasn't truly a Kaidō-type—it only mimicked one. Letting people dig too deep would be dangerous.
"Sounds like very specialized, high-level work."
Isane nodded.
"It is. Most members of the Pharmacology Unit genuinely want to be in the 4th Division."
Her expression dimmed a little.
"But every year, we get countless transfer requests. Some don't even stay long enough to settle in. People come and go. Everyone's looking to get out. That's just how it is…"
Shin's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
"Have you and Captain Unohana ever thought about addressing this problem?"
"How could we?" Isane sighed. "The previous vice-captain tried all sorts of things—even did big promotional campaigns at the Shinō Academy. The school cooperated. But every year, barely any graduates choose to come here."
"I meant doing something from within the division."
"How do you mean?"
Shin leaned forward slightly.
"Like what I'm doing now—asking for space to train. We've got all this unused space in our barracks, but only two training halls. All those unused infirmaries… It shows we prioritize Kaidō and treatment far too much, and completely neglect combat capability."
Isane frowned.
"But those rooms aren't exactly useless. In an emergency, we might not even have enough."
Shin shook his head.
"Emergencies aren't daily occurrences. Why not repurpose the space for training by default, and reconfigure them as infirmaries only when necessary?"
Isane blinked.
He had a point. Most infirmaries were just some beds and basic instruments anyway.
In truth, Shin wasn't just criticizing the 4th Division—he had issues with the Gotei 13's structure as a whole.
Many squads overlapped in function.
The 6th and 7th Divisions? One protected nobility; the other was entirely focused on guarding the Seireitei's inner court. Did both need to exist?
The 9th was the prison squad, but many other divisions had private holding cells.
The 5th Division handled field support and rescue, but often needed to coordinate with the 4th. Orders had to go through two chains of command.
He wasn't saying all overlap was bad—but it was inefficient.
Isane nodded slowly.
"You make a good point. I'll bring it up with Captain Unohana. Is that all you had in mind? You mentioned internal changes—surely that's not the only one?"
Shin smiled inwardly. As expected, Isane was thoughtful. She took every word he said seriously.
"The real problem," he said, "is our self-perception."
"What do you mean?"
"The 4th Division sees itself only as a medical corps. So we don't emphasize combat strength. But who says a healer can't fight?"
Isane blinked, confused.
"Come again?"
"I'm saying that especially as doctors, we should know how to defend ourselves. Not to rush into battle, but to survive it. Right now, we're so weak we always need others to protect us. That's why squads like the 11th look down on us."
"But what does that have to do with people not wanting to join?"
"Everything. If we change that mindset—if we train ourselves to fight and heal—people will respect us more. Other squads will treat us with dignity. That kind of pride, that sense of belonging… It'll make recruits think twice before turning us down."
Isane rubbed her temples.
"But people only have so much energy. They already struggle to study Kaidō. Now we expect them to train in combat too?"
Shin chuckled.
"How many of our current members are really studying Kaidō that hard? Most are just waiting to get transferred. If we give them something concrete to work toward, something that strengthens them, I bet they'll have the energy."
Even within the 4th, Kaidō-type Zanpakutōs were rare. Most Shinigami had offensive or Kido-based types. Asking them to become Kaidō experts was unrealistic.
"But doesn't that defeat the purpose of a medical division?" she asked weakly.
"We'll never fully change that. The 4th Division's identity is tied to Kaidō. But nothing says we can't also be competent fighters."
Isane fell silent.
Shin hadn't expected it, but her Favorability stat ticked up by 3 points.
[Favorability: 65]
She looked up again, eyes shimmering with something unreadable.
"I understand now, Shin. Everything you've said makes sense. I'll share it all with Captain Unohana."