A stool might have been a good idea, but Sada-chan is borrowing it at the moment. What he's up to I'm not really certain...

[ Was he telling the truth, or was he telling a clever little lie, just to be able to boost Ichigo up like this?

... it was the truth. Mitsutada wasn't a man known for lying. It just so happened that it worked in his favor a little, not that he'd say that out loud. ]