"No need to wait for me—just eat first!" Urahara Kisuke called out with a wave, walking toward the door with his usual carefree grin.
Ururu and Jinta stood behind the shop counter, unmoved.
"Manager, that's not what I meant," Ururu said flatly. "We're out of soy sauce. I was going to ask you to buy a bottle, but since you don't know when you'll be back... well, guess we'll have to cook bland food."
Jinta was less diplomatic. "There's barely enough food for dinner as it is. You better pay up before you leave, or we won't even be able to buy groceries."
Urahara blinked. "Didn't I give you money two days ago?"
Jinta crossed his arms and huffed. "You call that a lot? Half of it went toward beer—and guess who drank most of it?"
"Hey, I wasn't the only one drinking! Tessai had some too!" Urahara defended himself with mock indignation.
"I only saw you drinking," Jinta shot back. "Don't go blaming Uncle Tessai for your drinking habits."
Urahara sighed dramatically. "Ururu, Jinta... is this really the kind of person you think I am?"
Without hesitation, both nodded in perfect sync. The response cut deeper than any Zanpakutō.
With a theatrical groan of betrayal, Urahara slipped out of the shop and made his way toward the source of the spiritual disturbance he'd sensed earlier. His senses told him it was in Naruki City—a neighboring urban center just a tram ride away.
As he strolled through the streets, a flash of black fur leapt from a nearby rooftop and landed gracefully on his shoulder.
The black cat's fur was sleek, her golden eyes alert and calculating.
"Urahara Kisuke," came Yoruichi's familiar voice from the feline form. "You're heading toward the spiritual pressure we felt earlier, right?"
Urahara raised an eyebrow. "You sensed it too? I thought you were still hiding out in Soul Society."
"I just returned," Yoruichi replied. "Didn't expect to step back into the human world and be greeted by something that intense. That Hollow's spiritual pressure—it's beyond captain-class. At least half of the Gotei 13 wouldn't stand a chance against it."
Urahara's smile faded ever so slightly. "You're not wrong. I was planning to check it out solo, but I suppose having the Flash Goddess at my side won't hurt."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. "I'm more concerned that this isn't a coincidence. A spiritual force like that doesn't just wander into the real world. You think Aizen's involved?"
Urahara's gaze turned serious for a moment. "It wouldn't surprise me. If anyone could orchestrate something like this, it's him."
Aizen had long since become the dark cloud looming over them all—always watching, always scheming. Even in exile, the mention of his name was enough to turn blood cold.
Still, Urahara chuckled. "Let's not assume the worst. Maybe it really is just a powerful Hollow who got curious."
"You don't believe that," Yoruichi muttered, but said no more.
They arrived at the tram station a few minutes later. As they waited to board, a station attendant noticed the black cat perched on Urahara's shoulder.
"Sir, pets aren't allowed on the train," the attendant said politely but firmly.
Urahara glanced sideways and gave Yoruichi a look.
With a flick of her tail, Yoruichi leapt gracefully from his shoulder and disappeared into the crowd.
"That's not my cat," Urahara said with a deadpan face. "See? It's gone. We good now?"
The attendant looked around, then nodded. "Go ahead."
The moment his back was turned, Yoruichi slipped back into the train, weaving through legs and shadows unseen.
---
"Passengers, please prepare to disembark. Naruki City is the next stop."
As the tram slowed to a halt, Urahara stepped off with a small sigh. In the bustling crowd, the familiar black cat padded up beside him.
"Every time," Yoruichi muttered. "This world has such a prejudice against cats."
Urahara smirked. "At least you didn't have to pay a fare."
They weaved through the streets, scanning the spiritual atmosphere carefully. Yoruichi finally broke the silence.
"Naruki City is huge. Got any leads on where that Hollow might be hiding?"
"I do, actually," Urahara replied, pulling a small, square device from his sleeve. The screen flickered to life, displaying a grid of spiritual fluctuations. "A little gadget I've been working on. It can track residual spirit pressure far more precisely than natural sensing."
Yoruichi raised a brow. "Impressive. The first director of the Technology Development Bureau never disappoints."
"Coming from Lady Shihouin, that means a lot," Urahara said with a grin.
Their light banter continued as they walked, the scanner guiding them through alleys and empty streets. After nearly three hours, the device pinged sharply.
"This is it. Ground zero," Urahara announced.
They stood in a quiet, narrow street. Cracks spread across the concrete beneath their feet, and several birds lay lifeless in the nearby alleyway.
"The spiritual pressure was so dense," Urahara observed, kneeling. "Even small insects and animals couldn't survive. If it had lasted any longer... humans wouldn't have fared much better."
Yoruichi's eyes swept the area. "The Hollow must still be nearby. This kind of residual pressure doesn't linger for long unless the source is close."
---
Meanwhile, inside a hotel suite several blocks away, Su Xiuyu and Harribel were blissfully unaware of the hunt closing in on them.
After weeks of starvation-level survival in Hueco Mundo, Su Xiuyu had gone all out on human food. Plates were stacked high, sauces dripped, and fried goods glistened under the ceiling lights.
"This is amazing! You sure you don't want to try any?" Su Xiuyu asked, holding up a grilled skewer of beef.
Harribel shook her head. "Eating is meaningless to me. The food turns into spirit particles, but the density is too low to matter."
Su Xiuyu raised a brow. "So Vasto Lordes can't even enjoy food? That's tragic."
---------------
Harribel was calmly explaining the biological futility of eating to Su Xiuyu.
Yes, as a Vasto Lorde-level Hollow, any food she consumed would be completely converted into spiritual particles. Her body absorbed everything. There was no waste, no excretion, no digestion cycle. In a way, she was the upgraded version of a fantasy people often joked about—a flawless being who never needed to poop.
"It's not that eating matters," Su Xiuyu said as he licked ice cream from his fingers. "It's that desire does. Hunger isn't always about survival—it's about sensation. Pleasure. Want."
He paused, watching her chew thoughtfully. "Do you get what I'm saying?"
Harribel tilted her head slightly. Her expression suggested she didn't fully grasp the concept, but she was trying. She was doing her best to interpret flavor through instinct, not necessity.
Su Xiuyu smiled. To him, Harribel was like someone navigating the world through a glass wall—seeing, sensing, but struggling to feel. He treated her kindly, almost like a friend with emotional dyslexia.
Meanwhile, a different thought tugged at his mind.
He couldn't remain in this state forever. This wooden clone—no matter how stable—was still a placeholder. A vessel. A puppet on borrowed time. And if he truly wanted to integrate into this world and master its spiritual systems, he'd need to ascend. To evolve.
To become a Shinigami.
But how? There were theories. He could try absorbing the power of a Shinigami directly, like Kurosaki Ichigo had once done. Or he could find a way to sever the karmic tether of his clone—maybe even transmute his body into a leptonic form. Plenty of sci-fi theory mixed with soul-bound logic.
But what he really needed... was a specialist.
Urahara Kisuke.
The thought settled in his mind like a calculated decision. The former Soul Society scientist might just have the answer.
"Harribel," Su Xiuyu asked quietly, "if I became a Shinigami... would that change our relationship?"
Harribel blinked slowly. "I don't know. I've never met a Shinigami before. But..." She paused, then continued in her steady tone, "You said we are friends. So... even if you become a Shinigami, we should still be friends, right?"
Her answer was blunt. Honest. Childlike in its simplicity. But for Su Xiuyu, that was enough.
He smiled. "Yeah. We are."
---
The two had just stepped out of a local shop with fresh ice cream cones when a familiar figure appeared—clogs, green-striped haori, and a bucket hat hiding half his face. A black cat with sharp eyes perched on his shoulder like a smug sentinel.
Su Xiuyu immediately recognized him. Urahara Kisuke.
Well, Su Xiuyu thought, I was going to look for you anyway. Guess I'm saving time today.
Urahara approached casually, hands tucked into his sleeves, his smile unreadable.
"Excuse me," he said with his usual cheery lilt. "Would you two be interested in a little... chat?"
His tone was friendly, but Su Xiuyu wasn't fooled. The man was already analyzing the situation—measuring spiritual pressure, posture, threat levels. And from the way his eyes kept flicking between Su Xiuyu and Harribel, he had already guessed which one was more dangerous.
More importantly, Su Xiuyu didn't emit any spiritual pressure—but that only made him more of a threat in Urahara's eyes.
"Sure," Su Xiuyu replied. "Let's go somewhere less crowded."
He led Harribel forward, hand still clasped gently in hers. Behind them, Urahara followed with Yoruichi, still in her feline form, perched lightly on his shoulder.
"Hey, Kisuke," Yoruichi whispered through their private channel. "Are you sure this is safe? That Hollow looks like a Vasto Lorde. She's no ordinary monster."
"Judging by her reiatsu and composure, I'd say she is," Urahara murmured back. "And that human... I've never seen anything like him. He's got no spiritual pressure, but I can feel the danger rolling off him."
"More importantly," Yoruichi added, "they're together. Look at the way she holds his arm. They're... close. Since when do Vasto Lordes form emotional bonds with humans?"
"Now that," Urahara muttered, "is the most troubling part."
After a brief drive, the group arrived at a quiet coastal area just beyond the edge of Naruki City. The beach was empty—weekday silence with nothing but the crashing of waves and the occasional cry of gulls overhead. It was a place perfect for confrontation—or quiet conversation.
Harribel stepped beside Su Xiuyu, her cloak fluttering faintly in the ocean breeze. Urahara adjusted his hat.
"Alright," Su Xiuyu said, "we're here. Start talking, Clog Man."
Urahara gave a lazy smile. "The name's Urahara Kisuke. And I was hoping you'd clarify your... relationship with the Vasto Lorde standing beside you."
He tapped his cane gently against the sand, slipping into a guarded stance without ever dropping his smile.
"My name is Su Xiuyu," Su Xiuyu replied. "And Harribel is my friend."
"A human... and a Vasto Lorde... as friends?" Urahara echoed. "Fascinating."
Yoruichi leapt off his shoulder, landing gracefully beside him in her cat form. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke.
"You know what a Vasto Lorde is capable of, right? Their power rivals captains. One wrong move from her and thousands of people could die."
Su Xiuyu didn't flinch. "Anything intelligent can communicate. Whether we keep communicating depends on behavior, not biology."
Urahara's smile didn't fade, but his eyes sharpened. "Could you ask your friend to return to Hueco Mundo? A being like her can't remain in the human world indefinitely. Her spiritual pressure—unrestrained—could trigger a catastrophe."
At those words, Harribel's grip on Su Xiuyu's arm tightened.
He looked down to see her head lowered beneath her cloak. Her body was still, but her hand trembled slightly.
She didn't want to go back. He could feel it.
Life here—simple, free, colorful—was far better than the endless white sands and blood-soaked instincts of Hueco Mundo.
Su Xiuyu leaned in, whispering something reassuring. Harribel nodded faintly.
Looking back at Urahara, Su Xiuyu sighed. "As you can see... she doesn't want to go back. I'm sorry, but that's not negotiable."
Urahara nodded slowly. He had expected resistance. What surprised him was how polite Su Xiuyu's refusal was.
"But," Su Xiuyu continued, "since I'm already here... I do have a request."
"Oh?" Urahara raised an eyebrow.
"I want to become a Shinigami."
The air fell silent for a beat. Even the waves seemed to pause.
Yoruichi was the first to speak. "You? A human—no, something else—asking to become a Shinigami?"
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