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The Commercial Street in the outskirts of Seireitei was the type that was bustling at night but quiet during the day, leaning more towards a night market.
Most of the customers who came here to shop were Squad Members and their relatives with lower salaries, while most of the shop owners were descendants of Squad Members who lacked the talent to become Shinigami, or Squad Members who had 'retired' due to injury, illness, or disability.
Every Squad took great care of Squad Members who 'retired' due to injury or disability. For example, if the Comprehensive Relief Station was short on medicinal herbs, they would prioritize purchasing from Kazuki's herbal shop.
It was the same for other Squads; if a Squad Member who 'retired' due to injury or disability opened a shop, people from their own Squad would usually come to support their business in their free time.
Arakawa Izakaya.
This was a shop located in the center of the Commercial Street, with an excellent location, and even during the daytime when foot traffic was relatively low, it still had many customers.
The shop owner, Arakawa, was a middle-aged man with messy black curly hair, but his overall attire was very neat, giving him a kind and approachable feeling.
However, his right arm was just an empty sleeve, tied to his body to prevent it from swinging. It was said that he was once a Squad Member of the Tenth Division who had hoped to be promoted to Seated Officer, but he lost his dominant hand in an operation over a decade ago and eventually applied for 'retirement', thus opening this izakaya with the help of his Squad.
Initially, most of the customers at the izakaya were Squad Members from the Tenth Division, but before long, Arakawa, relying on his ancestral brewing recipe, made the izakaya very successful. Over a dozen years passed… and Arakawa Izakaya had already become the most popular izakaya on the Commercial Street.
Customers included not only Squad Members and Seated Officers from the Gotei 13, but even Captains would sometimes appear here.
"Please come again next time."
Arakawa stood behind the bar, smiling and seeing off departing customers.
As the most popular izakaya on the Commercial Street, coupled with the Tenth Division's exceptional care for 'retired' Squad Members like him due to injury or disability, Arakawa actually didn't need to personally oversee the shop. But he truly enjoyed seeing the satisfied expressions of customers after drinking the sake he brewed himself.
Because it was working hours, there weren't many customers in the pub, but most were enjoying the fine wine he brewed.
Only…
Arakawa looked towards the corner of the pub with a somewhat strange gaze.
The layout of Arakawa Izakaya's main hall was not square. To make way for the kitchen, the hall's structure was actually a 'concave' shape with a missing corner. In that corner, there was an extremely narrow space, and to avoid wasting it, he had placed a table there.
However, because the space was only one meter wide and two meters long, making movement extremely inconvenient, hardly anyone ever sat there.
Arakawa often rested on the long bench there when the shop wasn't busy.
But…
Starting three days ago, that spot had been continuously occupied.
Looking over, one could see a young man, appearing to be in his early twenties, with short black hair and a refined face, sitting in that small corner. He wore a strange, pure black outfit that gave a very dirt-resistant impression, and on his feet were not straw sandals, but rare black tall boots.
Leaning against the wall next to the young man was a long, stick-like object covered in a black cloth bag. It looked somewhat like a club, but Arakawa felt that it likely contained a long sword.
But it shouldn't be a Zanpakuto.
Because the person's identity made it impossible for him to possess a Zanpakuto.
He was no stranger to this young man, who had appeared on this street about a month ago and often handed out small cards on the street.
Sir Ishikawa of the Everything Store!
This was how people on Commercial Street referred to him. As someone who had no relatives in Seireitei but was granted permission to freely enter and exit Seireitei, this Sir Ishikawa was extremely famous in the Commercial Street located on the outskirts of Seireitei. Moreover, he was gentle and kind, eager to help others, and his craftsmanship was astonishingly good, making him deeply liked by everyone.
Arakawa had always felt that if it weren't for his shop being located in Rukongai, his Everything Store would probably have already become incredibly popular on the outskirts of Seireitei.
But this sole drawback was remedied a few days ago.
Because just across from his shop, a new store suddenly opened a few days ago. Arakawa initially thought it was a shop opened by some noble from the central district, as most good locations on this street were bought by nobles from the central district.
However, the sign hanging on that shop read 'Everything Store Branch' in five characters, and below the sign was the name of the shop's owner.
—Ishikawa.
When he saw that sign, Arakawa was truly surprised. One had to know that he had only obtained his own shop with the help of Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku of the Tenth Division. Yet, Sir Ishikawa, who came from Rukongai with no connections in Seireitei, managed to open a shop in such a prime location just one month after entering Seireitei.
Recently, rumors had already spread that this Sir Ishikawa was the illegitimate son of some noble lord, which was why he was able to obtain permission to freely enter and exit Seireitei.
However, Arakawa's reason for noticing him wasn't because of this…
But rather, his deplorable behavior of occupying a spot without making proper use of it!!
Starting three days ago, this young man would come to the pub after work, order the most expensive drink in the shop, sit there without drinking it all day, and then take it away in his own flask when he left…
This made Arakawa, who cherished the sake he brewed, wish he could sweep the young man out with a broom.
But the way this young man looked at the sake, and his expression after smelling the aroma, undoubtedly showed that he was also one of his kind; that look of enjoyment upon smelling the sake's fragrance could absolutely not be faked.
It was precisely because of this that he suppressed the urge to drive him away.
After a moment of contemplation, Arakawa couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Sir Ishikawa, I've noticed you haven't taken a single sip these past few days. Are you dissatisfied with the sake in my shop?"
"…"
Ishikawa Katori's eyelid twitched slightly. Could he not avoid it after all?
Ishikawa Katori had long noticed the dissatisfaction in Arakawa's gaze towards him.
But dissatisfaction couldn't be helped. To avoid being kicked out of the pub, he had to force himself to order a drink costing sixty thousand Kan each time, despite the heartache.
As for dissatisfaction…
Aside from the ridiculously high price, Ishikawa Katori truly had no complaints.
The sake was indeed good, worth the price.
But if you ask me why I don't drink…
I'm afraid if I drink too much, I'll trash your shop!
This reason obviously couldn't be said.
Although Ishikawa Katori liked to drink, he always kept the four words 'drinking spoils matters' in mind, knowing what occasions he could drink at and what occasions he couldn't.
Of course, for Ishikawa Katori, one cup of sake was not even an appetizer.
But what he was afraid of was… after taking one sip, he would think, 'well, nothing's happening, I'll have a second cup'… A few cups down, it would be easy to overdo it and thus delay important matters.
"You misunderstand."
Ishikawa Katori smiled slightly and gave the pre-prepared reason: "Mainly, work can come at any time during the day, and I absolutely do not drink during working hours. But because I really enjoy this particular taste, I thought I'd buy a cup to smell and satisfy my craving, then take it back to drink at night once I'm sure there's no more work."
"So that's how it is."
Arakawa looked at Ishikawa Katori with suspicion. While there was nothing wrong with his words, he always felt that this young man wasn't here just for the sake.
Because besides sitting there and smelling the sake, he noticed that this young man also observed every customer who entered the shop.
Could it be…
A hint of vigilance flashed in Arakawa's eyes.
…He also wants to open an izakaya on Commercial Street?
So he comes every day under the guise of drinking, to observe the preferences of customers?
Then, is he ordering the best sake here every day to steal his brewing recipe?
At this thought, Arakawa's face showed no unusual expression. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "Sir Ishikawa truly loves his work. I see your branch has only been open for three days, but you already have many customers coming for commissions. Do you plan to expand your business further in the future?"
"Uh…"
Ishikawa Katori shook his head: "The Everything Store in Seireitei is actually just a transfer station for receiving tasks. Commissions taken here are all transferred to my Everything Store in Rukongai for registration. Having this one place is enough; there's no need to expand the business at all."
"Is that so?"
Arakawa carefully observed Ishikawa Katori, and finding that he didn't seem to be feigning, he slightly relaxed.
After observing for the past few days, he noticed that although the Everything Store across the street had just opened, there were quite a few customers coming and going. While most customers were merchants from Commercial Street, whether it was odd jobs, renovations… childcare, or serving as waiters in various shops, the black-haired young man's work results left customers extremely satisfied.
His work ability was indeed off the charts!
Moreover, from Arakawa's perspective, the services of his Everything Store were actually very suitable for being run within a pub. According to customers who had relatives or friends in West Rukongai, his Everything Store in Rukongai also operated as a pub simultaneously, with extremely booming business, but for some reason, it was never open to the public, and the identity of the customers remained very mysterious!!
This inevitably made Arakawa feel that the other party also intended to do the same within Seireitei.
But now it seemed that Ishikawa Katori didn't have such plans.
"Uncle Arakawa— I'm here!!"
Just then, a rather excited voice came from outside the pub.
Hearing this voice, Arakawa's mouth twitched slightly; Ishikawa's eyes, however, lit up, and he eagerly looked towards the pub entrance.
Following the sound, a woman was seen walking into the pub from outside.
This was a woman with long, wavy orange hair, a beautiful face, and a figure several times more voluptuous than even the already incredibly curvaceous Sister Kukaku in Ishikawa Katori's impression; her loose shinigami uniform was somehow worn to appear tight and three-dimensional on her, constantly jiggling as she walked.
"Yo, Uncle Arakawa, give me ten pots of your best sake, heat one, and I'll take the other nine back to the Squad barracks to drink."
As soon as she entered the shop, the orange-haired beauty waved at Arakawa, her body swaying, causing her shinigami uniform to jiggle. Ishikawa Katori even vaguely hallucinated at that moment, hearing the shinigami uniform make a wonderful sound…
Terrifying—
Ishikawa Katori had always thought Sister Kukaku's figure was quite formidable, but the woman before him now made him realize that there was no strongest, only stronger…
As for Kotetsu Isane, her figure was also very good.
But her height, nearly one meter ninety, combined with an extra-large shinigami uniform, didn't particularly accentuate her figure.
However, Ishikawa Katori only glanced once before retracting his gaze. Compared to her figure, her identity interested him more!
She was also the main reason he had insisted on coming here every day for the past few days!
Because this orange-haired beauty was none other than the Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division in the Gotei 13…
—Matsumoto Rangiku!!
Arakawa's expression was a bit strange: "Vice-Captain Matsumoto, didn't you just have a few days off? Why do you have time to come here for a drink today?"
"How many times have I told you, just call me Rangiku."
Matsumoto Rangiku laughed heartily: "Although I don't have a day off, I did leave a note for the Captain to report before coming here, you know."
"…Leaving a note doesn't count as reporting, does it?"
Arakawa's mouth twitched slightly. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that Captain Hitsugaya was extremely unlucky to have such a Vice-Officer.
However…
Thinking about it carefully, when he hadn't 'retired' yet and Captain Isshin hadn't gone missing, Captain Hitsugaya, as the Third Seat of the Tenth Division, was already spending every day in the Captain's Office dealing with internal Squad work because the two Captains often ran off.
Rather than saying it was unlucky to have such a Vice-Officer, it was more accurate to say that Captain Hitsugaya's decision to choose the Tenth Division in the first place was a wrong one.
"Oh?"
Matsumoto Rangiku tilted her body, looking past Arakawa towards Ishikawa Katori in the corner: "Who is this…?"
"This is the one from across the street…"
"I am Ishikawa, the owner of the Everything Store across the street."
Arakawa looked at Ishikawa Katori behind him with some surprise, realizing that the other party had stood up at some point, a comfortable, warm smile on his face, as he handed a small card to Matsumoto Rangiku.
This young man…
Arakawa's mouth curved into a strange smile. He suddenly understood why this young man came to his pub every day.
Because, throughout Seireitei, men with the same thoughts as him who came to his pub could line up from here all the way to outside Byakudo Gate…
When his izakaya first opened, whenever the Vice-Captain came to support his business, the pub's daily revenue would surge several times over.
It could be said that his izakaya's popularity was partly due to the Vice-Captain's frequent visits!!
"Everything Store?"
Matsumoto Rangiku took the business card and glanced at it, but her gaze was fixed on the black cloth bag next to Ishikawa Katori.
The long, black cloth bag, whose material was only average, had patterns on it that, after one look, made her unable to tear her eyes away.
Because those were…
Spiritual Crests.
Although she wasn't very knowledgeable about Spiritual Crests, judging from the patterns, they seemed to be Spiritual Crests used for concealing aura and blocking detection, and the level of the Spiritual Crests was extremely high. Even she hadn't noticed the black cloth bag leaning against the corner before seeing it with her own eyes.
Ishikawa Katori followed her gaze, and when he saw the black cloth bag, his brows furrowed slightly.
Should he really make some changes to the appearance of the cloth bag?
This black cloth bag was what Ishikawa Katori used to carry his Zanpakuto. Although his Zanpakuto was sealed, the faint, eerie aura from the blade itself was not concealed. Even when placed in the cloth bag, it would make others feel uncomfortable.
To avoid affecting others and drawing attention, Ishikawa Katori asked Sister Kukaku to help him engrave Spiritual Crests that block aura onto the cloth bag.
But now it seemed that the Spiritual Crests, while not attracting the attention of ordinary Shinigami, were somewhat counterproductive for knowledgeable Shinigami, allowing them to instantly see through the peculiarity.
"Everything Store · Ishikawa… Hmm, I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before…"
Matsumoto Rangiku didn't press for details. After retracting her gaze, she looked at Ishikawa carefully for a few moments, then her eyes lit up: "I remember now!"
At her words, both Ishikawa Katori and Arakawa couldn't help but be startled.
Ishikawa Katori even thought back carefully, realizing that besides occasionally seeing her here not long ago, he and Matsumoto Rangiku had indeed had no prior interactions.
"About half a year ago— Hmm, or maybe a year ago… anyway, around that time, Ōmaeda mentioned you to us when he invited all the Vice-Captains to dinner in Nobility Street."
Matsumoto Rangiku chuckled: "He told Isane that a Seated Officer from the Fourth Division was secretly learning Kido from you, but he didn't give any details. When I pressed him at the gathering, he just hemmed and hawed, as if he was hiding something… I was curious at the time, so I thought I'd go to West 38th District of Rukongai the next day to check out your shop."
"But I drank too much at the gathering, so I forgot about it the next day, hahaha—"
Ishikawa Katori was startled at first, then filled with gratitude.
Ōmaeda…
Forever a God!!
Next time we meet, I'll call you Vice Captain!!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter