With a casual wave of her hand, Kirio summoned several notebooks filled with writing.
Under Satoru's watchful gaze, she spread them out one by one.
"Master, I analyzed it just as you instructed."
"Special illusions—formless, soundless, possibly without even any noticeable signs when activated."
"Once seen, the victim remains under control forever."
"There are only two ways to break free from this control."
"First, possess spiritual pressure far exceeding the caster's."
"Second, come into contact with the tool used to cast the illusion."
"Based on what you've told me, I've reached one conclusion!"
Kirio's expression turned solemn as she slowly declared:
"The conclusion is—it's undefendable."
Satoru: "?"
If he weren't outmatched in combat, he'd have asked right then: "Are you messing with me?"
Seeing Satoru's reaction, Kirio smiled.
"Since we can't defend against it, why not change our approach?"
"Let them cast their illusions if they want."
"As long as we can continue fighting normally even after being affected, wouldn't that work?"
Satoru frowned. "How is that possible?"
"It is possible," Kirio said seriously.
She pointed to the open notebooks beside her.
"The method is simple. First, carry an artificial soul with you at all times."
"Second, keep the artificial soul in an activated state constantly."
"Third, devise a way to wear this artificial soul like an outer garment over your own soul during combat."
"This way, if the opponent uses illusions, they'll affect this 'soul outerwear.'"
"Just remove the outer layer, and you'll return to normal!"
Satoru: "..."
When Satoru remained silent, Kirio waved her hand in front of his face.
"What's wrong, Master Satoru? Is there a problem with my method?"
"A huge problem."
Satoru rolled his eyes. "Setting aside everything else, what's with this third step... It's like skipping an entire tech tree."
"I may not understand artificial soul construction, but I imagine it's quite intricate. How could you just casually change its form?"
"If souls were that easy to manipulate, Shinigami wouldn't need to fight with swords—they could just wave their hands and alter their opponents' soul states."
After considering this, Kirio laughed.
"We'll figure that part out when we get there."
"Fair point," Satoru found himself agreeing instinctively.
Suddenly realizing something was off, he quickly corrected himself: "No, no, no! Normally it wouldn't matter, but this time it's urgent!"
"Urgent, huh..."
Kirio pondered for a moment. "But I can't think of any great solutions right away. How about we try this path first? If we come up with any new ideas later, we can switch?"
Satoru nodded.
In the blink of an eye, dusk began to fall.
Satoru bid farewell to Kirio Hikifune and left the 12th Division.
In just half an afternoon, he had learned a wealth of foundational knowledge about artificial souls.
Since this was meant to "deal with" Aizen, there was no way he could ask Aizen for help.
The thought of having to master such an incredibly complex system left Satoru on the verge of tears.
Being this kind of friend was truly unparalleled.
If that idiot Aizen managed to avoid a life sentence in the future, shouldn't he owe me a few kowtows?
Before leaving, Kirio Hikifune insisted on learning a few simple dishes from him.
In this era, while Japanese culinary culture couldn't exactly be called backward, it was at least a barren wasteland.
Miso soup, pickles, and all sorts of bizarre sushi made up the absolute mainstream.
What would be considered ordinary tempura in later generations was, at this time, a genuine high-end delicacy—the very definition of gourmet food.
For Kirio, the dishes Satoru knew were nothing short of a dimensional leap.
To put it in perspective, it was like someone used to playing on a Famicom suddenly seeing a PS5.
The sheer envy was self-evident.
...
...
The next day, Satoru and Aizen attended their classes together as usual.
Though both were nearing graduation, out of self-discipline, neither had abandoned their studies.
As long as they hadn't graduated yet, they would diligently attend every single class.
Seeing the two sitting in the classroom, Kinoshita was surprised, then couldn't help but smile.
After class, Satoru headed to the school store.
Ever since Sōjun Kuchiki stopped attending classes, he rarely ate at the cafeteria at noon.
Without the lavish bento boxes of the Kuchiki family's young master, the cafeteria food was barely enough to fill his stomach—utterly devoid of any anticipation.
As Satoru was about to buy two red bean buns at the store, a voice suddenly called out from behind.
"Oiii—!! Satoru-kun!!"
Puzzled, Satoru turned toward the source of the voice.
There, he saw a man with a brown pompadour and a thick gold chain running toward him.
At the sight of this man, many students gasped in surprise.
"Hey, isn't that someone from the 2nd Division?"
"The 2nd Division's vice-captain, Marenoshin Ōmaeda!"
"The one with the insane Shunpo?"
"Yeah, not just Shunpo—I've heard he practically runs the 2nd Division single-handedly now. He's a real powerhouse!"
At first, the students were baffled as to why the 2nd Division's vice-captain would visit Shin'ō.
But the moment they heard him call Satoru's name, realization dawned.
So he's here for Satoru… Probably trying to recruit him early.
Still, even though Satoru was strong, he was only a first-year student.
Even if he was planning to graduate in just one year—an unprecedented feat—he still had over half a year left.
Wasn't the 2nd Division jumping the gun by recruiting him this early?
Under the watchful eyes of some students, Marenoshin Ōmaeda arrived beside Satoru.
"Hey there, Satoru, I heard you first-years don't have classes this afternoon, so I came looking for you... What are you up to?"
"Buying lunch." Satoru pointed at the bean buns in the display case.
Marenoshin gave him a slightly bewildered look.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he casually waved his hand.
"Though I do love red bean buns, let's skip them today. Come on, let's go try the cooking from my family's chef!"
Naturally, Satoru had no objections.
If he remembered correctly, the Ōmaeda family was one of the wealthiest noble houses in Soul Society.
The ingredients they served probably wouldn't be any worse than the Kuchiki family's!
Led by Ōmaeda, Satoru left the Shin'ō Academy, and the two headed toward the Second Division.
Since he was currently handling most of the captain's duties, Marenoshin Ōmaeda usually lived directly in the Second Division barracks.
As they walked toward his private kitchen, Marenoshin enthusiastically introduced Satoru to the various facilities along the way, as well as the training programs.
When they passed by an open training ground, Satoru's gaze turned curious.
In the air, numerous children—shorter than him—were dressed in masked uniforms, practicing assassination techniques on wooden dummies.
Though younger than him, the intensity radiating from these kids was anything but lacking…
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