It's been twelve years since that maddening world war ended.
Tokyo has developed again; cars race beneath towering skyscrapers.
As the Shinigami, Yoshio, appeared over Tokyo,
he looked down at the city below and then vanished in a flash.
As a Shinigami from a reishi-based world, he couldn't interfere with the material world. In fact, in his memory, the Soul Society was very displeased with the outbreak of the last world war in the human world.
First, "Human World" lost a vast number of lives, which forced "Shinigami" to work frantically during that period, guiding souls to the "Soul Society."
Second, among the dead were not a few depraved, crazed war criminals; before long after death, their minds twisted and they became Hollows, causing no small number of casualties among the Shinigami.
But in any case, at least Tokyo now had no Hollows.
The task he received from the Tsunayashiro Clan was to investigate the movements of "supernatural entities" in Tokyo. After completing the investigation, he wasn't to act rashly, but to record their names and locations and report back to the Tsunayashiro Clan.
This mission was top secret; it couldn't be recorded in Soul Society's archives, meaning even Aizen didn't officially know what he was doing in the Human World.
Of course, that was only on the surface—who knew what he knew in the shadows.
That maniac Aizen even had eyes in the Human World; it was possible his every move was still being monitored.
Yoshio felt he needed a way to obtain some sort of disguise ability. Nelliel's [Size Alteration] could be considered a disguise, but he currently had no chance to raise her favorability.
He appeared atop a building and opened his spiritual sense, feeling out people's spiritual power in the area.
"Let me think…"
He felt it would be too slow to search place by place.
Thinking carefully, the Fullbringers he knew probably hadn't been born yet.
He remembered Kugo Ginjo was only twenty-eight during the Fullbring arc, and the current time was about forty-four years before the main plot—so roughly forty-six years before the Fullbring arc.
Which meant Kugo Ginjo wasn't even born yet!
Among Fullbringers older than Kugo Ginjo…
There was Kutsuzawa Giriko, though he likely hadn't reached fifty yet.
Another one… should be Aura Michibane … her father, perhaps?
Aura Michibane appears later in the novels as a Fullbringer. She carries the "Soul King's Saketsu" component, and her father was also a Fullbringer.
Her father's name is Tenshiyo Agata; Yoshio thought he might already have been born by now.
Wait, why am I fixated on individuals?
Can't I search at the family level?
There are only so many people in this country with surnames like Tadazawa and Tsukishima—couldn't I just track those surnames and find their future selves?
Of course, Yoshio wouldn't go around reporting this kind of thing; he was just thinking about how to use such information later.
Could he go in advance to the future Fullbringers' birthplaces and start raising their favorability from a young age?
Good—that's exactly what he would do.
And the Tsunayashiro Clan's mission?
Who cares?
Yoshio hadn't come to the Human World to work for the Tsunayashiro Clan; he came to raise the favorability of certain people in the Human World.
For example…
The Ishida Clan, the Quincy families?
Hmm, the Ishida Clan should be in Karakura Town, Tokyo, and Kisuke Urahara is there too—so he would go take a look.
Since he was in the Human World, he was naturally familiar with Tokyo's map, and as a Shinigami, his speed far outstripped ordinary people, so he reached Karakura Town quickly.
In Karakura Town, the Ishida Clan was something of a "distinguished family," or at least wealthy, so they weren't hard to find.
The Ishida estate was spacious; besides the main house, there were several training grounds. Yoshio didn't barge in—relations between Quincy and Shinigami were bad.
He had to first see if these people's "Souls Abilities" were worth anything before he'd bother to raise favorability.
Especially since the Ishida Clan was a traditional Quincy family with hostility toward Shinigami; going there would be like offering a warm face to a cold backside, wouldn't it?
He concealed his spiritual pressure and noticed a young man training at a distant practice field.
His Souls Ability was labeled ["Quincy Heir."]
["Quincy Heir: once activated, you can train within the Quincy power system."]
!
Yoshio was instantly excited—this was an unbelievably powerful ability!
If he could obtain it, he could be both Quincy and Shinigami at once!
What's the strongest growth system in the Shinigami world?
Shinigami? Hollow? Quincy? Fullbring?
A hybrid!
I want all four!
Ishida Sōken, as Ishida Uryū's grandfather and the one who passed on Quincy powers, probably left the impression of "teaching Quincy training," which is why he possessed such a Souls Ability.
Yoshio narrowed his eyes; he had made up his mind—he had to become friends with Ishida Sōken.
But how?
After all, he was a Shinigami, and there was a deep grudge between Shinigami and Quincy.
Damn, he should've brought a Gigai.
Wait, he could find Kisuke Urahara and ask for a Gigai, right?
With that, Yoshio left the Ishida estate and started searching for Kisuke Urahara.
Come to think of it, he didn't know whether the Visored had been cured by now.
Though the Visored were brought to the Human World by Kisuke Urahara, Yoshio didn't remember any clear record of when they were successfully healed.
If the "Visored" were still around, he could check what their "Souls Abilities" were.
Thinking as he wandered around Karakura Town,
he didn't find the Urahara Shop—perhaps Kisuke hadn't opened it yet.
No matter; Karakura Town wasn't that big. If he searched carefully…
He'd find some clues.
Most importantly, Yoshio had the ability to probe others' Souls Abilities directly. No matter how well someone hid, if he saw they had a Souls Ability, he could confirm they weren't ordinary.
Of course…
If he really couldn't find him, then Yoshio would have to meet Ishida Sōken as a Shinigami and test his luck.
Sure enough, after about two days, Yoshio came across traces of Kisuke Urahara during a stroll.