Evening.
Yoshio went home.
Because everyone's mood had been low lately, aside from Rangiku occasionally coming out for meals, others rarely appeared.
There was no activity tonight; Yoshio ate something at the Fifth Division cafeteria and went home.
Although he said he would teach Renji and Hinamori Bankai, it wasn't today.
Today was Friday; tomorrow he planned to go to Shin'ō Academy to see Gengorō Ōunabara. That guy's favorability had been hard to raise, but it should be close.
And tonight, he planned to increase Starrk's favorability.
His idea was to split a clone from the Quincy part of his soul ability like Angra Mainyu, then use the ability of mind over matter to arrange this clone into a Wandenreich Quincy.
However...
Doing this still had problems, and there was an issue from the start.
That was, Starrk's favorability hadn't reached 80 yet; he could only use soul splitting once, and the last opportunity had been used to split Angra Mainyu.
Now...
He had to go to Las Noches tonight to check.
He got up from the bed, entered Hollowfication state, opened Garganta, and stepped into Las Noches.
He had previously left a backdoor in Seireitei's Barrier Membrane, allowing him to use Garganta at a specific Barrier Membrane frequency.
However, after Mayuri Kurotsuchi returned, this backdoor was fixed.
But Yoshio hadn't studied technology for so long for nothing; since the old vulnerability was plugged, why not create a new one?
Yoshio's technical strength could be said to improve significantly from time to time.
Because he had Tōshirō Hitsugaya's 'Child of Kirin' skill; Tōshirō Hitsugaya himself was a genius, a Shinigami genius who learned Bankai in just a few years, a miracle in Soul Society.
But his Child of Kirin was limited to training.
The soul ability Yoshio obtained was different.
Although this soul skill had a one-day cooldown, making it seem like a low-tier Tōshirō Hitsugaya, its Child of Kirin coverage was much broader than Hitsugaya's talent.
It could be said that with this ability, Yoshio could become an all-rounder!
When Yoshio designated Child of Kirin for learning ability in the scientific field, Yoshio's talent wouldn't be inferior to scientists like Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi!
What Yoshio lacked was just accumulation of knowledge, which couldn't be helped; he could only make up for it by reading books frequently.
However, reading was usually boring, and Yoshio always felt it was best to use force.
But that's off-topic. In short, Yoshio left another backdoor in the Barrier Membrane.
He could conveniently enter and exit Las Noches regularly.
He appeared directly in his room, glanced at the laboratory directly connected to his room, and then walked out.
Las Noches was quite peaceful; after all, after the incident, Aizen had already issued a 'gag order' to Las Noches.
That is, even activities to go out and find powerful Menos Grande were suspended.
However, this period also gave opportunities for subsequent Espada selections; if anyone had objections to the Espada, or if Espada themselves were dissatisfied with their position numbers, they could challenge.
If this period passed, even if there was dissatisfaction later, no changes could be made.
Unless a 'position swap blood battle' was approved by Espada leader Yoshio or King of Hueco Mundo Aizen.
And besides Baraggan, no one should challenge Starrk, so Starrk was quite idle.
When he saw Starrk again, he was with Lilynette.
Lilynette was sitting bored at the table, fiddling with her fingers, while Starrk lay on the bed, seemingly resting.
After Yoshio came in, he glanced at Starrk's favorability toward him and found it had reached 69.
This number was already high for a Hollow—no, it could even be said to be the highest!
According to Kisuke Urahara's theory, Starrk should be considered on the path of Shinigami transformation for Segunda Etapa, closer to Shinigami. Compared to other Hollows and Arrancars, Starrk's favorability was absolutely the easiest to raise.
Moreover, Starrk's inherent death aspect was 'loneliness'; if he underwent Shinigamification in Segunda Etapa, he should move further from this 'loneliness' attribute.
This way, raising favorability became even easier.
"Yoshio!"
Seeing Yoshio return, Lilynette was very happy; she immediately got up from the chair and said excitedly, "Did you bring a new story for me this time?!"
"Why does it sound like coaxing a child to sleep?" Yoshio said with a bitter smile.
"Isn't it coaxing a child?" Starrk turned over and said, "Please, hurry and coax her; she's so noisy I can't sleep."
"You idiot!"
Lilynette immediately walked to the bed and kicked Starrk hard.
Starrk immediately sat up and said, "What are you doing! A subordinate hitting an Espada—you want to rebel!"
Although he said that, Yoshio could tell he seemed happy when speaking.
"Who told you to call me a child!" Lilynette angrily straddled Starrk.
"Enough..." Yoshio sighed, slapped his forehead, and lamented.
He sat down where Lilynette had been sitting and took out paper and pen.
Lilynette immediately came over: "Are you going to write a novel?!"
"Yes, my business partner in Soul Society just asked me to write a novel about diamonds."
"Oh, so how are you going to write it?"
"Let me think. The story is set in modern times. On a rainy night, a carriage speeds down from the mountain and crashes. Falling out of the carriage, besides two nobles and their heirs, there's a briefcase containing an stone mask."
"Stone mask? What's that?" Lilynette pulled over a chair, sat next to Yoshio, and asked curiously.
"A tool that can make people Hollowfy. Lately, Hollowfication is very popular in Seireitei; people really hate Hollowfied Shinigami."
"Why is that?" Lilynette said puzzled, "For us Hollows, gaining Shinigami power is something very exciting; all Hollows want to become Arrancars!"
"Hmm..." Yoshio smiled, "In Soul Society's eyes, Hollows are ultimately evil. Using evil power, for the big shots, that's blasphemy."
Starrk walked behind the two at this time and said faintly, "Hollows represent chaos and instability; a regime hates instability the most."
"Smart, Starrk." Yoshio praised, "Starrk is absolutely right; a regime hates unstable things the most."
"Hollowfication can make Shinigami go on a rampage. Even if they successfully master powerful abilities afterward, after mixing in a Hollow's soul, will Shinigami become like Hollows? For the old folks in Central 46, they don't want trouble during their rule."
"So troublesome." Lilynette pouted, "We Hollows are better."
"Yoshio, you definitely won't be unreasonable like other Shinigami, right?!"
Yoshio smiled bitterly, "You, a Hollow, actually say Shinigami are unreasonable?"
"Yeah! Can't I?!" Lilynette said righteously.
"Of course you can." Yoshio said, "You're right; Shinigami are actually quite unreasonable."
"Shinigami killing people, okay!"
"Hollows killing people, not okay!"
"Our Seireitei is so righteous!"
"Your tone is so sarcastic."
"Yoshio..." At this time, Starrk said, "Speaking of which, I saw a very special Arrancar before."
"I know; didn't you mention this earlier?" Yoshio knew he was actually talking about Angra Mainyu. He had originally thought of letting Angra Mainyu get a free Hōgyoku enhancement item from Aizen.
But later he found it better to follow Kisuke Urahara, so he gave up on that idea.
However, Starrk seemed to care about Angra; after all, Angra was like him, a Hollow who became an Arrancar without Aizen's Hōgyoku.
He thought perhaps he could find some common ground with Angra.
But afterward, there was no trace of Angra Mainyu.
"Yeah." Starrk said, "So I want to go out and find him."
Oh, because of that.
Yoshio thought, Starrk couldn't leave now; if Starrk left, how would he raise his favorability?
So he waved his hand and said, "Forget it; leave this to me. You better not leave Las Noches for now."
"You?" Starrk was a bit surprised.
"Yeah, don't underestimate my intelligence network." Yoshio smiled, "Wait until tomorrow; I'll give you a reply as soon as possible."
Angra Mainyu was his clone; didn't he know where he was?
Exposing his whereabouts to raise others' favorability—that was the most cost-effective!
And in this short time, Starrk's favorability had risen to 70; at this rate, breaking 80 was imminent.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoshio saw Starrk's favorability surge again.
It went straight from 70 to 71, so he added, "But I have to mention this to Captain Aizen; after all, the gag order 38 was issued by him."
Starrk nodded, "Mm, I'm not in a hurry."
"Two old fogeys." Lilynette pouted, "Alright, Yoshio, ignore Starrk! Come on, continue the stone mask story!"
"Okay!"
Yoshio started writing again; he planned to give the manuscript to Ōmaeda tomorrow or the day after. Ōmaeda's favorability was almost at 60; then he could see what Special Combat Force really was.
…
The next day, Yoshio walked out of his room.
He had stayed up late last night until midnight to receive update news.
Lilynette got more excited as she read. Yoshio had planned to sleep early, but Lilynette bothered him until late at night!
Then he returned home from Las Noches and finally slept.
He only slept for two or three hours before waking up; looks like today would be another listless, lazy day.
Yoshio yawned and groggily arrived at his workstation.
Hinamori arrived earlier than Yoshio; after Hitsugaya transferred to the Thirteenth Division, she had potential to become the new 3rd Seat.
Hinamori saw Yoshio's listless appearance and asked puzzled, "Lieutenant Yoshio... are you...?"
"Don't ask; I was rushing a manuscript last night, almost died from lack of sleep." Yoshio yawned again.
"Rushing a manuscript?" Hinamori suddenly realized, "Oh, is it 'Thousand-Year Blood War'?"
"No, a new manuscript." Yoshio waved his hand, "Momo, help me with the morning work later; I'm really too sleepy and need to rest a bit."
"Lieutenant Yoshio, you're slacking off again!" Hinamori muttered.
"Please~!"
Yoshio returned to the office, preparing to take a short nap.
He was quite busy today; he had to go to Ōmaeda and to Shin'ō Academy to find the teacher.
After resting in the office for about an hour, Yoshio sneaked out.
He brought the manuscript he wrote last night and went to the Second Division again.
When he handed the manuscript to Ōmaeda, Ōmaeda was thrilled and couldn't help saying, "Yoshio, your efficiency is too fast! I knew cooperating with you was the right decision!"
"You read it first; I'll sleep a bit more."
Yoshio yawned again, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes.
Although Ōmaeda didn't understand literary works, he wasn't so bad that he couldn't read an interesting novel. He took the manuscript and started reading.
After reading, he said somewhat puzzled, "This is indeed an excellent novel, but... it doesn't have the elements I want! Or rather, the elements I want aren't the main elements of the work! Isn't this centered around a mask?"
Yoshio opened his eyes and said, "That's how I thought..."
"Although the stone mask can make people Hollowfy, to evolve them into perfect beings, there's still one last thing missing."
"Perfect existence?" Ōmaeda asked curiously, "What is a perfect existence?"
"An existence with everyone's abilities is a perfect existence!" Yoshio said, "And to become a perfect existence, you need to embed a precious jewel called the Aja Red Stone into the core of the stone mask, then wear it. That way, you can become a perfect existence transcending everything!"
"Eh?!" Ōmaeda was stunned, then excited, "Makes sense! This way, the Aja Red Stone series jewels will definitely sell well!"
"Yes." Yoshio smiled.
"Just..." Ōmaeda was very excited inside, but soon thought, "Involving Hollowfication, isn't the topic a bit risky? What if it doesn't pass review?"
"What are you afraid of? Money; with money, are you afraid the higher-ups won't agree?"
"But..." Ōmaeda was a bit conflicted; he hadn't even started making money yet, and he had to start losing money?
"Moreover, it might not pass review. Don't forget, Hollowfied beings are villains that need to be defeated. What we're promoting is the main theme!"
"Makes sense, then let's do it!" Ōmaeda nodded; at this point, he said excitedly, "If this book becomes popular! I'll definitely treat you to a big meal!"
Yoshio's eyes lit up, not because of the big meal, but because he saw Ōmaeda's favorability toward him fluctuate and finally reach sixty!
Sixty!
Sixty was good. He knew how to use this ability!
So Yoshio stood up, bid farewell to Ōmaeda, and prepared to leave.
After leaving Ōmaeda's office, he saw Suì-Fēng again. At this time, Suì-Fēng had just come out of her room.
"Captain Suì-Fēng."
Yoshio bowed, then quickly walked past Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng glanced at Yoshio, thinking, is the Fifth Division's work too easy? Why is Aizen's Lieutenant running around all day?
After leaving, Yoshio found a quiet place and began observing his temporary ability 'Special Combat Force'.
Although the name of this skill was a bit strange, the effect was quite unique.
However, when Yoshio tried to activate it, he found himself seemingly in a dark world, a dark world with nothing...
Yoshio was stunned, then some information emerged in his mind.
This was the higher-dimensional comment section, but there wasn't even a single comment here.
Without comments, he naturally couldn't select and realize them!
What the hell?!
Is this a useless ability?!
Yoshio fell into thought; he felt this ability definitely wasn't trash.
But why was this happening?
Wait, could it be because Kurosaki Ichigo hasn't been born yet?
If you view this world as a manga, he was a character in the manga, and this world had the protagonist Kurosaki Ichigo.
Before Kurosaki Ichigo appeared, before the plot started, this world didn't even exist from a higher-dimensional perspective!
That is, only after Kurosaki Ichigo appeared would there be so-called 'plot', and with 'plot', there would be people's higher-dimensional 'comments'!
If that's the case, then Kurosaki Ichigo must be born!
There's another issue: After Kurosaki Ichigo is born, how will the plot unfold?
Does Rukia still need to do it?
Yoshio walked out of the higher-dimensional comment space, thinking as he headed toward Shin'ō Academy.
Special Combat Force...
This ability is too weird!
So he's just a side character, and he has to wait for Kurosaki Ichigo to appear to use this ability?
No, I'm the protagonist!
Yoshio muttered inwardly, but after thinking, he let it go.
Kurosaki Ichigo is indispensable; Yoshio is replaceable.
Any supporting character following Kurosaki Ichigo can blow up enemies. Kurosaki Ichigo can fight alone without even needing teammates. He just treats teammates as slightly advanced pawns, like playing solo.
Anyway, if something really goes wrong, Kurosaki Ichigo can solve it; he could just slack off in the back. Thinking this way, Yoshio's mood improved a lot.
He even hummed a tune until he reached Shin'ō Academy, when his heart calmed down.
He first went to Gengorō Ōunabara's office, but since it was class time, Yoshio wandered around the school.
Upon careful thought, from now on, Shin'ō Academy wouldn't produce any more powerful Shinigami.
So he searched for a long time but didn't see anyone with a Soul Ability.
It wasn't until class ended that Yoshio went to Gengorō Ōunabara's office again.
His office door wasn't closed, so Yoshio walked straight in.
"Yoshio-kun?"
Seeing Yoshio, Gengorō Ōunabara was still a bit surprised.
"Long time no see, teacher." Yoshio greeted Ōunabara, "I came to visit you."
He was also carrying a bag of fruit.
Gengorō Ōunabara felt warm inside. Yoshio really thought of him often. Among all the students who came from under him, none were like Yoshio.
Unfortunately, strictly speaking, Yoshio wasn't taught by him; he just occasionally came for guidance.
Gengorō Ōunabara said, "You came; why bring these things? You're a Lieutenant now."
"Whether Lieutenant or captain, didn't we all learn from you? It can be said, without you, teacher, there would be no me today."
Saying nice words wouldn't make him lose weight and could increase the other's favorability; naturally, say whatever sounds good.
Yoshio sat opposite Gengorō Ōunabara and asked, "Has the school had any good seedlings lately?"
"Sigh." Gengorō Ōunabara shook his head, "Much worse than your batch; this batch is the worst I've ever taught."
Yoshio's mouth twitched. Why did this sound so familiar?
Did he hear this when he was in school?
But what he said was indeed true; their batch produced two, him and Shūhei; indeed not comparable to ordinary students.
So Yoshio said, "Teacher, you've worked hard."
Gengorō Ōunabara smiled and shook his head, then as if suddenly remembering something, tentatively said, "Oh, Yoshio-kun, since you're here, actually, I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."
Seeing this, Yoshio curiously asked, "What is it?"
He was just one step away from permanently obtaining Gengorō Ōunabara's Soul Ability; he had to find an opportunity to take this final step.
Gengorō Ōunabara was still a bit nervous, tentatively asking, "Like this, could you... ask Captain Aizen? Have Captain Aizen come to our class as a substitute teacher for a few days?"
"I just thought, Captain Aizen has strong teaching abilities and has even made great contributions to textbook compilation; if he could come teach once, I think the students would benefit greatly."
"When they graduate, I think they'll be more inclined to go to the Fifth Division!"
"Oh, that's good news; don't worry, I'll discuss it with Captain Aizen when I get back. I believe Captain Aizen will definitely agree!"
A smile also appeared on Gengorō Ōunabara's face, and he said, "Then I thank you on behalf of the students!"
Ding!
Under Yoshio's excited gaze, Gengorō Ōunabara's favorability rose another level, directly reaching eighty!
Success!
At this moment, Yoshio permanently obtained his Soul Ability, "Strict Teacher Produces Outstanding Students." With this ability, Yoshio was more confident in teaching Renji and Hinamori to complete Bankai tomorrow night.
Originally, he thought if the favorability didn't reach eighty this time, he would use Child of Kirin tonight to add talent to his teaching.
Child of Kirin could not only make him a learning genius but also a teaching genius!
But now, it seemed not that troublesome; with this ability, he could even extend the teaching time.
One Sunday was too short; better to include Sunday, Monday, Tuesday—three consecutive days. The duration of "Strict Teacher Produces Outstanding Students" was also three days.
This way, Yoshio was confident in letting Hinamori comprehend Bankai too.
Renji comprehended Bankai in the original work, so with his guidance, there shouldn't be a problem.
However, in the original work, Hinamori showed no signs of comprehending Bankai; even with Strict Teacher Produces Outstanding Students, if the time was too short, it probably wouldn't be enough for her to comprehend Bankai.
Hinamori was his important experimental subject; she must comprehend Bankai!
"Alright, I'll go back now to find Captain Aizen."
At this time, Yoshio thought since he had already obtained the Soul Ability, there was no need to waste time at the school, so he got up and bid farewell to Gengorō Ōunabara.
Gengorō Ōunabara also knew Lieutenants were usually busy, and he was looking forward to Aizen's response, so he saw Yoshio off from Shin'ō Academy.
So Yoshio returned to the Fifth Division. Sure enough, Aizen was very interested in becoming a lecturer at Shin'ō Academy and accepted Gengorō Ōunabara's invitation.
During the meeting, Yoshio casually mentioned the matter with Starrk.
Aizen said with interest, "That Arrancar, like Starrk, destroyed the Tsunayashiro Clan and stole what the Tsunayashiro Clan had collected."
"Strangely, he could enter Seireitei directly through Garganta."
Yoshio squinted and smiled, "Perhaps it's related to his ability? Or maybe his Garganta is too strong, able to pass through the Barrier Membrane. Really annoying; we have to be careful in the future."
Aizen smiled at Yoshio and said, "However, according to Captain Kurotsuchi's tests, during that time, someone modified the Barrier Membrane's structure."
"It must be Kisuke Urahara; Kisuke Urahara is truly despicable!" Yoshio said angrily.
"The Captain-Commander thinks so too." Aizen said.
?
Why do I feel like you're scolding me?
Yoshio knew Aizen must have realized he was pulling strings behind the scenes, but he probably couldn't imagine that he and Angra Mainyu were the same person.
So he said, "Oh, the Tsunayashiro Clan's disappearance is a good thing."
"This family does nothing but cause trouble."
He focused on the Tsunayashiro Clan, believing Aizen could understand his meaning.
In Aizen's perception, he should have some connection to the Soul King, so hating the Tsunayashiro Clan was normal.
Using this opportunity to destroy the Tsunayashiro Clan with Hollow power wasn't hard to understand.
Moreover, Aizen himself wasn't very interested in this matter.
The Tsunayashiro Clan was the head of Soul Society's Five Great Noble Families—so what? Aizen didn't care about the Five Great Noble Families at all; he even dared to rebel against the Soul King, so why care about the Tsunayashiro Clan?
It was just because Yoshio brought up Angra that Aizen mentioned it casually.
Seeing Aizen had no interest in the matter, Yoshio naturally didn't say more and withdrew.
…
In the evening, Yoshio headed to Las Noches again.
This time, Starrk wasn't in his room, and Lilynette wasn't either, so Yoshio wandered around Las Noches.
However, he hadn't walked far when he saw a familiar face.
"Eh...?" Yoshio looked at the appearing Szayelaporro and said somewhat surprised, "You finally came out?"
The current Szayelaporro had changed greatly compared to before, and the biggest change was...
He had become an Arrancar!
Like Starrk, he had completed the Arrancar transformation without Hōgyoku.
However, although he didn't use Hōgyoku's power, he used Yoshio's The Animals.
After becoming an Arrancar, Szayelaporro's appearance was very similar to the manga Szayelaporro: golden eyes, wearing glasses, pink hair, appearing elegant and gentle.
Szayelaporro looked very excited, but he suppressed the surging emotions with reason.
He said, "I must thank you; without you, I would never have reached this step!"
Yoshio looked at Szayelaporro somewhat surprised, because he found Szayelaporro was completely different from before.
The current Szayelaporro showed no signs of madness; instead, he appeared very rational, not at all like a Hollow.
It seemed he had taken the same path as Starrk, evolving toward a Shinigami-like state.
Starrk's death aspect was loneliness; Szayelaporro's death aspect was 'madness'.
But where was the madness in the current Szayelaporro?
He had embarked on a path away from madness.
In the original work, he separated his brother representing wildness, but even after separation, that madness was still engraved in his most primal soul.
Even if the exterior seemed rational, deep down it was ultimately mad; rather than escaping madness, it was escaping the instinct for battle.
And now, through The Animals completing a key step, using his own technology to become a perfect life form, he seemed to have truly gained 'reason' detached from madness.
Interesting...
How could the previous Szayelaporro thank him?
"Thank me for what? It was just a transaction," Yoshio said casually, "I should congratulate you on becoming a perfect life form."
"The more I evolve, the more I realize that so-called perfection doesn't exist," Szayelaporro shook his head, "Perfect life? Incorporating death into the life cycle makes it perfect life?"
He seemed to have achieved enlightenment, like a Buddha.
"Indeed, having such realization means you're truly heading toward perfection," Yoshio clapped in agreement, "Recognizing that perfection doesn't exist in this world is the first step toward perfection."
"Keep working; I look forward to the day you achieve perfection."
Szayelaporro calmly said, "This is my research data."
He tossed a USB-like device to Yoshio; Yoshio caught it, then Szayelaporro asked, "Where is Aizen-sama?"
"He won't come to Las Noches for now," Yoshio said with interest, eyeing Szayelaporro, "Do you need to see him?"
"I know he used Hōgyoku to turn Hollows into Arrancars; I'd like to see what kind of power that is," Szayelaporro said, "Since he's not here, I'll wait; the future is infinite anyway."
"No problem." Yoshio said, then as if remembering something, added, "Right, are you interested in becoming an Espada?"
"Although I'm not interested in fighting, becoming an Espada should reduce some troubles," Szayelaporro thought and said, "Then I'll move a bit."
Yoshio asked with interest, "Which Espada do you plan to become?"
With Szayelaporro's strength, among the current Espada, only Starrk and Baraggan could threaten him.
But with Szayelaporro's current personality, he probably wouldn't do such troublesome things.
Not to mention whether he could win; even if he won, there would be endless troubles.
If he chose to become Starrk's zero Espada, Baraggan would monitor him.
If he chose to become Baraggan's head Espada, Baraggan would still pay attention to him.
"I'll become the second Espada."
Szayelaporro said faintly, "The second Espada is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck; if I defeat her, what happens to her?"
"Either she demotes to third Espada, or she completely leaves Espada and becomes 'Three-Digit'."
"Three-Digit?"
"It's an organization screened from Espada," Yoshio explained, "If you challenge Espada and fail but have outstanding combat power, you can also enter Three-Digit."
"Three-Digit's status isn't as high as Espada, but higher than Espada's fractions."
"How will she choose?"
"You really have confidence; you haven't even started fighting and you're guessing Nel's fate," Yoshio chuckled, "I don't know how Nel will choose; probably Three-Digit."
This world is truly cruel; originally, Nel was ambushed by Szayelaporro and Nnoitra and expelled from Espada.
I thought this time Szayelaporro and Nnoitra wouldn't team up, but now the ultimate evolved Szayelaporro has set his sights on her position.
However, Nelliel herself probably doesn't care much about that position.
Szayelaporro nodded upon hearing this and left, probably to find Nelliel.
Speaking of which, if Nelliel becomes small, wouldn't it be easier to get her Soul Ability?
The ability to change size is also very interesting.
"Did you see? As long as you're with the strong, your group will grow more and more."
After Szayelaporro left, Yoshio looked at Starrk not far away.
While he was talking with Szayelaporro, Starrk had returned but didn't speak.
After Szayelaporro left, Starrk came over.
Hearing Yoshio's words, Starrk also said with some emotion, "I still have to thank you, Yoshio; if not for you, I might never meet so many kindred spirits."
The kindred spirits he mentioned weren't ordinary Arrancars, but 'self-Arrancars' like Angra Mainyu and Szayelaporro.
"You should thank yourself, thank your own power," Yoshio said. "In Hueco Mundo, the weak don't deserve friends; only the strong qualify, only the strong deserve friends."
Starrk neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement and just asked, "About last night..."
"Don't worry, I won't mess it up," Yoshio said casually, "That Arrancar is called Angra Mainyu; he's not in Hueco Mundo now, but in the Human World."
"Human World..."
Starrk frowned.
For Menos Grande, especially top-tier Menos Grande like them, the Human World wasn't a good place.
The reishi concentration in the Human World was too thin; souls condensed with high-concentration reishi would even have breathing difficulties in the Human World, making Hollows uncomfortable.
He found it hard to understand why a powerful Arrancar like Angra Mainyu would go to the Human World.
"He's with Kisuke Urahara," seeing Starrk's puzzled expression, Yoshio said solemnly, "Now... you understand, right?"
Starrk fell silent. Kisuke Urahara was Aizen's enemy, which meant he was their enemy too. Unexpectedly, the kindred spirit he was looking for wasn't a friend, but an enemy.
"Not all kindred spirits can become friends," Yoshio said softly. "Just like Captain Aizen and Kisuke Urahara; aren't they both Shinigami? They are kindred spirits, yet enemies."
Starrk naturally understood this; he didn't need Yoshio to explain that not everyone was suitable as a friend.
Even a lone wolf striving to escape loneliness wouldn't be indiscriminate.
"But anyway, thanks for your help," Starrk said, "If we meet on the battlefield later, I definitely won't hold back."
Yoshio patted Starrk's shoulder and said, "Don't think too much; just go with the flow. Who can say for sure about the future?"
Yoshio's lips curled into a smile, adding, "In this world, there are no eternal enemies, nor eternal friends."
Starrk said nothing; Yoshio took the files and left.
He had said what needed to be said tonight; Starrk's favorability had increased a bit, and the rest depended on time.
Moreover, today he received a big gift from Szayelaporro; shouldn't he study it properly?
When people get busy, time passes especially quickly.
Before long, it was already late; Yoshio returned to his room again.
This day, Sunday, Yoshio submitted the manuscript of his new book "Stone Mask" to Shuhei, asking him to serialize it in the next issue of "Seireitei Bulletin."
Then, evening arrived.
Yoshio went home with Hinamori; when they arrived, Renji was already waiting at the door.
Renji was a bit surprised to see Hinamori, while Hinamori smiled and said, "Abarai, don't think you're the only one who wants to get stronger."
"For Hinamori, I can extend the time to three days," Yoshio led the two into the room and announced, "From now on, come every Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night!"