"Ayano-san arrived early. Come, you can come in~"
Keiji gave a slight nod to the large man standing by the side of the door, almost like a guard or an assistant, and entered the room along with the same suspicious merchant from the day before.
The space was very simple, but organized. In the center there was a low table, and on it rested a steaming teapot accompanied by a few cups carefully lined up.
The aroma of tea spread softly through the space, bringing a sense of calm that matched Unohana's room.
"Tea?"
"I prefer sake."
"Then tea~"
Ignoring Keiji's preference as if he had not heard anything, the man kept his good-humored tone.
Keiji did not mind and let his eyes wander over the details, while discreetly expanding his senses to observe more precisely the movements of the man who seemed frivolous in every gesture.
"Is Ayano-san interested in the art of tea~?"
"I am actually trying to analyze your movements with my spiritual sense."
"Oh~ but there is no need! I am just a simple, yet absolutely handsome merchant~"
"No. I am just testing a technique I heard about."
It was an adjusted version of using his senses to replicate Observation Haki, which the chat member Boa Hancock had mentioned.
According to her, in her world there were two main kinds of "powers." The first was Haki, a force that came from one's own spirit, manifested in different forms. The second were the Akuma no Mi, strange fruits that, when eaten, granted unique and often illogical abilities.
Boa Hancock was a user of both Haki and a Akuma no Mi.
"Is that so~? And do you mind explaining how it works~?"
"It feels like a sixth sense. It lets you detect presences in a way different from the standard Spiritual Sense, but with very similar results."
"Sounds impressive. But if it is the same result, what is the point of learning it?"
"The real thing is its ability to read the small movements to predict the target's next moves, like a kind of precognition."
"Hmm… now that is interesting. I have never heard anything like it. Is it an ability of a Zanpakutō or some new Kidō?"
"No. From what I understood, it is more like a personal technique that anyone could develop. Apparently it just takes enough training."
Or at least, that was how it worked in Boa Hancock's world.
"Such an amazing ability, and everyone could use it… does something like that really exist? What is it called? Is it all right to talk to me about this?"
"It is called Observation Haki."
Keiji answered while staring directly into the merchant's eyes. His gaze, which was usually frivolous, had shifted to that of an excited man.
"And I am telling you precisely to satisfy my curiosity."
"To satisfy your curiosity?"
"Even if I explain how it works, could you learn it?"
It was a legitimate question. Theoretically, since Haki came from each person's spirit, it was something that could be learned by beings like Keiji, who use their soul as power.
If people from this world met those conditions… could they learn Haki?
That would open possibilities not only for him, but perhaps even for others in the Soul Society. Captains, Lieutenants, maybe even Seated Officers.
Keiji had other people he could use to satisfy his curiosity, like his Lieutenant or even his own Captain. But Keiji also wanted something from this suspicious merchant.
And the best way to get that something was to offer something else that would attract him.
"I see. It seems Ayano-san has never seen anyone use this so-called Observation Haki, despite believing that everyone can learn it~"
The man hid a smile behind his fan.
"I wonder where Ayano-san heard about this ability~"
"A member of my group."
"Your group…?"
"Are you interested? I can tell you how it works."
"And in return?"
"Information."
"And what kind of information does Ayano-san expect to get from a merchant like me?"
"Three questions. I will ask you three questions, in which one needs a full answer, one can be only a half answer, and one you may refuse to answer."
"Hmm~ that seems favorable to me. But how will you know if I am being sincere? And how will I know if Ayano-san will really share the correct method to learn this Haki?"
"Aren't you confident in your own ability to know whether I am telling the truth? I trust my ability to read you."
"Oho~? That makes it even more interesting, so let us do it. But add that I have the right to a single question, and that one must be answered."
"Deal."
"Great~ Tessai? Could you ask the children to wait outside for a bit? I have a few matters to handle with Ayano-san."
[——]
Some time after the end of the conversation between Urahara Kisuke and Ayano Keiji, the people who had taken part in the hollow incident gathered in the room at the Urahara Shop.
Most of the talking fell to Ichigo and Rukia, who explained to the rest of them the most important points. It was a summary of what lay behind the world they saw, and of what ordinary human eyes could not see.
And, of course, also Rukia's story.
"So that was what happened."
Keiji murmured, folding his arms after hearing everything.
The gist was that Rukia transferred her powers to Ichigo, turning him into a Shinigami, after being defeated by a hollow and seeing the boy's life in danger.
Since then, she has been living in a Gigai while waiting for her powers to recover, which seemed to be happening very slowly.
An Officer of the Gotei 13, a member of the Kuchiki Clan — one of the four great noble clans of the Soul Society — was defeated by a hollow...
... but that same hollow, which beat Rukia, ended up being defeated by a human who had barely become a Shinigami at that very moment.
Keiji did not even know where to start explaining how abnormal that sounded.
"That is why you were hiding in that Gigai."
Keiji said, making Rukia nod silently.
"You know what is going to happen, do you not?"
Transferring Shinigami power to a human was a well-known taboo in the Soul Society, with its punishment being just as well known.
"Wait! What is going to happen to Rukia?!"
Ichigo asked when he noticed the seriousness in Keiji's tone.
"For breaking the law and transferring her power to a human, Kuchiki-san would suffer the sentence of—"
"Isolation. For a few decades, depending on the judgment."
Rukia quickly cut off Keiji's answer while staring at him intently.
Keiji only shrugged. The real punishment was undefined, generally expected to be the death penalty, but with the weight of being a Kuchiki, Rukia would have good chances of escaping that fate and receiving a lighter punishment.
That was one of the many benefits of being from a Noble Clan.
"Decades?!! But you did nothing wrong! How can you be punished?!"
Ichigo complained, dissatisfied.
"Right or wrong becomes obsolete when one can live for millennia. The Soul Society operates on a set of clear regulations, and if those regulations are broken, a punishment is applied. That is how order is maintained."
Keiji explained superficially.
"These are things that neither I nor Kuchiki-san can interfere with."
"What a joke! How am I supposed to accept that?!"
"It is my responsibility, Ichigo!"
Rukia raised her voice, almost in a shout, suddenly standing up.
"As a member of the Kuchiki Clan, I must receive the punishment! And it is only a few decades! I am a Shinigami, not a human like you! Decades are nothing to me!"
Rukia left the room abruptly, slamming the door. Everyone kept watching, not knowing how to react.
Orihime was the first to move. She stood up slowly, worry on her face, and said she would go after Rukia to help her calm down.
'My long-lost sister has tact.'
Keiji thought, a brief smile appearing on his face for an instant.
With only the other three guys remaining, Keiji also already wanted to leave, feeling no desire to keep being involved with them.
"To challenge the rules of the Soul Society, one must be strong, Kurosaki-san. And unfortunately, neither you nor Kuchiki-san are as strong as you like to imagine."
[——]
"How much time do we still have?"
Rukia asked in a low voice. She was beside Keiji, who seemed much more interested in watching the sky than in talking.
"I have already sent my report."
He answered calmly, without moving his gaze.
"Because the incident with the hollows happened, we may have to return as early as today. But if not, tomorrow."
Rukia sighed and, with nothing else to say, also went back to staring at nothing, letting time trickle by slowly.
The information Keiji received from the man called Urahara Kisuke was not much, since he had not been generous with details, but even his few words gave an approximate hint of who the man behind the scenes was who manipulated the Hollow Bait and watched the whole event unfold.
'A Captain of the Gotei 13, heh.'
That was Keiji's simple conclusion. It was not something Urahara had said directly, but rather something easy to deduce from the information.
Only someone at the level and with the position of Captain could manipulate and hide movements with such precision.
And despite not having a name, Keiji could narrow the list of suspects to a few, perhaps two or three.
After all, there had always been suspicious people among the Captains.
{And what are we going to do?}
Sora's voice echoed inside him, curious.
'It is obvious. We need to teach a lesson to the man who considers us a pawn on his board.'
Keiji was not the kind of person who would let something like that slide. He normally did not bother with mere spectators, but having someone think he could treat Keiji as a pawn was unacceptable.
The "Heaven" would revolt.
{Correct answer kekekeke~!}
Sora's laughter was accompanied by the memory of a question.
"If the moment comes when you need to choose between helping to save Kuchiki Rukia or letting her die, which would Ayano-san choose?"
That was what the suspicious merchant had asked, the one that required his answer.
Keiji looked at Rukia's depressed expression.
Was death a fair punishment for someone who granted her powers to save innocents?
Keiji had never thought about that.
For Ichigo and his family, Rukia was a heroine. The girl who put her own life at risk to save others.
But, in the Soul Society, that same heroic act was seen as a crime.
{Well, the fool seemed to have believed the punishment was isolation.}
'But will it stay that way? That man seems to be planning something as well.'
{Is he going to pit Pumpkin Head against us? That would be foolish.}
'It definitely would.'
But nothing indicated that man followed the path of the convenient or the obvious.
'Urahara Kisuke… where have I heard that name before?'
[——]
The sound of light paws that barely touched the floor echoed through the room. The black cat entered unhurriedly, its tail swaying lazily before settling in front of Urahara Kisuke.
"Did you really have to tell him that much, Kisuke?"
The cat's golden eyes stayed fixed on Urahara, who slowly waved the open fan in front of his face, as if he had not a care in the world.
"It's all right, Yoruichi-san."
He replied in a carefree tone, but his eyes were full of quiet calculation.
"Ayano-san seems to me the kind of man who only trusts himself. No matter how much anyone talks, in the end he will analyze it on his own and draw his own conclusions. All I did was speed up that process. After all, he should already have a few suspicions of his own."
Casually, Urahara poured himself a cup of tea, letting the warm aroma spread through the room. He did not offer any to the cat, already knowing very well that Yoruichi would refuse such courtesies.
"Suspicions?"
"Of course. He is from the Fourth Division, after all."
The fan snapped shut with a soft click, and Urahara rested his chin on the palm of his hand, watching the steam rise from the cup.
No member of the Fourth Division was assigned to search or investigation missions, much less in the Human World. That was the complete opposite of what was expected of its official function.
"For him to be sent alone after Kuchiki-san means he has drawn the attention of a certain man."
And by the way he phrased his questions, it was easy to deduce that Keiji had his own doubts about it.
Yoruichi narrowed her golden eyes, reflecting in silence for a few moments.
"A prodigy of the Soul Society…"
She herself was the one who had told Urahara that the Gotei 13 considered Ayano Keiji one of the greatest geniuses to have appeared in recent centuries.
It was inevitable that they would keep an eye on him. Especially at this moment.
"Having someone like that on our side can be extremely valuable."
Urahara let out a low laugh, hiding his smile behind the fan, amused by the prospect. It was still a gamble, but Urahara liked to think he had made the right decision.