It was nighttime. Most residents of the ordinary town were already tucked away in their homes, and hardly any pedestrians could be seen on the streets.
The figures of Suō Tsukasa and his two companions moved swiftly across the roofs of the staggered houses, their blue and white forms tracing light arcs under the moonlight.
Warm yellow light spilled from the windows of the houses below, and occasionally, the sound of a television or low-voiced conversation could be heard.
Unlike the Soul Society, which is entirely composed of spirit particles (Reishi), all tangible things in the Human World are composed of fundamental matter particles (Kishi).
Ordinary humans can neither perceive the existence of Reishi nor touch beings composed of it.
Even if their figures were to appear directly in front of a human, the person would not notice anything.
However, Suō Tsukasa and the others can exert force upon all objects composed of Kishi.
Aside from the issue of not being able to sustain a long stay in the Human World due to Reiryoku replenishment problems, their actions were completely unimpeded.
Kawata Taichi led the way, his spirit sense extending outward like a woven net. Takahashi Kenta followed silently close behind, and Suō Tsukasa trailed at the rear, his peripheral vision constantly scanning the surroundings.
"Suō-kun, we're here!"
Leaping down from a roof over five meters high, Suō Tsukasa and his companions landed right in front of the next Plus.
This Plus looked much younger than the previous one, dressed in a floral shirt and loose bell-bottom pants, carrying the characteristic swagger of a young person of this era.
"We are—"
However, the start of this Konso ritual was not particularly smooth.
The young Plus was much warier than the last. Kawata Taichi hadn't even finished a few words before the other party quickly retreated two steps and turned to run away.
"Bakudo #1: Sai."
Seeing this, Kawata Taichi pressed his two fingers together and pointed forward, immediately using a Binding Spell to control the target.
"Ah, ow, ow, ow!"
The young Plus's hands were instantly bound behind his back by a weak spiritual force. He lost his balance and fell face down on the ground.
Perhaps because he landed face-first, or because Kawata Taichi was in a hurry and didn't control his spiritual pressure well, the force of the Bakudo was slightly too heavy. The young Plus cried out in pain repeatedly.
Kawata Taichi was a competitive person. As one of the veteran members of the Fan Club, he didn't want to lose face in front of Suō Tsukasa.
"Don't be nervous. We mean no harm."
"If you are willing to quietly listen to my explanation, I will release you now."
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impatience in his heart, and crouched down next to the young Plus.
Even though he was somewhat annoyed, he still tried to address the young Plus before him with the most gentle attitude, speaking softly.
"I'll listen. I'll listen to whatever you say, just let me go quickly."
The young Plus was clearly intimidated by the mysterious technique. He shrank his neck, nodded very obediently, and said quickly.
He also cautiously stole a glance at the Asauchi on Kawata Taichi's back, realizing that the person before him was clearly not someone he could resist, and lay even more still on the ground.
"Release!"
Kawata Taichi lightly traced his fingers, and the Bakudo immediately dissolved.
The young Plus rubbed his aching wrists and stood up, honestly staying in place, no longer daring to think about escaping.
Seeing that the young Plus had finally calmed down, Kawata Taichi followed the script and repeated the lines from the textbook.
However, much to his disappointment, the young Plus was not as agreeable as the middle-aged one.
Seeing that Kawata Taichi's attitude had softened, the young Plus became a bit carried away and voiced his dissatisfaction.
"Eh, but I haven't had enough fun yet!"
"I don't want to go to that Soul Society place."
For him, he was dead, but being a ghost had many interesting things he could do, such as eavesdropping and peeping.
Although some things were no longer possible, it still had its own pleasures.
"If you insist on lingering in the Human World, you will sooner or later descend into a Malevolent Spirit."
"If you wish to be slain by me right here, you may choose not to accept my guidance!"
Upon hearing this, Kawata Taichi's brow furrowed tightly. He reached back and pulled his Asauchi slightly from its sheath. It flashed with a cold, sharp gleam in the darkness, and he spoke chillingly.
The young Plus was still a long way from turning into a Hollow, but that didn't stop Kawata Taichi from trying to scare him.
"Don't attack, I accept! I accept!"
The young Plus was startled by the sudden killing intent, backing up two steps. He finally became completely docile.
Before long, Kawata Taichi finished engraving the Mark of the Reaper on the young Plus's forehead and selected a token from the packet, handing it to him.
"This is your proof of identity. Keep it safe!"
"West 60th District..., what does that mean?"
The young Plus took the token, read the words on it, and asked Kawata Taichi with some confusion.
"Ouch, that hurts so much—"
However, before he could receive an answer, his body began to dissipate into Reishi.
The extreme pain caused the young Plus to let out an uncontrollable wail, which sounded particularly harsh in the quiet night, until he completely disappeared.
In the Konso ritual, the technique of the caster determines the Plus's experience during transmission, and the distribution of the tokens is entirely dependent on the dispenser's mood.
Therefore, the young Plus guided to the Soul Society by Kawata Taichi was bound to suffer some avoidable hardship, both now and in the future.
"My failure. I've embarrassed myself in front of you, Suō-kun."
Kawata Taichi returned his sword to its sheath. When he turned to face Suō Tsukasa, his expression was somewhat sheepish, and he lowered his head.
As a veteran member of the Fan Club, he should have shown a smooth and proficient demeanor while completing the ritual.
Instead, he performed his first Konso crudely in front of the person he admired. This was far from the excellent performance he had imagined.
Suō Tsukasa observed Kawata Taichi with a calm gaze and spoke gently.
"Don't be discouraged. You did well."
"Just stabilize your spiritual pressure a little more during the final engraving."
In fact, Suō Tsukasa had noticed the issue during the engraving just now but found it difficult to speak up to remind him.
If Kawata Taichi had been affected by his words, causing his spiritual pressure frequency to become chaotic, the young Plus would have suffered even greater agony during the spiritualization process.
"Don't let your emotions easily control you."
Kawata Taichi's performance throughout the ritual was otherwise beyond reproach. They were not saints, and being young, it was normal to carry small emotions into their work.
Moreover, if it had been Suō Tsukasa himself guiding that ungrateful fellow, he would have made him suffer a little too.
"Yes, I will pay attention to that going forward!"
Kawata Taichi's spirit lifted, the light reigniting in his eyes. He straightened his back and said loudly.
Suō Tsukasa's simple affirmation meant more to him than a thousand words.
The moon hanging in the sky slowly moved across its trajectory as time passed.
Another Plus dissipated into Reishi in the air.
"That's enough for now. Let's head back."
Suō Tsukasa returned his Asauchi to its sheath with a light clink as the guard touched the mouth of the scabbard. He looked up at the increasingly deep sky and spoke.
According to the Shin'ō Academy's standard, one Konso during the first field practice counts as a passing grade, two is good, and three is excellent. Having achieved their goal, there was no need to do more.
"Understood."
Kawata Taichi and Takahashi Kenta nodded in response.
The three figures changed direction in the fading moonlight and streaked towards the direction of the hospital.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi