Inside the Second Division's bathhouse.
The sound of rushing water echoed as white mist billowed out from the shower stalls. From beneath the partitions, two pairs of slender, delicate feet could be seen.
"Hey, Rukia..."
Momo Hinamori let the water rinse the suds from her hair, the streams tracing her elegant collarbones before splashing onto the floor.
"Hmm? What is it, Momo?"
Rukia's voice drifted from her stall, mingling with the pitter-patter of the shower.
Turning around, Momo Hinamori tilted her head back to let the water wash over her face. She spoke in a muffled, dejected tone.
"I'm sorry..."
"Because of my selfishness and stubbornness, I dragged you and Soifon-sensei to Hueco Mundo and put you in such a dangerous situation.
"If it hadn't been for you, I would have never been able to defeat that Gillian on my own."
After realizing the gap between herself and a Menos Grande, Momo finally understood why Captain Soifon had rejected her application. She understood why her Captain had so readily agreed to take her to Hueco Mundo to hunt Hollows only after Rukia returned.
Momo Hinamori began to reflect on her actions. Perhaps a strange sense of rivalry and jealousy had clouded her judgment regarding her own strength.
"Why don't you look at it from a different perspective, Momo?"
"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to kill a Gillian alone either.
"Besides... we might be the only two Shinigami in this entire graduating class who have actually killed a Gillian, right?"
Rukia's crisp voice resonated in Momo's ears. She didn't sound like she blamed Momo at all, despite how perilous their situation had been.
'Oh... can it really be interpreted that way?'
'Doesn't that mean we won again?'
WIN~WIN~
Quickly finishing her rinse, Momo Hinamori wrapped herself in a bath towel and stepped out of the stall, bumping right into Rukia.
Stare—
Momo didn't say a word. She simply stared intently at Rukia, as if she were getting to know her best friend all over again.
"Why are you suddenly looking at me like that..."
Rukia took a step back, feeling quite uncomfortable under such scrutiny.
"I think I finally understand what you've been learning at the Kuchiki household..." Momo smiled with relief. "You've mastered all the conversational tricks of the nobles, Rukia."
...
The outskirts of Karakura Town, World of the Living.
After causing such a massive commotion in the Forest of Menos, Soifon spent exactly one second reflecting on the experience before deciding to iterate and update her strategy.
—She would go to the World of the Living and get three black concealment cloaks from Kisuke Urahara.
As Soifon stepped out of the Senkaimon, the familiar sensation of having her Reiatsu suppressed by a Gentei Reiin did not occur. As expected, the Black Cavity opened via the Kikaigai was not monitored by the Seireitei.
To avoid the Shinigami stationed in the World of the Living, Soifon slipped into a pre-prepared Gigai.
She jumped in place a few times to adjust to the body's agility before heading toward the location of the Ishida family villa in her memory.
The blaring of car horns, the shouts of street vendors—it had been a long time since she had visited the World of the Living. She hadn't realized that the prosperity of a modern city had already begun to take shape in Karakura Town.
Due to Soifon's distant and cold aura, several talent scouts were tempted to approach her with contact cards along the way. However, they all lost their nerve and retreated when they were still several paces away.
Passing by a department store display window, Soifon glanced at her reflection in the glass. She was wearing a brownish-white blazer paired with a black miniskirt and brown boots.
[Beautiful. As expected of me.]
No wonder so many talent scouts wanted her to be an idol.
Arriving at the gates of the Ishida villa, Soifon pressed the doorbell.
After a flurry of footsteps, Masaki Kurosaki's head poked out from behind the door. She looked at Soifon standing outside the front gate.
"Uncle! Ryūken!" she shouted back into the house. "We have a guest!"
Soon, steady footsteps approached from the stairs.
Sōken Ishida walked down slowly, followed by Ryūken Ishida, who was clutching a book.
When they saw the face of the visitor at the gate, Sōken Ishida's expression momentarily froze. Ryūken Ishida's book slipped from his hand and fell straight onto the floor.
"Captain..." Sōken Ishida spoke first as he reached the gate. His voice was steady. "It has been a long time. To what do we owe this visit?"
Sōken Ishida bore no resentment toward Soifon, considering she had saved his child's life.
Soifon studied Sōken Ishida for a moment before taking a slip of paper from her blazer pocket and handing it over.
"I'm in the World of the Living for some business and need to find a place," Soifon said, her voice devoid of emotion. "You Quincies seem to have quite a bit of influence here."
Sōken Ishida took the note and unfolded it. On it, four characters were written in concise calligraphy: [Urahara Shop].
"I only know it's a general store. The owner is named Kisuke Urahara," Soifon added.
After leading Soifon into the villa, Sōken spoke a few words to someone on the phone while holding the note. He then looked at Soifon apologetically.
"I've already sent someone to look into it. It might take some time."
"That's fine."
Soifon was in no hurry. She picked up the black tea brewed by Kanae Katagiri and took a sip, casually patting the heads of the little maid and Masaki Kurosaki.
This subconscious act of intimacy left all four people in the room stunned for a moment.
"Captain... you don't seem to harbor hostility toward us."
Sōken Ishida sat down opposite Soifon. After saying this, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. If Soifon had been hostile, she wouldn't have brought Ryūken back.
In truth, he had always hoped for peaceful coexistence with the Shinigami.
Soifon didn't deny it. "Mr. Quincy, the same applies to you."
"How rude of me." Only then did Sōken Ishida realize he hadn't introduced himself. "I am Sōken Ishida."
He then pushed the three children toward Soifon, introducing them one by one.
"Soifon. Captain of the Second Division," Soifon introduced herself.
Silence returned to the living room, broken only by the ticking of the clock on the wall.
After about twenty minutes, the phone rang.
Ryūken Ishida answered it. After listening for a moment, he whispered, "I understand," and hung up.
He picked up a nearby notebook, copied down a section of text, tore it off, and handed it to Soifon.
Taking the paper, Soifon stood up and nodded. "Thank you."
Sōken Ishida opened his mouth as if to speak, then hesitated. Finally, just as Soifon was about to walk out the door, he made up his mind.
"Captain Soifon, that shop..."
"If you're interested, you can find a time to check it out, but be careful of that man." Soifon turned back to look meaningfully at Ryūken Ishida and Masaki Kurosaki. "He is very sinister, but sometimes, he is also very useful."
...
Following the address on the note, Soifon soon found the general store with the words [Urahara Shop] displayed prominently.
If electronic technology were to advance over the next few decades, perhaps Soifon could have used a navigation system to find Kisuke Urahara's 'secret base' in the World of the Living directly.
Standing on the street opposite Urahara Shop, Soifon watched as a stationed Shinigami dressed in a Shihakushō walked boldly into the shop.
The muscular Tessai Tsukabishi enthusiastically introduced various products in the shop, showing none of the majesty of the former Grand Kido Chief.
What a fall from grace...
But then again, the Captain-Commander's attitude was so ambiguous. It wasn't as if no one had ever reported the existence of a shop run by the wanted fugitive Kisuke Urahara before. However, the Captain-Commander had always turned a blind eye to it.
Perhaps this blurred, unclear stance was exactly why business at Kisuke Urahara's general store was so good.
Furthermore, after observing the customer traffic at the entrance for a while, Soifon realized she couldn't find a good opening to enter. After all, she had currently slipped away without permission.
So, the reason Urahara Shop could operate so openly in the World of the Living wasn't that the stationed Shinigami hadn't discovered it. Rather, it was because everyone had gradually reached a tacit understanding not to report it.
After all, Kisuke Urahara's high-tech gadgets were simply too tempting. Who doesn't want to survive?
_____
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