Ignoring her, Toshiro stepped forward and spoke.
"Let's get to the point. Kurosaki, there's a matter we must discuss regarding Aizen and the arrancar." He said, his voice low. "I believe Rukia has informed you of the current situation?"
Shirou nodded his head.
"Great. Now, I don't think there's anything important for you to do right now. Am I correct?" The young captain asked.
"I guess. I have a few errands to do but it's not really that important."
"Then please follow me. We will talk more once we're in a safe place." He turned his head away from him, "I think it would be best to continue this discussion away from prying ears and eyes."
"Okay, I will follow your lead then." Shirou said, following behind him and walking together.
With a group of six people, Shirou followed them wherever the place was. He wondered where they were headed to and why the Soul Society suddenly sent these people over here, though it wasn't hard to guess.
Soon, he arrived at the location. A very familiar house stood in front of him, with the first floor turned into a clinic while some part and the second floor was a living quarter.
The Kurosaki Clinic, his home.
Shirou raised an eyebrow at the choice.
"Why my home?" He asked the small captain.
"It's safe enough for our purpose." Toshiro answered simply. "And I think you won't mind, will you? It is your own house after all."
"No, wait. My family is inside."
"Don't worry. I have sent Rukia and the others ahead of time to make sure the coast is clear." The Captain said confidently and Shirou didn't know how to respond. "And we will go silently through the window."
"..."
Telling them about common sense would only be wasted. They would do what they wanted to do. So Shirou gave up on convincing them otherwise. He sighed, giving in and following along with their plan.
"Alright. I get it, just don't break anything in the process. And please, please don't destroy the wall."
"Who do you think we are?" Ikkaku huffed proudly.
Everyone looked at him, thinking of his actions back in soul society. The 10th division wasn't so sure about his words. Yumichika shook his head.
"Ikkaku, you really need to learn how to be subtle and elegant."
"What did you say!?"
Shirou watched the interaction and sighed. He hoped no one destroyed his room.
After a while of arguing and discussing which window they should use, they eventually decided on his room, since there was a good view of the outside and they could easily enter without drawing too much attention.
The group of five Shinigami then proceeded to leap to the second floor window in quick succession.
Once inside, they settled down in the room as if it was theirs, with Shirou sitting on the bed while Toshiro sat on the window sill.
Rangiku crossed her arms under her chest and leaned on the wall, while Renji stood in front of her. Meanwhile, Ikkaku sat cross-legged on the floor and Yumichika sat elegantly on the chair.
The silence was broken by Toshiro clearing his throat and he looked over to Shirou, "We will patrol this city from now on, especially at night. The arrancars have already started moving, and it would be bad for this town if we were caught unprepared."
"I see, so the situation is getting worse than before?" Shirou asked.
"Yes, but don't worry too much about it." Toshiro replied, "We are here to help."
"Hehehe, we are prepared for their arrival thanks to information gained by the 12th division." Rangiku added, grinning at her own words, "It will not be easy for us to fight against them but we can do our best."
"I heard there are a lot of arrancars, right?" Ikkaku questioned, a grin crept onto his face. "Are they strong? Enough to be a challenge for you?"
"Can you at least listen until the end?" Renji complained. He sighed in frustration at Ikkaku's eagerness.
"Huh?! You have a problem with that?"
"No... Nevermind."
Renji just wanted to get it done quickly so he didn't argue back. He clicked his tongue and turned to Shirou.
"Where is Ichigo? I didn't see him at all and his reiatsu, which can usually be felt from anywhere, seems to be gone." He asked, wondering what happened to his friend.
"Well... he is currently undergoing secret training." Shirou said and scratched his cheek.
Hollowfication was a taboo in Soul Society. If they knew Ichigo had something inside him, a part of the hollow that could threaten his humanity and sanity, it would be a problem.
Soul Society might send an order to exterminate him due to his potential danger.
And that was what Shirou feared most.
"Secret, huh? What kind of training?" Renji asked curiously. His eyes lit up, curious and excited at the thought of the secret training.
"That, I can't tell you." Shirou shook his head, "I can only say he is doing the right thing to prepare himself for the upcoming fight against Aizen and the arrancars. That's all."
"Hey, Shirou." Rangiku interrupted their conversation, her expression serious, "We also have another matter to discuss with you. This is very important so pay attention to me."
Shirou raised his eyebrow and stared at the busty Shinigami, "Sure, go ahead."
Rangiku cleared her throat and crossed her arms under her chest again. Her expression turned serious as she began to speak.
"It concerned Aizen's goal and Hogyoku. From what we gathered, Aizen's goal is related to this town, Karakura Town."