"I buried some Quincy-related items—some of them are silver spirit tools. Silver seems to be quite valuable in human society."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi was frowning inwardly. He had found nothing in the cornfield. Whatever had been buried there was already dug up. Now he could only try his luck in the human village.
"Silverware, huh... It might've been traded already. Let's hope it hasn't left the village."
The two arrived in front of the village.
It was Katori Nanatsuki's second time visiting this village.
But the last time he came, it had been a Quincy village.
Nanatsuki extended his perception—it didn't seem like anyone here had strong Reiatsu.
Many parts of the village were under construction, painting a picture of thriving vitality.
Several man-made Quincy structures had been preserved.
Buildings damaged during the war between the Shinigami and Quincy had already been dismantled and rebuilt.
"Hmph, these humans are bolder than I thought. The signs of war are still so obvious, and yet they dare settle here."
Mayuri looked around at the busy villagers and snorted with amusement.
"Actually, the leader here consulted the Shinigami before settling the refugees here," Nanatsuki shook his head. "These people are refugees who fled famine. When they found this place, the Onmitsukidō were still stationed here and had interacted with their leader."
Nanatsuki had looked into the information with Yoruichi beforehand.
Before the Onmitsukidō withdrew, they had exchanged words with the incoming refugees.
Among those refugees, one or two had the potential to see spirits.
"Their leader can see Shinigami? Then let's just ask him directly."
Mayuri decided to find this village leader first.
The moment the two entered the village, they drew attention.
This mountain village rarely saw visitors, so many curious gazes turned their way.
"This is Otani Village. What brings you two here?"
Two hunters approached, sizing up Nanatsuki and Mayuri.
When they caught sight of Mayuri's bizarre attire, they couldn't help but stare longer.
"We're human traders," Mayuri grinned. "We'd like to speak with your village chief."
The chief could see spirits, but that was all. His Reiatsu didn't differ much from ordinary humans.
It wasn't possible to locate him using spiritual sensing.
"Human traders?" The hunters were puzzled by the strange term.
Besides, the two didn't seem to be carrying any goods—nothing like merchants at all.
"We're from the Karakura Town Merchant Guild. We'd like to discuss a partnership," Nanatsuki explained, seeing through their doubt. "This place has beautiful scenery and fertile land, but I assume you still need salt, iron, and such? Our guild wants to establish a long-term trade route and hopes to discuss this with your chief."
Nanatsuki understood humans far better than Mayuri did, and a few words were enough to dispel the hunters' suspicions.
"Oh, you're with the merchant guild?" The hunter grew respectful. "I'll take you to see the village chief. This way, please."
He led Nanatsuki and Mayuri deeper into the village.
"I think I almost blew our cover just now—did I say something wrong?"
Somehow, Mayuri had made it so the hunter leading them remained unaware of their conversation.
"Humans don't refer to themselves as 'human traders'," Nanatsuki chuckled. "Karakura Town is the nearest city, so I used its name. Salt and iron are essentials, even for this village. The hunter couldn't decide on his own, so he has to bring us to the chief."
"I see…" Mayuri grinned. "Captain, you really know human society well!"
Soon, the trio arrived in front of a large estate.
One look and it was obvious the house had been left behind by the Quincy.
"Chief!" the hunter knocked. "You have visitors!"
A moment later, a sturdy middle-aged man stepped out.
"Ken, who are these people?" asked Chief Otani.
"They're from the Karakura Merchant Guild. Want to trade with us," the hunter answered.
At this, Nanatsuki pulled out a Gikongan and swallowed it, separating from his Gigai.
"Chief Otani, you probably already know where we come from."
Nanatsuki spoke gently.
Now that they'd found the chief, it was easier to speak using their Shinigami identities.
Seeing the spirit form and sword at Nanatsuki's waist, the chief's eyes widened in fear.
The hunter, however, showed no reaction—he couldn't see spirits.
Thanks to the Gikongan supporting the Gigai, Nanatsuki's Gigai didn't collapse.
"Ken... you can go," said Chief Otani stiffly. "I need to speak with our honored guests in private."
The hunter had wanted to stay and guard the chief, but he backed off when told.
"Please, honored gods, come inside..."
Otani's expression was one of deep reverence.
When the refugees had first arrived, some perished immediately due to exhaustion from the journey.
Otani had witnessed Shinigami guiding the souls of the dead to the next world with his own eyes.
"Since you know we're Shinigami, I'll be direct." Mayuri asked bluntly, "The things buried in the cornfield—your people dug them up, didn't they?"
The moment Otani heard this, his face changed drastically.
His knees gave out and he collapsed.
It was true—his villagers had dug up what Mayuri had buried there.
"Please forgive our ignorance, honored ones! We didn't know those things belonged to you!"
Otani confessed, terrified.
"Where are they now?" Mayuri asked.
"Those items... those items..."
Otani began to stammer.
Though the mountain climate was cool, he was sweating profusely.
Many of the items buried in the cornfield were silver tools. After digging them up, the villagers had gone straight to the city and sold them!
Otani knew about it—the proceeds had been used for the village's reconstruction.
He had assumed the items were leftovers from previous inhabitants—not something divine.
"If you tell the truth, I can forgive your ignorance."
Mayuri was already prepared for the possibility that the items were gone, but he needed to know their whereabouts.
"We... sold them in Karakura Town..."
Otani didn't dare raise his head.
"Originally, we planned to pawn them off... but were stopped on the road by some strange people.
Strangely enough...
They seemed to know we were carrying valuables and offered to buy them...
The price was good, so we sold everything to them..."
"So they had a reaction to Quincy spirit tools… sounds a lot like Quincies. Ohohoho..." Mayuri chuckled sinisterly. "Captain, looks like we've gotten lucky!"
He hadn't expected the Quincy artifacts he buried to attract possible Quincy.
It was a pleasant surprise.
Mayuri had always been eager to capture some Quincy for research but never had the chance.
"Where did you meet these 'strange people'?" Mayuri asked. "When was this?"
"Just north of Karakura Town.
They showed up suddenly. Judging from their clothing, they looked nothing like locals.
Must be outsiders.
It happened about a month ago..."
Otani told them everything.
"Sounds more and more like Quincies..." Mayuri said excitedly. "Captain, let's go retrieve my stuff from them!"
Nanatsuki nodded, pulled a spiritual device from his Reishi Pocket, and pressed it—thick smoke erupted.
The smoke engulfed the panicking Chief Otani.
When it cleared, Nanatsuki and Mayuri had vanished, leaving Otani unconscious on the ground.
Moments later, Otani woke up, confused.
"Didn't Ken bring two merchants here?" Otani blinked. "Why am I lying on the ground? Have I been overworking lately…?"
Nanatsuki and Mayuri had already arrived in the northern outskirts of Karakura Town.
"So this is Karakura Town, huh? Doesn't seem too crowded..." Mayuri glanced around. "Say, Katori Nanatsuki, you're so powerful—what use do you have for this Gigai anyway? Why don't you just give it to me... have mercy on me. Being without a body is painful..."
Nanatsuki's Gigai wouldn't shut up, and his brow twitched.
After separating from his Gigai, Nanatsuki hadn't returned to it.
He wanted to see what kind of personality the Gikongan had. If it wasn't too bad, he might keep it.
Back in Otani Village, it had been silent, which made Nanatsuki optimistic.
Who knew it would turn into a chatterbox the moment they left?
"You talk too much. This test ends here."
Nanatsuki reached toward the Gigai's abdomen.
"Wait, wait! I can be quiet! Just—"
He caught the Gikongan as it popped out of the Gigai.
"Each Gikongan has a different personality," Mayuri grumbled, recalling his own experience. "They're made from broken souls patched with Temporary Soul tech. But that just makes their leftover traits more pronounced."
"Let me check if the Quincy are still around."
Nanatsuki's shadow spread outward from beneath his feet.
In seconds, he had seized control of shadows over a wide area.
He trusted his shadow techniques more than spiritual sensing.
After all, both Quincies and Shinigami had ways to block spiritual detection.
But it was different with shadows.
Ordinary objects' shadows could be seized instantly.
Those with Reiatsu—like Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollows—took more energy to control.
That difference allowed Nanatsuki to quickly tell which shadows belonged to beings with Reiatsu.
"Nothing here. Let's keep moving."
Nanatsuki quickly finished scanning the northern outskirts with his shadow ability.
"I've found someone with Reiatsu. Not weak, either."
He led Mayuri to a residential house.
The Reiatsu came from inside the yard.
Mayuri also left his Gigai, preparing for combat.
They entered directly.
"These two don't really look like Quincies."
Mayuri scratched his head with his absurdly long ten-centimeter nails.
In the courtyard stood a buzz-cut man in a white shirt and overalls, and a blue-haired woman in a violet robe.
"Shinigami..." The two in the yard recognized their identities. When they saw Nanatsuki's captain's haori, their eyes narrowed. "A Shinigami captain!"
They tensed up, entering combat stances.
"You don't seem like Quincies."
Nanatsuki examined them. He, too, now possessed Quincy power and could sense that neither of them was manipulating Reishi from the environment.
"You mean those low-tier Quincies?" The blue-haired woman raised a sword in one hand, fan in the other. "We already took care of them."
"Looks like we got beaten to it," Mayuri muttered. "Should've built the Gigai earlier… then I could've tested things in the World of the Living sooner."
Missing the chance to use the Quincies as test subjects made him genuinely regretful.
Nanatsuki stared at the woman's sword-fan combo—it looked familiar. As his spirit power grew, so did his clarity of past-life memories.
He soon remembered where he'd seen them before.
"You're Soul Hunters*, aren't you?"
Nanatsuki rubbed his chin, intrigued.
"Soul Hunters?" Mayuri frowned. It was the first time he'd heard the term.
"They're products of an old Seireitei lab experiment. But after a huge explosion, the lab was shut down."
Nanatsuki explained. Since becoming the 12th Division Captain, he had gained access to many secret files.
The Seireitei Research Lab was built centuries ago. Hikifune Kirio and Shutara Senjumaru had both once worked there.
After the explosion, the Central 46 shut the lab down. Hikifune and Shutara then transferred to the 12th Division to build their own labs.
"Seireitei Research Lab…" Mayuri didn't have clearance for that data due to his lower rank.
"That data isn't public, but I can authorize you to view it later," said Nanatsuki.
"Shinigami... are you here to wipe us out too!?"
The buzz-cut man didn't deny their identity.
"This was just a coincidence. We came looking for Quincies," Nanatsuki replied calmly. "But...
What's with the bodies in your yard?"
Fresh corpses were strewn around the courtyard.
Clearly, the Soul Hunters were responsible.
They were spiritual predators, beings close in power to Shinigami, who grew stronger by consuming spirits.