The underground chamber where Kurotsuki Renya began his Hollowfication training was located deep beneath the Visoreds' warehouse hideout — a vast subterranean space carved out by Hachigen Ushōda's barrier techniques.
The warehouse above was massive and protected by an advanced barrier system. Without Hachi's approval, no one could cross it. Only someone with spatial-rejection powers as refined as Orihime Inoue's Sōten Kisshun could potentially bypass the wards.
The underground structure was divided into multiple zones. Directly facing the entrance was an open expanse furnished with a single green sofa. The building itself had once been a multi-level complex, but most of the interior walls had been torn down, leaving only skeletal layers of broken supports and fragmented walls.
An old metal staircase stood behind the sofa, stretching upward to a second level. Several private rooms were built into the upper section — the quarters of Sarugaki Hiyori, Yadomaru Lisa, and Mashiro Kuna. The lower section housed Hirako Shinji, Muguruma Kensei, and Aikawa Love.
Hirako gestured upward with a smirk.
"The rooms below are already taken. You'll be staying upstairs, kid."
Renya nodded politely. "Understood."
Immediately, Hiyori shouted, "What? You're putting him upstairs? What if this brat sneaks into our rooms in the middle of the night and tries something shady!?"
Mashiro leaned over the railing, tilting her head. "Hmm? You mean he might sneak into my room? Is that what you're saying?"
Yadomaru Lisa blushed faintly, lowering her book. "Have you at least considered what position he'd—"
Renya waved his hands frantically. "No! I—I would never!"
Hiyori pointed accusingly. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying we aren't worth being tempted by!?"
Renya's face flushed. "No, no! You're all beautiful—really beautiful!"
Hiyori crossed her arms with a huff. "That's more like it."
Shinji broke into laughter. "Ha! He handled that better than you, Hiyori—"
He didn't finish the sentence. With a sharp crack, Hiyori's sandal collided with his face, launching him across the room in a 720-degree spin before slamming into the far wall.
"See?" Renya murmured awkwardly. "Classic 720 Roundhouse… effective as ever."
Shinji groaned on the floor while Kensei gestured toward a side corridor. "Anyway, that's the training and fitness area. Got plenty of equipment there if you want to build muscle. Come spar with me sometime."
Renya nodded. "I'd like that."
Kensei grinned. "Good answer."
Shinji, recovering from his airborne assault, gestured toward the far side of the base. "That over there's the recreation zone — TVs, couches, even a few game consoles. We mostly hang around here when we're not training."
He brushed off his coat and continued, "We're free to move in and out as we please, but always inform someone before leaving. We'll also teach you how to suppress your Reiatsu — keeps Soul Society and Hueco Mundo from noticing you."
The Visoreds had lived unnoticed in the Human World for decades. Even powerful Arrancar like Grimmjow Jaggerjack had once passed nearby without sensing their presence.
Renya nodded firmly. "Understood. I'll respect your rules."
Shinji smirked. "Good kid. Rest for today. Tomorrow, we'll test your Hollowfication duration."
Hollowfication duration determined one's stability and power output — the longer one could maintain their mask, the greater their combat potential.
Among them, Mashiro Kuna held the record, able to sustain her Hollow mask for fifteen continuous hours not long after mastering it — unmatched even among the Visoreds.
Renya didn't know his limit yet, but he hoped it would at least exceed Kurosaki Ichigo's initial eleven seconds. He aspired to reach several minutes — enough to fight on par with captains.
"Come on," Lisa said softly. "I'll show you your room."
Renya followed Yadomaru Lisa and Hiyori up the steel staircase. They arrived at a narrow hallway lined with cracked walls. Lisa pushed open a door.
"This will be your room," she said. "It's a bit dusty and unfurnished. For tonight, sleep on the sofa downstairs. We'll clean it later."
Hiyori wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it's filthy. I'm not cleaning that."
Mashiro pouted. "Same here. Not my thing."
Lisa sighed. "Fine. I'll do it myself."
Renya quickly raised a hand. "It's okay, really. I can handle it. I'm grateful just to have a place to stay."
Lisa smiled faintly. "That's considerate of you. Once you're done, we'll take you shopping for a bed and some furniture. You can decorate it however you like."
Renya nodded. "Alright. Thank you."
Lisa continued, "We keep some food here — mostly Reishi-based sustenance. Not exactly gourmet, but it'll do."
Renya chuckled. "Got it."
"Alright then, let's grab some cleaning supplies." Lisa led him to a small storage area, gathering mops, brooms, and cloths. Hiyori and Mashiro had already disappeared.
"Senior Yadomaru," Renya began, "please, I can clean it myself."
Lisa glanced at him. Though often seen reading risqué novels, when serious, she was exceptionally responsible — a trait that would one day make her the future Captain of the Eighth Division.
"It's fine," she said. "I wanted to ask you something anyway."
Renya tilted his head curiously.
Once they entered the dusty room, Lisa finally spoke. "You just came from Seireitei, didn't you? There are some things I've been meaning to ask."
Renya blinked. "Questions… about Seireitei?"
Lisa nodded slightly. "Most of us don't hold fond memories of that place. Even I don't. But there are still people I remember… people I care about."
The Visoreds' bitterness toward Soul Society ran deep. After Aizen's betrayal and the revelation of his experiments, the captains — Shinji, Kensei, and Rose — were reinstated years later to fill leadership gaps. Mashiro returned as the Ninth Division's vice-captain.
Lisa and Love remained in the Human World for a long time, only returning to Seireitei after the Thousand-Year Blood War began. Lisa would eventually succeed Shunsui Kyōraku as Captain of the Eighth Division, while Love took over the Seventh after Komamura's disappearance.
Still, most of them carried the pain of betrayal and exile.
Lisa's expression softened. "So, tell me — how's that lazy fool, Shunsui Kyōraku?"
Renya blinked. Of course. Yadomaru Lisa had once been his vice-captain in the Eighth Division.
"He doesn't appear much in public," Renya said after a pause. "But among the Gotei 13, Captain Kyōraku's respected more than ever. His novels are… still very popular in Seireitei."
Lisa scoffed. "Hmph. Trust him to keep writing those perverted stories instead of doing paperwork."
Her tone softened. "And… what about Ise Nanao? You've met her?"
Renya smiled. "Vice-Captain Ise is dedicated and sharp — serious, but very kind. She's also the Vice President of the Shinigami Women's Association."
At his words, Lisa's eyes softened with warmth and faint nostalgia. "So she's grown up…"
Lisa had cared deeply for Nanao. During the Hollowfication incident a century ago, when the Visoreds were exiled, Nanao had been only a child — the youngest soul in the Eighth Division. Every month, she would visit Lisa's office to read with her. But on the day of the Hollowfication, Lisa vanished without a trace.
A young Nanao had waited by the barracks door, clutching her books, as Shunsui gently told her, "She'll be back tomorrow."
But that "tomorrow" had never come — not for over a hundred years.
Renya lowered his gaze. "She misses you deeply, Yadomaru-taichō."
Lisa's eyes shimmered, her composure faltering for the first time. She turned slightly, whispering, "I miss her too… more than she'll ever know."
The quiet hum of Reishi lights filled the room as both stood in silence — a bridge between the past and the present, between the exiled and the loyal.
For the first time since his arrival, Kurotsuki Renya realized the Visoreds were not just survivors — they were the forgotten wounds of Soul Society itself.