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"Phew, it's over."
Ishikawa Katori sat outside the low house, a trace of fatigue on his face, while Ganju, who had been moving things with him from morning till night, looked even worse, sprawled like a dead dog, staring at Ishikawa Katori with an incredibly strange gaze.
"You, were you a strongman like Jidanbō in your previous life?"
"I just know how to conserve energy better than you." Ishikawa Katori replied, without further explanation.
Although his Reishi intensity was not as strong as Ganju's, after spending the day together, he found that he was much better than Ganju in terms of Reishi control and regulation.
Control and regulation were not something brought about by adding experience points to Reishi, but rather a byproduct of his continuous practice of 'Hadō No. 4: Byakurai' for the past three years. From this, it was clear that Ganju, unlike his sister, was not very skilled in Kido.
"It should be said that he understands how to conserve spiritual power better than you."
Kukaku appeared beside Ishikawa Katori and Ganju at some point, directly stepping on her younger brother, and said with disdain, "Don't say you're Shiba Kūkaku's brother when you go out in the future. How can you be so useless when your Reishi is so much stronger than his?"
"Uh, how can I be, it's just him… Hmm?" Ganju subconsciously wanted to argue, but then he reacted, turning sharply to look at Ishikawa Katori, "You also have Reishi!?"
"Yes."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, not hiding it.
Ishikawa Katori was not at all surprised that Kukaku could sense his Reishi, as he had deliberately displayed it.
However, the Reishi intensity he displayed was only half of his internal Reishi, roughly equivalent to that of the students at the Central Spirit Arts Academy.
"You're not a Shinigami, are you?" Ganju looked at Ishikawa Katori suspiciously.
Ishikawa Katori said, "Do you think a Shinigami would open an Everything Store in Rukongai?"
"I advise you not to stay in Rukongai for too long. Judging from your control over Reishi and the intensity of your Reishi, the Central Spirit Arts Academy entrance exam shouldn't be difficult for you." Kukaku looked at Ishikawa Katori and continued, "And if I remember correctly, you've only been in Rukongai for just over three years. If you continue to grow at this rate, you should be able to successfully graduate and join the Gotei 13, becoming a Shinigami."
"What's so good about becoming a Shinigami!!"
Ganju, who was being stepped on by Kukaku, showed undisguised disgust: "Running off to Seireitei to be a dog is not as good as staying in Rukongai and being my subordinate… Ugh…" Before he could finish his sentence, Kukaku stepped on the back of his head, pushing his face into the dirt.
"Don't listen to this kid's nonsense." Kukaku sighed slightly, as if remembering something, and continued, "My siblings and I have some special reasons, so we didn't become Shinigami. For the people of Rukongai, becoming a Shinigami is undoubtedly the best choice."
"I understand."
Ishikawa Katori pondered for a moment, not hiding his thoughts, and continued, "When I first arrived in Rukongai, I also had the idea of joining the Central Spirit Arts Academy, but after staying in Rukongai for a long time, I actually grew to like the life here."
"Compared to being constrained by various complicated rules, I prefer the feeling of being able to do whatever I want now. Moreover, as I gained a deeper understanding, I found that the work of a Shinigami is simply too dangerous, and I am very afraid of death, so I simply gave up the idea of becoming a Shinigami."
"That's right." Ganju struggled to lift his head and gave Ishikawa Katori a thumbs up.
Kukaku nodded upon hearing this and did not continue to persuade him. Since Ishikawa Katori already understood the pros and cons of becoming a Shinigami, she naturally didn't need to keep persuading him.
Moreover, with the current reputation of the Everything Store, Ishikawa Katori would not have to worry about survival. Compared to becoming a Shinigami, his current lifestyle was indeed more comfortable.
"It's already dark. Let's have dinner here."
After Kukaku finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the low house, but after only a few steps, her pace paused, and she suddenly turned to look into the night.
Her unusual behavior immediately caught Ishikawa Katori's attention.
Looking in the direction Kukaku was looking, Ishikawa Katori didn't notice anything unusual, which made a hint of doubt flash across his face.
Ganju, who had just gotten up, asked doubtfully, "What's wrong?"
As soon as Ganju's words fell, Ishikawa Katori saw a light blue arc of light appear in his vision. Along with the arc, several figures gradually emerged from the night hundreds of meters away.
Only when he saw the people did Ishikawa Katori feel the Reishi fluctuations, which made him involuntarily glance at Kukaku beside him.
When Ishikawa Katori looked into the distance again, those figures had already arrived dozens of meters away, one person fleeing in front, with four others in hot pursuit.
The five people were dressed differently. The one fleeing was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with a fierce face and dressed in a shinigami uniform. At this moment, his face was filled with terror. The four people pursuing him were dressed in black and masked, making their exact appearance unclear.
Onmitsukidō?
When Ishikawa Katori saw the attire of the four pursuers, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
As far as Ishikawa Katori knew, the Onmitsukidō was an organization independent of the Gotei 13, along with the Kido Corps. However, because several generations of commanders had also served as the captain of the Second Division, the Onmitsukidō had gradually tended to become a subordinate organization of the Second Division.
"Shinigami!?"
Upon seeing the appearance of these people, Ganju showed disgust and instinctively wanted to go forward and drive them away, but Kukaku, who was beside him, stopped him: "Don't interfere."
And as she spoke, the four Execution Force members had already surrounded the Shinigami.
"Why!?"
The Middle-aged Shinigami looked desperate, yelling hoarsely, "What did I do wrong…?" Before he could finish his sentence, the four Execution Force members had already attacked.
However, the four did not use their Zanpakuto, but instead engaged in pure Hakuda with the Shinigami who was holding a Zanpakuto.
Although he had the advantage of the Zanpakuto, the four Execution Force members were clearly much stronger than the Shinigami they were pursuing. Less than half a minute after the battle began, the Middle-aged Shinigami was punched in the abdomen due to an opening, and the blade he was swinging paused.
And in that instant, the remaining three seized the opportunity and closed in!
Bang, bang, bang…
Accompanied by a series of dull thuds, the Middle-aged Shinigami was like a fallen leaf in a storm, completely defenseless, and finally crashed heavily to the ground, his fate unknown.
"Don't let him die." Someone said.
Another person squatted beside the Middle-aged Shinigami, his hands glowing with a light blue aura that enveloped the Shinigami's wounds. After a while, he withdrew his hands and nodded to the other three.
The two immediately stepped forward to help the Middle-aged Shinigami up, but the four did not leave immediately. Instead, they looked towards where Ishikawa Katori and the others were.
More precisely, they looked at Shiba Kūkaku, who was standing in front of Ishikawa Katori and Ganju. After a respectful bow, they disappeared from the spot with the Middle-aged Shinigami.
"Let's go."
…
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