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Second Division.
Finishing his morning's work, Ishikawa, dressed in dusty black work clothes, stepped into the Second Division barracks.
He familiarized himself with the Maggot's Nest, and after a short while, emerged in a fresh set of black work clothes, heading towards the Surveillance Building.
"Boss."
"Captain Ishikawa."
As soon as he entered the building, greetings filled his ears. Ishikawa smiled and responded to each, stepping into the Surveillance Division amidst respectful salutations.
Lately, whenever he had free time, he would visit the Surveillance Division.
He wasn't there to slack off, nor did he have any unspeakable secrets; he was just there to observe someone.
"Boss."
Nagano Kasyuu sat in front of the massive monitor, holding a large pile of snacks, and chuckled, "Do you still want to observe that Quincy old man today?"
"Yes."
Ishikawa pulled over a chair, sat beside Nagano Kasyuu, and asked, "Did he have any battles today?"
"No battles, but it seems something happened to his family. These past few days, he's been taking his grandson with him everywhere to train."
Nagano Kasyuu replied indistinctly, a fried cake in her mouth, but her hands were quick. With the rapid click-clack of the keyboard, an image immediately appeared on the large screen: "His grandson is really cute, makes you want to hug and pinch him the moment you see him."
The image displayed on the large screen showed an old man leading a child of about 10 years old through a mountain forest.
"Oh, right."
Kiyohara Tsumugiya, who was nearby, seemed to recall something and frowned, "The Technology Development Bureau sent a message saying that if Supervisor No. 432 encounters a Hollow in the future, they request that we not transmit the message. Regarding this… I did not refuse."
Ishikawa's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this, then he nodded, "Not refusing is correct. Anyway, sending out support requests has nothing to do with us in the first place."
Although the Supervisory Team monitors targets, their duty is only to prevent the Supervisors from taking actions harmful to the Human World and Soul Society.
Even if a Supervisor encounters a crisis and needs rescue, the Supervisory Team must ignore it and leave it to the Technology Development Bureau to relay the information.
The reason is simple: when the Supervisory Team monitors a Supervisor, Concealment is paramount. They absolutely must not be detected by the Supervisor, nor can anyone else discover that the Supervisor is being monitored by the Supervisory Team.
In other words…
The Technology Development Bureau doesn't need to notify them at all.
But the arrival of the message indicates that the Technology Development Bureau is well aware of what the Supervisory Team's 'surveillance lines' are watching, which is why they conveyed such a message to them.
"Although it's just a rumor, as far as I know…"
Kiyohara Tsumugiya pondered for a moment, then continued, "Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri of the Technology Development Bureau has ordered the Squad Members responsible for monitoring Quincies in the Technology Development Bureau to delay the transmission of intelligence, and then, after the Quincy dies… to retrieve their souls; however, this is just a rumor, and I'm not entirely sure if it's true."
A rumor?
Ishikawa nodded, not pressing for details.
Because with Kiyohara Tsumugiya's personality, if he could say something like that, it meant he had already grasped some clues; it was just that because the other party's identity was too special, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri's research activities very likely had the permission of the Central 46, he chose to convey this information to him as a 'rumor'.
Moreover…
Ishikawa had always been aware of this matter; he simply didn't want to provoke that Lunatic.
The reason he wanted to observe Supervisor No. 432 was merely to study the power of the Quincy. The 'Auswählen' that occurred near him in the Human World a few days ago, which he hadn't noticed at all, instilled a deep sense of dread regarding the 'Quincy' in Ishikawa's heart.
All along, although Ishikawa knew of the Quincy's existence, he hadn't paid too much attention because, from his memory, there was still a long time before the Quincy would appear in the Human World. Before then, they would absolutely not appear before him.
Compared to them, the individual in the Fifth Division was the one Ishikawa truly needed to fear.
But his experience in the Human World a few days ago made Ishikawa realize…
They had always been there, and they were right beside him!
Like two worlds, one inside and one outside a mirror, he might have brushed past them countless times without ever realizing it.
Therefore, these past few days, whenever Ishikawa had free time, he would come to the Surveillance Building and use the Supervisory Team's surveillance circuits to observe the Quincy, so as not to be flustered due to unfamiliarity when facing them.
After a period of observation, he had gained something.
Before observing Supervisor 432, Ishikawa had always thought that the connection between a Quincy's control over Reishi and their own spiritual power intensity was not strong; but after this period of observation, Ishikawa discovered that a Quincy's mastery of Reishi was also linked to their own spiritual power intensity.
Quincy indeed rarely directly use their internal spiritual power to fight, but every time they fight, they use their internal spiritual power to gather and package the external Reishi, ultimately manifesting it as Reishi weapons. This means that the stronger their own spiritual power, the higher their mastery of Reishi.
The combination of internal and external forces is what gives them the power to 'destroy' everything.
However, Ishikawa had no intention of making the Quincy's power his own, as he did with Hollows, because Quincy differ fundamentally from Shinigami and Hollows, and there are even bloodline restrictions.
Even if Ishikawa could somehow acquire Quincy bloodline, he would absolutely not accept a power that, once given, would allow the other party to control everything about him.
Kurosaki Masaki, after all, lost all her power and was on the verge of losing her life right before his eyes.
Moreover, Ishikawa had already decided on his future plans.
That is…
To cross the river by feeling the stones, with Aizen as his guide!
Although Aizen turned to external forces when he reached his limit, in Ishikawa's mind, if he wanted to cross the river by feeling the stones, the most suitable and easiest stone to feel was Aizen Sōsuke!
At least before hitting a limit barrier, his path would not diverge from Aizen's.
Since Aizen never showed much interest in Quincy from beginning to end, there must be a reason for it.
Ishikawa never thought he was particularly smart, nor would he think that everyone else besides him was foolish; with Aizen's abilities and centuries of effort, he had clearly made trial-and-error attempts on many paths. There was no need for Ishikawa to repeat the wrong paths he had already taken.
The reason he wanted to observe the Quincy was, as he said before, to familiarize himself with their fighting style and avoid being completely clueless during a confrontation.
However…
Ishikawa's gaze shifted to the little boy with a sad face beside the old man, and he shook his head slightly.
"Alright."
Ishikawa glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and said to everyone in the Surveillance Division, "I have an appointment for lunch, so I'll be leaving first. You all should pack up and go to lunch too."
"Yes."
After bidding farewell to the Surveillance Division staff, Ishikawa left the Surveillance Building directly, but instead of heading out of the Second Division, he went to the Vice-Captain's Office.
Arriving at the Vice-Captain's Office door, Ishikawa knocked a few times, and without waiting for a response from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.
Inside the room, Ōmaeda was eating snacks while listening to a subordinate's report.
Upon Ishikawa's arrival, neither Ōmaeda nor the Patrol Corps Squad Member who was reporting looked at him for more than a glance before returning their attention to the report.
Ishikawa, meanwhile, familiar with the place, flopped onto the sofa, a look of comfort on his face.
One had to admit…
A high-end sofa was simply comfortable to lie on.
According to Ishikawa, Ōmaeda had spent a fortune ordering this sofa from the Technology Development Bureau. It contained many technologies Ishikawa couldn't understand… According to Ōmaeda, lying on it not only promoted blood circulation and relaxed muscles but also had a massage function. By releasing a faint Reiatsu, the sofa could autonomously control Reishi to massage various acupoints of the person lying on it.
Ever since he discovered this, every time Ishikawa came to Ōmaeda's place, he would lie on this sofa for a while.
However, as good as it was, the price was extremely exorbitant.
Ishikawa calculated that if he were to spend all his savings, he could probably buy just one cushion for the sofa…
"That's enough."
Ōmaeda, from behind his desk, nodded at the Squad Member in front of him, "You may go now."
"Yes."
The Patrol Corps Squad Member acknowledged and then left the Vice-Captain's Office. After he left…
Bang!
Ōmaeda kicked the sofa directly, grumbling, "Why don't I just give you my Vice-Captain position?"
"Hehe."
Ishikawa didn't mind. He chuckled and sat up from the sofa, "If you're going to kick, kick me, but don't break the sofa."
"...As if I could kick you."
Ōmaeda snorted, then plopped down next to Ishikawa, bouncing him up from where he had just sat, "How many times have I told you to wait until I say 'come in' before you push the door open!"
"Then how about…"
Ishikawa blinked and said, "I go out and knock again?"
"Stop with the nonsense. I called you here today to have dinner at my place. Someone wants to meet you."
Ōmaeda's face darkened as he finished, "Are you telling people outside that I'm your contact for the Nobility Street Everything Store? Why do people looking for you always come to my house?"
Someone wants to meet me?
Ishikawa frowned upon hearing this and subconsciously asked, "The Tsunayashiro Family?"
He had never publicly claimed that Ōmaeda was his contact for the Nobility Street Everything Store, because there was no need. If a noble wanted to contact him, they usually did so through the Golden Seal Association or directly contacted his branch store on Commercial Street.
And Ōmaeda's words vaguely gave the impression that he didn't want to offend the other party.
Although the Omaeda Residence was only a lower-ranking noble family, their status was somewhat special; they were confident they could stand as equals even with higher-ranking noble families. This was partly due to the Omaeda Residence's immense financial power, and partly because the Omaeda Residence received considerable care from the Shihōin Family.
The only person whose status could make Ōmaeda feel apprehensive and who would be interested in him, Ishikawa could only think of the Tsunayashiro Family—a family he had never interacted with, but who might be the culprit who led him to Hueco Mundo.
"Tsunayashiro?"
Ōmaeda was startled by the question, then seemed to recall something, his fat face twitching as he said, "Why would the words 'Tsunayashiro Family' come out of your mouth? You haven't offended the Tsunayashiro Family, have you?"
With that, he shifted his backside to the side, looking as if he was ready to say, "I don't know you" at any moment.
"How could I?"
Ishikawa felt a wave of relief, thinking he had been discovered investigating the Tsunayashiro Family in secret.
"I just thought that given your status, Vice Captain, only the Tsunayashiro Family, once the head of the Five Great Noble Families, would be worthy of such importance from you."
Ōmaeda was not brushed off by Ishikawa. His tone became serious as he said, "I'm warning you, you can offend anyone you want, but absolutely do not provoke the Four Great Noble Clans. If you are currently secretly investigating the 'Tsunayashiro Family,' stop immediately!"
"Also, never mention the words 'Tsunayashiro Family' to anyone outside of the Onmitsukidō again."
Ōmaeda paused, then continued, "You know as well as I do that the Tsunayashiro Family has always controlled the Image Hall. If it weren't for our Onmitsukidō, due to our duties, using the divine artifacts of the Heavenly Garment Brigade to block all surveillance and detection, the moment you uttered the words 'Tsunayashiro Family,' it could be heard by the Tsunayashiro Family in the next second."
"I know that with your personality, you wouldn't actively provoke the Tsunayashiro Family. It must be that the Tsunayashiro Family did something that made you wary, but you must endure it. Otherwise, even the Shiba backing you won't be able to protect you."
Upon hearing this, Ishikawa looked at Ōmaeda with some surprise. Although he had long known that this guy was far more astute on the inside than he appeared, Ishikawa really hadn't expected him to deduce so much from just one sentence.
After a moment of hesitation, Ishikawa did not continue to conceal it. Instead, he recounted the entire story of his trip to Hueco Mundo and his speculations to Ōmaeda from beginning to end, though he omitted the information provided by Urahara Kisuke, only stating that it was his own speculation.
Good relations are good relations, but duties are duties.
Ishikawa was certain that after he left, Ōmaeda would definitely report to Soi Fon. Rather than letting them guess wildly, it was better to directly tell them the whole story.
Moreover, Ishikawa didn't believe that leading him to Hueco Mundo was a collective action of the Tsunayashiro Family. The reason was simple…
As one of the Four Great Noble Families, the Tsunayashiro Family wouldn't need to go through so much trouble to target him. As Ōmaeda said, they wouldn't be concerned just because the Shiba was backing him.
According to Ishikawa's speculation, the person targeting him should be an individual within the Tsunayashiro Family.
And this person's status within the Tsunayashiro Family should not be high, otherwise they could completely use the family's power to deal with him, instead of finding a 'Fullbringer' he didn't remember to lure him to Hueco Mundo.
Even now, Ishikawa didn't understand why the other party wanted to lure him to Hueco Mundo, nor why he was secretly observing him.
Of course, it wasn't without a clue.
With the Image Hall's surveillance, his body's unique characteristics were very likely known to him.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Helpless…
After all, before meeting Urahara Kisuke, he had no idea what the difference was between his body and his Spirit Body, so it was impossible for him to prepare in advance.
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