In a dim, quiet corner of Junrinan, where the lanterns flickered.
"What did you say? You found the culprit?!"
Ōmaeda's eyes bulged, his expression fearsome.
The Patrol Corps member standing before him broke out in a slight sweat and quickly recounted, in greater detail, how he had "accidentally" overheard a conversation between Shiba Ganjū and his underlings during his covert investigation.
Ōmaeda listened, stunned, unable to believe his ears.
He had thought he would be returning empty-handed to a brutal scolding from his Captain. He never expected this twist of fate. That arrogant woman's brother actually knew the culprit's whereabouts, and he was careless enough to let it slip, right where his subordinate could hear it.
Even if they didn't hear everything, as long as they had a general area, was there any target the Onmitsukidō couldn't find?
"Hahahaha! Rich people really do have the best luck! How else would we stay rich!"
"Just wait until I catch the culprit and drag him in front of you. Let's see if you can still act so high and mighty then!"
Ōmaeda rubbed his hands together, practically vibrating with excitement.
He immediately summoned all his subordinates and sped off toward the location from the lead.
It was less about fearing the criminal's escape and more about his desperate need to see the look on Shiba Kūkaku's face.
The moment he left, Shigū Takeru and the others fell in behind him.
"Man, he's fast. If we didn't know the general direction, we might have lost him," Ichigo commented.
"Shunpo is the Onmitsukidō's specialty. This level of skill is normal. What's strange is that you all can keep up," Shiba Kūkaku said, a little surprised by the four students' proficient Shunpo. Never mind Academy students, most active-duty members of the Gotei 13 weren't at this level.
"At this rate, you could all graduate early. Any thoughts on which division you'd like to join?"
Yayahara: "Haven't really thought about it~"
Rindo: [Anywhere is fine.]
"I'll probably go to the 5th Division," Shigū Takeru said nonchalantly.
"Is this really the time to talk about that?" Ichigo retorted.
"Being a Shinigami isn't an easy job. You deal with death all the time. In the end, it rarely turns out well. If you don't find a little fun for yourself, life gets way too dark."
Shiba Kūkaku's flat statement instantly changed the atmosphere of the group.
The ever-present night air suddenly felt heavier on their shoulders. The hazy moon in the sky was being squeezed by the shadows, looking like it was about to flee behind the clouds.
The moment the mood shifted, the outskirts of Junrinan felt as though they had no place for the living.
"—Is that so? If that's what it means to be a Shinigami, then there's no question what I have to do when I become a Captain."
Again, it was just one sentence.
And the atmosphere was twisted once more.
Everyone, except for Takeru, instinctively looked at Ichigo.
Behind the arrogant declaration wasn't an arrogant face.
Instead, it was the expression of a man who clearly understood the difficulties he would face, and yet... could still smile.
The darkness dulled his orange hair. Shiba Kūkaku, who had been about to mock him for overestimating himself, suddenly felt a jolt, as if she saw a familiar figure overlapping with his.
"???"
Being yelled at, being mocked—Ichigo could take all of it. The one thing he couldn't stand was the bizarre look Kūkaku was giving him, as if she were seeing a ghost floating behind him.
It made his skin crawl. He hurriedly turned to his friend to change the subject.
"Shigū, you've always got a weird way of thinking. You must have some strange idea. Spit it out."
"No ideas. I just know that with you around, there's bound to be 'fun'," Takeru replied lightly.
He never turned his head, his gaze fixed on the path ahead, as if that alone consumed his full attention.
It was also as if he fully anticipated Ichigo's reaction and thus didn't care.
"Hey, you're mocking me, aren't you?"
"You're too loud. Is this really the time for that?"
Having his own words thrown back at him, Ichigo was struck speechless.
Takeru didn't give him a chance to think of a comeback, immediately calling for the group to stop.
"What's wrong?" Kūkaku asked on behalf of everyone.
"Ōmaeda and his men have slowed down. That means they're close and preparing to surround the target. If we just waltz in and appear before both sides, it won't do us much good," Takeru mused.
"What are you getting at?" Kūkaku re-focused, her curiosity piqued.
"I'm saying... since we already used Ōmaeda as a pathfinder, why not get our money's worth and use him as bait, too?"
Takeru's words left the group speechless, but they vaguely understood his hidden meaning.
"I see..." Kūkaku rubbed her chin, her eyes growing brighter.
"Ōmaeda can't beat the enemy. Knowing his personality, he'll try to run at the first sign of trouble. All we have to do is set an ambush on his escape route. When the enemy chases him, we hit them with a surprise attack."
"But what if the enemy doesn't chase him?" Yayahara blinked curiously.
"Oh, Ōmaeda will make the enemy chase him," Takeru replied, his voice full of dark meaning.
...
The cave had no name and no special features. There were countless places like it in the Rukongai. If the culprit weren't inside, Ōmaeda would never in his life have pinched his nose and stepped on the muddy ground to enter this sunless cavern.
"Damned criminal! Making Lord Ōmaeda go to all this trouble! Just wait until you're in prison, I'll teach you...!"
Despite his thoughts, Ōmaeda still acted with the professionalism of the Onmitsukidō. He led his men carefully, feeling his way forward.
This professionalism earned him high praise from the "culprit" when he finally saw him.
"I thought you were a beast, but it turns out you're a Shinigami. To have found my hiding place so quickly... not to be underestimated. As expected of..."
The voice trailed off, becoming inaudible.
But Ōmaeda wasn't concerned with what he said.
Right now, his face was extremely ugly.
Because what stood before him was an "abomination."
It was three meters tall, vaguely humanoid, with three heads that looked canine but also sprouted sharp bovine horns. Its face was terrifying, as if it were wearing a skull mask.
Perhaps sensing there was no more need to hide, the faint, thin aura around its body began to change. It grew cold and dense, like air turning to mercury, flooding out from its body like a broken dam.
The air in the cave, the very space itself, began to thrum, to vibrate, to echo.
Under this immense pressure, it wouldn't have been surprising if the space shattered like a mirror.
Cold sweat dripped down the faces of Ōmaeda and his men. Their bodies trembled.
The only reasons they didn't collapse were that they weren't that weak, and, thanks to their own Captain's frequent, cold-faced tantrums, they were somewhat acclimated to this level of Reiatsu.
That said...
The one standing here now wasn't their Captain.
It was a... Hollow... with Captain-level Reiatsu!
"There's no mistake... It's a-a-a Grand Hollow! And a mid-level one... an Adjuchas!"
Ōmaeda's face twitched. He roared inwardly.
What the hell is the SRDI doing!
An Adjuchas has invaded to the very gates of the Seireitei, and they didn't even notice!
Of course, he also knew this was related to the fact that the creature seemed to possess the means to hide its Reiatsu and erase its tracks.
But that reason only made him feel more bitter and wronged.
After all, he'd just stumbled into an absurdly rare event.
He'd just been thinking how lucky he was. Now, his "luck" had run out, and he was about to be left for dead.
"Hey, Hollow, state your name!"
"My name is—"
"Smash him! Gegentsuburi!"
Before the creature could finish its arrogant introduction, Ōmaeda suddenly released his Shikai. He swung the giant, spiked mace-and-chain, smashing the cavern ceiling and triggering a collapse. He immediately followed up with "Bakudō #21: Sekienton (Red Smoke Escape)" to obscure its vision with dust and rock.
After doing all that, he turned and fled without a moment's hesitation. The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water.
"Move, move, move! Everyone run!"
He didn't need to shout. His subordinates knew this was not an enemy they could handle.
However, just as they fled the cave, a crimson beam of light shot out from the depths.
If Ōmaeda and his men hadn't reacted instantly, diving to the ground, someone would have been vaporized by the Cero.
BOOM!
The Cero missed, striking the distance and causing a violent explosion.
The light first dyed the earth red, then bleached the night sky white.
The faces of Ōmaeda and his men were even whiter.
"Agile movements, on high alert... It seems you aren't just nobodies among the Shinigami. To encounter such opponents... I am truly delighted."
The Grand Hollow flew out of the cave, standing in mid-air, and studied its prey with satisfaction.
Ōmaeda vaguely sensed something strange in its gaze, but he couldn't pinpoint it. He only knew that if he didn't do something, all dozen of his men would be buried here.
-------
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