Thirteenth Division, Reception Room.
"Ito, Fourth Seat? Are you sure you want to participate in the Human World Garrison mission? The Station posts are already full, and it's not time for rotation yet!"
Ozawa Renzaburo, who was responsible for assigning Station missions in the Thirteenth Division, looked at Ito Makoto with a glint in his eyes. He knew very well that this was another person using the excuse of a garrison post to enjoy himself in the Human World.
"Please, Ozawa-senpai. Mainly because I heard there are many novel foods and comics in the Human World that Soul Society doesn't have…"
As Ito Makoto spoke, he pulled out the few spirit coins in his pocket and stuffed them into Ozawa Renzaburo's hand.
Ozawa gave him a knowing look and quietly slipped the coins into his sleeve.
"Ito Makoto, Fourth Seat… I just remembered that a garrison unit in one area changed shifts yesterday. I was about to reassign someone there anyway."
…
Human World, Yuhua Town.
A flash of white light appeared in the air.
A beautifully designed sliding door slowly emerged and opened.
Ito Makoto stepped out.
Looking at the modern city below, he sighed softly.
He had spent nearly all his remaining spirit coins to exchange for a three-month garrison mission.
"This place is already a modern society…"
Although this was not his first time in the Human World, he was still surprised.
It should still be nearly a hundred years before the original plot began, yet towering buildings and modern infrastructure were already everywhere.
Even late at night, the city was filled with lights and traffic.
Listening to horns and engines, Ito Makoto felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to his previous life.
"Roar!"
A sudden roar interrupted his thoughts.
"A Hollow?"
Following the sound, Ito Makoto arrived at a parking lot several kilometers away.
A powerful cockroach-shaped Hollow was perched on top of a bus, staring at a terrified little boy below, saliva dripping onto the ground.
"Help… ah!"
The monster advanced step by step.
The boy cried out in despair.
Bang!
The Hollow's six legs crushed the bus roof as it leaped down.
Dark yellow saliva splattered everywhere.
Raising its claw, it prepared to tear the boy apart.
"Hado Number Four, White Lightning!"
A thumb-thick bolt of white lightning shot forward and pierced straight through the Hollow's forehead.
The creature disintegrated instantly.
As Ito Makoto turned to leave, a childish voice sounded behind him.
"Thank you… for saving me."
He turned around in surprise.
A dirty, snot-nosed little boy stood there, looking at him nervously.
"You can see me?"
Ito Makoto froze briefly, then quickly calmed down.
He sensed the boy's spiritual pressure and was shocked.
It had already reached Eighth-Grade Spiritual Power, comparable to that of a regular Gotei Thirteen member.
"No wonder it attracted a powerful Hollow…"
In the Human World, where spiritual particles were scarce, such talent was extremely rare.
It was even rarer than a Seventh-Grade soul appearing in Soul Society.
"Sigh, what a hassle…"
Ito Makoto rubbed the back of his head helplessly.
He took out the memory modification device Ozawa had given him and activated it toward the boy's face.
Bang!
A muffled sound rang out.
Black smoke rose.
Yet the boy remained standing calmly.
"Hey, shouldn't you be unconscious by now?"
Ito Makoto stared at the device in disbelief.
"Is the Technological Development Bureau completely useless?"
Ginjō Kūgo looked at the strange man in odd clothes who had saved him.
Although he didn't understand why the man wanted him to faint, he obediently fell down and pretended to lose consciousness.
After all, this person was his savior.
Ito Makoto's mouth twitched.
"Kid… I didn't tell you to pretend."
His face darkened.
He spread his hands and turned to leave.
"Forget it. If you remember, then you remember."
Just as he was about to use Shunpo, a timid voice sounded again.
"Big brother… thank you for saving me. My name is Ginjō Kūgo. May I ask your name…?"
Ito Makoto stopped.
He slowly turned back.
"What did you say your name was?"
The boy looked up nervously.
"Um… my name is Ginjō Kūgo…"
After talking for a while, Ito Makoto learned his story.
Ginjō was seven years old.
Not long after his birth, a gas explosion killed his parents.
He was sent to Yuhua Orphanage.
Because he claimed he could see monsters, other children avoided him.
People who got close to him often got injured for no clear reason.
Even caregivers disliked him.
That night, he had sneaked out during dinner.
He hadn't gone far before the cockroach Hollow targeted him.
That was how he ended up in the parking lot.
"A hundred years before the plot… and Ginjō is already born?"
Ito Makoto was stunned.
Then he thought it through.
A soul with Shinigami power could live for centuries.
Someone like Ginjō, possessing Hollow power, Shinigami power, and Fullbring, could easily survive hundreds of years in the Human World.
At this moment, Ito Makoto was completely certain.
The boy before him was the future Substitute Shinigami Agent.
The man who would take Ichigo's Fullbring.
One of the three major Soul King candidates.
In the original story, his record seemed mediocre.
But in truth, his opponent was simply too strong.
At that time, Ichigo was already chosen by Yhwach as a Special War Power.
Moreover, Ginjō was the only person who had ever made Ichigo truly cry.
He was severely underestimated.
"If I can bring him under my command…"
"He'll be a tremendous asset in the future."
Ito Makoto's expression softened instantly.
The boy's childhood had been tragic.
No wonder he would grow up gloomy.
As for his parents' deaths, Ito Makoto could already guess the truth.
They were most likely killed by Hollows.
After all, Fullbringers carried fragments of the Soul King.
To low-level Hollows, they were irresistible nourishment.