Chapter 339: Trash~ Trash~
"Dammit, that Sōsuke guy actually looks down on me!"
"Sooner or later, I'll make him understand what it means that fortunes change over thirty years!"
Satoru walked down the street, uttering the kind of tough talk only those blessed with the protagonist halo are qualified to say.
Akane Shizuku walked beside him, looking at him strangely.
"You're so strong, why do you listen to that bespectacled guy?"
"Because I was going easy on him, going easy, understand?"
Satoru raised his head, using his imposing presence to lend credibility to his words.
Akane Shizuku tilted her head, expressing skepticism at this.
Seeing her reaction, Satoru said displeasedly:
"Listen, you little girl, show some proper attitude toward your savior."
"If I hadn't been merciful and allowed you to stay by my side, Sōsuke would have drugged you and preserved you in a jar!"
This wasn't something he made up randomly.
Aizen held great interest in Akane Shizuku.
Memory Orbs—the collective product of soul fragments.
Even Aizen was seeing the real thing for the first time.
Currently, his primary mission was to deal with Ryudoji Yanlong and the latter's stubbornly defended Valley of Howling.
After some thought, he approached Satoru.
"Satoru, the Memory Orbs are precious research material. If I devote myself entirely to research, I won't have time to keep an eye on her."
"You should take her with you. After all, there's probably no one stronger than you in the Living World right now."
Hearing this, Satoru showed a disgusted expression.
"No way, I need to find Bambi... ahem, I need to have in-depth exchanges with the Quincies."
He wasn't a pure-hearted boy like Ichigo—fundamentalist high school girls like Akane Shizuku had long fallen off his list of preferences.
If she had some other attributes, like being a blonde young mother with beautiful twin daughters, or a snow woman renting an apartment in his building... then he might consider it.
Aizen wasn't surprised by Satoru's response.
He spoke expressionlessly in a calm tone:
"If you're unwilling, then I'll have no choice but to preserve her in a life-support tank."
"Better than letting her escape."
"..."
Satoru scratched his head.
If it were Kōga Kuchiki being preserved in a jar, he wouldn't hesitate at all.
But... this girl Akane was, after all, just a little girl who had been born only a few days ago.
Her personality was fused from countless souls, and her memories all belonged to others.
To be preserved in a jar and turned into laboratory material before she could even enjoy this world was just too tragic.
Hmm? Thinking about it this way, it actually sounds like a new preference.
Scratch that last line.
After hesitating for a while, he sighed:
"Fine, fine, I'll take her with me."
Aizen showed a satisfied smile.
He didn't waste too much time on Satoru.
In the previous battle, he had left one survivor alive.
Through interrogation, Aizen had basically understood these people's situation.
According to the survivor, they had originally planned to begin their operations over a decade later.
However, a soul that had drifted out from the Soul Society accidentally fell into the Valley of Howling where they resided.
After interpreting the fragmented memories of this soul, they were pleasantly surprised to discover that the Soul Society was currently in chaos.
Throughout the Soul Society, Gates of Hell would occasionally appear, from which various powerful beings would emerge and cause destruction everywhere.
Although the Shinigami would always arrive quickly to suppress them, the long-term pressure was still significant.
After confirming this, Ryudoji Yanlong immediately decided to advance their plan.
They just never expected that their originally perfect plan would turn out to be like a child's farce in front of Satoru.
It ended before it even properly began.
How could there be such a formidable existence in the world besides Yamamoto Shigekuni?!
Satoru was also somewhat curious about the Ryudoji family.
What exactly did these people do back then to offend all Five Noble Clans at once?
He found a spot with good reception and made a call to the Soul Society.
"This is Satoru Mikami. Please connect me to the Kuchiki Clan."
Before long, Sōjun Kuchiki answered the phone.
"Satoru?"
"Teacher Sō, could you pass the phone to the old master? There are some matters I'd like to inquire about."
"Alright, wait a moment!"
After hearing Satoru's question, Ginrei Kuchiki sounded surprised.
"The Ryūdōji Clan... I never thought I'd hear their name again after all these years."
"Heh, kid, I don't know where you heard that version of events, but as one of the people involved, I can tell you the real story."
"The Ryūdōji Clan never offended the Five Noble Clans. Even if they had the intention, they didn't have the capability."
"A thousand years ago, they were a great noble clan subordinate to the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the core components of the Tsunayashiro faction."
"At that time, the Tsunayashiro family head was old and senile, losing control over the subordinate clans. Many clans began developing their own schemes."
"The Ryūdōji Clan was one of them."
"The Ryūdōji family head organized a rebellion, attempting to completely take control of the Tsunayashiro Clan and become one of the new Five Noble Clans."
"However, their plan was discovered by Tsunayashiro Senzaemon almost immediately."
"Tsunayashiro Senzaemon was the young master of the Tsunayashiro Clan at that time. Given his personality, you can imagine what he would do upon discovering a vassal clan's rebellion without me having to elaborate."
"That guy immediately suppressed all rebellions and organized the Central 46 to conduct a trial."
"The Ryūdōji Clan matter was essentially an internal Tsunayashiro problem, so the other great clans paid no attention to it."
"In less than ten days, the Ryūdōji Clan was convicted and exiled to the Dangai... That's the complete story of their clan."
"At that time, I had just taken over the Kuchiki Clan. Basically, as soon as these events occurred, relevant intelligence would land on my desk, so there shouldn't be any errors."
Satoru held the phone, lost in thought.
An existence rivaling the Five Noble Clans...
Driven by fear, the Five Noble Clans initiated persecution...
The Ryūdōji family—regardless of their actual strength—were certainly masters of boasting.
After thanking Ginrei Kuchiki, he hung up the phone.
He glanced at Akane Shizuku standing nearby and sighed with emotion.
"You've had it rough, forced to self-destruct because of such a weak family."
"But it doesn't matter now. With me, Satoru Mikami, here, you can peacefully live as a high school girl."
Akane tilted her head in confusion.
What strange things was this guy saying?
Well, it wasn't important.
She took a deep breath and pursed her lips.
"Captain... Mikami?"
"If what that Aizen guy said is true, and I'm not actually a Shinigami... why are you still protecting me?"
Satoru waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't bother asking such boring questions."
"What do you think I am?"
Puzzled, Akane replied:
"A Shinigami, of course. You're a captain."
Satoru chuckled.
Under her gaze, he raised his hand and swept it across his face.
A white mask covered the upper half of his face.
"And now?"
Feeling the sudden shift in Satoru's Reiatsu, Akane's eyes widened.
How was this possible?
This was... a Hollow's Reiatsu?
Was Satoru a Hollow?
Before she could process this, Satoru dispelled the Hollowfication and raised his hand, conjuring a blue spiritual bow.
"Now look—what is this?"
Staring at the blue longbow before her, Akane's pupils trembled.
This was... a Quincy's weapon!
Trembling, she whispered in disbelief:
"What... what are you?"
"I am Yusei! A Shinigami in the Soul Society, a Hollow in Hueco Mundo, and a Quincy in the Living World!"
Satoru dispersed the spiritual bow, placed his hands on his hips, and laughed triumphantly.
He radiated the confidence of a gold medalist.
He turned to Akane.
"See? I already possess three different powers. If you try to define what I am, there's no perfect answer."
"But I don't care about any of that."
"What does it matter? Whatever power I have becomes a part of me!"
"How I use these powers is determined by my will—not by some trivial race or identity."
"Now, Akane, I ask you: with all the power you possess, what do you want to do with it?"
Hearing Satoru's words, Akane froze for a moment.
Then, almost instinctively, she replied:
"I want... to do what I can to help others, to see everyone smile."
"Even if my personal memories might be fabricated, they're still proof that their original owners once lived."
"Having inherited so many memories to finally be born into this world... if I don't help as many people as possible, I'd be failing the original owners of these memories!"
Satoru was taken aback.
Oh no—a Smile Planet inhabitant!
He nodded.
"Excellent!"
"Having such thoughts proves you're already a living person!"
"This world is vast and full of diversity."
"In the near future, Sōsuke and I will make it even more interesting and free!"
"When that time comes, you'll be able to freely pursue whatever you wish."
"As long as you don't violate the code of the jianghu, you'll be completely free."
"Whether you are the Shinenju or a collection of false memories... you are Akane Shizuku."
"Spread your arms and embrace this world, Akane Shizuku!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
As he spoke, Satoru couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Watching Satoru standing there laughing heartily, Akane Shizuku was initially surprised.
Gradually, the corners of her mouth lifted.
Then, she began laughing along with Satoru.
The fear that had accompanied her since birth, that had lingered in her heart, finally disappeared at this moment.
All that remained was peace of mind.
...
...
"Tempt down the nightfall, Mirokumaru!!"
In the mountains on the outskirts of Karakura Town, Akane Shizuku leaped high and released her Zanpakutō.
Her Reiatsu surged as she roared and charged toward Satoru.
Gripping the four-ringed staff, she continuously thrust from various angles, attempting to break through Satoru's defense.
Yet Satoru didn't even draw his sword, merely extending his Zanpakutō occasionally to tap against Mirokumaru's staff, effortlessly deflecting her attacks.
After dozens of exchanges, Satoru swung his blade, striking Akane's shoulder with the flat of his Zanpakutō.
She went flying backward, crashing headfirst into the nearby mountain.
Amid billowing dust, Akane emerged disheveled, spitting out sand from her mouth.
She looked at Satoru with some frustration.
"You're so strong, I'm no match for you."
"Hoho, now you understand this one's power? Envious? Jealous?"
"Small fry~ small fry~"
Satoru grinned triumphantly.
Akane Shizuku: "..."
Her blood pressure was rising slightly.
After his arrogant display, Satoru stroked his chin.
In terms of overall strength, Akane was indeed weak—she'd struggle to become a seated officer even in ordinary squads, let alone the Eleventh Division.
However, her battlefield analysis ability was remarkable.
Even when facing opponents far superior to herself, Akane could analyze the optimal combat strategy in the shortest time.
Satoru speculated this was related to the countless soul fragments within her.
Ordinary Shinigami fought with just one soul processing information.
But Akane had numerous soul fragments working simultaneously in multiple threads.
A single fragment was certainly inferior to an ordinary Shinigami's soul.
Yet thousands of fragments combined could create miracles!
What she needed now was to improve her raw power.
With sufficient Reiatsu and special techniques, combined with her near-BUG processing ability, she would undoubtedly become a formidable fighter.
Thinking this, Satoru raised the corners of his mouth.
"Young maiden, do you wish to become stronger?"
"...Of course I do."
Watching Satoru's peculiar smile, she showed a wary expression.
Unlike ordinary Shinigami, she contained many modern human soul fragments.
She had seen those "Madam, you wouldn't want..." type of videos.
Right now, Satoru's demeanor strongly reminded her of that style.
Under Akane's gaze, Satoru chuckled.
"Good."
"Then, when matters here are settled, return to the Soul Society with me."
"I'll find you a quite suitable teacher..."
Kenpachi Zaraki's beast-like face surfaced in his mind.
He hoped Akane would survive graduation.
Though she didn't know what Satoru was thinking, Akane felt it was certainly nothing good.
She was about to say something when she saw Satoru suddenly pause, looking into the distance.
Following Satoru's gaze, she ran to the edge of the building, squinted her eyes, and raised a hand to shield them as she looked into the distance.
On the street far away, two girls were walking side by side, each holding an ice cream cone, chatting happily.
One wore glasses and had a long braid, with an impressively large bust.
To Akane Shizuku, such proportions felt like a dimensional attack.
The other was a pink-haired girl with twin tails.
Compared to the braided girl, her bust was much more normal... or rather, practically flat.
Akane Shizuku nodded slightly.
Now that's what you call a reasonable figure.
She turned her head:
"You're really something, spotting cute girls from so far away..."
"...Huh?"
Akane Shizuku stopped mid-sentence instinctively.
She noticed that Satoru seemed to be recalling something from the past.
In his eyes were nostalgia and contentment.
And... a gentleness she had never seen in him before.