"The Tsunayashiro family?"
"There is no direct evidence,"
Urahara Kisuke said softly.
"But Captain Yoruichi suspects they might be conducting some... less-than-legal experiments in private. The kind that requires a large number of high-spiritual-power souls as materials."
"However, because the nobility possesses so-called extraterritorial rights, conducting an internal investigation is extremely difficult."
"Therefore, Captain Yoruichi hasn't made much progress in that regard."
A brief silence fell over the laboratory.
Ren understood. The rules the nobles had established to protect their own interests were serving their purpose perfectly now, weren't they?
As a fellow beneficiary of the system, the Shihoin family would undoubtedly face immense resistance if they tried to bypass it for an internal audit.
After all, anyone sitting in such a position likely had some unspeakable secrets hidden away.
'You want to investigate me? I damn well want to investigate you too!'
Looking at it this way, the Shiba family was simply a loser in the power struggle.
Everyone had seen how that ended.
Ren looked at Urahara Kisuke and voiced his doubt.
"So, are you saying Captain Yoruichi might use this incident to take action?"
Urahara Kisuke remained noncommittal.
"After all, it's a rare opportunity."
Ren hadn't expected so many complications to be involved behind the scenes.
After chatting with Urahara for a while, Ren felt his trip had been quite fruitful and prepared to take his leave.
"I'll have the tools and communication devices ready in a few days. Bring the money this weekend. There's quite a lot of equipment, so you'd better bring a couple of people to help."
"Thanks, Third Seat Urahara."
"Mutual benefit."
Urahara waved a hand.
After Ren left, Urahara Kisuke walked to the wall and opened a hidden compartment, revealing a Reishi analyzer inside.
The device's screen displayed complex data—it was the analysis of the Spiritual Pressure sample he had collected from Ren earlier.
Just now, while Ren was fighting those prisoners, he had taken the chance to gather even more experimental material.
He had even managed to obtain a small sample of Ren's blood.
"Why... is there Hollow Spiritual Pressure inside you...?"
Urahara muttered to himself, his fingers moving rapidly across the control panel.
"The purity is high, and it's completely integrated into the soul's structure. This isn't external contamination. Instead, it seems like... it's being generated from within?"
The flickering light of the device reflected the excited glint in Urahara Kisuke's eyes.
After a moment, Urahara Kisuke let out a long breath, packed up his things, and left the laboratory, exiting the Maggots' Nest.
He returned to the Second Division barracks and headed straight for the Captain's office.
It was time to report on the matters concerning Hasumi Ren and the Tsunayashiro family.
At that moment, Yoruichi was sitting cross-legged in the main seat, eating a skewer of chicken meatballs with great relish.
Soi Fon stood beside her, holding some documents with a look of helplessness on her face.
"Lady Yoruichi, these documents still need your signature."
"Leave them there. I'll look at them in a bit,"
Yoruichi said indistinctly, taking another bite of the meatball.
"You should try some too, Soi Fon. I specifically had someone buy these from Rukongai. They're quite tasty."
Yoruichi grabbed a skewer and tried to stuff it into Soi Fon's mouth.
"It's working hours, Lady Yoruichi. Don't—"
"Oh, relax. No one is watching."
"Lady Yoruichi..."
Just as the blushing Soi Fon was about to yield to Yoruichi's persistence and open her mouth...
Urahara Kisuke cleared his throat at the doorway.
Soi Fon froze instantly, her half-open mouth trembling slightly.
Turning her head, she saw that annoying blonde man waving at the door.
'Urahara! Kisuke!'
'You really deserve to die...'
Yoruichi turned and saw Urahara, her eyes lighting up.
"Yo, Urahara! Perfect timing. Try these meatballs. They're delicious."
"Oh, thank you, Captain. I happen to be a bit hungry."
Under Soi Fon's murderous glare, Urahara took the skewer and took two bites before continuing.
"Captain, I've come to report something regarding Hasumi Ren and the Tsunayashiro family."
Yoruichi's chewing slowed down.
She swallowed her food, her expression turning slightly serious.
"Speak."
Urahara briefly reported on Ren's request for help and his own analysis.
Finally, he added.
"I believe this is an opportunity. Although Tsunayashiro Tokiying might not have access to core secrets, he's a good point of entry."
"If we play our cards right, we might be able to uncover something."
Yoruichi's gaze sharpened.
"Are you certain?"
"It's worth a try,"
Urahara nodded.
Yoruichi's expression grew thoughtful as she lightly tapped the armrest.
"Does Hasumi Ren know your plan?"
"He's smart and understands his situation. Instead of being a sitting duck, he'd rather enter the fray proactively in exchange for our support."
Urahara continued.
"I've provided him with some minor assistance, enough for him to handle the first few waves of harassment."
"If the conflict escalates and Tsunayashiro prepares to use unconventional methods, that will be our cue to step in."
Yoruichi remained silent for a moment, a playful smile playing on her lips.
She turned to Soi Fon.
"What do you think?"
Soi Fon stood straight, her voice calm.
"I will support Lady Yoruichi with all my strength!"
"Good. Soi Fon, you will personally lead a team into West Rukongai to carry out two missions."
"First, monitor every move of Hasumi Ren and his staff, and record all attackers."
"Second, follow the trail to find the attackers' superiors and verify their connection to the Tsunayashiro family."
"Understood, Lady Yoruichi!"
"Go."
Yoruichi waved them off. Soi Fon and Urahara saluted simultaneously and turned to leave the office.
Once they were gone, Yoruichi picked up another skewer, took a bite, and gazed out the window at the gray sky over the Seireitei.
Meanwhile, deep within the Tsunayashiro manor.
Tsunayashiro Tokiying sat kneeling in a tea room, an exquisite tea set laid out before him.
But he wasn't brewing tea; he was merely staring silently at the dry landscape garden in the courtyard.
The sliding paper door to the side was gently opened, and an old man who looked like a butler knelt outside.
"Master Tokiying, someone from the Nagano family has arrived."
"Let him in,"
Tokiying said, his voice calm and level.
A moment later, a plainly dressed middle-aged man cautiously entered the tea room and knelt opposite Tokiying.
He was Nagano Masayasu, the head of the Nagano family—an obscure lower-ranked noble.
"Master Tokiying, I am already making arrangements for what you ordered."
"To be of service to you is truly the greatest honor of my life."
Nagano Masayasu kept his head low, his voice respectful.
"What do you plan to do?"
Tokiying asked, his gaze still fixed on the courtyard.
"I'll send people to spread rumors in Rukongai. Those dregs in the slums are susceptible to such things. Once they hear bad news, they won't dare eat there anymore."
"I'll also have a few members of my family's branch houses go to the shop to cause trouble. They'll claim they got food poisoning, making it impossible for them to conduct business."
Nagano Masayasu lowered his voice.
"Finally, I'll find some thugs drifting in from the outer districts of Rukongai to threaten the ramen shop's employees so they'll be too afraid to come to work."
Tokiying finally turned his head and looked at Nagano Masayasu.
"How long will it take to see results?"
"The rumors will spread within three to five days, and the harassment can begin tomorrow. It just takes a bit of time to recruit the thugs, so they should be able to make their move in about a week."
Nagano Masayasu calculated.
"In ten days at most, that shop will be out of business."
Tokiying nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"Remember, the Nagano family is just a group of ordinary nobles who cannot stand unscrupulous merchants, and those causing trouble are merely thugs from Rukongai."
"Of course, of course,"
Nagano Masayasu nodded repeatedly.
"Our Nagano family is exposing a crooked shop out of a sense of justice, and those thugs are acting of their own accord. It has nothing to do with anyone else."
"Be on your way."
Tokiying waved his hand, and a beaming Nagano Masayasu bowed and exited the tea room.
Tsunayashiro Tokiying picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Hasumi Ren..."