Ishida Ryūken agreed; in reality, he had no choice.
Before Seeleschneider, all beings were equal.
If he didn't want to see his wife and child in danger, there was no other way but to do as Yoriichi said.
It was merely nine years as an ordinary human.
It was a good opportunity to calm down and delve into medical arts.
However, while he himself didn't care much, Ishida Uryū... it was truly hard to say.
He looked at his son, recalling how Ishida Uryū had just received his inheritance from Ishida Soken a few days prior.
Now that this had happened, his strength might be difficult to improve further...
Ishida Ryūken could probably truly understand what his son was feeling at this moment.
As expected, Ishida Uryū's expression at this moment precisely confirmed what Ishida Ryūken was thinking.
He saw his lips slightly pursed, looking eager to open his mouth and question.
However, due to his father, mother, and grandfather all being present, and none of them raising any objections to Yoriichi's proposal,
Ishida Uryū could only suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart, secretly planning to find an opportunity to ask his father for a clear explanation after Yoriichi left.
Ishida Ryūken sighed softly.
He shifted his gaze, collecting some of his thoughts, and spoke to Yoriichi:
"I understand, a training class, right? I've vaguely heard something about it."
"I heard that the heir of the Kurosaki is there... roughly the same age as Uryū."
"Since it's your suggestion, I will definitely take him there at a suitable time."
Although he wasn't sure what they would encounter there, it would certainly be an opportunity to strengthen their relationship.
It would also be beneficial for his child's social life.
"Mm."
Yoriichi nodded, quite satisfied with the Ishida Clan's attitude.
He had worried when he came that these Quincy would refuse the Shinigami's arrangements for the sake of their own power.
He hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly.
After a few more simple instructions, Yoriichi turned and left.
As the Senkaimon slowly closed, emitting a slight spatial fluctuation, Ishida Uryū eagerly asked:
"Father, will I have to live as an ordinary person for the entire nine years from now on?"
"I haven't even received the Quincy Cross from Grandpa yet..."
Recalling the Quincy Cross, Uryū gritted his teeth, subconsciously trying to gather reishi, but it nearly collapsed due to the ingested medicine.
Previously, he could easily condense it into an arrow shape, but now, it was difficult to maintain for even a second.
Ishida Ryūken frowned slightly at the sight, then seemed to remember something.
He murmured, "So that's it... I probably understand what the Captain-Commander meant."
"Uryū, it won't take nine years. Haven't you noticed yet? Your abilities haven't been lost, they're just being interfered with by the medicine."
"I'm the same."
As Ishida Ryūken spoke, he also made the gesture of gathering reishi.
The light blue arrow lasted for about six seconds in his hand.
As the reishi dissipated, he pushed up the glasses on his nose and then explained in detail:
"Since this medicine was developed by the Soul Society, it must have a suppressive effect on reishi itself."
"And the Quincy bloodline within us is also composed of reishi."
"This suppression is both a process of weakening our abilities and a process of blocking the connection between our bloodline and the outside world."
"But a blocked bloodline does not mean that our abilities will disappear."
"It's like a mobile phone with a blocked signal; it can still be used, but it can't access the internet, greatly reducing its practicality."
At this point, although Ishida Uryū hadn't fully understood the principle, Ishida Soken had already grasped it.
He nodded slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.
In short, they could no longer absorb reishi on a large scale as they did in the past, because the signal for Quincy to communicate with external reishi had been interrupted.
However, absorbing reishi from a small area around them was still fine.
For example, from their hands, or their bodies...
In any case.
In an environment with high concentrations of reishi, Ishida Uryū could still perform gathering training.
Ishida Soken stroked his beard, personally tested it, and then immediately told Ishida Uryū the good news.
Uryū looked bewildered, his eyes showing a skeptical expression, but he ultimately chose to temporarily believe his grandfather.
Then... he went to sleep.
After all, he was young and couldn't stay up late, so he could only wait until tomorrow to try at the training ground.
By the way, that karate training class...
And the Kurosaki...
He'd ask his friends about them tomorrow.
...
Meanwhile, at the Kurosaki.
Because it was New Year's Day, Yoriichi thought he could easily find them, but to his surprise, the place was empty.
Only after inquiring did he learn that they had returned to their husband's family for the New Year.
When Yoriichi returned to the Soul Society, he found them at the Shiba Clan's residence.
Without much small talk, Yoriichi left a bottle of medicine, briefly explained its usage and precautions, then turned and left.
He believed they understood the situation.
The Kurosaki, though finding it a bit sudden, thought about it carefully and realized it seemed reasonable.
Kurosaki Masaki put away the medicine bottle, intending to take it after returning to the Human World tomorrow.
Of course, Shiba Isshin didn't need it; he was currently drinking heartily with everyone, his face flushed, his laughter hearty.
The lively atmosphere continued.
...
At the Tsugikuni Clan.
Click.
Yoriichi opened the entrance door, and before he could even put down his haori, he saw Uta waiting inside, seemingly having been waiting for him all along.
"Are things taken care of?"
The light was soft, and snow drifted into the house. Uta stood up, took Yoriichi's haori, and after hanging it, pulled him inside.
"Come in quickly, Ai can't wait any longer. Rangiku, Gin, Rukia, and Renji are all here."
"Hisana couldn't come back for the New Year because of her husband's family, so it's just you left."
Yoriichi stepped into the entrance, seemingly touched, and said softly:
"Everyone's here."
After speaking, he keenly caught a special name from Uta's words,
"Renji?"
Yoriichi raised his eyebrows slightly and asked:
"Have he and Rukia made it official?"
He wasn't there last year; at that time, Yoriichi had thought they had broken up, given that ten years had passed.
He hadn't expected him to suddenly appear this year, which truly surprised him.
Uta nodded, a hint of a smile on her face, and replied:
"Yes, according to Rukia, it's probably official."
"But you know Renji, he's very reserved when it comes to relationships."
"Currently, they are still in the hand-holding stage, so don't misunderstand and make them awkward."
Yoriichi's lips curved slightly upward as he replied:
"I see. So many years have passed, and they're still holding hands?"
"That's good, it shows that he doesn't cling to power and influence, and I didn't misjudge him."
If Renji had been too eager, Yoriichi would have doubted his own judgment of people.
It was precisely because the other party was simple that he felt at ease letting them be together.
Otherwise, if something like premarital pregnancy or a fait accompli happened, as it does in the Human World, just thinking about it would be upsetting.
Yoriichi, with Uta, slowly walked along the corridor to the dining table.
Yoriichi could see that Renji was very nervous, seemingly still unable to recover from his stiffness, looking as if he was about to stand up and bow to him.
Fortunately, Rukia pulled him back in time, and then both of them stood up, bowed to him, and said things like they were very sorry and that they were making their elder brother laugh.
Yoriichi nodded, and once he was seated at the head of the table, the last meal of New Year's Eve, or Ōmisoka, officially began.
...
The next day, Yoriichi woke up early; even on New Year's Day, there were a lot of urgent matters waiting for him to handle.
However, thanks to his vice-captain and clones, in order to spend time with Uta, he pondered for a moment and decided to let Chojiro and the clones handle those troublesome affairs.
Anyway, Chojiro was also alone; it wouldn't be too late to give him a holiday to enjoy life when he found someone he liked.
Thus, the few of them divided their work clearly and worked together efficiently, completing a day's worth of tasks in just one hour.
Afterward, Yoriichi took Uta for a stroll on the streets of the Human World.
The air was fresh, the streets were bustling, filled with a faint scent of fireworks.
Not far away, a shrine had opened, and it seemed very popular, so Uta ran over to join the crowd.
Yoriichi had no interest in this, as praying to gods was not as good as relying on oneself.
But for Uta's safety, he decided to stay put and wait for a while.
While waiting, he saw the Kurosaki group returning from the Soul Society.
Kurosaki ichigo, Kurosaki Masaki's son, was swaying as he walked, perhaps because Shiba Isshin had given him some alcohol.
Shiba Isshin was originally being scolded by Kurosaki Masaki.
Suddenly, he saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni, and his eyes immediately lit up as if he had seen a savior. He immediately broke away from the group and walked towards Yoriichi, greeting him:
"Yo, Captain-Commander, Happy New Year!"
"Are you and your wife getting fortunes?"
"How enviable, unlike me..."
Shiba Isshin felt he had no status in his family. He finally had a son, and it was fine that he had two surnames.
He was Kurosaki ichigo in the Human World and Shiba Ichigo in the Soul Society, but his wife hadn't even changed her surname to his...
Although he had requested this himself back then, nine years ago, to respect the Kurosaki's heritage and also to take care of his son.
He couldn't let his son wonder why both parents were named Shiba but he was named Kurosaki, so he had to do it this way.
At that time, he felt nothing, but as time passed, he gradually felt that something was wrong.
Because his wife and child were both named Kurosaki, while he was named Shiba, he was always suspected of being a live-in son-in-law...
For a high-ranking noble like him to fall into such a predicament was outrageous.
But since things had come to this, he could only wryly bear the consequences of the decision he made on impulse back then.
Fortunately, he still had two daughters who loved him and felt sorry for him.
Now, seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni's happy and harmonious family, various emotions, especially envy, welled up in his heart.
Unfortunately, he could only think about it inwardly; who told him to marry a Quincy?
Shiba Isshin sighed, wanting to say something more.
But before he could speak, Kurosaki Masaki strode over, grabbed his ear, and pulled him away with a reproachful look.
Giving alcohol to a son under ten and letting him get a hangover was absolutely unforgivable, even if it was New Year's Day.
If he developed into an alcoholic, that would be troublesome.
One alcoholic in the family was enough.
Shiba Isshin shouted, "Ow, ow, ow!" However, in his soul form, no one could hear his voice.
Under Yoriichi's gaze, he hopped and skipped, gradually disappearing into the distance.
The scene was both heartwarming and amusing.
...
"What's wrong, Yoriichi? What happened?"
Uta's voice carried a hint of concern as she belatedly asked.
She looked in the direction where Shiba Isshin had disappeared, her delicate brows slightly raised, a hint of confusion appearing on her fair face. She felt she had just heard a familiar voice.
Yoriichi shook his head, his tone calm: "Nothing, just met a drunkard."
To get a nine-year-old son drunk to the point of a hangover, no matter the reason, could only mean he was an alcoholic.
Though Hisana was full of doubts, hearing Yoriichi say that, she could only assume that the person who had appeared earlier was some acquaintance who loved to drink.
Could it be Captain Kyōraku?
Just as Hisana was about to continue asking, Yoriichi's gaze inadvertently fell on her hand.
"What's this?"
Hisana noticed Yoriichi's gaze, a gentle smile appearing on her face, and she lightly raised her hand, formally handing an omamori to Yoriichi:
"This is a specialty of that temple. If I remember correctly, it should be a lucky charm, and they say it's especially effective."
"Many people believe in it; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people buying them."
"Superstition." Yoriichi shook his head again; he didn't believe in such things at all.
He had known for a long time that there were no gods in this world.
If there truly were gods, it could only be the Soul King, but the Soul King had become that…
However, even if he didn't believe, Yoriichi examined it for a moment, and ultimately carefully put the omamori away.
Hisana heard Yoriichi's "superstition" comment and instinctively wanted to retort.
But when she saw Yoriichi put away the omamori, the words at the tip of her tongue were gently swallowed back, and a blooming smile immediately spread across her face.
"Let's go."
Intimately linking her arm with Yoriichi's, Hisana took a deep breath of fresh air and continued walking forward amidst the lively atmosphere.
...
On the other side.
Kisuke Urahara passed through the Senkaimon, returning to the Soul Society with a pile of new technologies.
Since the war temporarily ended a few years ago, he had applied for a five-year leave, under the guise of pursuing progress and innovation, to study in the Human World of the Demon Slayer world.
Before arriving, although he was mentally prepared and knew that technological development in the worlds of short-lived races would be very rapid due to various innovations.
But it was only when he truly got there that he realized he had still underestimated the extent of this rapid development.
He had thought they were progressing by car, but he didn't expect people there were directly riding rockets.
In these five years, various new technologies emerged like mushrooms after rain.
From the initial computers to small, portable mobile phones, then to more advanced touchscreen phones, as well as multi-functional smartwatches and smart bracelets...
Just in terms of information convenience alone, the Soul Society had been left far behind.
And in terms of information processing speed, the Soul Society was even more vastly inferior.
The Soul Society's peak computing power used to be no more than tens of millions of operations per second, while over there, it had now reached tens of billions or even hundreds of billions of operations.
This was a huge gap of over ten thousand times, and this gap was still rapidly expanding with the passage of time.
Perhaps in another year, this gap would quickly snowball to a hundred thousand or even a million times.
What a terrifying number this was.
One must know that in the information age, computing power is combat power.
The development of various technologies is inseparable from it, and some high-end experiments have almost stringent requirements for computing power.
Take simulation experiments, for example. In the past, completing a million simulations often took a full second.
Now, if updated to the advanced technology from over there, a billion simulations can be easily completed in just 0.1 seconds—an efficiency improvement of more than a thousand or even ten thousand times.
Kisuke Urahara had a premonition that if he didn't imitate and learn these technologies soon,
In less than ten years, in five years, Shinigami would become complete bumpkins.
Therefore, Kisuke Urahara used some methods to bring all these technologies over, just in time for the New Year to give the Twelfth Division a thorough redecoration.
Once the renovations were complete, cutting-edge concepts like holographic technology and the metaverse could also be gradually put on the agenda.
Although in that world, these were still only in the conceptual stage, with Shinigami technology, it wouldn't be too difficult to realize them ahead of time.
For instance, by analyzing an enemy's personality, creating their virtual image, and then conducting combat simulations.
Kisuke Urahara had previously developed a simulator for Hollow combat, but it was too rudimentary due to the limitations of the era.
Now, the situation was completely different.
With this new technology, Shinigami could complete the "conquest" of Hollows from home without leaving their doors, and gain experience through these conquests.
Because it was a virtual "actual combat," there was no need to worry about losing one's life.
If it wasn't realistic enough, a pain feedback system could be added to simulate severe injury states.
He had considered every aspect; this was a truly great invention capable of changing the future!
In the Twelfth Division, listening to Kisuke Urahara explain his plan, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had just returned from the Human World, slightly frowned.
He crossed his arms on the table, tapped lightly, and asked:
"So, when will it be successful?"
"Kisuke."
"Don't tell me this is just a concept. Although I agree to be among the first to experience it, if there's no physical product..."
"It's really hard for me to believe that this so-called holographic technology is so perfect."
Since Yoriichi had not ventured into the Human World of that side for a long time, he wasn't particularly familiar with what Kisuke Urahara was saying.
From Kisuke Urahara's words, he only heard two words—excitement.
As if once successful, Kisuke Urahara would become a savior.
Although, from an analysis of the effects, it seemed to be true.
Current computers, while a powerful tool for Shinigami's entertainment, could also easily lead to neglecting duties.
But conquering Hollows in a holographic world was different.
If possible, also add some Menos Grande, captains, Quincy, and their own virtual images.
Perhaps it could allow those Shinigami to experience a completely different kind of combat than in the past, and thus cherish their lives even more.
Seemingly sensing the strong distrust in Yoriichi Tsugikuni's words, Kisuke Urahara's excited mood gradually calmed down.
He took a deep breath, trying his best to regain his composure, and slowly began:
"Indeed, given the current level of technology, all of this is still just a concept, as even that world hasn't been able to achieve it yet."
"However, the Soul Society is different."
"Captain-Commander, you should know that the Shinigami world is very special."
"They don't possess the various abilities that we do, and these abilities are the fundamental reason why we can develop the so-called metaverse one step ahead."
Kisuke Urahara paced to a blackboard.
He straightened his back, paused, and facing Yoriichi Tsugikuni's questioning gaze, further explained:
"The so-called immersive interactive experience, to put it plainly, is a deception of vision and sensation. To make it more realistic, it simply adds a simulation of smell."
"Many Shinigami's Zanpakuto can achieve this, and they can do it even more realistically than them."
"Although we currently cannot realize this concept with Zanpakuto, we can innovate boldly based on it."
"For example, Kido."
Kisuke Urahara tapped the blackboard, "Captain-Commander, you should know the release principle of existing Kido."
"Releasing spiritual pressure to change attributes and transform forms, thereby attacking, binding, or defending against enemies."
"So, is there a Kido that can confuse enemies?"
Kisuke Urahara answered his own question, nodding affirmatively,
"The answer is yes, and quite a few, but for various reasons, they haven't been officially recorded."
"This is the core reason I sought you out."
"I hope to collect all the illusion-type Kido that once existed in history but were not recorded due to various reasons."
"Once I have this data, through computers, I can create a brand new Kido, a Kido that can plunge everyone into a perfect illusion."
Kisuke Urahara spoke with conviction.
Yoriichi, listening to all this, couldn't help but fall silent.
Perfect illusion, thinking about it carefully, isn't that just dreaming…
However, if it can truly allow Shinigami to experience various things, dreaming is not impossible.
At worst, add an anti-addiction system and a youth system, to prevent some Shinigami from neglecting their duties and doing bad things.
One must absolutely not underestimate the bottom line that some male Shinigami might cross when faced with temptation.
Of course, it could also be charged for. However, it couldn't be that kind of plot.
By selling their own portrait rights, interacting with male Shinigami in the virtual world, satisfying the spiritual needs of some male Shinigami...
One must know that in the Soul Society, some female Shinigami are quite financially strapped due to various reasons.
Doesn't the Human World have such industries as one-day boyfriends and one-day girlfriends?
It neither violates moral conscience nor crosses legal red lines; for all parties involved, it seems to be a win-win situation.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yoriichi nodded:
"A good plan, go ahead and do it. I will give you any authority you want, including technology and funding."
"Given sufficient manpower."
"How long do you estimate it will take to complete?"
If this project takes too long, it would be better to wait for humans to develop it fully before drawing inspiration from it.
Anyway, it's not the same world, so there's no so-called plagiarism dispute.
Kisuke Urahara was very pleased to hear Yoriichi Tsugikuni's reply.
Of course, he wasn't carried away by joy; instead, he maintained a cautious attitude and answered seriously:
"Provided enough illusion-type Kido can be collected, this technology should be successfully developed within a year."
"And at that time, there will still be eight years until the final battle begins."
"Subtracting the one year needed for mass production later, the remaining seven years…"
Kisuke Urahara pondered for two seconds, then looked up, his voice firm,
"Should be enough to allow all Shinigami to fully familiarize themselves with the Quincy's fighting style through this simulation system."
"If successful, I hope it can be distributed for free first, as it concerns the future of the Seireitei."
Yoriichi nodded, naturally understanding Kisuke Urahara's intentions.
He responded in a deep voice: "No problem, proceed as you said."
"I only have one request, and that is to be fast."
"Whether it's realistic or not, we can disregard for now. With me here, at least I can simulate their fighting styles."
"The restoration of strength and the restoration of pain are the most important."
At this point, Yoriichi slowly stood up.
He looked at Kisuke Urahara:
"If successful, your name will be forever etched in the history of the Soul Society."
"You'll also be able to give a proper account to the Shihōin Clan."