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May~.
Stepping out of the Ōkaku Training Hall, Ishikawa couldn't help but squint his eyes at the summer sun.
His research had come to an end; even if he continued to seclude himself in the Ōkaku Training Hall, the Reiatsu Imprint would be hard-pressed to grow further.
And most importantly…
Current Experience: 0
Ishikawa couldn't remember the last time he had completely depleted his experience points. This training, if counting the initial Spirit Body research, had lasted for over a year, completely exhausting his experience points.
Even the experience points gained from Picaro and from the books he placed in the various Squad libraries were immediately invested into his training to accelerate his research.
Yet, even so, it still took a year to fully perfect the Reiatsu Imprint.
Ishikawa looked at his palm, tried clenching his fist, and feeling the tangible power, he nodded slightly:
"It's time to reopen for business, but before that…"
Ishikawa's mouth twitched slightly as he suddenly recalled the scene of Soi Fon dragging him by the collar and throwing him out of the Maggot's Nest, and the series of bizarre actions during his time in the Fourth Squad…
Hmm~
"I should probably go to the Maggot's Nest first and take care of the work there."
Ishikawa deliberated for a moment and, instead of returning to West 38th District, headed straight towards Seireitei.
Maggot's Nest, Fourth Squad, Fifth Squad, and the Golden Seal Association, Everything Store…
Ishikawa suddenly realized, had his work unknowingly become this extensive?
However, when he was actually working, he never felt this way.
Even with a few hours set aside for training each day, he often found himself idle in the shop due to lack of work.
Upon entering Seireitei, Ishikawa didn't go directly to the Second Squad but instead headed to the Commercial Street.
"Long time no see, Ishikawa-sama."
"I heard you went training. How was it? Can you beat a Gotei 13 Squad Member now?"
"What are you talking about? My son is a Gotei 13 Squad Member, and according to him, Ishikawa-sama possesses strength not inferior to a Vice-Captain. How could he not be able to beat a regular Squad Member?"
"Hahaha, come on, I admit Ishikawa-sama's craftsmanship is good, but if you say he can beat a Shinigami, then forget it."
"I'm telling the truth!"
"…"
Ishikawa smiled and responded to the playful remarks from the surrounding shopkeepers.
It wasn't surprising that they were confused; even to this day, only a few Captains and Vice-Captains truly understood Ishikawa's strength.
In the eyes of the Fourth Squad Members, Ishikawa was a Fourth Squad Member like them, lacking combat ability but possessing extreme proficiency in Kaido.
To Shinigami Squad Members and Seated Officers of other Squads, Ishikawa was a special instructor with weak Reiatsu but highly skilled in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Kido, and Shunpo.
He had also written many books for teaching Shinigami, and his books could even be found in the Central Library, with content from his books even being extracted for the Shin'ō Academy textbooks.
However, in the eyes of many Vice-Captains, Ishikawa was a special existence whose strength was in no way inferior to a Vice-Captain.
In short, there were many rumors about Ishikawa, but the prevailing view was…
That Ishikawa was only good-natured and strong in theory, but not particularly powerful!
After all, Ishikawa had rarely fully released his Reiatsu in Seireitei. The only time was during his fight with Zaraki, and it was precisely because of that fight that Ishikawa gained the attention of the Gotei 13.
Ishikawa was someone who learned from his mistakes. He rarely made the same mistake twice.
So from then on…
No matter where he drank, even in his own bedroom, Ishikawa would only have a little; when entering Seireitei, he would abstain from alcohol entirely, only satisfying his craving with dori monaka, a sweet made of glutinous rice and red beans with sake lees.
"Ishikawa-sama!?"
As soon as he entered the shop, Kanon at the counter greeted him excitedly: "You've finished your training?"
"Yes."
Ishikawa smiled gently, his familiar warm smile making Kanon's eyes light up: "Then is our Everything Store going to reopen?"
Although when they were first sent by Young Master Ōmaeda, she and Jōze were quite reluctant to work for a Rukongai commoner.
But after some time together, both she and Jōze grew to like working at the Everything Store, and Ishikawa-sama was an exceptionally kind person, taking great care of both of them without any airs.
And most importantly…
Ever since they came to the Everything Store, Ishikawa would occasionally guide them in their training.
"Didn't you go to rest?"
Ishikawa looked at the clean and tidy Everything Store and couldn't help but ask: "Didn't I tell you and Jōze to take a break for a while?"
"It's not like we haven't rested…"
Kanon shook her head: "After Jōze and I rested for a while, we were really bored, so we took turns coming here every day to clean up… We also asked Young Master Ōmaeda about this and got his permission."
"I see."
Ishikawa nodded and didn't dwell on it further.
He had originally planned to clean up the shop that hadn't been open for a year and then notify Kanon and Jōze to come back to work tomorrow. Now it seemed he wouldn't need to clean the shop himself.
"Later, go and ask the Commercial Street to print some flyers and find some people to distribute them. We're resuming business tomorrow."
"Yes."
After chatting with Kanon for a while longer, Ishikawa left the Commercial Street and headed towards the Second Squad.
By the time he arrived at the Second Squad, it was already nearing noon. Except for the necessary guards, most of the Squad Members had already gone to the mess hall for their meal.
However, this saved Ishikawa a lot of trouble.
Sometimes, being too popular was also a hassle. No matter where he went, people would constantly greet him, and Ishikawa, to maintain his image in everyone's eyes, couldn't help but respond…
The cleaning work at the Maggot's Nest didn't take too long. Although Ishikawa hadn't been there for a year, the prisoners, who had been repeatedly disciplined by Ishikawa…
Most had already gotten used to cleaning spontaneously, and only the public areas required Ishikawa to clean them personally.
After cleaning, Ishikawa took out his tools from his small wooden house and repaired the damaged facilities.
After doing all this, Ishikawa left the Maggot's Nest directly.
Looking at Ishikawa's departing back, the prisoners of the Maggot's Nest all breathed a sigh of relief. They were really scared…
That Warden Ishikawa would suddenly go crazy again like he did a while ago, using the excuse of 'physical examinations' to forcibly tear off their clothes, then beat them, heal them, and beat them again…
That scene, even now, still filled everyone with a deep sense of dread.
Originally, being in prison only meant losing freedom, but under Warden Ishikawa's fanatical gaze, they always felt that if they weren't careful, they might lose something even more important!!
…
"Yo—"
A slightly plump figure stood outside the Maggot's Nest, looking at Ishikawa as he walked out and chuckled:
"Not playing your 'physical examination' perverted game with those prisoners today? I never realized before that you had this kind of interest. No wonder you ignore all those women's confessions."
"Get out—!"
Ishikawa cursed irritably: "I just encountered a problem in my training, so I wanted to observe other people's Spirit Body states."
Ōmaeda chuckled. Of course, he and Soi Fon could see through that, but Ishikawa's actions became increasingly excessive, which led Captain Soi Fon to personally throw him out of the Maggot's Nest.
After all…
Even prisoners had dignity, and the prisoners of the Maggot's Nest were somewhat special.
"Oh, by the way, when you go back tonight, help me notify the Golden Seal Association and tell them that my Everything Store is reopening."
"…Hey, hey, hey, don't go too far. I'm not your messenger. Why should I help you deliver messages?"
"Who dares to call our Vice Captain a messenger? I'll help you take care of him!"
"Tch."
Ōmaeda rolled his eyes, then as if remembering something, he said: "Oh, right, I ran into Kira Iziru and Hinamori Momo this morning. They were heading to the Eleventh Division, apparently for the appointment of… Eleventh Division's Sixth Seat, Abarai Renji, as the Sixth Division Vice-Captain."
"Huh?"
Ishikawa paused at his words.
"Aren't you two close? Aren't you going to congratulate him?" Ōmaeda didn't notice Ishikawa's unusual reaction and said disdainfully: "Although I think a Sixth Seat, and a pauper from Rukongai at that, is completely unqualified to be a Vice-Captain, especially of a noble Squad."
"What's wrong?"
Ōmaeda then noticed that Ishikawa hadn't followed him and turned to look back, seeing Ishikawa standing still with a frown.
"What about Rukia? Kuchiki Rukia of the Thirteenth Division?"
"I was just about to say that."
Ōmaeda looked at Ishikawa with some confusion: "The Supervisory Team just received a new surveillance order not long ago. The subject of surveillance is the Shinigami dispatched to Karakura Town in the Human World from the Thirteenth Division, Kuchiki Rukia…"
After speaking, Ōmaeda glanced at Ishikawa and chuckled:
"Apparently, President Hisagomaru of the Golden Seal Association, seeing that you've been training, was worried that his son would be in danger if he continued to stay in the Human World, so he asked someone to request Captain Ukitake to transfer his son back."
"However, his term was long enough anyway. Even without his request, his son would have been transferred back."
"You don't need to worry too much. The young lady of the Kuchiki family was only temporarily dispatched. She's a member of the Kuchiki family after all; it's impossible for her to stay in the Human World indefinitely."
"So this dispatch is just a temporary one for a month. After a month, others will finish their current work and go to Karakura Town to take over her duties. You don't need to think about seeing her off."
Ōmaeda checked the time: "And, if there are no surprises, she should have already arrived in Karakura Town by now."
Ishikawa nodded at his words, his expression normal, but a flicker of unusual emotion passed through his eyes.
So, it's already this time?
Although Ishikawa had known what would happen for a long time, when this day truly arrived, Ishikawa still couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.
Because…
The days of peace were numbered.
And from this moment on, the gears would turn.
The enemies he would face in the future would become stronger and stronger, and even with his current strength, he could easily lose his life if he wasn't careful.
Not only enemies, but many people he had long been familiar with would also quickly grow stronger in future events.
Decades, even centuries of peace, had caused many to lose their sense of crisis, merely accumulating without being able to fully integrate everything gained through the accumulation of time.
Only when peace receded and crisis arrived…
Under the threat of life, or other compelling factors, these accumulations would one by one emerge, allowing them to rapidly grow stronger.
And this crisis…
Was already not far off!
…
In the following days, Ishikawa returned to his former routine and, for the first time in a while, became busy.
After a year, the Everything Store reopened.
Although many urgent tasks had already been completed by others, works like house renovations, which could wait, had all piled up, awaiting the reopening of the Everything Store.
Because Ishikawa not only did a better job than others but also charged far less.
So for several days in a row, Ishikawa basically wandered between Rukongai East, South, West, and North, and Seireitei, occasionally taking time to visit the Second Squad, Fourth Squad, and Fifth Squad.
Regarding Abarai Renji becoming a Vice-Captain, Ishikawa had originally planned to go and congratulate him.
But according to Ikkaku, Renji had no intention of celebrating with a grand fanfare; he only planned to gather his friends for a celebration after the official appointment ceremony a month later.
Moreover, only after the appointment ceremony would Renji truly become a Vice-Captain.
Ishikawa had been in Soul Society for thirteen years, and this was only the second time he had encountered a Vice-Captain's appointment ceremony. The previous one was Isane's ceremony nearly ten years ago, but at that time, Ishikawa was just a commoner from Rukongai… Not to mention attending the ceremony, he couldn't even meet Isane.
However…
Even now, Ishikawa was still a Rukongai commoner and still not qualified to participate.
Because only Shinigami could attend the appointment ceremony, and the Sixth Division barracks were in the Nobility Street. Even if Ishikawa received an invitation, he couldn't just go there freely.
However, Abarai had booked a restaurant in advance and would treat everyone to a meal after the appointment ceremony.
Of course…
The restaurant wasn't booked in the Nobility Street, but rather the Arakawa Izakaya, which was directly across from Ishikawa's Seireitei Everything Store branch.
Yes, it was the izakaya where Ishikawa once had a drinking contest with Matsumoto Rangiku. Ishikawa hadn't been to this izakaya, which brought back very unpleasant memories, for a long time. At most, he would just stay in front of his Everything Store and smell the aroma of alcohol wafting from across the street to satisfy his craving.
The reason it was booked here was partly to allow Ishikawa to attend, and partly because… the izakayas in Nobility Street were simply too expensive!
Among the Vice-Captains, except for Ōmaeda, none of the others could afford it.
While working, Ishikawa also didn't forget to pay attention to Rukia, who had gone to the Human World. On one hand, it was to monitor Rukia's activities, and on the other hand, it was Renji's request.
After becoming a Vice-Captain, his inferiority complex when facing Rukia began to fade, and he started to try to interact with Kuchiki Rukia.
Although Ishikawa thought…
After becoming a Vice-Captain, he probably wouldn't have much time to spend with Rukia.
Because the Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 were basically scattered throughout Seireitei.
Every time a Captains' meeting was held, it required a day's notice, and even for an emergency meeting, it would take more than half a day to gather all the Captains and Vice-Captains.
Even for a free person like Ishikawa, who had no official duties and deliberately tried to 'accidentally' meet them, finding a Vice-Captain was a difficult task.
Of course…
Ōmaeda was definitely an exception. This guy threw most of his work to his subordinates and spent his days lying in his office, living a much more comfortable life than other Vice-Captains, even more comfortable than Captain Soi Fon.
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