Chapter 243: Your Emperor Has Returned!
In the mountains of Rukongai.
A small thatched cottage sat halfway up a hillside.
In front of the house, Kisuke sat on a stool, humming a tune while adding firewood beneath a pot.
After feeding the fire, he picked up a long-handled wooden ladle and gently stirred the pot's contents.
Since escaping from the Second Division and hiding in these mountains, he felt his life had been elevated.
No official duties, no attendance checks, no overtime.
Most importantly, no Satoru!
Every day spent hiding in his small cabin, sleeping, eating, reading when bored.
Could there be a more perfect life?
Hmm...
Watching the white rice cakes tumbling in the pot, Kisuke maintained a calm expression.
For the first few days, he had indeed thought this way.
But as time passed, he gradually began to feel something was off.
Despite each day being relaxed, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
This sensation filled him with unease.
Kisuke, oh Kisuke, have you been EMP'd by Mr. Mikami? You mustn't let this happen!
He began finding things to occupy himself.
Writing diaries, teasing insects, hauling wood from the mountains to make small furniture and decorate his cottage.
These activities brought him brief enjoyment.
But soon, they too became dull.
Kisuke fell into deep thought.
Had running away truly been the right decision?
Well, of course it was.
If he hadn't escaped, given 3↑U's personality, he would definitely have been forced to become the scapegoat Captain of the Eleventh Division.
He absolutely didn't want that.
Though he had mastered Bankai at a young age thanks to the Tenshintai, his Reiatsu wasn't sufficient to serve as a captain.
Forcing himself into the position would only earn him a reputation as incompetent.
Of course, reputation meant little to him.
But... he was, after all, a strategist type. Becoming captain of the Eleventh Division would be downright insulting.
Looking across the entire Seireitei, was there anyone more suited to be Eleventh Division captain than Satoru?
No!
His decision to escape was absolutely correct.
However, correct doesn't mean perfect.
While he had avoided the biggest pitfall, he couldn't escape other traps.
Starting from last week, out of sheer boredom, he finally did what he had been unwilling to do before...
After cooking the rice cake soup, Kisuke reached out to take the hanging pot down.
But just as he extended his hand, he suddenly looked up with a surprised expression.
The concealment barrier he had set up had been broken!
Despite reinforcing it several times, the barrier had been shattered instantly like glass.
In the entire Soul Society, the number of people capable of this...
Just as he thought this, familiar laughter echoed from all directions.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha!!"
"Kisuke... where are you hiding?"
"I've come to find you..."
Layer upon layer of sound waves washed over Kisuke's eardrums from every direction.
Faced with this terrifying scene, he showed little reaction.
Taking down the hanging pot, he ladled out two bowls of rice cake soup—placing one aside while lifting the other to take a gentle sip.
Whoosh!!
The air beside him distorted, and Satoru's figure materialized.
Seeing someone sitting calmly on a small stool, even drinking soup, Satoru raised his eyebrows.
Kisuke looked up with a harmless smile:
"Mr. Satoru, please have a seat. I've prepared soup for you too."
Satoru stared at him for two seconds, then walked to the other side of the stone stove and sat down imposingly.
Taking the soup Kisuke handed him, he drank half the bowl in one gulp and nodded.
"Not bad."
"Hehe, of course. I've been diligently practicing my cooking skills lately."
Amid Kisuke's somewhat proud tone, Satoru drank the remaining half of the bowl.
Then, in a flash, he pressed Kisuke's head and pushed him some distance away, pinning him to the ground.
With a manic grin, Satoru raised his fist to strike.
"Mr. Satoru, wait!!"
Though his face was pressed against the ground, Kisuke remained completely calm, raising a hand to stop Satoru.
Under Satoru's curious gaze, Kisuke reached into his clothes and pulled out a book.
"Mr. Satoru, look at this!"
"?"
Satoru showed a puzzled expression.
He released Kisuke's face, shifted back to sit on Kisuke's stomach, and examined the book in his hand.
"Satoru's Wisdom"
Seeing the title, Satoru laughed.
"You scoundrel, do you think I have the memory of a goldfish?"
"You used this same book to trick me into testing medicine last time, and now you're trying the same trick again?"
"Are you deliberately messing with me?!"
As he spoke, he glared and raised his fist again.
Kisuke smirked, completely unperturbed.
"Don't be hasty, Mr. Satoru. Open it and see."
Hearing this, Satoru thought for a moment, lowered his fist, and opened the book.
After reading for a while, surprise gradually appeared in his eyes.
When he tested the medicine before, this book had only just begun.
It was barely better than creating an empty folder.
Now... the content had been substantially filled out!
Introductions, explanations, and insights about various systems... all were complete.
One could say that if this book were published now, it would serve as both a qualified game engineer's introductory manual and an advanced guide.
Most astonishing was that all the content in this book was divided into two versions.
Reishi version, and Kishi version.
In other words, with just a few modifications, this book could be directly published in the real world, sparking a gaming trend there.
Holding the book in his hands, Satoru couldn't help but feel moved.
At that moment, Kisuke smiled and pulled out a second book, handing it to him.
Satoru reached out and took it.
After flipping through a few pages, his pupils trembled in shock.
This was... an upgraded version of LSP1!
LSP2!
The main focus of LSP1 was color pixels.
Pixel games had already appeared in the real world and had a wide audience, though most were in black and white.
LSP1 successfully produced colored pixels and increased the level of detail.
As for LSP2, it directly elevated the refinement to another level.
According to Kisuke's design, the visual quality of LSP2 could no longer be called "pixelated."
Some classic issues with LSP1, such as lagging and crashing, were also properly addressed.
Thanks to the marketing efforts of the Kuchiki Clan and the Shihōin Clan, LSP1 had already gained a foothold in the Soul Society.
However, the purchasing power in the Soul Society was too weak.
The wealthy were mostly concentrated in the Seireitei and the first 20 districts of Rukongai.
Even among these "wealthy" individuals, most only had enough to get by.
Before Aizen's ambitions were realized, it was unlikely that gaming consoles would become widely popular in the Soul Society.
Now, with these two books, Satoru's gaming console could finally make its way into the living world!
Looking down at Kisuke, whom he had pinned beneath him, Satoru beamed with joy.
"Kisuke, you are truly my Merlin!"
He reached out and patted Kisuke's shoulder repeatedly.
His earlier resolve to beat Kisuke up had now completely transformed into delight.
Feeling the pain in his shoulder, Kisuke forced a smile.
Though he didn't know who Merlin was, it was undoubtedly a compliment.
It seemed he had managed to navigate this situation without major consequences.
Suddenly, Satoru looked at him with confusion.
"Kisuke, you went through all that trouble to escape, risking being labeled a deserter by hiding here, just to write these things?"
From the ink stains and the color of the paper, he could tell that these materials had been written very recently.
Given Kisuke's inherently lazy nature, shouldn't he have been spending his days eating, sleeping, reading, and doing some light crafts while enjoying his leisure?
Why would he suddenly put in so much effort to write these things?
Hearing Satoru's words, Kisuke's expression froze.
He opened his mouth to speak.
If he told Satoru that he had grown too bored here and somewhat missed the days when he was worked like a beast of burden, this guy would probably laugh at him for a year.
After a few seconds of contemplation, he coughed and chose to change the subject.
"Um, Mr. Satoru, could you please get off me first…"
"Oh, right, of course!"
Satoru, who had been sitting on Kisuke's stomach, lifted his legs, twisted his body to the side, and stood up.
Kisuke nearly vomited up last night's dinner.
Struggling to his feet, he looked at Satoru.
Seeing Satoru holding the two books, unable to hide his joy, Kisuke couldn't help but smile as well.
After Satoru finished celebrating and put the books away, Kisuke spoke up:
"Mr. Satoru, have you already stepped down from the Eleventh Division?"
"Huh? Not at all."
Satoru shook his head. "There's no one in the Eleventh Division yet who can take over the reins."
"I've found a promising successor, but he still needs more time to grow."
Upon hearing this, Kisuke's face turned pale.
He had assumed that, after hiding for so long, Satoru must have already found a replacement scapegoat and had come to capture him only to make him return to work.
Now it seemed the scapegoat was still nowhere to be found, and his own death omen was still shining brightly!
Kisuke felt he had to say something—even if he couldn't change the subject, he at least needed to redirect the trouble elsewhere.
Hmm... That Lord Aizen possesses both formidable strength and strategic acumen. Wouldn't it be perfect to have him take over as captain of the Eleventh Division?
But before he could voice this thought, Satoru suddenly turned his gaze toward him.
"Kisuke, though I don't know what you're about to say, my intuition tells me you'd better keep it to yourself."
"Life only gives you one chance, after all."
As Kisuke stood frozen in surprise, Satoru waved a hand dismissively:
"Don't worry, I'm not here to recruit you as a captain this time."
"Having spent these days with the Eleventh Division, I've come to understand this squad quite well."
"To keep these rough soldiers in line, you need someone like me—someone who knows when to be rough and when to be refined."
"With your personality, you'd only earn their contempt."
"You'd end up just like Captain Chōjirō."
Kisuke: "..."
Though the outcome was favorable, he couldn't shake the feeling of being looked down upon.
An inexplicable irritation simmered within him.
Well, better to endure it for now.
When Satoru mentioned that he was only being summoned back to teach three promising newcomers, Kisuke broke into a smile.
Such a task was nothing compared to the usual Satoru-style exploitation.
Might as well treat it as a way to pass the time.
Seconds later, Kisuke's face suddenly paled.
Damn it, Kisuke... since when have you started taking such relatively easy work for granted?
You've changed!
After a moment's reflection, however, he gradually calmed down.
Life was like... certain things.
If you can't escape it, you might as well adapt.
Barring any surprises, the shadow named Satoru Mikami would likely loom over him for the rest of his life.
In that case, getting used to it early wasn't such a bad thing.
With this thought, Kisuke's lips curled into a faint smile.
Watching Kisuke's constantly shifting expressions, Satoru wondered if the poor guy needed a visit to the Fourth Division...
...
...
Over the next few days, Satoru made a trip to the living world.
He sought out Sōken Ishida and instructed the old man to establish a company, recruiting talent widely to develop gaming consoles and video games.
Sōken Ishida accepted all of Satoru's demands without hesitation.
Soon, a gaming company named "Santen'do" was established in Karakura Town.
Incidentally, on the very night Satoru arrived in the living world, an unexpected guest appeared in his room.
The familiar white military uniform, peaked cap, and long black hair.
It was Bambietta, whom he had dispatched to the living world to oversee the Quincies there.
Bambietta expressed strong dissatisfaction with what she called Satoru's "love 'em and leave 'em" behavior—sending her to the living world and then not visiting for ages.
In retaliation, the Quincy girl demanded that Satoru take responsibility and give her a long-overdue punishment.
Faced with Bambietta's peculiar request, Satoru could only marvel at the diversity of human personalities.
Using various small toys, medium toys, large toys, and his own sacred blade, he thoroughly satisfied Bambietta's demands.
By the time he returned to the Soul Society, she still hadn't managed to get out of bed.
Despite such brutal treatment, the Quincy girl declared she was already looking forward to the next time.
After returning to the Soul Society, Satoru uncharacteristically laid low for a while.
For nearly a year, he caused no major disturbances.
His daily routine consisted of handling captain duties, training with Zaraki and others, taking leisurely walks around the Seireitei, and mooching meals.
Occasionally using his shadow manipulation ability to help the Kidō Corps search for the location of the Wandenreich.
At first, Yamamoto thought his foolish disciple was preparing to pull off something major.
The old man remained on high alert, ready to impose sanctions at any moment.
But... as time passed, he gradually let his guard down.
Yamamoto thought that perhaps after becoming a captain, Satoru had developed a sense of responsibility and was starting to change his ways.
He was quite pleased about this.
He even called Satoru over and taught him some new close-combat techniques he had developed.
After nearly a year of this peaceful life, Satoru finally confirmed that Yamamoto had completely lowered his guard against him.
He grinned.
Today was the day to lead his death squad to storm the armory and seize Seireitai!
Well, not exactly.
In a hidden laboratory in Rukongai, he and Aizen stood in a room.
After exchanging a glance, Aizen nodded and pressed a button.
A Garganta instantly tore open in the room.
Without hesitation, the two stepped into it.
Landing in the familiar silver desert, Satoru revealed a wild grin.
Hueco Mundo, your emperor has returned!!