"So her full name is…?"
"Higashino Nemu."
"That's an awful name."
"She's your daughter.
If you don't want it, I can—"
"Who said I don't want her?
Higashino Nemu it is. Worst case, I'll just call her by her given name and use her surname less."
Honestly, it was a good thing Nemu's mind wasn't fully developed—she only had the simplest sense of good and evil, and a basic value system.
If it were any normal girl, hearing this conversation between Higashino Shuuichi and Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be enough to make her pass out from sheer rage.
After wrapping up the whole "congratulations, you're a dad" topic, Shuuichi finally steered things back on track.
"You're going to the World of the Living?"
Mayuri stared at Shuuichi, genuinely surprised.
He'd thought Shuuichi showing up so abruptly meant he had another brilliant idea to share—because that's how it had been every time before.
He'd changed. Higashino Shuuichi really had changed!
Was it really that serious? Mayuri had only schemed against him a few times, and now Shuuichi was treating him like pure business?
People shouldn't hold grudges like this!
At worst, he could apologize, right?
…No.
Apologizing was impossible. If Shuuichi had already forgotten what Mayuri did, one apology might help him remember everything.
"Is there a problem?"
Shuuichi's brows knit slightly.
This "favor" wasn't something Mayuri got to refuse.
If Mayuri dared to say no, Shuuichi would just do it the hard way.
And Shuuichi was certain Mayuri wouldn't—and wouldn't dare—report it to the higher-ups.
Unless he had nothing better to do with his life.
"There is!"
But the one who answered Shuuichi wasn't Mayuri.
It was Nemu behind them.
"Hah? What problem do you have?"
Shuuichi turned around, thinking there was no way Nemu would get acknowledged into his household and immediately start siding with Mayuri.
If she did, then as her "father," Shuuichi would first kill Mayuri, then lock Nemu up and educate her properly for a while.
Mayuri was not the kind of person you protected.
Thankfully, Nemu's answer was—
"Father, I want to go with you too!"
Mayuri didn't know how lucky he was.
If Nemu had said even half a sentence in Mayuri's favor just now, Shuuichi really would've attacked Mayuri without hesitation.
Because how was that not a different kind of NTR?
"You?"
Shuuichi hesitated.
Instinctively, he wanted to refuse—but considering Nemu was, in a sense, his daughter now…
If his daughter made her first request and it wasn't too unreasonable, then as her father, he couldn't exactly deny her outright.
And with him there, even if you combined Soul Society, the World of the Living, and Hueco Mundo, it'd be hard to find someone who could sneak-attack Nemu right under his nose.
And even if—ten thousand steps back—something really did happen to Nemu, Shuuichi could always run back to the Soul King Palace and have Hyōsube Ichibē call Nemu's name again.
For something that wouldn't affect the Soul King's will, Shuuichi was confident Hyōsube Ichibē would give him that favor.
"Fine. But once we're in the World of the Living, you follow my instructions in everything. No acting on your own. Got it?"
So in the end, Shuuichi relented—as expected.
"Thank you, Father!"
Nemu answered with a perfectly standard bow of gratitude.
It looked completely emotionless and insincere, but Shuuichi could feel the joy in her heart.
This artificial girl was simply missing many of the most basic ways humans express emotion.
She still had a lot to learn.
Just not right now.
The Senkaimon (World-Crossing Gate) was quickly opened by Mayuri. Higashino Shuuichi stepped through first, and Nemu followed obediently right behind him.
The only thing Shuuichi felt like complaining about…
Was what Nemu was wearing.
To accompany Shuuichi to the World of the Living, she had deliberately changed into a brand-new outfit.
Black, with white trim—an utterly standard maid uniform.
"You're going to the World of the Living dressed like that?"
"Is there a problem, Father?
I heard Father likes this kind of clothing the most."
"Who told you that?"
"Matsumoto Rangiku-san told me."
"…."
Right. Sometimes being airheaded really made it hard to even know where to start questioning things.
Shuuichi seriously suspected that if he asked Nemu whether she understood the difference between herself and Matsumoto Rangiku, she'd answer that she didn't.
But at least she had the thought.
And for Shuuichi, who was already stepping into the "old father" role, that was… oddly comforting.
The World of the Living—Tokyo, Ginbu Town.
It bordered Karakura Town and was also one of Tokyo's most important commercial districts.
A silver-haired kid, under 1.5 meters tall, wore a black suit with a blue tie and stood among a crowd of adults dressed the same way, sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Aren't our practicum assignments supposed to be dealing with Menos Grande?
Why have they made us dress like this for days?"
The silver-haired kid reached up to undo his tie, complaining.
But his motion was stopped by a classmate beside him.
"You can't, Tōshirō! Humans in the World of the Living dress like this!
If we want to blend in, we have to do the same."
"Yeah, Tōshirō—fighting Menos Grande is only one part of our practicum, didn't you remember?
The reason we practice dealing with Menos Grande in the World of the Living is to practice protecting the noble young masters and noble young ladies who come here for fun, right?"
"Exactly, exactly—disguise and identity work is a required course too!
I've heard some noble boys and girls really love that 'surrounded by attendants' feeling~"
His classmates chattered over each other, but the boy they were trying to stop—Hitsugaya Tōshirō—was already thoroughly annoyed.
"Damn it… I didn't become a Shinigami to protect noble brats!"
And those attempts to persuade him didn't help at all—instead, they only made Hitsugaya even angrier as he yanked the tie off and tossed it onto the ground.
If he'd known this was what the practicum would be like, he would've just applied for early graduation.
The vice-captain of the 10th Division, Matsumoto Rangiku-san, had invited him long ago. As the benefactor who'd saved his grandmother from his own hands, Hitsugaya felt genuine gratitude toward her.
Even though his grandmother had still passed away later due to how frail her body was, his gratitude hadn't diminished in the slightest.
As repayment, he'd already decided he would join Matsumoto Rangiku-san's 10th Division in the future.
Originally, Hitsugaya planned to apply for graduation after this practicum ended.
But now, it seemed he didn't want to wait until the end anymore.
"That's wrong. As a Shin'ō Academy student, he should treat completing the Academy's task as his duty.
And abandoning his teammates like that is a huge demerit too!
If I were his teacher, I'd grade his practicum as a failure."
As Hitsugaya passed a roadside café, inside—sipping coffee leisurely across from Higashino Shuuichi—Nemu watched Hitsugaya's back and delivered her judgment.
"Want to hear my take?"
Since Hitsugaya wouldn't be returning to Soul Society anytime soon, Shuuichi wasn't in a hurry. He decided to properly correct the warped values Nemu was missing.
"Please speak, Father."
Nemu replied respectfully.
"My take is: Hitsugaya Tōshirō did nothing wrong.
He's a Shinigami. What he needs to master is how to fight Hollows—and beyond that, how to protect the peace and safety of Soul Society, the World of the Living, and even Hueco Mundo.
As for nobles… if they want to come to the World of the Living for fun, can't they hire some retired veteran Shinigami as escorts?
Or, I don't know—pay attention and stop courting death?
Insisting on using active-duty Shinigami is the real problem.
And if the Academy set up a practicum built on something that's a problem, then the Academy is also the problem.
So this is a practicum that's wrong from the root."
Shuuichi tried to teach Nemu what the real logic was, so she wouldn't be trapped by the rules she'd been exposed to.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Hitsugaya—who had left alone to return early—suddenly realized something.
All the Shinigami who came to the World of the Living for practicum had their return time scheduled in advance.
If he wanted to go back early, without the 12th Division opening a Senkaimon for them…
He couldn't do it at all on his own.
"Damn it… do I really have to go back?"
Hitsugaya slammed his left fist into a nearby utility pole. He absolutely didn't want to crawl back like that—it would be too embarrassing.
"Go back? Where are you going back to?
Soul Society?"
A man's voice suddenly came from in front of Hitsugaya.
Hitsugaya raised his head and saw a man standing there—light blue choppy hair, sky-blue eyes, a few bangs hanging over his forehead, lake-green eye markings, and a solid, muscular build.
If not for the jagged, tooth-like remnant mask beneath his right cheek, Hitsugaya might've mistaken him.
Because this man had concealed his spiritual pressure and presence far too well.
But that mask couldn't be hidden.
It was the symbol of his identity.
A special form of Menos—the Arrancar.
Hitsugaya didn't hesitate for even a second. He immediately removed his Gigai (artificial body) and revealed his true form before this uninvited guest.
In truth, not much changed compared to before.
He did it for two reasons—first, a Gigai restricted a Shinigami's spiritual pressure output and their absorption and perception of surrounding Reishi.
Second, fighting while wearing a Gigai would allow humans in the World of the Living to see him, which violated Shinigami regulations.
"You're an Espada Arrancar?"
Hitsugaya drew his Zanpakutō and pointed the blade tip at the Arrancar as he demanded an answer.
Because on the Arrancar's lower right back, Hitsugaya saw a tattoo—
The number "6," representing the Sexta Espada.
And inside the Arrancar's open shirt, his chest and abdomen were exposed, revealing a huge Hollow hole glaringly visible in his stomach.
That kind of arrogant posture wasn't something an ordinary Arrancar could pull off.
And as far as Hitsugaya knew, only Arrancar with true strength could carve a number on their body in today's Hueco Mundo.
All numbers were ranked by power.
The ten Arrancar with the smallest numbers were called the Espada—
Hueco Mundo's strongest combat force.
And the number six meant that the Arrancar standing before Hitsugaya was—
"Tch, tch, tch… even a tiny runt like you knows the Espada's name?
Then don't you go getting scared, Shinigami!
I'm the current No. 6 of the Espada—Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!
You—"
Before Grimmjow could finish his threats, Hitsugaya had already completed his Shikai in an instant.
"Hyōryū Senbi (Ice Dragon Whirling Tail)!"
A massive frozen ice tail swept out from in front of Hitsugaya's feet, freezing the entire street from end to end.
The ice crystals that grazed past Grimmjow left several shallow cuts across his cheek, drawing thin lines of blood.
Hitsugaya didn't have the habit of listening to enemies ramble—especially not when he was already irritated.
You could only say Grimmjow picked the worst possible moment to show up.
Hitsugaya didn't care whether Grimmjow was Espada or not!
As long as he was an Arrancar, then there was only one word for it:
Fight.
"Heh… heh… heh… Shinigami brat, you've successfully pissed me off!"
Grimmjow ground his teeth so hard his gums showed, his face twisting into a furious snarl.
Hitsugaya's shameless "no sportsmanship" move—attacking before Grimmjow even finished talking—made Grimmjow explode with rage.
His figure vanished from where he stood.
Sonído (Sound Teleport)!
A movement that was practically spatial displacement—Grimmjow instantly relocated behind Hitsugaya.
"Die, kid!
Cero (Hollow Flash)!"
Grimmjow stretched out his right hand, fingers curled, aiming at Hitsugaya's back. A red glow lit up in his palm as an enormous amount of spiritual pressure condensed there.
A Shinigami's Shunpō (Flash Step) was hard-pressed to dodge a sudden strike like this—Grimmjow's countless ambushes told him all he needed to know.
That Shinigami kid's biggest fatal weakness… was the inertia after swinging his blade.
Very few Shinigami could control their body in time after a slash like that—and in all of Soul Society, the ones who could were either captain-class Shinigami…
Or those Shinigami who had long since vanished from the world.
So this one—
This one was his win.
And just as Grimmjow judged, Hitsugaya really didn't have time to retract his blade.
And Shunpō truly wasn't his strong suit.
But who told Grimmjow that a single slash could only have one form?
"Hyōryū Senbi: Zekkū (Ice Dragon Whirling Tail: Absolute Sky)!"
Hitsugaya carried the slash through, cutting horizontally along his left.
The ice tail that had originally been blasting toward the end of the street suddenly executed a full one-hundred-eighty-degree turn in midair—at a speed so absurd it was hard to believe.
That colossal ice tail, like an emperor asserting dominion, forced itself between Hitsugaya and Grimmjow.
At that exact moment, Grimmjow's Cero (Hollow Flash) finished charging.
A terrifying explosion erupted, blasting a massive shockwave through the area.
Not only did Higashino Shuuichi, Nemu, and Hitsugaya's classmates feel it—
Even a man watching a shop in a certain general store far away in neighboring Karakura Town felt it too.
"In Ginbu Town next door… there's a very strong spiritual pressure reaction. I need to go take a look, Kisuke!"
"Mm. Go ahead, Isshin. Don't worry—Soul Society's side of things, I'll handle for you."
From inside the shop came a lazy voice.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810