Inside Tsunayoshi's room, Tatsuki told him her guess, and Tsunayoshi nodded in firm agreement.
"I think so too. That Noel Niihashi is obviously hiding something," Tsunayoshi suggested. "Find a chance later. You keep Mom and Dad occupied, and I'll talk to her alone."
"Got it. Leave it to me."
The opportunity came quickly. Iemitsu Sawada wanted to drink some beer to celebrate, but there was none stocked at home, so he prepared to go buy some from a nearby convenience store.
As the sound of the door closing rang out, Tsunayoshi and Tatsuki exchanged a glance. Tatsuki took the initiative to go to the kitchen and help Nana, keeping Nana occupied, while Tsunayoshi walked toward Noel, who was sitting on the sofa.
Noel Niihashi raised her head. Seeing Tsunayoshi tilt his head in indication, she understood that he wanted to speak with her privately, even though he said nothing.
In the study, Noel closed the door and looked at Tsunayoshi, who was leaning against the desk.
"What do you want from me?"
"I'll get straight to the point. What is your purpose in approaching my parents?" Tsunayoshi asked, staring into Noel's eyes.
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Noel did not take the bait at all.
"That coincidence story is enough to fool Mom, but you don't really think I'd believe it, do you?"
"Whether you believe it or not, what does it matter? Even if I do have ulterior motives, do you have evidence?" Noel said expressionlessly, showing no panic at all.
"Then can you tell me what that faint fluctuation of Reiatsu on your luggage is?"
Tsunayoshi's single sentence caused a change to appear on Noel's otherwise unruffled face. Although she did not understand what Reiatsu was, she could still tell that he was referring to the secret hidden in her luggage.
No matter what, Noel was only a newcomer who had just gained supernatural power. If she wanted to remain completely calm like those seasoned old foxes, she still had a long way to go.
"Just as I thought. Do you mind letting me inspect your guitar case?" Tsunayoshi asked. He had long since set his eyes on the guitar case Noel carried on her back. From it, he could sense a vague, almost imperceptible fluctuation of Reiatsu.
"I refuse…"
Just as Noel was about to voice her refusal, a strange Reiatsu spread over from outside. Tsunayoshi and Noel both sensed it at the same time.
A Hollow? Tsunayoshi was rather curious. He had no idea how long it had been since a Hollow had dared appear near his house. It really did have a death wish.
A Dragon!
Before Noel's mind could process it, her body moved first. She pulled open the door, rushed out of the study, and charged toward her own room.
Noel's strange actions made Tsunayoshi less anxious to deal with that Hollow. As long as no one died, it was fine. This Noel had clearly sensed the Hollow's Reiatsu as well, so Tsunayoshi wanted to first see what she would do in such a hurry.
After returning to her room, Noel opened her guitar case and took out a piece of white equipment printed with blue patterns. Held upright, the device looked like a horn; held in reverse, it resembled a gun.
After strapping the equipment to her full right thigh, Noel called out to another thing inside the guitar case.
From the rather cheap-looking guitar, a monster about the same size as the instrument flew out. It resembled a dragonfly, with a long, slender green body and a pair of wings.
Noel opened the window and, like a witch from a fairy tale riding a broom, mounted the newly appeared creature and flew straight out through the window.
On the roof of the Sawada residence, Tsunayoshi took in the sight of Noel's flight. Noel's actions had indeed exceeded his expectations. In Tsunayoshi's eyes, the creature she was riding was actually a Hollow!
A girl who could command Hollows?
Tsunayoshi suddenly became interested. A flash of Fullbring light flickered, and he leaped high into the sky, using the somewhat dim heavens to conceal his tracks.
Standing higher and seeing farther, Tsunayoshi quickly discovered where the Hollow had appeared. He helplessly slapped his forehead. He had not expected that the person who had drawn out the Hollow would actually be his old man, who had gone out to buy beer.
Could it be that Iemitsu Sawada had been away from Karakura Town for so long that his Reiatsu felt fresh to the Hollow?
It was a tall, humanoid Hollow, currently chasing Iemitsu Sawada. Tsunayoshi was in no rush to help him. His old man had worked construction before, so his physical condition was still decent. Although he was running in a blind panic, he had not yet reached the point of being in mortal danger.
Iemitsu Sawada could clearly see the Hollow. To avoid putting the surrounding passersby in danger, Iemitsu was leading the Hollow toward a secluded area.
As he ran, Iemitsu forcibly suppressed his fear. The monster behind him was certainly not something human strength could oppose. All he could do was flee for his life while running toward a place with no people.
This was not the first time Iemitsu Sawada had encountered such monsters. The first time had been in London. After that, a new friend he had made arranged for his daughter, who had become a Witch, to become their neighbor. That girl was Noel Niihashi.
Since Noel had only just arrived in Japan, her new phone number had not yet been saved in his phone. As for Nana, she knew nothing about these monsters. Tsunayoshi and Tatsuki were even more out of the question; Iemitsu would never drag those youngsters into danger.
Right now, Iemitsu could only pin his hopes on Noel noticing that he had been gone for too long and saving him before his life reached its end.
Iemitsu Sawada did not know the principles behind Noel and the others' combat methods. Noel arrived even faster than he had imagined. It was just that Noel was wholly focused on rushing over and did not notice the situation by the roadside.
Barring any accidents, the girl flying swiftly through the air would be making Karakura Town's headlines tomorrow.
Fortunately, there was still Tsunayoshi. The little tool Urahara had given him could finally be put to use. He used Shunpo several times to flash beside the eyewitnesses, hypnotizing them and replacing their memories.
Returning to Iemitsu Sawada's side, he had already exhausted all his strength by leading the Hollow to that abandoned open lot. He collapsed onto the ground spread-eagled, with no strength left to run.
As he watched the creature, which was far more ferocious and terrifying than the monsters in London, a sense of helplessness rose in Iemitsu Sawada's heart. Was this place going to become his grave?
Just as Iemitsu was about to give up, several bullets of light struck the Hollow's back. The searing pain made the Hollow immediately turn around. Noel was using her equipment to fire attacks in their direction.
Noel's expression did not look good. She had long heard that Dragons on the Japanese side were more brutal and terrifying, but she had not expected her attacks to have no effect on it at all.
No, they still had some effect.
The humanoid Dragon's attention shifted from Iemitsu to Noel. Faced with the Dragon's charge, Noel quickly pulled upward and rose into the air, dodging its fist.
"Fingertips. A piercing sound. Avenger John's iron key. Five locks and three chains gather around silence. The flute sounds pure darkness…"
Noel chanted in succession, turned her weapon around, and blew into it. A clear, ringing flute sound echoed out. Magic spread from the flute and struck the Hollow's body.
Like ripples striking duckweed, the impact of the magic had no effect at all. Instead, it only enraged the Hollow.
Noel frowned slightly. This was truly troublesome. She was not a professional combatant, and on top of that, she had not been a Witch for very long. The magic she could use was limited. Why did Japan not have an emergency response plan for Dragons?
This showed the difference between the management systems of the East Branch and the West Branch. On the East Branch side, the handling of Hollows relied more on individual Shinigami hunting them down alone. On the West Branch side, the moment a Hollow appeared, the corresponding street would be sealed off, and a specialized tactical unit would eliminate it.
Clearly, the West Branch's management system was more mature. Whether in terms of protecting combat personnel or ordinary residents, its system was more complete.
Setting aside those broader issues, from Noel's perspective, the only person she could rely on was herself. Her other partner was too far away and could not help with the immediate crisis.
Fortunately, Iemitsu Sawada did not hold her back. After Noel drew away the Hollow's attention, he quickly got up and left the scene, completely handing the battlefield over to Noel.
After being enraged by Noel, the Hollow began madly launching leaping attacks at her. Although it could not catch Noel, it caused tremendous damage to the surrounding terrain.
At this critical moment, Noel could only attempt something risky: using an attack she had not fully mastered.
Noel rode her "broom" into a rapid low-altitude glide. Before the Hollow landed again, she appeared right in front of it.
Noel raised her gun barrel and aimed it at the Hollow. Magic gathered at the muzzle.
"Magic Number 31: Blue Flash!"
The blue magical sphere struck the Hollow at close range, blasting it head over heels. However, affected by the explosion, Noel herself was also forced back a long distance.
Did it succeed?
Of course not. The Hollow's body had not been destroyed by Magic Number 31. It slowly rose to its feet. There was only an extra crack on its mask. As for Noel, she was already out of options.
The Number 31 magic she currently possessed was already Noel's strongest move. If even this could not destroy it, then she could only consider fleeing.
Just as the Hollow was preparing to charge at Noel once again, a crimson arrow fell from high in the sky. In a single shot, it pierced through the Hollow's mask and destroyed the Hollow that Noel had struggled so bitterly against.
Noel raised her head and looked in the direction from which the arrow had flown. On top of a tall building, she saw the one responsible for that attack. Although she could not clearly make out the figure, Noel felt that she knew that person.
Who was it?
A flash of insight crossed her mind, and Noel remembered Tsunayoshi Sawada, whom she had spoken with not long ago.
It had to be him!
In Karakura Town, only Tsunayoshi Sawada had spoken to her about the magic inside the guitar case — no, about the existence of Reiatsu.
"Noel-chan, thank you. You saved my life again," Iemitsu Sawada said, walking out from the bushes and thanking her.
"No. It wasn't me. In a sense, you saved yourself."
Noel did not take credit for it. What she said was true. It was precisely because Iemitsu Sawada had raised Tsunayoshi Sawada that the current scene of him being saved had come to pass.
Now, it was not only Tsunayoshi Sawada who had taken an interest in her. Noel had likewise become interested in Tsunayoshi Sawada, who had saved her life.
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