“Peace is…pretty nice.”
Hirako made that very out-of-character comment while munching on a rice cracker. Momo Hinamori looked at him and tilted her head, asking, “Umm…so in the end, what happened to the Arrancars in the Rukongai?”
“Right…lots of stuff happened.”
“Lots of stuff? So you drove them back without any problems?”
“When I say lots of stuff, I mean there was lots of stuff. Everything’s been settled just fine, so don’t worry about it.”
The series of events from the day before was being treated as classified. Though he had been told he could tell Hinamori some details of how the situation came to be, Hirako found it tedious to figure out how much to tell her, so he decided to handle it however he wanted.
“Ahh…”
Though many questions came to her mind, Hinamori was accepting. Because of that, Hirako decided to listen to some jazz over the Soul Pager that was equipped with music playback features, but…
The moment he put the earphones on, a voice called out to him from behind. “Hey, you baldy, Shinji!”
When he turned around, Hiyori Sarugaki, who should have been in the world of the living, was standing there.
“What? Oh, it’s just you, Hiyori. What’re you doing here? Come to think of it, I heard you started a part-time job in the world of the living. What kind of goofball situation would lead to tha…OOF?!”
Hirako cried out in agony after taking a kick right between the legs.
“Gah…guh…what do you think you’re doing?! That’s not the kind of greeting you give someone you haven’t seen in forever!”
“Shuddup! Apparently you told an assistant captain named Hisagi to tease me. And that guy went and did it! So how’re you gonna settle this, huh?”
“Th-that guy… He actually went through with it?! Wow, he really takes things seriously!”
Hiyori’s hair stood on end out of rage and she half smiled as she said to him, “Huh! So in other words, you actually did order that guy to do it, you baldy!”
“Wait a sec…!”
“They’re sure noisy.”
Kenpachi Zaraki watched from afar as Hinamori desperately tried to stop the fight between Hirako and Hiyori, then he asked Madarame and Yumichika behind him, “Hey, where’s Hisagi?”
“Assistant Captain Hisagi is in the world of the living.”
“Yeah, he headed over to finish his interview with Urahara.”
At Yumichika’s and Madarame’s responses, Kenpachi clucked his tongue as though he were disappointed. “Tsk…ah well. That guy’s bankai caught my eye a little, so I wanted to try fighting him…but guess I’ll wait until tomorrow.”
Kenpachi kept walking, and behind his back Madarame and Yumichika looked at each other.
“Well, guess that’s how it is. The captain really would be interested in that.”
“Hisagi…I think you’re going to be in hot water for a while…”
Imagining Hisagi’s future, the two of them each clasped their hands together, offering prayers for Hisagi, who was currently in the world of the living.
≡
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yes, so that’s it for the interview. Once again…thank you for everything.”
Completely unaware of the fact that Madarame and Yumichika were pitying him from afar, Hisagi finished the interview and started to make preparations to return to the Soul Society.
In the end, because the plans for an article about Tokinada assuming office had fizzled, he had started to work toward putting together the reissue. He had also decided to go ahead with plans to interview Urahara and move forward with a special project titled Be Amazed! The Seven Great Mysteries of Urahara Shop!
The barrier around Karakura Town had disappeared, and the people Aura had been controlling had a confused recollection of what had happened, but were safely released. The religious organization was likely having a rough time due to Aura’s disappearance, but Yukio said he would fix that up, so all they could do was believe him.
“Thanks for your hard work. I’m sure things have been a real hassle with everything that happened yesterday. How are your wounds?”
In response to Urahara, Hisagi gave a fist pump as he answered, “Yes! When I took Hikone over there the director took a look at me, so I think I’m good as new now.”
“Well, that’s Mr. Seinosuke for you. Is he not getting flak for partnering with Tokinada Tsunayashiro, then?”
“No, the aristocrats made an appeal for him. But even now I really can’t tell if he’s a good person or a bad person.”
Though Hisagi had complex emotions about it, he recalled what Tokinada had said and once again looked Urahara in the face.
Internally, Hisagi reached a conclusion.
It was about why Kisuke Urahara had made a Hogyoku in order to strengthen the limits of a konpaku…
So had he wanted to create a konpaku that was as powerful as the Reio’s?
Or had he been trying to make it so any of the Soul Reapers could have the same power as the Reio, so they could all use their powers to gradually support the foundation of this world?
He was likely doing it so that he could release the Reio from his eternal sacrifice.
Hisagi, having made this assumption, said to Urahara respectfully, “This is separate from the interview, but…to me, you’re definitely a hero.”
“What? That was sudden. You can’t use flattery to get me to extend the payment date on your guitar loan.”
“I really will pay you back for that! I think…” Hisagi said without much confidence.
Two Soul Reapers who had appeared at Urahara Shoten’s entrance, Shino Madarame and Ryunosuke Yuki, called out to him. “Assistant Captain Hisagi! You really did save the town! I knew you would!”
“Oh…no, I didn’t really save it…”
“I’m so glad that weird wall is gone! Let’s pray that we can ride the trains free from harm from now on!”
“The trains?”
After a brief conversation with the Soul Reapers of Karakura Town who had come to greet him, Hisagi gave the two Soul Reapers a thumbs-up and told them, “It’s your turn to save the town next!” Then he was teased by Urahara for his self-satisfied grin, so much so that his whole body was blushing deep red by the time he disappeared through the Senkaimon.
A little while after Hisagi left, Yoruichi wound around Urahara’s feet in her black cat form and spoke to him. “Are you sure about this? Do you really think we can leave Shuhei Hisagi be?”
“Why would we have to do anything to him?”
“He’s supposed to be a ‘journalist,’ isn’t he? Don’t you think he stepped too far into the Soul Society’s…or, actually, into your own internal workings? I thought you’d do something to keep him quiet.”
“All this talk about shutting people up really isn’t like you, Ms. Yoruichi,” Urahara said in exasperation as the black cat leapt gracefully onto the shop’s shelves.
“Nonsense. I’m not saying you should kill him, as Tokinada would. You could’ve used the Kikanshinki Deluxe to wipe his memory or something.”
“That’s something you’re supposed to use on bodies made of kishi, so you know it would only work on humans of the living world.”
“I’m just saying, it’s not as though you couldn’t tamper with a Soul Reaper’s memory.”
Yoruichi spoke as though she were testing Urahara. The man sighed slightly and then responded with a serious expression, “Mr. Hisagi probably thinks that I created the Hogyoku for the Reio’s sake.”
“That’s not necessarily mistaken, though, right?”
“You’re wrong. Entirely wrong. It’s the opposite.”
There was both regret and self-derision in his words as Urahara looked back at his own past. “All I wanted to do was create something new. The goal for doing so was secondary. I just wanted to open a new door. I used the Reio as an excuse to open the lock to that door. I simply followed my own desires… Fundamentally, I am no different from Mr. Kurotsuchi and how he sacrifices so many in order to fulfill his craving for research.”
“Kisuke, you…”
“But Ms. Hiyori did see through me. That’s why, to take a neutral position…well to be accurate, it’s not neutral, but I decided to entrust some matters to a very Soul Reaper-like Soul Reaper.” His features softened then as he spoke about Hisagi. “When the time comes that I really do become someone who could be called a villain, it would be best to leave behind someone who can definitively determine that I’ve sinned, right? I’m sure that Mr. Hisagi, who saw how Mr. Tosen was and saw how he left, well, he would do that. Of course, Mr. Kurosaki or Ms. Kuchiki would work as well.”
Yoruichi jumped onto Urahara’s shoulder and protested close enough that she could have bitten his ear. “Are you saying I’m not cut out for that job?”
“No, no, but you’d be on my side no matter what anyone says, right? You’re not impartial.”
Urahara smiled, and Yoruichi acted exasperated, with her tail hanging down.
“I don’t even know where to start with that pretentious attitude you’ve got.”
“Also…if you thought I really crossed a line, you’d stop me even if you had to kick me, Ms. Yoruichi.”
“I’m telling you to stop being conceited. As if I’d stop at kicking you. I’d snap your neck to stop you.”
“You’re so severe.”
Urahara, who had returned to his usual demeanor, righted his hat as he gripped his cane and said to Yoruichi, “Well, let’s head off. Mr. Kurosaki and his friends might really be in hot water.”
Ichigo and his friends were in western Japan and had been caught up in some trouble. Though it wasn’t particularly urgent at the moment, if this were part of Tokinada’s strategy, there was a high possibility that it could turn into a thorny situation. Anticipating that, Urahara closed his store and planned to open an “Urahara Shoten Western Japan Branch” for the next few days.
“Really, you are such a busy man. Don’t you think you’re coddling Ichigo?”
“A small-town candy shop is supposed to coddle the kids.”
As he looked at Tessai, Jintaro, and Ururu, who were heaping together swim rings, beach parasols, and various other items outside, Urahara started on the path ahead of him in order to open the next door.
“Though I think Mr. Kurosaki is a bit too reliable to call a kid at this point.”
He would likely continue on to open another new door that day.
He would head on to worlds through doors yet unseen, carrying both fear and hope.