Chapter 165
Ayaka got up from the bed, buttoning the buttons one by one with one hand while waving her finger at Haruto.
"It's not that Seated Officers are treated this well, but that all the female team members are treated this well."
Ayaka, now dressed in her shirt, stood with her hands on her hips and said smugly.
"Our Captain Kyōraku personally funded subsidies for all the female team members on missions."
"... That's really extravagant."
The captain's salary couldn't support this level of spending; no wonder they're a long-established upper-class noble family.
"Yo~shi!"
Ayaka ran to the full-length mirror and put on her modified Shihakushō hanging on the clothes rack.
"I'm off now!"
"... See you in Soul Society?"
For some reason, Haruto always felt like he was the one being slept with.
See you later!
Thump.
The door closed.
"..."
Haruto silently began packing his clothes.
"As expected, no matter where you are, marrying a rich man is the best strategy."
He's not going to the Thirteenth Division's post today, not because he's worried about the mental strain, but mainly because he doesn't have enough time.
The orders issued by the Gotei 13 have a time limit, which is why Ayaka left in such a hurry: the vice-captain's infiltration mission officially begins at this moment, and all Soul Reaper below the Fifth-Class Reii must leave the Karakura Town area.
This also includes the reinforcements that should have been sent: even if not everyone wields the "Wings of Light" like Uryū, Quincy are a profession naturally skilled in group battles and suppression warfare, and the arrival of Seated Officers and soldiers with lower Reii would only be suicide.
"Student..."
Haruto checked the message from Hell Butterfly one last time.
Having graduated from the Shin'ō Academy less than six months ago, Haruto is already going back to being a student: his location for his infiltration mission is Seitō Academy.
Schools with extremely complex membership are generally the best hiding places... The Quincy must have considered this as well.
"This school feels somewhat familiar?"
Haruto pondered it carefully for a while but found nothing wrong with his memory.
"The school Ichigo attends, I think it's called something like First Middle School, I hope I won't get caught up in any weird storylines."
In order to interact with humans, Haruto also wore the standard equipment of the Thirteenth Division: the memory eraser.
Produced by Seireitei Research Institute, the same model used by Men in Black.
With a simple click and a pre-set time, the memory of witnesses can be erased, or the memory can be modified according to pre-programmed modules.
This effect only applies to targets without spiritual power.
--In a sense, Tsukishima's Fullbring: The Book of the End can be considered a high-level Plus version of the memory eraser.
With this device, Haruto can easily forge alibis... As for humans not affected by the memory eraser, their Quincy identities can be confirmed almost immediately—provided, of course, that the other party slips up, and it's not impossible for them to be countered by their opponent as a result.
Using it indiscriminately carries risks.
"Not bad."
Haruto took out the Seitō Academy uniform from the wardrobe—this was originally a matter for each division, but because of the pressure from the Quincy, the Eighth Division simply took care of it all.
"Although the Shihakushō have been modified to a whole new level, being able to wear clothes that fit the times is still a perk of this operation."
Haruto put on his brown uniform.
The seasons in the World of the Living are the same as those in Soul Society, with autumn approaching and thin shirts no longer able to ward off the chilly autumn wind.
--With his height and body proportions, he stands out from the crowd at the high school level.
It's easy to make mistakes.
"They're gone."
We'll settle the score with Ayaka for Ayaka away too quickly when we get back to Soul Society.
Thump.
"Ding-dong!"
Karakura Town, Seitō Academy, third-year high school classroom.
"Eh..."
The homeroom teacher, with her long, light brown hair and round-framed glasses with a slightly high prescription, was somewhat affected in the language module.
Even with all the doors and windows closed, it's not easy for your hair to get wet with sweat in the middle of autumn.
"Cough!"
Clearing your throat is a good way to cover up Hong Kong love.
The homeroom teacher slammed the stack of rosters and test papers on the podium.
Today, our class will be welcoming three transfer students.
As soon as the homeroom teacher finished speaking, she was met with the expected chorus of questions from the audience.
"Ah!?"
"Isn't graduation only a few months away?"
"Our school's deviation score isn't that high, is it?"
Transfer students are quite common in Japan, where working professionals often travel frequently for work, but most students only experience it briefly; however, it's unheard of for three transfer students to join at the same time just before graduation.
"Quiet!"
Although he was usually too approachable and lacked authority, the audience immediately quieted down due to their curiosity about the transfer student.
"You guys..."
The homeroom teacher made a gesture towards the door.
"Come in."
"Whoosh-creak-!"
This door must be quite old, otherwise the resentment wouldn't be so strong as to be inserted into the middle of an onomatopoeic word.
"Tap tap tap."
Before the audience starts heckling again--
"Cough!"
The homeroom teacher cleared his throat again, using all his remaining strength.
"You... would you like to introduce yourselves?"
Yes!
With a reserved demeanor tinged with arrogance and a touch of rude British accent, the voice boomed from the girl at the front of the line.
"Tap tap."
As the chalk drew graceful curves on the blackboard.
"I am Lily Spangle!"
"A transfer student from London because of her father's job!"
Please give me your guidance!
blonde hair, blue eyes, and twin ponytails.
In addition to the standard Seitō Academy girls' uniform, she also wore a red plaid vest for wind protection.
Her cheerful smile and energetic voice instantly captured the attention and hearts of all the boys in the class.
Only...
"Ah?"
Haruto stood to the side, inwardly complaining:
"That's pretty direct... Doesn't this person even bother to hide their aura?"
The transfer student from London exuded an undisguised Reishi aura, and the hem of her short skirt, rolled up to 15 centimeters above her knees, subtly revealed some strange spiritual artifact tied to the edge of her thigh.
Not only that.
She even possessed a faint, almost imperceptible Reiatsu, belonging to the ethereal realm.
"The Reiatsu traces are completely different from those of Quincy."
"Although exorcists World of the Living all over the world, it's unusual for someone to travel all the way from out of town to Karakura Town at this time—"
There's a problem.
"... huh?"
Haruto didn't really want to add that question mark, but this young female exorcist Lily only had a Reiatsu level of Sixth Class.
This may not be entirely fair, but at this point in time, Karakura Town was so dangerous that anyone below the Vice-Captain-level wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder.
But.
Haruto didn't pay much attention to her.
Haruto already has more than one cheerful and lively girl by his side, and the clash of personalities can easily make people feel annoyed.
He was looking...
The silver-haired handsome guy turned around next to Lily and wrote his name on the blackboard.
"I am Sōken Ishida."
The beautiful font immediately makes a good impression.
Please give me your guidance.
That's right.
This is the problem.
Sōken Ishida.
Uryū Ishida's grandfather and master, Pure-Blood Quincy who left the Wandenreich.
In terms of strength alone, he is one of the best among Pure-Blood Quincy, and may even have been a member of the Sternritter.
This is an undisputed Captain-level Quincy with the ability to research the Auswählen.
Even if it weren't for old age and physical decline—it's still uncertain whether it was due to the effects of Auswählen, since Quincy at this level should have an extremely long lifespan—even when facing the simultaneous attack of five Adjuchas, Mayuri Kurotsuchi wouldn't have died prematurely if he hadn't deliberately laid an ambush.
Nowadays.
With the 11th Division almost completely wiped out, a Quincy at the Captain-level just happened to appear in front of Haruto. Even the name written on the blackboard had been modified with Reishi —those with limited perception might even misread those words—it's hard not to suspect his motives and attitude... If Haruto hadn't known Sōken Ishida's personality and attitude towards Soul Reaper, the two of them would probably have already started fighting.
And.
Sōken Ishida glanced at him again.
Although Haruto's Reiatsu had been completely suppressed, Sōken Ishida's keen senses still detected something... As for Lily, who was the first to introduce herself, the two tacitly ignored her.
--
Sōken Ishida handed the pen to Haruto.
"Snap."
Haruto accepted it with a nonchalant expression, as if he hadn't noticed anything.