Chapter 169

Haruto's mind almost didn't quite process it—because he had a family, he couldn't go out at night, let alone be invited by a female "colleague," which was a perfectly reasonable reason—because his school uniform fit him so well, Haruto had forgotten the guy's actual age.

Even among humans, Captain-level beings have remarkably long lifespans.

"My wife just gave birth, and I have to go back as soon as possible to help her with the baby, so I really don't have time to attend your gathering."

"Feel sorry."

"..."

It wasn't until some time after Sōken Ishida left the classroom that a heated discussion broke out among the students: In Japan, where the birth rate is increasingly low, it's already a rare sight for college students to get married, let alone high school students doing something so exciting.

"Gibberish."

The students' gossipy nature quickly ignited.

Haruto, however, remained deep in thought with a serious expression.

"Ryūken Ishida was just born?"

"Another timeline discrepancy. Based on his and Katagiri's growth trajectory, there can't possibly be an Uryū of Ichigo's Ichigo's generation, right?"

"And then there's the encounter between Masaki Kurosaki and Isshin Shiba..."

"This development is a bit chaotic."

Haruto has two major advantages: one is his near-predictable future vision, and the other is the soul transformation brought about by the Soul King Hakusui.

Leaving aside the second cheat, if his precognitive abilities malfunction, it could very well lead him to an unknowable future.

Although there are already signs of this happening, Haruto still hopes that changes can be minimized.

"..."

I need to become stronger.

Despite his great efforts, a foundation is just a foundation; it will take a very long time to build a skyscraper.

Just then...

"Okay~"

Lily's sigh rang in my ears.

"Even though it's just the two of us left..."

"Kotetsu- kun, where would you like to go?"

Haruto didn't immediately realize the nickname "Kotetsu- kun," but fortunately, Lily, being oblivious, didn't notice.

"Wouldn't it cause controversy if it's just the two of us?"

"Although Lily... is it alright if I call you that? After all, Spangle is a bit difficult to pronounce in Japanese."

Lily hadn't heard Haruto correct the homeroom teacher earlier, otherwise she would have seen through his thoughts immediately.

"Sure, but the other way around..."

You can just call me Haruto.

Before Lily could speak, Haruto continued:

"You probably don't care, but Japanese people are very sensitive to how others perceive them. If you don't want rumors to spread tomorrow and affect your anticipated high school life..."

Haruto shifted his gaze to the few people who were still glancing in their direction.

"How about we invite a few more classmates?"

"It's more lively with more people, and there are more kinds of games to play."

What do you think?

The Quincy haven't been exposed yet, and Haruto doesn't know how long he needs to hide, so it's best to keep a low profile.

"Since it's Haruto's invitation..."

Lily readily accepted Haruto's advice.

"No problem!"

That evening.

Haruto and Lily are walking home together.

High school students are all under twenty, so naturally they're not allowed to drink alcohol... Haruto and Lily, the two exceptions, had no choice but to follow the crowd—seeing Lily's eyes darting towards the liquor cabinet and almost drooling as everyone paid the bill, Haruto finally understood why she didn't want so many people to come out together:

This guy is an alcoholic, and the kind who likes to drink with a lot of people.

If Haruto and Sōken Ishida were brought along, given their height and appearance, they definitely wouldn't be mistaken for high school students.

Lily, this foreigner, is the same.

At that time...

The gathering place became an izakaya instead of a karaoke bar -- Haruto didn't even know to go to an izakaya.

What makes this house look like a high school student's home?

Surely it can't be the era of sailor suits and machine guns, can it?

"Haruto."

Their "going the same way" wasn't just a casual remark. After exchanging home addresses upon leaving the karaoke bar... Haruto even suspected that their Thirteenth Division's location was also open to WB members visiting the East Branch Bureau's World of the Living administrative area.

(That is indeed the case.)

"You say."

These two are neighbors:

Not only did they check in on the same day, but their room numbers were also only one digit different.

Thank you for today.

Lily thanked her sincerely.

"No, I'm so glad I was able to integrate into the class so quickly, thanks to your invitation."

Haruto returned the smile.

"Um..."

Lily rubbed her slightly disheveled hair.

These were all signs of her getting really into singing at the karaoke bar... The frequency of her head shaking and the high notes almost made Haruto think she had entered some kind of shady place.

"Although it's quite different from what I know about high school life in Japan, tonight's party was really enjoyable."

"I'm so glad you like it."

Haruto suppressed the urge to retort and replied with a forced smile.

"..."

The wind was a bit chilly during the day, but it became warmer at night.

"Should we continue with a second round?"

"Ah?"

Sōken Ishida and Lily, both of them are the kind of people who always say something shocking or outrageous.

I have wine in my house.

"... I'm not good at this."

"Aren't high school boys in Japan all most interested in alcohol and sex?"

What was it again—alcohol and what?

Lily's words were mumbled and unclear, and even Haruto's senses couldn't make them out... but whether he heard them or not didn't matter at all.

"A man and a woman alone in a room, isn't that a bit inconvenient?... I mean, the soundproofing in our apartment complex isn't very good."

Haruto tried to persuade her.

"And the landlord is a night owl who sleeps during the day."

"Won't it disturb other people's rest?"

"It will affect our rest... Miss Lily, tomorrow isn't the weekend, we need to get up early for school."

This witch from WB must be frequently late or leave early.

Haruto quickly made a judgment.

Are you coming or not?

"I..."

"Go!"

Volume 1: 103, The words are rough but the principle is sound, but your words are a bit too rough.

"Go!"

This is a verb.

Haruto uses "Haruto" here not to express any particular desire, but simply to utter a swear word:

At the street corner less than 200 meters from the apartment, a Hollow in the shape of a lizard was poised to strike—this creature's ability was probably related to chameleons, its form and trajectory were completely invisible to the naked eye, but because its strength was quite different from Haruto's, the part of its ability that concealed its Reiatsu could basically be ignored.

Same.

At such close range, Lily also noticed the presence of the lizard-like creature.

This thing isn't even a Giant Hollow, and high- Seated Officer can easily handle it; however, if a common exorcist were to encounter it, the consequences might not be so pleasant.

Haruto was already thinking about how to get rid of this guy without making a sound—killing Hollow was easy, but a Hollow that died inexplicably would definitely arouse Lily's suspicion, so Haruto had to make it back down.

This gives the interjection a chance to be transformed back into a verb.

"Haruto!"

Lily's loud voice startled Haruto once again, and even the lizard-like creature at the street corner trembled noticeably.

I suddenly need to go to the restroom!

"Didn't you finish this morning?"

Haruto finally couldn't hold back his urge to complain during the day.

"Yes!"

Lily nodded frantically.

The time it takes to drain the water is clearly not enough to dry up the worm and get back quickly... After all, this is a densely populated residential area.

"Actually, you could have said you were going to touch up your makeup or something... never mind, you should go and get busy. If anything happens, make a big fuss."

Haruto initially thought Lily was wearing no makeup.

After taking a closer look, I realized that this guy hadn't dressed up at all—you know, even in places like the Shin'ō Academy where you often have to sweat it out, the usually unpretentious Isane would wear a little makeup.

Ayaka would extend this time to one or two hours.

Lily this...

I have to say, she looks amazing even without makeup.

I'll wait for you in the small park across the street.

Haruto pointed to the small park on the street corner not far away.

Places like this are everywhere along neon-lit streets. As for the size of the woman just now... the security in this country at night is just that bad. After dark, no one dares to enter the women's restroom except for special play or doujinshi scenarios.

Even their old, dilapidated apartment, less than 20 square meters—that's right, the Thirteenth Division's business trip accommodations weren't even as big as the bed they slept in last night, so you can imagine how poor they were—had to be equipped with an extremely poorly ventilated toilet.

"Nice!"

Lily tossed her shoulder bag to Haruto with a whoosh, gave him a thumbs-up, and then rushed towards the restroom.

"..."