Chapter 201
"If the true forms of several Captain-level Reiatsu are all Soul Reaper of the same caliber as Baishin... even if I can't defeat them, I can still escape."
"..."
Lisa instinctively wanted to refute, but considering Haruto's previous performance in breaking through the Kōryū and his understated description of repelling the Baishin —a solo operation without any burdens was indeed his best choice.
Please proceed with extreme caution.
"I'll be careful."
"Whoosh."
The Hell Butterfly flew away from Haruto's finger.
The enemy's intelligence is scarce, but at least one thing is certain: "The time is not yet right"—this is what Soul Reaper, who dissuaded Baishin from liberating the army, said.
The Dangai cannot continue indefinitely; that would be underestimating Kirio Hikifune's abilities.
In other words...
"The other side will take action soon."
Haruto frowned.
My eyes have gotten much bigger lately, and they're starting to squint again... It must be from worrying too much about the future of Soul Society.
"At this time..."
"Inversely proportional to the Captain Hikifune's abilities."
Haruto had witnessed Kirio Hikifune's skill firsthand, so his opponent would definitely be wary of this move.
"Their rapid revelation of their strength doesn't necessarily mean they're forcing Soul Reaper to band together."
"It could also be..."
What are you looking for?
Haruto had many guesses, but none of them were certain until the other party made a move.
One way or another.
Until we figure out how the enemy hides their Reiatsu, we should be extra cautious.
At this time--
"That..."
Why are you still here?
"..."
Agata looked around at the cratered landscape, which looked like it had been plowed by a howitzer, and gave off a pitiful expression, as if to say, "Where can I go, being so weak?"
Are you the Soul Reaper?
Agata has a very strong mental fortitude.
Not only did they ignore Haruto's emotional blow, they also gave Haruto a little surprise.
"Um?"
Did the other party know about the existence of Soul Reaper?
It's true that you can see the Soul Reaper if you have some clairvoyance, but the Grim Reaper doesn't easily come into contact with humans; this has been written in textbooks since the Shin'ō Academy era.
"I..."
Agata finally mustered his courage and spoke:
"When I was attacked by a monster, a middle-aged man dressed in samurai attire came to my rescue. He told me he was the Soul Reaper..."
Agata quickly added halfway through his sentence.
"But the uncle usually appears at night, and it's daytime now, so I couldn't tell at first glance."
Agata did not seem to be lying.
The Soul Reaper usually carries out his missions at night because the chances of being spotted are lower during this time, saving a lot of trouble. Moreover, at night, negative human emotions tend to amplify without people realizing it, and the Hollows, who have only recently been born in the World of the Living, are very interested in these emotions.
"You've been rescued many times?"
Haruto casually asked another question.
"Only about ten or so times?"
"..."
No problem.
If it's only saved once, Soul Reaper can simply pretend nothing happened and leave quickly, but if it happens too many times...
It's better to explain your identity to avoid being mistaken for a stalker.
When was the most recent time?
"... Two months ago?"
"That's all."
As a junior leader of the Thirteenth Division, Haruto should pay attention to the team's atmosphere.
Do you need to ask for a day off?
"Huh?"
Haruto raised his wrist in a gesture completely out of character for Soul Reaper.
"There's probably no time for a lunch break."
"That..."
It seems that this verbal tic is a buffer zone that Agata gives himself for thinking.
We're on holiday.
Agata took his phone out of his pocket.
The screen displays a government notice stating that there has been a serious malfunction (explosion) in a nearby gas pipeline and requesting the evacuation of surrounding residents.
"..."
Right in front of you is a free special effects blockbuster, and you still have time to check the news on your phone, even though it's mandatory like earthquake news... Well, many people post something on Weibo or something before they die to express their feelings, which is actually quite normal considering modern people's dependence on mobile phones.
If spirits weren't undetectable by cameras, Agata might have already dropped a bombshell.
Do you have children?
Haruto's question was a bit abrupt.
Let alone Agata, most people's brains wouldn't be able to process it.
"Not yet!"
Answers like these already provide enough information.
"Then call your husband and tell him you're working tonight... and won't be coming home."
The alert was only issued at noon, and saying it's for working overtime tonight is just too inhumane of a husband.
My husband is away on a business trip...
Agata's head was lowered, and his face was already flushed.
"Great, then you'll stay at the company tonight... You guys aren't the kind of unscrupulous company that ignores government bans on overtime, are you?"
"No, no, no, our company is very good."
Agata quickly waved his hand in denial.
"That is..."
"Anything planned for tonight?"
Agata knew there was something wrong with this statement, but there were still some things that needed to be clarified.
"To prevent you from being attacked."
"... good."
The office building has 27 floors.
This place is adjacent to a residential area and not far from the riverbank where homeless people gather; it's not one of those high-rise buildings in the city center.
A company that Agata described as very good...
When she swiped her card to go in, Haruto felt that it wasn't that great.
Certainly.
If you factor in not having to work overtime, it's definitely considered good in Japan... Well, Haruto realized he'd misunderstood after seeing the notice on the wall:
The half-day special holiday needs to be made up over two weekends.
And then there's the energy booster that Agata bought at Lawson...
"Tsk."
Choosing this place to fight is indeed a good choice.
Sorry.
Agata to the wardrobe next door and changed into a tracksuit.
Clearly, she was already used to working overtime at the company all night, otherwise she wouldn't have prepared such an outfit: a scene like in AV where someone is working overtime alone at night in a uniform, which is probably only believable to newcomers who haven't entered the workforce yet.
"Fine."
Haruto glanced at the name card behind Agata:
Japanese high school students' sports uniforms are usually marked with the owner's name; Agata's uniform likely bears her surname from before she took her husband's surname.
The apology was because he had walked around upstairs several times.
According to Agata's own explanation, she is actually just as bad at directions as Kenpachi —even on rare mornings when she doesn't have to work overtime, she still gets up early and waits downstairs for someone to take her up.
Certainly.
Haruto felt that she couldn't be entirely blamed for this:
Given the building's maze-like layout, he even suspected that there might be illegal triad offices inside.
Are you sure you want to go to bed this early?
While Haruto was still observing the office, Agata had already started making a makeshift bed on the floor next to his workstation.
"Don't worry about me."
Agata quickly waved his hand.
"I just feel a little sleepy..."
Before she could finish speaking, Agata, who hadn't even removed her makeup, fell into a deep sleep, clutching the pillow she had just bumped into.
"Call--"
"Ha~"
"..."
Haruto fell silent as he listened to the deep snoring.
Neither humans nor Soul Reaper have an easy job—just look at how Agata treats children; she clearly adores them. But given her current physical condition, the fact that she hasn't died suddenly is purely due to her youth.
If you remove your makeup, your dark circles are so bad you could probably cosplay as a panda at a panda park.
It's all colored.
"Alright."
Haruto walked out of the narrow and crowded office.
Now is not the time for sentimentality.
He had an entire afternoon to learn from Kayneth's experience on the neighboring film set, and to manage the entire deserted office building...