Chapter 85
"He went to Lady Yoruichi's place?"
"..."
Although he was a retainer of the Shihoin Clan, Marechiyo Ōmaeda still held the duties of the vice-captain of the Second Division and could not always stay by the head of the family's side.
His patrol tonight was directly under the command of the Captain-Commander; he was not yet aware of the situation at the Shihoin Clan.
However, in any case...
Such an easily exposed lie... Marechiyo Ōmaeda believed that the brat in front of him wouldn't have the courage to deceive him.
"Then what are you doing dressed like this in West Rukongai?"
Haruto's explanation did not completely dispel Marechiyo Ōmaeda's doubts.
"... Actually, I took a detour to North Rukongai."
"North Rukongai..."
"Wow, you're pretty good, kid!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda nodded as if he suddenly understood.
"Actually, there's no need to go through all that trouble. The Shin'ō Academy isn't strict about this... Sigh, I wish Marechiyo would be so perceptive soon."
Marechiyo Ōmaeda seemed to have misunderstood something, but since the situation was in his favor, Haruto didn't explain further.
"Okay."
"Wearing this to the red-light district might seem like a waste, but he's still young, so it's understandable."
Judging from Marechiyo Ōmaeda's expression, he seemed to be recalling his glorious past.
"That..."
Haruto looked embarrassed.
"It's getting late, I won't keep you from your good time."
"... Then thank you very much, senior."
Volume 1: 054, PrPr
"I almost forgot."
Haruto was about to turn and leave.
He heard a voice that was coming from in front of him half a second ago, but then it came from right behind him half a second later— Haruto had been focusing all his attention on Marechiyo Ōmaeda, but he still couldn't catch the other's movements.
"!?"
When Haruto turned around.
"Sizzle."
In Marechiyo Ōmaeda's hand, there was now a strip of cloth about half the size of his palm.
"This is?"
As Marechiyo Ōmaeda rubbed the cloth strips, they turned to black ash as if burned by flames, and the light blue runes flashed and disappeared in the void.
"Mmm~"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda flicked the dirt off his fingertips with disdain.
"After all, they are a specialized squad modeled after Stealth Force; their marking methods are not detectable by outsiders."
Despite not being much taller than Haruto, Marechiyo Ōmaeda gave Haruto an immense sense of pressure, as if a towering mountain was standing in front of him.
"Haruto boy..."
"After eliminating the Fushimi family's assassins, remember to clean yourself up before leaving."
"!!"
Haruto's Kakushitsuijaku hadn't stopped since he left the house, but he had no idea when he had been marked—the thing that Marechiyo Ōmaeda just destroyed was clearly torn from his clothes.
"Thank you for the reminder, senior."
Moreover, the fact that the other party has gone this far shows that they already knew a lot about his actions... It's fortunate that the two sides are not enemies.
"Alright, now you can really go."
"..."
Haruto nodded silently, making sure Marechiyo Ōmaeda wouldn't scare him again.
"Whoosh!"
"Um..."
Marechiyo Ōmaeda his arms and leaned his body sideways against his Zanpakuto.
"Lady Yoruichi's insight remains as sharp as ever."
Or rather...
"You generally won't go wrong if you follow the Kuchiki Clan's advice on people."
At first, Marechiyo Ōmaeda didn't recognize Haruto. He only sensed an aura very similar to a certain Heavenly Bestowed Armaments he had come into contact with, moving at an extremely fast speed along the edge of Seireitei.
As the person in charge of the West Rukongai case, Marechiyo Ōmaeda naturally wouldn't let such a suspicious target slip by... Even if it's one of his own, he should at least come up and say hello, right?
After a brief exchange—whether it was the "Black Dragon Wave" scabbard striking towards the lower abdomen or the "Thunderbolt Slash" hand strike aimed at the back of the head, both were non-lethal moves that quickly rendered the target incapable of fighting— Marechiyo Ōmaeda roughly deduced Haruto's identity: the replica of the Heavenly Bestowed Armaments was extremely effective against outsiders, but it still couldn't escape the eyes of his own people.
Those subsequent statements were merely a test.
"It's a bit slow."
"But the fact that this level of mark was left means that at least one 'leader' was killed by this kid."
The marks that Marechiyo Ōmaeda erased had subtle differences; in addition to serving as a tracking tool, they could also help his own people determine the combat strength of their opponents.
"No matter how insignificant..."
"That was a Fifth-Class Reii Vice-Captain-level, and he got taken down by a student who'd been in school for several years. That's a bit too beneath him."
Just then, Marechiyo Ōmaeda suddenly felt something hard in his sleeve.
"Oh?"
Those were five gleaming gold coins, the maximum number that could be held in one hand.
"Good lad!"
"That brief moment just now?"
While he was helping Haruto tear off the strips of cloth, Haruto wasn't idle either—the gold koban infused with his Reiatsu was both a warning and a reward for Marechiyo Ōmaeda.
"... I retract my previous statement."
Marechiyo Ōmaeda silently erased the Reiatsu from Jin Xiaopan.
"His feet aren't fast, but his hand speed is pretty good."
Just then...
"Whoosh!"
Two Stealth Force, dressed entirely in black, teleported Marechiyo Ōmaeda.
"Ōmaeda!"
They were not from the Second Division, but members of the Second Stealth Force Division, the "Patrol Corps," so they did not address Ōmaeda as the vice-captain.
After all, Marechiyo Ōmaeda was here on the orders of Captain-Commander Yamamoto. If he didn't bring some members of his own clan, he would be accused of dereliction of duty.
"What's up?"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda his head.
"We sensed signs of a struggle here, and that's why..."
Before the Patrol Corps members could finish speaking, Marechiyo Ōmaeda interrupted them prematurely.
"Didn't I say that no one is allowed to approach without my orders?"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda turned his head back.
Yes, but--
"Puff!!"
Blood splattered, and the person who spoke was instantly decapitated.
"O... Ōmaeda!?"
"Idiot!"
Marechiyo Ōmaeda reprimanded him mercilessly.
"You can't even tell if someone's on our side, and you're already applying to go to the Correction Corps? The Patrol Corps doesn't need a piece of trash like you!"
"Yes, yes!"
"..."
After his subordinates withdrew, Marechiyo Ōmaeda looked at the ruins before him and muttered to himself.
"Did you find it by following the markings...?"
Ah~!
Marechiyo Ōmaeda first scratched his head vigorously, and after finding his hairstyle messed up, he hurriedly took out a bronze mirror and a wooden comb to fix it.
"If I'd known it would be this troublesome, I would have gone to do the second brother's job. Intelligence work and the business back home aren't all that great..."
"What's the point of me showing off!"
North Rukongai.
"That was exciting!"
Haruto stopped his Shunpo and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"The mid-game version of Soul Society..."
Are all the vice-captains of the Gotei 13 monsters?
This statement is somewhat of a generalization, but Haruto is right about one thing:
Currently, many of the vice-captains, and even the third and Fourth Seats, in the Gotei 13 have the strength to challenge for the Captain-level.
Certainly.
There are also a small number of squad vice-captains who are not even as good as the Seated Officers a hundred years later.
"..."
"Forget it, that's not something I should be thinking about right now."
Haruto found a street corner and changed out of the black-clad outfit that was covering him.
"We should find a place to rest as soon as possible."
Marechiyo Ōmaeda was not unfounded; he was quite accurate in one point: Haruto had always enjoyed coming to the North District Rukongai.
Compared to the expensive (higher quality) East District, the theme-rich (diverse) South District, and the diverse races of the West District (note that the races here include not only non-Eastern bloodlines due to its proximity to the Western Branch, but also many... furry elements).
The most notable feature of the flower market in the North District is its high cost-performance ratio.
In short, cheap.
Sexual desire is about tasting the marrow and then savoring its flavor.
Before time travel, the Fifth Sister was most skilled at writing and painting on the keyboard; after time travel, her main profession became wielding swords and spears.
But.
Haruto, who was always short of money, rarely had the opportunity to help impoverished girls in the North District after enrolling in school. The few times he did go were when he was reimbursed by a rich guy. Most of the girls here were temporary workers hired from the remote Rukongai. For nobles, the main thing was "vegetarianism" after eating too much meat, but for Haruto, it was about cleanliness and hygiene.