Dream

Meanwhile, Tirutī stared at Tier Harribel without relenting, aware of Harribel's decision and that her own answer had influenced it.

She wanted to leave him behind... so he could be happy on the other side.

Harribel could sacrifice her life to save others, but she couldn't bear to see Cangya waste his life in Hueco Mundo when he could live as a normal human in the World of the Living.

Harribel turned to Tirutī and lowered her head. "I lost my composure just now... As your leader, I behaved shamefully."

"It's all right. I understand why you have mixed feelings about the 'mom' thing." She waved a hand and smiled at Mila Rose.

Of the four, she respected Mila Rose the most, and her respect had only deepened after Mila Rose protected her from Harribel. "Thank you for helping me."

Mila Rose chuckled. "Oh, you're too polite. We're all family, so of course we should look out for one another."

Apache nudged Sun-Sun with a horn. "Did she forget Tirutī wanted to kill us not long ago?"

"That's Mila Rose for you. Don't expect complicated emotions from that stupid head of hers."

Cangya left the car with the servants behind and chose Izumi's sleek, midnight-black car.

He slid into the leather seat beside the driver's and waited for Izumi to finish looking in the mirror.

A few minutes later, Izumi opened the car door and glanced at him expressionlessly. "I told you to go with them."

"I have some questions, big sister. Can you answer them while you drive?"

A flicker of pleasure crossed her eyes.

If he'd dared call her "old lady," she would have thrown him out of the car without a second thought.

But he'd called her "big sister," a far cry from "old lady," the terrible name the mischievous children nearby had given her.

After all, she felt she was about the same age as Cangya.

"All right." She sighed and climbed into the driver's seat. "I'm Ishida Izumi. What's your name?"

The surname Ishida stirred a string of memories, leaving him stunned for a moment.

Ah, of course. She's related to Uryū Ishida. She must be his grandmother or an older relative like that.

He'd never imagined meeting Uryū Ishida's grandmother in her prime, or that she would look so much like his former lover.

He remembered her as a typical housewife who had once vented her frustrations on Ichigo's mother, Masaki.

She seemed more composed and calm than her future self.

Well, she was also quite naive, readily believing his story without looking into his background.

He had no ID in his pocket to prove his name, nor could he prove anything else he'd told her.

Yet she hadn't suspected he might be a fraud. Perhaps his persuasiveness had affected her ability to think rationally.

"I'm Cangya," he replied, gesturing for her to stop. "Put on your seat belt, big sister. For safety."

Izumi's hands stiffened on the steering wheel, and she turned to study his innocent face. "There's no need, at least not for me."

She had hunted Hollows for years and considered something like a car accident trivial.

Aside from the time she'd been injured by a powerful Hollow, she had come through five years of hunting Hollows unscathed.

The car roared to life, the powerful rumble echoing through the cabin.

Ishida Izumi stared intently at the road ahead as silence settled over them. Her serious expression was strikingly similar to his former lover's. Izumi and Xiaomei—even their names rhymed.

What a cruel joke.

He shrugged and looked ahead.

Even if they looked alike, Izumi wasn't the person he had once loved.

Looking for traces of Xiaomei in Izumi wouldn't lead to anything good.

"Hey, big sister. How did you get hurt?"

"That... is a long story. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Oh. Then I'll ask you another day."

"All right. You'll stay with the Ishida Family as a guest. We'll test a few things and teach you about the Spirit World... Hold on tight."

Her words meant she would give him a place to stay and food to eat, and teach him how to master the power that made humans Quincy.

Although he had no Quincy blood in his veins, he had the cheat-like abilities granted by the system.

His evolution paths included Quincy, which meant he had the potential to gain Quincy abilities.

Even if he failed her tests, there was no harm done.

"Quincy..."

She couldn't help laughing. "I believe becoming a Quincy is what your mother wanted for you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent you here."

"Me too. I'll do my best, big sister!"

She glanced at him briefly. "Your hair makes you look like a little delinquent."

"Uh... I like my hair this way, big sister." He glanced at her chest as he spoke, but she was focused on the road ahead and didn't notice his gaze. "What about you, big sister?"

She rolled her eyes. "Size is relative. I've taken down some enormous Hollows myself."

"..."

He was talking about breasts, while she was talking about her experience hunting Hollows.

Just thirty minutes later, Cangya collapsed onto the bed in an ordinary single room.

Until Izumi decided otherwise, this guest room was his territory.

He noticed that, aside from the two Mixed-Blood Quincy, Izumi seemed to be the only person in the house.

However, a photograph of a middle-aged man in the living room and the ring on Izumi's finger suggested she had a husband.

The discovery dispelled any thought of seducing Izumi into cheating. He didn't want to ruin her marriage for a few nights of pleasure.

I hope I have a good dream tonight.

In Hueco Mundo, he'd felt "empty" every time he woke up, and he suspected Hollows couldn't dream.

"Big sister, get ready to be surprised tomorrow!"

A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he eagerly anticipated breaking a few "expectations" tomorrow and having a good laugh.

That night, for the first time in a month, Cangya sank into the embrace of a dream.

Mist shrouded the dream, and memories of the past echoed through his sleeping mind.

The dream depicted him spending an ordinary day walking through the hallowed halls of his university, then playing with his charming teacher and lover.

He could recall every electrifying sensation of her body, their intimate connection pulsing in his memory until the dream world suddenly tore open, pulling him back to cold reality.

Cangya blinked and found a maid standing attentively beside his bed.

Black hair fell across her forehead, framing her face, and a neat braid lay over her shoulder.

The bespectacled maid stared at him, her eyes showing no discernible emotion.

Izumi stood beside the maid, her face full of concern for him.

He sat up and rubbed his head. The dream had shaken him somewhat, but he could handle it.

"Watching me sleep is creepy, big sister and Miss Maid."

Izumi crossed her arms over her chest. "Your Reiatsu was very unstable while you were dreaming, so we came to check on you."

The Reiatsu produced by the intense emotions in his dream had nearly frightened her.

If he'd kept releasing Reiatsu, her house might not have survived.

It had also given her a glimpse of his true potential. She realized that this random Quincy she'd found on the street had Reiatsu comparable to that of a Captain-level fighter.

"He's not weak, Lady Izumi," the maid remarked. "Are you sure he's a Mixed-Blood Quincy? His Reiatsu is Senior Captain-level."

Even if only for an instant, she had sensed his Reiatsu reach Senior Captain-level, comparable to that of a Gotei 13 captain.

"Lisa, prepare Cangya's bathwater," Izumi instructed. Then she smiled, nodded politely, and turned to Cangya. "I'll wait for you in the dining room."

After seeing his potential, Ishida Izumi's attitude had changed dramatically.

She had gone from treating him like a child to treating him like an honored guest.