Urahara Shop

Earlier.

A tall, lean blond man swaggered down the street in a fiery orange shirt and pitch-black trousers. One hand was tucked casually into his pocket, while the other rested an ordinary sword easily on his shoulder.

Walking beside him was a short woman in a red tracksuit over a white shirt. Her short blond hair was tied into spiky twin tails, held in place by ruby-colored clips that matched her irritable temper.

The sword strapped to her back and the one carried by the blond man looked out of place on the streets of Karakura Town.

Her freckled face twisted in disgust. "Shinji, I'm pissed off."

"Remind me, when aren't you pissed off?"

"This is different," she complained. "The smell of this Hollow... makes me sick. I really want to stab these bastards to death—"

Shinji quickly clamped a hand over Hinata's mouth, silencing her before she could curse.

He grinned innocently at the elementary school students passing by, scaring them into fleeing. "Don't swear in front of kids."

Hinata retaliated with a vicious kick to Shinji's shin, making him stumble. "You'd better hope Urahara has an explanation, or I'll make you regret being alive."

"What's that got to do with me, bucktooth?!"

Hinata raised her leg again and kicked Shinji in the side, knocking him into a wall.

Their superhuman recovery ensured that such impacts left no marks on them.

"Bucktooth!"

Their endless bickering continued, like a brother and sister locked in a never-ending feud, until they arrived at an ordinary-looking store—the Urahara Shop.

Kisuke Urahara had opened the unassuming store as a cover for his secret activities, selling Gotei 13 goods to Soul Reapers on assignment in the World of the Living.

The ever-violent Hinata scowled and raised her leg again.

The sliding door opened just in time, however, and Urahara gracefully dodged her impending kick.

"I knew you'd come, Miss Hinata and Mr. Shinji."

"Tch."

Hinata spat viciously to the side and walked straight in as though she were visiting a friend's house.

Shinji waved at Urahara, his friendly smile made somewhat sinister by his upper teeth.

Soon, they were seated around a low table, joined by Tessai, Kisuke Urahara's childhood friend and assistant at the Urahara Shop.

Hinata kept scowling, her face full of displeasure at Urahara's teasing.

Shinji clapped his hands loudly, drawing both their attention. "Urahara, what happened last night? What was with those Hollows?"

Urahara pulled a stack of documents from his sleeve and tossed them lazily onto the table.

He then lay down on the floor, propping his head up on his elbow. He pulled a paper fan from his other sleeve and fanned himself smugly.

"Go on, take a look."

Accustomed to Urahara's eccentric behavior, Shinji grabbed the reports and began reading.

"We sensed a Garganta opening to the west, near Karakura Town's commercial district," Shinji said, scanning the documents.

He turned to the second report. "The Twelfth Division arrived at the scene ten minutes after the incident, but found nothing."

"Get to the point!" Hinata roared.

Shinji frowned and turned to the last page. "The findings of our investigation, based on observations at the scene: two powerful Hollows emerged from the Garganta."

"Judging by the dual nature of their Reiatsu, we concluded that they were Arrancar. One had a Reiatsu level between four and five, and the other..."

Shinji's eyes widened as he looked at Urahara, Hinata, and Tessai.

The Gotei 13 judged a person's Reiatsu density by their Reiatsu level.

Reiatsu level one indicated the highest density, while level twenty was the lowest. Levels four and five were lieutenant-class.

"Spit it out," Hinata shouted impatiently.

"A Reiatsu level between two and three... equivalent to captain-class."

"What?!" Hinata slammed the table, her voice full of disbelief. "Menos Grande Arrancar from Hueco Mundo appeared in Karakura Town? Are you kidding me?"

Even with a Hollow mask enhancing her, her Reiatsu level barely approached five.

This Arrancar could kill a Captain-level Soul Reaper outright, and even a senior captain might suffer at his hands.

Urahara waved his fan playfully in front of Hinata.

"Calm down, Miss Hinata. Don't believe everything in those reports. It's impossible to accurately determine someone's Reiatsu level from their Reiatsu imprint alone."

"They could be Adjuchas Arrancar with extraordinary Reiatsu and an innate ability to increase it, like you do with your Hollow mask. Don't jump to conclusions."

Shinji tossed the report back onto the table. "All right, then what do we do?"

He was the leader of the Visored, and after they built an underground training space with Kisuke Urahara's help, Karakura Town had become their new home.

Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo would surely draw considerable attention to this place from all sides, increasing the chances of the Gotei 13 discovering them.

"For now, nothing." Urahara shook his head. "Those Arrancar retreated back into the Garganta after a few minutes, as though coming here had been a mistake."

Shinji frowned. "They came and left, just like that? Hey, do you think he's controlling these Arrancar from behind the scenes?"

Urahara looked at Shinji, a sly gleam in his eyes. "The man who betrayed the captains—that madman whose name we must never mention, no matter what."

"That's right. Maybe he was probing Karakura Town's security, or... he was using it as bait to lure you in."

Shinji's face darkened at Urahara's mention of Aizen's betrayal. "There's no point sitting here making wild guesses."

Hinata rose from her seat. "Shinji, let this guy deal with this mess. He can handle one or two Menos Grande from Hueco Mundo on his own."

By Gotei 13 standards, the Visored were considered "Hollows," despite the distinguished positions they had once held within the Gotei 13.

And the threat of Aizen remained; he might still be looking for them.

Contacting Urahara was hardly a wise move, but last night's emergency had forced them to seek his help.

"You overestimate my abilities, Miss Hinata." Urahara tapped his hat with his cane, a sly smile curling at his lips. "That Hollow's abilities are hard to pin down. And I'm just a humble, handsome merchant."

"Yeah, Urahara can handle them." Shinji smiled and downed his cold drink in one gulp.

"By the way, Urahara. Is Lisa going to keep playing around in that maid outfit? I don't mind—she looks pretty good in it... but I don't like her acting alone at a time like this."

Kisuke Urahara thoughtfully rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Technically, her mission is already complete—"

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed, and everyone froze.

Their spiritual senses detected a powerful Reiatsu.

Although the Reiatsu appeared for only a brief second, everyone present caught it with their powerful souls and keen senses.

After all, even Hinata, the weakest among them, had once served as a lieutenant in the Gotei 13.

"Another captain-class Reiatsu?" Hinata whispered in shock. "Is Senior Captain-level Reiatsu all over the streets now?"

Shinji folded his arms. "This one is a human's Reiatsu."

Urahara rarely forgot a person's Reiatsu, especially that of someone he found interesting.

He had sensed this Reiatsu last night.

He chuckled and opened his fan fully, hiding his face behind it.

"The guy who peed on the roof."

Urahara's instincts about that person had been right. He was no ordinary man.

In fact, Urahara believed it was no coincidence that the man had appeared where the Garganta opened.

"If you're not buying anything, leave. I have more important things to do, and I don't have time to entertain customers who won't buy a single item!"