Urahara Shop

Afternoon - Feimou Corps Office Area

Hu stood at the door of the Feimou Corps's office, holding up a wooden board.

Several lines of text were written on the wooden board, the handwriting neat and legible:

"I'm a bad kid who mixes personal feelings into my work; when dealing with superficiality, efficiency is key."

Hu held it up expressionlessly by the door. Passersby would glance at him, then pretend they hadn't seen anything and quickly walk away. His colleagues in the Feimou Corps were trained not to laugh. But this was such a rare sight in the Feimou Corps that everyone couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Hu's face burned.

The story begins yesterday. After returning from Karakura Town, he wrote his field report according to Xitang Kyou's format. He clearly described the encounter with the Hollow, the handling methods, and the results. He felt it was quite objective. After submitting it, he didn't bother with it anymore.

As soon as he arrived at the Feimou Corps this afternoon, Xitang handed him this wooden board.

"The Fourth Seat was handwritten and delivered first thing this morning," Xitang said, suppressing a laugh. "This plaque has been waiting for you for ages. Take it and stand there. You'll be standing until the end of the workday."

Hu took the wooden board, read the words on it, and was completely shocked. "What does 'mixing in personal feelings' mean?"

"Your handling of that situation yesterday was clearly influenced by personal feelings."

"No, Xitang, this—, is righteous indignation considered a personal matter? That Xu is—"

"I know," Xitang interrupted him, "The Fourth Seat didn't say it was your fault, did it? Otherwise, they wouldn't have just let you hold up a sign and that was it."

Xitang patted Hu on the shoulder and said, "There's no need to add extra punishment to someone who's destined for hell. Eternal suffering isn't just a figure of speech. Naturally occurring phantoms are basically the same as animals, so there's no need to torture them like that."

"The Fourth Seat means that it's fine for you to continue doing this, but—" Xitang tapped the sign in Hu's hand. "You have to hold up this sign for one day for every time you do it."

"But this will affect my work."

"Your job today is to stand guard with this sign. If you do it again, I'll put a rope around your neck, and I promise you won't cause any trouble." After saying that, Xitang returned to his workstation.

Hu opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but swallowed his words back. He could only carry the wooden board to the door and stand by it.

His passing colleagues would glance at him. Some twitched their lips, some looked down and pretended to read documents, and some quickened their pace as they walked past him. Hu stared at the clock on the opposite wall, the second hand ticking away. He had never felt time move so slowly before.

Just as he was about to finish counting the second hand, the door opened.

Cilian walked in, and the entire office fell silent instantly.

He was dressed in casual clothes and carrying a small box. He saw Hu, looked him up and down, and then looked at the wooden board.

Hu's face turned even redder.

"Oh ho... what kind of design is this?" Cilian asked.

"It was the Fourth Seat that punished me," Hu pouted, "Saying I was biased and didn't prioritize efficiency in dealing with Xu."

Cilian was silent for two seconds, then her lips twitched slightly. The movement was subtle, but Amber's eyes were sharp.

"Instructor, are you mocking me?"

"No." Cilian's expression returned to normal. He switched the box to his other hand. "Come on, come with me."

Hu paused for a moment. "Where to?"

"The World of the Living."

Hu glanced at the wooden plank in his hand. "What should we do with this?"

Cilian reached out and took the wooden board, examining it closely. "That child's handwriting is as beautiful as ever." Then he leaned the board against the wall and clapped his hands.

"Leave it there, come back and stand there again."

Hu hesitated for a moment. "Won't the Fourth Seat be angry?"

"I'll talk to the Fourth Seat person. It's nothing serious." Cilian turned and walked out. Amber quickly followed.

A sigh of relief came from the Office Area, as if the entire office had breathed a sigh of relief.

The two walked through the corridor toward the public Senkaimon.

"Instructor, what are we going to do in the World of the Living?"

"Meet a few people." Cilian didn't elaborate.

Hu didn't ask any more questions. They walked to the Senkaimon, and the members of the Kidō Corps opened Senkaimon.

Hu followed Cilian inside. When crossing the boundary, the feeling of weightlessness was stronger than usual. When he regained his footing, he found himself standing in front of a general store. The store was small, with the words "Urahara Shop" written on the sign. There were a few cardboard boxes piled up at the entrance, making it look like an ordinary street shop.

Urahara Shop!? Ko was quite surprised.

He turned to look at Cilian, Cilian had already walked out and pushed open the half-closed door.

"Coming, coming--" came a lazy voice from inside.

Kisuke Urahara stood by the counter, holding a fan in his hand and wearing his signature hat. He smiled when he saw the Cilian.

"Mr. Cilian, what's wrong with you today?"

Cilian stepped aside to make way for Amber behind her. "I brought someone for you to meet."

Urahara's gaze fell on Amber, scrutinizing her from head to toe: At her waist was Zanpakuto, and judging by the fluctuations in her Reiatsu, she was already at the stage where she could Shikai; her clothing... it wasn't made of Shihakusho armor, so she wasn't a formal Soul Reaper yet... a student or an intern? What was Mr. Cilian's purpose in bringing this child here?

"Who is this...?"

"Yexing Hu," Cilian said, "Was recommended by the Fon Clan for admission and is currently interning at the Feimou Corps."

Urahara's eyebrows twitched slightly. "The Fon Clan?"

Urahara's expression shifted—he looked at Amber again, this time with a more serious gaze. "Captain Soi Fon's choice..." he murmured, then smiled, "Please sit down, please sit down. Would you like some tea?"

Hu looked at Cilian. Cilian had already sat down on the stool in front of the counter. "Sit."

Hu had no choice but to sit down as well.

While Urahara went to make tea, Amber whispered to Cilian, "Instructor, who is this...?"

"Kisuke Urahara," Cilian's voice was calm, "Former captain of the Twelfth Division, part of the battle you fought at Bamboo Creek Plain was for him. Thanks to you, his shop was able to shed its black market identity and become a supply point recognized by Soul Society."

"Eh?!" Amber had vaguely sensed it ever since she learned of Fon Shaoling's identity, but she really didn't expect that her actions would bring such a great benefit to Kisuke Urahara.

Urahara returned with two cups of tea and sat down opposite Koko. He glanced at Koko's expression and smiled. "Yes, thanks to Ye Xing, my grudge has been cleared up." Urahara pushed the tea towards him. "I really do owe you a favor."

Amber took the teacup and looked at Urahara's face. The Kisuke Urahara sitting in front of him really looked like an ordinary general store owner. Lazy, easy-going, and smiling, he was no different from any other uncle from a small street shop.

"That's right, that's exactly it. So since you've already accepted this favor, I hope you can take care of this child while he's still World of the Living." Cilian sipped her tea.

"Based on his current internship," Cilian said, "He'll be frequently traveling to the World of the Living. He'll be handling some of the liaison work in Honshu, and he'll be coming to Karakura Town twice a week."

"Oh, I see. That matches my surveillance frequency perfectly." Urahara nodded.

Hu watched the two chatting, not knowing the core of their conversation, and then started drinking his tea.

Urahara and Cilian glanced at Ko, while Ko sipped her tea with a relaxed expression.

"Therefore, I also plan to hand over the surveillance of you to him. From now on, you can just give him the details of your shop's operations."

"No problem."

Hu nearly vomited his tea upon hearing this. So, they're giving me extra work?

"By the way, consider this returning a favor. Give him some special training when you come over. This kid's Zanpakuto is quite interesting. If you can help him fully develop its abilities, it might benefit you too," Cilian said casually.

Hu didn't pay attention to the second half of Cilian's words. He only heard that Cilian was giving him extra training while also giving him extra energy. Hu immediately started complaining, and Cilian retorted strongly.

Kisuke Urahara in Cilian's words—"Would it benefit 'us'...? Mr. Cilian, the current situation can't be solved by simply having one more potential Soul Reaper candidate."

Just then, the back door was pushed open.

"Manager, we're back from restocking." Tessai Tsukabishi returned with Ururu and Jinta.

"Kisuke, we're back!" Yoruichi, in her cat form, called out as she ran into the house from the top of the cardboard box. She jumped onto the counter and sat there.

"Cilian, you're here again." The voice came from the cat's mouth, tinged with a hint of laziness.

Hu was stunned for a moment, looking at the glossy black cat.

The black cat's whiskers twitched, then its gaze fell on Amber. "This is a new face."

"Lady Yoruichi," Cilian put down her teacup, "He is Yexing Hu, a student recommended by the Fon Clan, currently interning in the Feimou Corps."

The black cat came up and looked it over.

"So you're the kid Soi Fon has her eye on?"

A blush crept onto Hu's face.

Yoruichi noticed this and found it amusing. She jumped onto Koko's head and slapped Koko's face with her paws. "You're blushing, are you really so attracted to Soi Fon that you joined the Fon Clan?"

Seeing Cilian teasing Koko like this, Thorn Lotus intervened, saying, "Lady Yoruichi Yoruichi, Koko is still a young man under thirty, and his feelings are still quite immature. Please don't tease him."

"Not even thirty yet, so he's from the World of the Living? Or was he born in Soul Society? Yet he managed to get a recommendation from the Fon Clan for admission so quickly, that's really impressive."

Amber didn't know what to say, so he could only let Yoruichi, in her cat form, shake his head at will.

"He is indeed a capable young man," Cilian said casually while sipping her tea. Her words, like a mute button being pressed, silenced the three people present who knew Cilian.

"Cilian, does the Flesh Supplement from the Department of Research and Development have any side effects? Why did it change its gender?" Yoruichi's cat face showed a surprised expression.

Urahara wasn't much better. When he was under Cilian's command, Cilian rarely praised anyone. Back then, Cilian, known as Asura" Shura," never had any so-called good prospects; she was always saying this wasn't enough, that wasn't enough, seemingly never satisfied. Even after being transferred by Yoruichi to the newly established Training Corps, she resolutely refused to use her own name to send members. This fostered the Training Corps's culture: naming equals personal mentorship.

And now they were actually hearing praise from the mouth of this very Soul Reaper, though it wasn't a particularly emotional one.

Hu was also a little surprised. He didn't know what was going on with Instructor Cilian, why she suddenly praised him.

Cilian, seeing the blank stares of the two people and the cat, said, "Don't look at me like that. After all these years, I've changed too. Amber's talent and the power of her Zanpakuto are unprecedented."

Seeing Cilian's unwavering resolve, Urahara smiled and said, "Since it's Cilian's choice, then I'll trust Ye Xing too."

Urahara stood up, walked behind the counter, pressed a switch, and the door leading to the Underground Training Ground of Urahara Shop slowly opened on the ground.

"Since training is necessary, let's start today without delay." Kisuke Urahara to Koko. Koko had read Urahara's so-called teaching methods in the original work... and she wasn't very interested in that kind of training method that basically left life and death to chance.

"Instructor Cilian, I still have to stand guard for the Feimou Corps today, so maybe I should just skip it..." Hu said as she backed away from the store entrance. As she backed away, Hu felt her back hit a metal plate.

Hu looked up and saw the two-meter-tall Tessai Tsukabishi blocking the doorway. "Hehehe... Uncle, are you coming in? Then I'll make way for you..." Hu tried to go around him and exit through another door, but was grabbed by the back of his collar and dragged by the silent Tessai Tsukabishi toward the entrance to the training ground.

"Kid, don't take your good fortune for granted. A teaching lineup like the former captain, the former head of the Shihoin, and the former Grand Kidō Chief is a rare find. Go with peace of mind." Cilian watched Amber disappear into the entrance of the Underground Training Ground.

Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi were still standing at the intersection, watching the Cilian.

"Mr. Cilian, what have you found out? You've been running the Training Corps for so many years, you know best the harm of forcing growth, don't you?" Kisuke Urahara covered the lower half of his face with his fan and looked at Cilian.

"Cilian, I warned you before that there are some things you're better off not knowing." Yoruichi, in her cat form, narrowed her eyes, her fur slightly bristling. "Now you're dragging a student who isn't even Soul Reaper into this? What are you thinking?"

Cilian was silent for a moment. "I didn't find much either. I only know that Urahara's paper was borrowed by someone before it was banned, and that person subsequently showed his Shikai to all the Soul Reaper, including the Stealth Forces, and their students. He's not someone who's particularly eager to show off, yet he used various excuses to thoroughly demonstrate the abilities of his Zanpakuto. Even when his sword was jokingly called a 'teaching tool' by others, he still enjoyed it..."

Cilian spoke, her face darkened. "Something's definitely amiss!" Cilian swirled her teacup. "Amber's Zanpakuto's capabilities are unprecedented. Urahara, you'll see for yourself later. In my opinion, Amber's Jiku'a is comparable to the Captain-Commander's Ryūjin Jakka."

Cilian raised her head to look at the cat and the person before her. "And to this day, Amber has yet to experience that person's Shikai!"

"Sending my beloved disciple to the most dangerous battlefield was not my wish. However... if the condition of not seeing his Shikai truly becomes crucial in the future, then he will become the key to the battle." Cilian knelt on the tatami, bowing with the utmost respect. "To train him at that time would be truly forcing his growth! Consider it my overly suspicious nature. Please, the three of you, train Amber well."

"Seriously, since you've brought it up, I'll help you, you paranoid old man, mentor that kid. Just so you know, I'm not responsible if he can't keep up with my lessons." Yoruichi licked her paws and smoothed out her bristling fur.

"Since Mr. Cilian has put it this way, I'll lend a hand. Besides, Mr. Cilian's idea isn't without merit. But the three of you?" Kisuke Urahara — Cilian kept saying the three of them, meaning him, Yoruichi, and Tessai Tsukabishi. Why did it have to be the three of us...?

"The reason will become clear once you witness Amber's abilities, and Lord Grand Kidō Chief Master will certainly be interested as well..."

At the same time Shin'ō Academy - Advanced Class

Sōsuke Aizen stood on the podium with a gentle smile on his face.

He was dressed in a neat Shihakusho, with his Captain's Haori folded neatly and placed on a chair beside him. There were only four seats in the classroom— Hachihachihara Kumayu sat in the front row, Bored playing with his pen; Rindō Yo sat quietly behind him; Shimizu sat by the window, his back ramrod straight; and Amber's seat was empty.

"Today, I want to show everyone my Zanpakuto." Aizen's voice was soft, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

Aizen drew his Zanpakuto from his waist; the blade was long and slender, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu!

"Its name is Kyōka Suigetsu." Aizen held his sword horizontally in front of him. "It's Water-Type Zanpakuto; its basic ability is to use the chaotic reflection of mist and water to confuse the enemy, causing them to fight each other."

He gently swung the knife, and a layer of water-like ripples appeared on the blade. The light was soft and clear, like a mountain stream.

He shared his insights on the Shikai, and the three listened attentively.

After finishing his explanation, he sheathed his sword.

"This is Kyōka Suigetsu — Water-Type Zanpakuto primarily designed for disruption."

"Shimizu," Aizen suddenly spoke.

Shimizu paused for a moment. "Yes, yes!"

"If I remember correctly, your Zanpakuto is also of the Water-Type, right?" Aizen walked to his desk, his gaze gentle.

Shimizu nodded. "It's called Daku.' It can control water flow and water vapor."

"Daku..." Aizen repeated the name, nodding gently. "A good name. Like water that washes away impurities and remains pure, your Zanpakuto perfectly suits your nature."

He simply nodded.

"May I take a look?" Aizen asked.

Shimizu hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on the hilt of Daku's knife.

"The Tidal Current, washing away all the dust and grime. The Daku."

The blade thinned, its patterns shimmering like flowing water. Aizen looked at the sword, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

"The water ripples are very stable, and the Reiatsu flows smoothly." He reached out and gently touched the blade. "What were you thinking when you Shikai?"

Shimizu thought for a moment. "I want to... protect the people I want to protect."

Aizen smiled. "A good reason. But water isn't just for protection."

He withdrew his hand, his gaze becoming distant.

Water can wash away filth, or it can submerge everything. Water can flow gently, or it can surge violently. Where will water ultimately flow?

The Shimizu is unaware.

"Water flows to the sea," Aizen answered, "And the sea is endless."

He patted Shimizu on the shoulder. "Keep practicing. You have great potential."

Shimizu nodded, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her. Captain Aizen... he's such a good person.

Aizen returned to the podium and picked up the lesson plan again.

That concludes today's lesson. Feel free to ask me any questions.

He packed his things and walked out of the classroom. The corridor was quiet, and sunlight streamed in through the windows, falling on him. He gently pushed up his glasses, his smile unchanged.