Chapter 165

"No need to say that. Under normal circumstances, you might not want this talent, but now you will be happy to have it because you have the power to change the world."

"What's the meaning?"

Yukino stopped abruptly, looking at Aizen with a puzzled expression.

"I just told you about evil spirits, now it's time to tell you about Bleach."

Aizen raised the corner of his mouth and asked a question.

What do you think Bleach is?

"Generally speaking, in various mythologies, the so-called Bleach is a deity who controls human life and death?"

"In a sense, as the Bleach, I do indeed hold the power of life and death over humanity. To humans, we are almost equivalent to gods. But unfortunately, we are not gods who control life and death. We, the so-called Bleach, are actually guardians of the peace and stability of the human world."

[Aizen] raised his right hand, and green light began to emerge from his palm.

"Do you remember what I just said? After death, the human soul goes to the Soul Society. It is where the souls live after death and where they are reincarnated. The human soul will wait there to be reincarnated, transforming into Reishi and returning to the human world as a new life with a new identity."

"And the one in charge of this is Bleach. Bleach is not the one who controls life and death, but rather the one who controls the reincarnation of souls."

"So, Bleach is a reincarnated god?"

Yukino was somewhat surprised, as this kind of duty was generally not something that Bleach should be doing.

"That's not all. Remember the Hollow I killed? Human souls that remain in the Human World can degenerate into evil spirits like Hollows. These evil spirits wander the mortal Human World and devour the souls of those who have just died and haven't had a chance to go to the Soul Society. So another duty of us Bleach is to clean up those evil spirits that have degenerated into Hollows and prevent them from devouring all the newly born souls in the Human World, thereby maintaining the stability of the Human World."

"Of course, there's another point, which is to protect people like you who have the ability to see ghosts."

"Why protect someone like me?"

Yukino Yukinoshita very puzzled. In her opinion, the duty of the Bleach should be to eliminate evil spirits. Why would the Grim Reaper protect someone like her who has the ability to see ghosts? Did the Bleach take pity on someone like her?

Where do you think Bleach came from?

"Bleach..."

Yukino couldn't explain it clearly.

"The so-called Bleach are actually a special group of human souls. When these souls were still human, they possessed special talents. They could see other souls while they were alive. After they died, their souls entered the Soul Society. They were also fundamentally different from other souls, that is, they possessed special and powerful abilities!"

"Could it be that...!"

Yukino Yukinoshita thought of a possibility.

"That's right. The first Bleach was born from someone who had the ability to see ghosts. He awakened his power and became the first Bleach. He understood why he was different from ordinary people and began to search for companions. As a result, he found more and more special souls. They gathered together, called themselves Bleach, formed the Gotei 13, and gradually became the official organization that ruled the Soul Society."

The idea that humans become Bleach after death, and how Bleach are born in such a way, was completely beyond Yukino's expectations.

"As former humans, the Bleach understand that the reincarnation of souls is extremely important, because only through the reincarnation of souls can human society in the Human World be maintained. If there are not enough souls to be reincarnated, then the human world will collapse. Therefore, some Bleach stay in the Soul Society to be responsible for the reincarnation of ordinary souls, while others go into the Human World to hunt down evil spirits that have fallen into Hollows."

"The human world will collapse if there aren't enough reincarnated souls? That's not scientific!"

A 21st-century high school girl voiced her doubts.

"My existence is itself unscientific."

The high school girl fell silent.

"In battle, the evil spirits encountered vary in strength, with some powerful ones having grown for thousands of years. The power of the Bleach also varies, and the powerful evil spirits can easily kill the relatively weaker Bleach. Therefore, as the Bleach Reapers continue to die in battle, in order to maintain Bleach numbers, the Bleach will search the Human World for those who have the ability to see ghosts and can awaken after death to become Bleach Reapers."

Aizen pointed at Yukino Yukinoshita.

"And that's the kind of person you are."

"So, I'm going to become the Bleach in the future!?"

Yukino Yukinoshita perked up. No, is this something that should make her perked up? She's only a teenager, and who knows how long it will be before she dies a natural death, so why is she already worrying about what happens after she dies?

"That's right. After thousands of years of development, we have confirmed that people with the ability to see ghosts will awaken as Bleach after death. Because the birth of each Bleach is one in ten thousand, we cherish the newly born Bleach. In particular, Hollows also hunt for talents who can become Bleach in the Human World. Therefore, protecting people with the ability to see ghosts is something that we Bleach in the Human World must also do."

Hearing that the Bleach would protect her, Yukino's tense heart finally relaxed. With a Bleach by her side, she shouldn't have to worry too much about her life. As for the evil spirit that the Grim Reaper mentioned, which could kill the Bleach's thousands of years of development, she shouldn't be so unlucky as to encounter it, but at the same time, she was also very curious.

"How do you plan to protect me? Are you going to follow me around from now on?"

"No, that's not it. I spend most of my time clearing out the Hollows that are hunting outside, just like today. So I won't be around you most of the time. But in order to make sure you can protect yourself when I'm away from the Hollows, I will give you the ability to protect yourself."

"What kind of ability is it?"

Although she's already a second-year high school student, Yukino Yukinoshita is still a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), after all, she wants to change the world. When she heard that she would gain supernatural abilities, she instinctively got excited.

"One of our young researchers at Bleach has discovered that although you have not yet awakened to death, the power within your souls can be activated while you are alive. Therefore, through a special device, we can activate the power deep within your souls and awaken you ahead of time."

Aizen raised the corner of his mouth.

"We call them—magical girls!"

"Magic... wh... what?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stared blankly at Aizen, wondering if she had misheard.

"Girl, magical girl!"

[Aizen] A very thoughtful retelling.

After confirming that she hadn't misheard, Yukino Yukinoshita had a huge question mark appear above her head.

"Hai?"

280. Magical Girl Yukino Yukinoshita

"No, you're the Bleach Reapers, right?"

"Yes."

"Your companions are also Bleach Reapers, right?"

"That's right."

"Someone like me, with the ability to see ghosts, will also become the Bleach if I live to old age and die naturally, right?"

"Um."

"Then why did I become a magical girl when I awakened my powers while I was alive? There's absolutely no connection between these two things, okay?"

"Because in human society, aren't girls who have awakened special powers called magical girls?"

"Where in human society would such a term come from?"

"There are many magical girl-related works circulating in the human world, and I've heard that humans generally agree with this statement."

"You're not talking about cartoons, are you?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Aizen in shock, while Aizen helplessly spread his hands.

"I don't understand these things, but that's what the people in the research department say, so we just do what they say."

"Just wondering, aren't those researchers also Bleach who became humans after they died?"

"Yes, this is also their research result in recent years. It is the result of some newcomers who have only been in the Soul Society for a few years."

Yukino Yukinoshita's face darkened. She already understood what was going on. Obviously, a group of otaku died, their souls went to the Soul Society, and then they awakened as Bleach. After joining Bleach so-called Gotei 13, they began scientific research, and they called their research results "magical girls," and even said that that's what humans in the Human World call them.

Yukino could already imagine the scene of those young Bleach fooling those Soul Society who had lived for thousands of years. Those ancient beings had probably never been to the Human World, so they didn't know the true situation Human World and were easily fooled by these otaku Bleach, even defining "magical girl" as the official term.

This is terrible! Are you bunch of otaku trying to corrupt Soul Society?!

"What about the man?"

We have magical girls, but what about magical boys?

"The boy is naturally called a magical boy, so what?"

[Aizen] A very natural rhetorical question left Yukino feeling quite helpless.

There really are magical boys! Those otaku research institutes in Soul Society, enough already!

"Here, this is what will awaken your own power; we call it a transformation device."

Even the names are based on the magical girl setting!?

While Yukino was inwardly speechless, she also looked at the thing in Aizen's hand: a glass ball that looked like it was wrapped in amber-colored metal. It was supposed to be a transformation device, but it looked more like a decoration.

If anyone from Teyvat continent were here, they would recognize that this is clearly a Geo-elemental Vision!

That's right, it's a Geo-elemental Vision. Li Yue created it on the spot using Zhongli's power. As for why it's Geo-elemental, it's just because the color of the one Li Yue created was amber, so it looked like Geo Element. But in reality, it's just a Geo Element polymer and not a true Vision at all, just like the glass bead that Venti wears.

But this isn't Teyvat, so if Li Yue says it's a transformation device, then this is a transformation device!

"Take this. This thing can awaken the power in your soul, giving you the power to fight against Hollows. I've already memorized your soul fluctuations. If you encounter a Hollow while I'm not around, you can use the power of a magical girl to temporarily fight against it. And once I sense the soul fluctuations when you use your power, I'll immediately come to your aid. That's the purpose of this transformation device."

Aizen handed the transformation device to Yukino looked at the so-called transformation device with utter speechlessness.

"Let me ask you something, what will happen after using this thing?"

Although she doesn't fully understand magical girls, Yukino knows some basic things. For example, magical girls change clothes when they transform, into those light and airy dresses. It's not that dresses can't be worn, but nowadays magical girls wear less and less.

If they can even create magical girl transformation devices, Yukino has reason to suspect that those otaku researchers also change clothes when transforming people.

"Take it. I have to go inspect other places later, so I don't have time to stay here with you."

Seeing Yukino she was reluctant to accept it, Aizen urged her on.

"Thanks."

Although she really didn't want to become a magical girl, Yukino understood that if she were to encounter an attack by an evil spirit again, Aizen, the Bleach, might not be by her side again, and she might actually be eaten by the evil spirit.

Yukino felt that she was still young and could live a long time, so she should keep the transformation device in her hand, but it was best not to use it, and it was best never to need to use it!

Taking the transformation device from Aizen's hand, Yukino shoved it directly into her pocket, trying to keep it hidden as much as possible.

"Alright, I've given you the item. It's very simple to use. Hold this item and shout: 'Key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form!' That's all."

Is there also chanting?

Yukino's eyes widened.

"I've said everything I needed to say, I'm leaving now."

"Wait, is there any way to contact you?"

For example, mobile phone or Line.

"We Bleach perceive through the soul. As I just said, I've already memorized your soul fluctuations, so if you want to find me, just use the transformation device."

Is this the only way?

No, you've already invented transformation devices, but what about cell phones? You must have at least one cell phone.

"Currently, this is the only way we Bleach can communicate, or it's the Kido we Bleach use exclusively. But only we Bleach can use that, so you can't use it. If you want to find me, just use the transformation device. The entire Chiba area is under my jurisdiction."

After saying that, Aizen took off right in front of Yukino and disappeared with a gust of wind.

Yukino Yukinoshita watched Aizen disappear, sighed helplessly, touched the transformation device in her skirt pocket, and walked alone towards her apartment.

However, when she got to her apartment building, she saw someone she didn't want to see.

Yukino's sister, her older sister.

"Huh? Yukino, why are you back so early?"

Haruno, who was about to open the Yuan Sect to her apartment building, greeted Yukino immediately upon seeing Yukino.

Yukino immediately understood what Haruno meant. She was planning to sneak into her room while she was away. That was definitely it! Because that was the kind of person her sister was. She just hadn't expected that she would come back early today.

"Sister, why did you come to me...?"

Halfway through her sentence, Yukino froze, because a dark figure appeared behind Yukino's sister. Having already seen such a dark figure once before, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately recognized its identity.

Less than half an hour after Mr. Bleach left, she encountered another evil spirit!

Why is it so unlucky that Bleach only just left?

Yukino touched the transformation device in her pocket.

What should I do? Should I transform right here, in front of my sister?

281. This is my transformation!

"Can you see me? Can you see me?"

The shadowy figure was almost pressed against Yukino's sister's side, its mouth agape as it kept asking questions. However, Yukino's sister completely ignored its questions and looked at her younger sister with a smile.

"Yukino, what were you trying to say just now?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask why you suddenly came here."

Yukino temporarily abandoned the idea of transforming because there was no great danger at the moment. This evil spirit was smaller than the one at school, and it wasn't even as tall as her, which made Yukino think that this evil spirit was not as scary as the previous one.