As a brazen voice rang out, Asano Kiyoshi instinctively turned around. He saw a lean-faced man with a pompadour whose ends curled like hooks, a straw stem clenched between his lips. He wore a long-sleeved, short-bodied haori without a Shinigami Uniform, his upper garment hanging open to reveal his muscular chest.
From the expression on the man's face, Asano Kiyoshi knew that this was Sister Hana's senior, Tenjiro Kirinji—the man known as the "Hot Springs Demon" within the Zero Division, as well as the manager of Kirin Palace in the Zero Division Palace.
Though the man looked unremarkable, like some second-rate street punk, his strength was genuinely terrifying. His Shunpo could completely overwhelm others, he could contend with Sister Hana in combat, and his medical skills could even be called the best in Soul Society.
Therefore, Asano Kiyoshi merely bowed slightly and said to the man,
"Hello, I am Asano Kiyoshi. You must be Kirinji. The Captain-Commander told me about you. It's better to meet you than hear about you—you are indeed a bold and manly hero."
Asano Kiyoshi spouted that nonsense while extending his hand toward Kirinji.
Seeing Asano Kiyoshi's smiling face and hearing the torrent of praise, Kirinji could no longer bring himself to keep a cold expression. He could only awkwardly extend his arm and shake Asano Kiyoshi's hand, all while giving himself a way out.
"That Old Man really said that about me? What an honor. You're quite polite, unlike those other Shinigami who've come up here over the years. Mm, you've got potential. Before you leave this time, you can come visit my Kirin Palace. You'll be welcome there."
With that, before Asano Kiyoshi could say anything, Kirinji vanished from the spot. Not even a trace of Reishi that could be used to track him