Spiritual Pressure

The next day, just as dawn broke, Duan Mu yawned and crawled out of bed.

After washing up and eating breakfast, he sat down at the counter in less than ten minutes and enjoyed a bowl of freshly cooked clear-broth noodles.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Duan Mu picked up the bowl, wiped down the counter, then went to the kitchen to tidy up.

Once everything was in order, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he found a sign, wrote "Out on a Job," and hung it on the shop door before making his unhurried way to the agreed meeting place.

Following the information Ganju had left behind the previous day, Duan Mu walked for nearly an hour. As the surroundings gradually grew more desolate, he suddenly began to wonder if Shiba Ganju had played him. There was no sign that anyone lived in a place like this.

However, after Duan Mu walked for another ten minutes, his doubts about Ganju vanished.

Although there was still some distance to go, a house that looked as though it had been transformed by Sun Wukong in Journey to the West had already entered Duan Mu's view.

The house itself did not look very large, but behind it stood a towering chimney that reached into the clouds. It looked like a tail, prompting Duan Mu to rub his chin. "If this 'tail' fell over, that little house would disappear in an instant... Hmm?"

Before he could finish speaking, the tail behind the little house vanished. It had not fallen as Duan Mu suggested, but had instead "retracted" and disappeared behind the house.

"Hmm... Back when I went to the Eastern Sea to retrieve the Sea-Calming Needle, I used the same method. Those really were nostalgic days!"

After a few seconds of silence, Duan Mu applied a certain monkey's experience to himself and made a few remarks. Then, with a calm expression, he walked toward the little house.

Having lived in this world for three years, he had long since grown accustomed to such things.

After all, Soul Reaper architecture had always been impressive. Take, for example, the shopkeeper who ran a general store in the Human World. He had dug a huge underground training ground beneath his shop in just one day.

However...

Compared to the Shiba Clan house in Duan Mu's memories, the house before him looked identical on the outside, yet it lacked its most distinctive feature: the two enormous arms standing outside the entrance.

"What are you doing here?"

As soon as he approached the little house, two burly men came over and surrounded Duan Mu.

"He doesn't look like a good person, big brother."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"..."

Duan Mu felt that he looked quite harmless. How had these two decided that he did not seem like a good person? Was there something wrong with the clothes he had chosen today?

"Koganehiko, Gin Hikō, he's the one I found."

Before Duan Mu could explain, a familiar voice came from behind the two men. "He's the kid who runs a Yorozuya in District 38."

The two burly men's eyes lit up when they heard that, and they immediately stepped aside. "So he's here to help. I knew he looked like a good person, big brother."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"...You two really know how to stand firm, don't you?" Duan Mu said, narrowing his eyes.

Walking between the two men, Duan Mu came to the panting Ganju and glanced behind him. Beyond the entrance was not the usual arrangement of rooms, but a descending staircase that seemed to stretch endlessly.

"Customer, your home's architectural style is quite... unique." Out of consideration for not offending a customer, Duan Mu swallowed the words "strange and ridiculous."

"Don't call me customer. Just call me Ganju."

Setting the box on his shoulder down, Ganju pointed at the stairs behind the door. "Everything's already packed. Our job today is to move all the boxes to the new house. As long as you do a good job, I definitely won't shortchange you."

A trace of surprise flashed through Duan Mu's eyes. Although Ganju looked somewhat roguish, he was not as overbearing as Duan Mu had imagined. His attitude was unexpectedly even-tempered.

It seemed Duan Mu had been influenced by his memories and formed a preconceived impression.

Thinking about it carefully...

Although Ganju hated Soul Reapers, he never acted like some noble young master around the residents of Rukongai. Instead, he often mingled with them.

"Is it just the four of us?" Duan Mu asked.

"Strictly speaking, there are only three." Ganju patted Duan Mu on the shoulder. "When we move, Koganehiko and Gin Hikō will leave one person behind to watch the house. But you were hired with money, so don't even think about staying behind. Besides, with how thin and frail you look, you're not suited to house-sitting."

"Let's go. Come downstairs with me and move the things. We'll bring everything up first, then take it to the new house."

"Right away, sir."

Duan Mu replied in the tone of a waiter, then followed Ganju downstairs. As they walked, he asked, "Are you the only one in your family?"

"I have an older sister. She's building the house at the new address. You'll see her when we move everything there. She was the one who suggested I hire you. Apparently, the owner of the tobacco shop in District 3 recommended you to her."

Ganju spoke without turning his head. Then, as if remembering something, he turned to warn Duan Mu, "When we get there, you absolutely must not be rude. If you anger my big sister, nobody will be able to save you."

Duan Mu hummed and did not ask further. He already knew what he wanted to know. Asking too many questions might instead put Ganju on guard.

There were unexpectedly many things to move.

It took Duan Mu and Ganju nearly three hours to bring all the boxes and furniture from underground up to the surface.

"Not bad, kid."

After everything had been moved, Ganju sat on a box and looked at Duan Mu in surprise. "I didn't expect you to have such good stamina when you look so skinny and weak. Are you really human?"

He had originally thought Duan Mu would soon be too tired to get back on his feet. Instead, this seemingly frail fellow had remained completely at ease from beginning to end.

"As far as I know, there aren't any living creatures that are 'human' in all of Soul Society, are there?" Duan Mu said.

"Huh?"

Ganju froze, then realized what Duan Mu meant. "Hahaha, true. You're quite something, kid. No wonder so many people in West Rukongai commission you. I'm actually planning to take on a few underlings. Want to join me? I'll have your back."

"Sure. How much a day?"

Ganju choked. After recalling the Yorozuya's price list, he decisively shook his head. "Forget it. I can't afford to take you on as an underling."

Duan Mu smiled at that and extended a hand toward Ganju on the ground. "Had enough rest? Then get up and keep going. According to the shop's rules, if we can't finish moving everything today, you'll have to pay extra tomorrow."

"Are you obsessed with money?"

Ganju's face darkened, but he still grabbed Duan Mu's hand and stood up. He did not notice the strange glint that flashed through Duan Mu's eyes.

Of course, it had nothing to do with holding hands.

Duan Mu's sexual orientation was perfectly normal. The reason he reacted that way was because, despite making contact, Ganju had not sensed his spiritual pressure either.

The hand Duan Mu had extended just now actually had a layer of spiritual pressure gathered beneath the skin, yet Ganju had not sensed the slightest abnormality.

In fact, while moving the things earlier, Duan Mu had also been using spiritual pressure just as Ganju was.

Although very few residents of Rukongai possessed spiritual pressure, it was not completely unheard of, so Duan Mu had never intended to hide it from the beginning.

What surprised Duan Mu was...

From beginning to end, Ganju had not noticed anything. Instead, he had assumed Duan Mu was moving everything so easily because of his physical strength.

By contrast, from the moment Ganju enhanced himself with spiritual pressure, Duan Mu had sensed the fluctuation of spirit particles. Judging by its strength, it was far stronger than his own "low-level" spiritual pressure.

Could his ability to sense spirit particles really be inferior to Duan Mu's?

Or was it...

Duan Mu tried releasing his spiritual pressure for an instant.

"Hm?"

Ganju stopped moving his box and looked around in confusion. "Was that my imagination?"

A strange glint flashed through Duan Mu's eyes.

It seemed the reason was not that Ganju's ability to sense spirit particles was weak. Rather, unless Duan Mu released his spiritual pressure to the surface of his skin, it was very difficult for anyone to detect.

But if that was the case, Ganju had used the same method as him when moving things earlier. Why had Duan Mu been able to sense it?

Was his body special?

"Hey... Hey, hey..."

"Huh?"

Ganju pulled Duan Mu out of his thoughts. Looking at the absentminded Duan Mu, Ganju said unhappily, "I'm telling you, even if this gets dragged out until tomorrow, I'm not paying you extra."

"Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."

Duan Mu did not continue dwelling on it. He hoisted three large boxes off the ground and caught up with Ganju.