Gaoyu was certain that Kisuke Urahara would notice him.
Even if he didn't go looking for Kisuke Urahara, Urahara would come right to him.
It was simple: he had a Fifth Division armband on his sleeve, and that armband was proof enough of his identity.
He was a member of the Fifth Division. If someone from the Fifth Division appeared in Karakura Town, seemingly searching for something, would Kisuke Urahara do nothing?
Impossible. The smarter someone was, the more they tended to overthink things.
Did his arrival in Karakura Town mean that Aizen had sent him? Had Aizen already discovered where they were?
Or was Aizen plotting some new scheme?
So Gaoyu was certain that if he stayed in Karakura Town long enough, Kisuke Urahara would make a move, even if he himself did nothing.
What confirmed Gaoyu's suspicions was the appearance of a black cat. It looked perfectly ordinary, blending in with the other cats as it passed in front of him.
But no matter how well someone concealed themself, their Soul Ability couldn't be hidden.
When Gaoyu saw the black cat standing right in front of him with the Soul Ability 'Thunder Cat,' his heart remained completely still. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh.
'Thunder Cat: Can transform into a black cat with powerful lightning abilities.'
The ability suited Yoruichi quite well, and it was pretty interesting, too. It was also the kind of 'disguise' ability Gaoyu particularly wanted to obtain.
He wondered if he could turn into a black cat and win people's favor.
After all, some people found it hard to feel much affection for men, but easily grew fond of cats. They were, as the saying went, 'cat people.'
Especially young girls, who were even more likely to take a liking to cats.
Excellent. Yosh! He had to get this ability!
So when Yoruichi appeared beside him, he walked over and scooped the black cat up in both hands.
"What a cute little kitty."
Gaoyu lifted the black cat high above his head.
The black cat struggled in his hands. Gaoyu tried to hold it down by force, but in the end, it broke free.
The black cat gave him a long look, then quickly leaped away.
Although he was now a spirit, spirits in the Bleach world were a little strange.
Spirits in the Bleach world could still touch matter made of reishi—or, rather, powerful spirits could touch it.
People simply couldn't see Soul Reapers and Hollows. It wasn't that they couldn't touch them.
Before awakening his powers, Sado had once grabbed a telephone pole and slammed it into a Hollow.
And humans with the potential to wield Spiritual Power could see spirits.
Cats in particular—black cats—were widely believed to have spiritual powers. There was a reason for that.
Many black cats could see spirits, so there was nothing strange about Gaoyu picking one up.
But Yoruichi was no fool. She knew that Gaoyu's actions had made it clear he'd discovered her.
Not long after the black cat disappeared, a beautiful woman with brown skin appeared before Gaoyu.
Yoruichi wore a tight-fitting outfit, and her long purple hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her golden eyes fixed on Gaoyu.
"You're a subordinate of Sosuke Aizen, aren't you?"
Yoruichi glanced at the armband on Gaoyu's sleeve and said coldly, "What? After holding back for so long, you've finally decided to make your move?"
"Uh..." Gaoyu hadn't expected Yoruichi to be so direct. He shrugged and said, "Miss Yoruichi, you've misunderstood. I may be with the Fifth Division, but I have no hostility toward you or Mr. Urahara. On the contrary, I greatly admire Mr. Urahara's intelligence."
He grumbled inwardly that things really were different for him and the protagonist. In front of Ichigo Kurosaki, Yoruichi had transformed from a black cat into a woman right before his eyes, and hadn't cared at all that he'd seen her naked.
But with Gaoyu?
She'd disappeared before changing into her human form and putting on clothes, then confronted him in a tone that practically sounded like an interrogation.
Sigh. What could he do? He'd been born into the wrong circumstances.
Gaoyu grumbled to himself.
After hearing his words, Yoruichi grew even more wary. What Gaoyu had said clearly showed that he knew about the conflict between her and Urahara and Aizen. She couldn't treat him like an ordinary Soul Reaper!
Only a few people in the Seireitei knew about Aizen's conspiracy. Even Aizen's current Vice-Captain might not know about it; they could very well be an ordinary Soul Reaper, deceived by Aizen's disguise just like the rest of them.
But Gaoyu knew about her and Kisuke Urahara, which proved that he knew about Aizen's conspiracy.
Yoruichi wouldn't believe Aizen would let any Soul Reaper who knew his true face live. Unless...
They were on the same side.
"You think I'm going to believe your lies?"
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, ready to attack.
Gaoyu raised both hands in surrender and said, "You may not believe me, Miss Yoruichi, but Mr. Urahara definitely will."
"Isn't that right, Mr. Urahara?"
Gaoyu looked behind Yoruichi. There was nothing there, but he could see a Soul Ability hovering in that spot.
'Universal Countermeasure: Can only be used after fighting an enemy for a while. Once activated, it creates an item that can counter that opponent.'
Excellent. That was so Kisuke Urahara.
Though, come to think of it, this ability seemed like a good fit for Mayuri Kurotsuchi, too. Scientists like them always seemed to pull out some gadget that countered their opponent in the middle of a fight and 'turn the tables.'
So when Gaoyu saw this ability, he knew Kisuke Urahara had to be there.
Sure enough, after Gaoyu finished speaking, ripples appeared in the empty space. Kisuke Urahara pushed back his black hood and studied Gaoyu with equal seriousness.
Gaoyu said, "I know about what happened between you and Mr. Aizen, but I'm not interested in your grudge."
"In fact, I told Mr. Aizen the same thing."
"Not interested?" Kisuke Urahara said softly. "That sounds rather arrogant."
"Arrogant?" Gaoyu paused, then explained, "I don't mean it that way. It's simply how I feel."
"To me, Mr. Aizen and Mr. Urahara are both interesting people. I'd like to be friends with you, that's all."
"Interesting, you say? That sounds even more arrogant." Kisuke Urahara looked at Gaoyu, then walked over beside Yoruichi and said gravely,
"All right, you unknown Soul Reaper. Can you tell me where you came from?"
"Your relationship with Sosuke Aizen, and..."
"Why you came to the Human World to meet me this time."
"Depending on your answers, I'll decide whether I should consider you an enemy."
Before you continue