Although Gaoyu had the ability, he was certainly not interested in using it.
He had no plans to get married or have children. And even if he did have children, he wouldn't use his ability to force them to be filial to him.
If they weren't filial, that would mean he had failed as a parent and hadn't raised them properly.
He followed the old woman inside and sat down. She even poured him a cup of tea.
"You're here to see Toshiro, aren't you?" the old woman said gently. "He went to buy sweet natto. He should be back soon."
He went to buy sweet natto?
Gaoyu was taken aback. Could it really be such a coincidence? Had he stumbled right into the story as soon as he arrived?
"As you said, I did come here to look for Toshiro."
Gaoyu answered honestly. "Toshiro... should become a Soul Reaper."
"Let me be frank with you. Toshiro's talent may be exceptionally rare, even in the history of the Seireitei."
Toshiro Hitsugaya really was a genius.
Gaoyu looked around the room. Toshiro Hitsugaya wasn't there, yet it seemed as though traces of his spiritual pressure lingered everywhere, making the room feel a little chilly.
And besides...
How could the spirit of a Zanpakuto come looking for him before he even had an Asauchi? Wasn't that basically cheating?
No wonder he could become a Captain in the next forty years. His talent was absurd, even by the standards of geniuses.
"I see..." The old woman looked a little downcast, but mostly relieved.
"Toshiro, he..."
"Grandma!"
Before the old woman could finish, a voice came from outside, followed by a series of footsteps.
The old woman spoke softly. "That child is back. Please don't pressure Toshiro about this."
"Don't worry," Gaoyu replied with a nod. "I won't force him to become a Soul Reaper."
Then the door opened.
Toshiro Hitsugaya was startled by the scene inside the house. "A... a Soul Reaper?"
Gaoyu looked over. Hitsugaya really was short—probably only about 1.3 meters tall. His silvery-white hair and emerald-green eyes were indeed somewhat rare in Soul Society.
He held a packet of sweet natto in his hand, frozen in the doorway.
"Hello. My name is Gaoyu Kouun. I'm a friend of Hinamori's from the Seireitei."
?
Only after hearing Momo Hinamori's name did Toshiro Hitsugaya relax.
"So you're Hinamori's friend. I thought you were with the Soul Reaper I ran into earlier."
"The Soul Reaper from earlier?" Gaoyu knew he meant Rangiku, but still feigned confusion.
Hitsugaya looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw his grandmother standing nearby, he closed his mouth.
Gaoyu stood up. "Toshiro-kun, I came all this way to see you. Can we talk alone?"
"..." Toshiro glanced at his grandmother. She nodded to him, and he said, "All right. If you want to talk, let's go outside."
He walked out, and Gaoyu followed.
Gaoyu was a full 1.8 meters tall. Hitsugaya didn't even reach his chest, which made Gaoyu feel as if he were looking after a child.
He looked at Toshiro Hitsugaya's Soul Core.
"Kirin Child: You will gain unparalleled talent in everything you do."
As expected, he was a genius!
A genius among geniuses—this was exactly the kind of talent Gaoyu wanted!
Gaoyu's heart raced. If he could obtain this ability, then becoming a Captain in forty years, just like Hitsugaya, should be no problem, right?
And the Kirin Child ability wasn't limited to training. Its description said it would grant outstanding talent in everything, which naturally included scientific research.
Scientists in this world were terrifying. Both Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had performed at an MVP level in every major war!
He had to get this ability!
The moment he saw it, Gaoyu made up his mind to befriend Toshiro Hitsugaya.
"Toshiro Hitsugaya..."
Gaoyu spoke softly. "You should become a Soul Reaper."
"...?" Toshiro Hitsugaya paused, then said, "If that's why you came here, you can go back. I'm not becoming a Soul Reaper."
"Don't rush to refuse," Gaoyu said calmly. "Your reckless refusal could make your grandmother's condition worse."
"What did you say?!" Toshiro Hitsugaya's eyes widened, and he immediately grew agitated!
"You must have noticed," Gaoyu said. "As you've grown, your grandmother's health has grown weaker and weaker. It's all because you can't control your steadily increasing Spiritual Power."
"Wha..." Toshiro Hitsugaya stared at his hands and said in shock, "My Spiritual Power?"
"After hearing your story from Hinamori, I started to suspect as much. That's why I came here today to check. I didn't want Hinamori's friend to end up killing his own grandmother, so I had to tell you."
Gaoyu continued slowly. "You should become a Soul Reaper and learn to control your power. Like this..."
Gaoyu rested one hand on Hitsugaya's head. The Strict Teacher, Talented Student ability was still active, so he could clearly observe the flow of Toshiro Hitsugaya's Spiritual Power.
As he applied his own Spiritual Power, Hitsugaya's spiritual pressure immediately changed. The cold energy that had been spilling outward gradually disappeared.
"Do you feel any difference?" Gaoyu asked.
"It's so hot..." Toshiro said, uncomfortable.
"It isn't actually hot. I've sealed away the cold spiritual pressure leaking from your body."
"Think of it this way: before, your grandmother was sleeping while enduring that cold spiritual pressure. The hotter you feel now, the colder she must have felt before."
"So, even now, do you still think you shouldn't become a Soul Reaper?"
"!" Toshiro Hitsugaya's eyes widened.
Gaoyu crouched down again and placed that same hand against Toshiro Hitsugaya's chest.
"You can hear the voice, can't you?"
"Even among Soul Reapers, only a few can hear that kind of voice. That means you should become a Soul Reaper."
"If you don't, you won't be able to find where the voice is coming from. You'll keep hurting the people around you because you can't control your power."
"I'll say this only once more, Toshiro-kun."
"Come with me to Shino Academy and learn to control your power. Once you become a Soul Reaper, you'll realize that none of this was a lie."
With that, he stood up again.
"The choice is yours. If you've made up your mind, meet me at the White Road Gate tomorrow morning. I'll come get you."
As he spoke, he raised a hand and waved, then walked out.
He believed Toshiro Hitsugaya would make the right choice.
Before you continue