Gomukure District Really Had a Killer

Siwei Yan maintained an impeccable smile, lightly turning his wrist as he filled his own cup.

The clear liquor rippled in the cup, reflecting his seemingly composed face.

"A Killer?" He chuckled and drained the cup in one gulp. As his Adam's apple bobbed, his tone carried a matter-of-fact tease.

"Of course there was. If Meteor City didn't have a few decent 'specialties,' wouldn't the story be far too dull?"

"Whoa~ How scary!" Kyōraku Shunsui replied in a lazy drawl, even cooperatively shrinking his neck.

Yet his eyes darkened slightly.

"Tch." Hirako Shinji drained his cup, casually setting the empty cup down on the table. With a crooked grin and dead-fish eyes, he stared straight at Yan Si.

"Cut it out. The 'Meteor City' in your book was described in such detail—gloomy, chaotic, ruled by the strong preying on the weak... Other than District Eighty, Gomukure, I can't think of a second place."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine pot again. This time, he not only filled his own cup but also, "rarely," filled Yan Si's cup.

The motion was natural, yet it carried invisible pressure.

"When did you sneak off to a hellhole like Gomukure District?"

Hirako tilted his head, sounding as if he were asking casually, but his gaze clearly said, "Come clean."

Yan Si's smile did not change. He smoothly picked up the wine Hirako had poured for him.

"Hirako, you think too highly of me. In the several decades since I fell into the Soul Society, the farthest I've ever ranged was District Three, Lǐfú Shān. District Eighty?

"Just hearing the name makes me feel like the Reishi would be polluted by the malevolent aura there. How could I possibly have been there?"

"Oh my? Now that's strange~" Kyōraku Shunsui seemed to have discovered an interesting mystery. At last, he raised the cup he had been rubbing for ages, signaling a toast.

"If you've never been there, how did little brother Yan Si capture the very essence of Gomukure District so accurately? Imagination alone couldn't depict that desolate feeling, where even the Reishi seemed to carry the scent of rust."

With a soft clink, the three cups touched.

Yan Si was the first to down his drink, savoring the warm current of Spiritual Intoxication as he let out a satisfied sigh.

"Ha! I mainly heard a few scraps from the Academy instructors and the division archives. As for the rest..."

He set down his cup, a faintly proud smile appearing on his face.

"I merely used my imagination, distilled and condensed every rumor of 'evil' in the world, then dramatized it a little.

"After all, 'evil' is fundamentally the same everywhere—plunder, slaughter, the strong devouring the weak. It's always the same old routine, just different packaging."

His tone was gentle, yet carried an air of obvious certainty.

"That's true." Hirako Shinji curled his lip and picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks.

"'Evil' people really were all the same. All they thought about was how to kill someone else, or how not to be killed themselves."

"Exactly, exactly." Kyōraku Shunsui nodded along, narrowing his eyes again and returning to his lazy appearance.

"I thought little brother Yan Si had really had some 'adventure' in Gomukure District and met that Mr. Killer. What a disappointment~"

As he spoke, the image of a certain gentle, water-like senior flashed through his mind.

If she developed some "interesting" misunderstanding... little brother Yan Si would be in serious trouble.

Still, Kyōraku Shunsui would absolutely never take the initiative in doing something that invited disaster upon himself.

Although Hirako Shinji did not know exactly which "senior" Kyōraku was thinking of, his sharp instincts let him perfectly play the supporting role, cooperating with every one of Kyōraku's probes.

"Come to think of it," Hirako said as though he had suddenly remembered something, pointing his chopsticks at Yan Si.

"If this book of yours gets into the hands of those battle maniacs in the Eleventh Division... I'd bet Kuroyashiki would immediately gather his men and charge into Gomukure District screaming, all to find your 'Killer' for a spar."

"Indeed~" Kyōraku Shunsui immediately chimed in with a smile, his tone full of the delight of watching a show.

"Captain Kuroyashiki is just that straightforward and passionate sort of person~ To him, a powerful opponent is far more appealing than fine wine."

"Huh?!"

Yan Si's smile instantly froze.

"Y-you mean... the Eleventh Division's captain, Captain Kurayashiki Kenpachi?"

His voice turned somewhat dry. "Why would he go to Gomukure District?"

Kyōraku Shunsui explained with a smile.

"Because your description was too vivid. To ordinary people, a 'Killer' is a symbol of terror, but to the Eleventh Division, which worships 'the strongest' and is obsessed with battle—

"it is simply the brightest beacon in the darkness, guiding them to recruit... or 'spar with' him."

He waggled a finger and added,

"Besides, even if they can't find the Shu Hua from your book, Gomukure District itself is a place that produces 'great villains.'

"To the Eleventh Division, making a trip there is like visiting a market. They can always pick up a few decent 'local specialties' to bring back and bolster the division."

"Exactly." Hirako Shinji chewed his food and agreed indistinctly. "By the time they get back, the Eleventh Division might even be able to open a few more squads."

"Oh... Oh! So that was it..." Siwei Yan nodded as though he had suddenly understood, trying hard to make his expression return to normal.

Damn! I forgot about that! Those lunatics in the Eleventh Division can't be judged by common sense!

There really is a "Killer" entrenched in Gomukure District right now—the monster who forced Shu Hua to study medicine!

Still, given his current self-restricted state, he probably won't suddenly become strong enough to kill Kurayashiki Kenpachi, right?

Wait! Kurayashiki Kenpachi's Bankai, Gakurai Corridor, is an ability that the Central 46 Chambers explicitly forbade from being used within the Seireitei!

That lawless place, Gomukure District, isn't included... If he gets carried away and really brings out his Bankai...

Could the true monster of Gomukure District, the one who would crawl out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the future, be killed early by Captain Kurayashiki's Bankai?!

"Hiss—!"

Siwei Yan sharply sucked in a breath.

He hurriedly grabbed the wine pot and, without another word, poured himself two consecutive cups of Spiritual Intoxication.

"Hm? Little brother Yan Si, your face seems rather pale?" Kyōraku Shunsui leaned closer with "concern," his tone so gentle.

"You should drink slowly~ Did you think of something? Why not tell us, so your two older brothers can 'consider it' with you?"

"N-nothing!" Yan Si forced out a slightly stiff smile.

"I just suddenly felt that Captain Kurayashiki Kenpachi truly was... well, a straightforward man with a bold temperament and exceptional drive! Truly admirable!"

He hurriedly picked up the wine pot and filled the two captains' cups, trying to change the subject.

"Come, come, come! Let's not talk about this! With such delicious food and fine wine before us, how could we waste them? Keep eating, keep drinking! We won't leave until we're drunk tonight!"

Hopefully... Captain Kurayashiki will be luckier and won't really run into that "Killer" in Gomukure District.

Yan Si silently prayed to himself, then drained his cup once more.