"I never would have guessed Miss Yoruichi would get so absorbed in a book."
The former Grand Kido Chief of the Kidō Corps, Tessai Tsukabishi, sighed.
Kisuke Urahara lightly fanned himself, looking amused. "Yeah. I doubt even she expected it."
As he spoke, Kisuke watched Yoruichi Shihouin, who was engrossed in a book at the desk nearby. His deep eyes gave nothing away, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Tessai asked curiously, "May I ask what book Miss Yoruichi is so absorbed in?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to read it too. I want to see what kind of book could be so captivating."
Kisuke smiled at that. "You've already read it. You just weren't interested at the time."
Tessai froze, then asked instinctively, "What book?"
Kisuke made no attempt to hide it. "The Epic of Gilgamesh I brought back not long ago."
Understanding dawned on Tessai's face, but he soon looked puzzled. "If I remember correctly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is full of made-up human myths. Why would Miss Yoruichi be interested in that?"
Kisuke didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Yeah. Why would Yoruichi be interested in it?"
Tessai assumed Kisuke didn't know either, so he didn't think much more of it.
Once he learned that Yoruichi was reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tessai lost interest in the book and went back to his own work.
After Tessai left, Kisuke went to sit in the courtyard. Gazing at the distant blue sky, he gently rocked his fan in his hand, his thoughts drifting away.
Did Kisuke not know the reason?
Of course he did. With his sharp mind, he had guessed it long ago.
Still, Kisuke found it hard to imagine what sort of person could have affected Yoruichi so deeply in just a few days.
If he could return to Soul Society, Kisuke might have gone there himself to meet the remarkable young man named Gilgamesh.
Time passed.
For two whole days, Yoruichi read the Epic of Gilgamesh from beginning to end, without missing a single word.
Only after finishing it did she feel tired. In her cat form, she let out a huge yawn and stretched lazily.
Kisuke walked over with a meal. Seeing her, he smiled. "Oh, you finished reading?"
As he spoke, Kisuke set the food down in front of Yoruichi.
Yoruichi immediately dug in. "I finished it," she replied between bites.
Kisuke only smiled and let her eat in peace.
After eating her fill, Yoruichi turned to Kisuke and said, "Kisuke, I'm going back to Soul Society. I'll come see you again in a week."
Kisuke seemed to have expected this. Without a trace of surprise, he asked, "Are you going to look for that boy named Gilgamesh again?"
Yoruichi nodded. "Yeah. I want to observe him. I have a feeling there's more to him than meets the eye."
"I also want to know why he's using Gilgamesh's identity, and why he's building a royal city in a place like Inuzuri."
Kisuke didn't try to stop her. He opened his fan and covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his deep eyes visible. "If you can, I'd like you to investigate whether he has any connection to Aizen."
"Of course, your safety comes first. Be careful."
Yoruichi hadn't expected Kisuke to link Gilgamesh to Sosuke Aizen.
But it wasn't impossible.
After all, Sosuke Aizen often conducted experiments in secret.
Like the Hollowfication Experiment he once carried out using Shinji Hirako and other Bleach as subjects.
Gilgamesh, whose origins and background were shrouded in mystery, could also have been one of Sosuke Aizen's test subjects.
After thinking it over, Yoruichi agreed. "All right. I'll look into it."
Then, without waiting for Kisuke to say anything else, she left.
Soul Society, Inuzuri, Kumu Street.
When Yoruichi returned, she found that the place had changed dramatically once again.
Many of the original thatched huts had been torn down, replaced by clay-and-stone houses in the style of Uruk.
Yoruichi was used to seeing Japanese-style buildings in her daily life. This was the first time she'd ever seen architecture in the style of Uruk.
Looking at the foreign-looking buildings, so different from Soul Society's usual architecture, Yoruichi grew dazed.
Perhaps she was imagining it, but she felt as if she'd traveled through time and returned to the Kingdom of Uruk six thousand years ago.
"Oh, a completely black kitten. That's a rare sight in Inuzuri."
A gentle, modest voice suddenly rang out, drawing Yoruichi's gaze.
When she looked over, she saw a beautiful young man bathed in sunlight, seeming to glow as he slowly approached her.
For a moment, Yoruichi was entranced.
Before she could react, the beautiful young man picked her up.
She instinctively tried to struggle, but then a small, tender hand, full of strength, gently stroked her head.
She wasn't really a cat, and she didn't like being touched by others.
But for some reason, the petting felt so good that she couldn't help letting out a catlike moan.
"Meow~"
The beautiful young man holding Yoruichi was, of course, Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh knew the black cat in his arms was Yoruichi.
He just didn't know why she had come to Inuzuri.
Rukia watched how content the black cat looked. As if she'd just thought of something, she said, "I heard that rubbing a cat's belly feels even better."
Gilgamesh paused. He had never heard that before, and instinctively rolled Yoruichi onto her back.
Yoruichi, who had been enjoying the petting, froze when she heard Rukia's suggestion.
As she watched the hand reaching toward her belly, all her fur stood on end. She cried out, "No! Not there!"
As she spoke, Yoruichi struggled free and leaped out of Gilgamesh's arms.
Fortunately, Yoruichi was in cat form. If she'd been in human form, her face would surely have been bright red with embarrassment.
However, because Yoruichi was in cat form, her shriek came out in a man's voice.
A man's voice crying out and saying something like "No! Not there!" was too much even for Gilgamesh. His lips twitched.
Beside him, Renji Abarai and Rukia couldn't help exclaiming in unison, "The cat just talked!?"
Before you continue