No Sense of Security

Lin Nan walked out of the izakaya and wandered through the unfamiliar Danzhao District. It took him the better part of the day and many inquiries before he finally located the Gen Private School.

He had chosen not to go directly to the Kyoraku estate because no one there knew him. However, at the Gen Private School, there were two Kyoraku family servants in charge of overseeing the renovations who knew Lin Nan and were aware that he was a disciple of Yamamoto Genryūsai.

Lin Nan explained the situation to them, and the two servants acted immediately. One remained to continue supervising the work, while the other took enough money and followed Lin Nan back to the izakaya to pay the debt.

Lin Nan had mostly memorized the route on the way back, and the servant was even more familiar with the streets of the Danzhao District. However, because it had taken Lin Nan so long to return to the school, the sun was already slanting toward the horizon by the time they reached the izakaya.

"Gone?! Since when? Who did he leave with?"

Upon hearing the shopkeeper say that the boy who hadn't brought enough money had already left with someone else, Lin Nan couldn't help but blurt out the questions.

The shopkeeper recalled the event and said, "It was less than an hour ago! There were two of them—one tall and one short, one thin and one fat. They said they were well-acquainted with the boy's older brother, so they paid his bill and took him away."

"Did those two say what their names were?"

"No."

Lin Nan turned to the servant and asked:

"Do you know if Kyoraku's older brother has two friends like that?"

The servant shook his head: "The young master's friends are all Soul Reapers; he wouldn't have any among the commoners."

The two exchanged a look, both of them frowning.

Something was definitely wrong.

Aside from himself and the two servants at the Gen Private School, no fourth person knew Kyoraku was here. How could it be such a coincidence that they happened to run into him and even pay for his meal?

After asking for the direction the group had taken upon leaving, Lin Nan and the servant departed the izakaya.

"We must find Kyoraku's whereabouts immediately. I will follow this direction and inquire about their trail; you go back at once and call for help." Lin Nan made his decision almost instantly.

The servant proved worthy of being a retainer to a high-ranking noble family; though anxious, he remained methodical. He nodded and pulled a pouch the size of a finger from his robes:

"This is the Kyoraku family seal, carried only by senior servants representing the family on official business. We servants are not permitted to carry weapons, so please take this seal and mark the route as you go! Once I have gathered reinforcements, I will follow your marks to find you."

Lin Nan took the seal and nodded at the servant: "Good, thank you. Please hurry, and I will do my best to track Kyoraku down."

The servant was somewhat surprised by Lin Nan's gratitude. In his mind, Lin Nan was the young master's classmate, and logically, he should be the one addressing the young master. Yet, the young master was thanking him?

He hurriedly performed a ninety-degree bow and replied: "Young Master Lin, this is only what we servants should do. Please, there is no need for such courtesy."

Lin Nan waved his hand: "There's no time for such formalities! Instead of bowing, run home as fast as you can!"

With that, not waiting for the servant to reply, he clutched the seal and turned to chase in the direction Kyoraku and the others had gone.

On a small path at the edge of the Danzhao District, Kyoraku Shunsui walked silently forward, flanked by the tall and short figures.

"How much further?" Kyoraku couldn't help but ask as he looked at the increasingly unfamiliar streets.

"Almost there," the two men, who called themselves Masaki and Kuramoto, said in unison.

An hour ago, just after Lin Nan had left, Masaki and Kuramoto—who had been pretending to eat in the shop while actually tailing them—had appeared, claiming to be friends of Kyoraku's older brother. From the conversation between Kyoraku and Lin Nan, the two had realized he didn't know the way, and they were inwardly triumphant; it was a perfect opportunity.

After pretending to verify that Kyoraku wasn't impersonating a noble, they paid his bill and offered to escort him home.

Though Kyoraku was socially anxious, he possessed basic discernment. However, seeing that they could accurately name his older brother, he didn't think twice and followed them.

But after walking for an hour, Kyoraku had yet to see any familiar surroundings, and even the [Spirit King Palace] in the center of the Seireitei seemed to be getting further away. Even as someone with a poor sense of direction, he began to feel suspicious.

"But it didn't take nearly this long when I came here..." Kyoraku looked around, puzzled, and asked, "Did we take a wrong turn?"

The tall one, Masaki, answered casually: "Not at all. We're just taking a different route—you know, the Danzhao District is huge, so it's normal for it to take some time."

The short one, Kuramoto, chimed in: "That's right, that's right. This road is a bit longer, but it's much easier to walk on, with less dirt."

"But there wasn't much dirt on the road when we came here..." The more Kyoraku thought about it, the more wrong it felt.

He looked back toward the distant Seireitei, his stubborn sense of direction finally showing signs of improvement.

When I came, the Seireitei was on my right; shouldn't it be on my left on the way back? So why is the Seireitei still on my right?

These two must have taken the wrong road. Do they not know the way? But they've already led me this far.

Kyoraku instinctively sensed something was wrong, but he didn't make a scene. Instead, he lowered his head and thought silently for a moment.

"Um, excuse me. I just remembered, my brother said earlier that he had business tonight and couldn't go home, and that I should meet him at the Seireitei. Let's go to the Seireitei now!" He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and began walking in the opposite direction.

Masaki and Kuramoto were both startled and quickly chased after him.

"Little brother, we're almost at your house; it's too late to go to the Seireitei now, it's going to be dark soon!"

"That's right, that's right! And look, the Seireitei is so far away, and those who aren't Soul Reapers aren't allowed through the gates anyway, so there's no point in you going!"

The two followed closely on either side of Kyoraku, afraid to act directly in case they were seen by others, and could only scramble for excuses as they walked, hoping to make him stop.

Kyoraku didn't look back, his mind racing. He still felt something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He simply solidified one thought: as long as he walked in the opposite direction and didn't follow their lead, he couldn't be wrong.

However, his years of noble life had given Kyoraku a misconception. Not everyone was like the servants at home who dared not lay a hand on him.

The three walked like this for five minutes. Seeing that they couldn't make Kyoraku stop, Masaki and Kuramoto exchanged a look and quickly scanned their surroundings.

By now, the sun was nearly set, and most households had closed their doors to prepare for dinner. Furthermore, the street they were on had few vendors to begin with, and at this hour, pedestrians were already scarce.

Seeing that no one was watching, Masaki and Kuramoto exchanged a swift glance and lunged at Kyoraku.

"Kid! Behave yourself!"

"That's right, don't get any ideas. We're the ones calling the shots!"

Masaki clamped Kyoraku's arms into his own, pinning him tightly against his side, and reached up to cover the boy's mouth. Kuramoto hurriedly pulled out a rope, preparing to bind Kyoraku securely.

"Hado #4, Byakurai!" Kyoraku roared, his voice muffled as he struggled. With a sharp crack, a beam of pale light instantly shot out from his fingertips.

However, because his arms were pinned, he had no way to aim. The Byakurai merely grazed Masaki's left shoulder, tearing the skin, before punching a small hole through the eaves of a house across the street.

Masaki and Kuramoto were struck with terror. According to the intelligence they had received, Kyoraku was merely a talented youth with potential; there was no mention that he was already capable of using Kido.

If that Byakurai had been just a fraction off, it might have pierced Masaki's neck or head instead.

Shocked and fearful, Masaki's terror turned into a fit of rage. He raised his left palm and struck the back of Kyoraku's head with a heavy blow: "You little brat, you're asking for death!"

Kyoraku slumped into unconsciousness.

Seeing this, Kuramoto quickly hogtied Kyoraku and looked up, asking, "Are you alright?"

Masaki turned to look at the wound on his left shoulder and curled his lip: "I'm fine. It was just a Hado #4, a superficial wound."

Kuramoto hoisted Kyoraku onto his shoulder: "If you're fine, let's move! We aren't far now, and the boss is still waiting for us to report back."

At that moment, the faint sound of doors opening came from the nearby houses. Several residents had heard the commotion on the street and were preparing to come out to see what was happening.

Seeing this, Masaki waved his hand: "Let's go! Don't let anyone see us!"

Carrying the boy, the two were unable to use Shunpo, so they ducked into a side alley and fled at high speed.

Lin Nan tucked the pouch into his tunic and sprinted at top speed in the direction the shopkeeper had indicated. He asked every passerby and vendor he encountered at breakneck speed, constantly adjusting his course based on their directions.

At every intersection he passed, he used the seal in his pocket to leave a mark on the wall, ensuring that the people from the Kyoraku household could follow his trail.

However, the pursuit was not smooth; a passerby with a hazy memory pointed him in the wrong direction twice. It was only thanks to Lin Nan's quick reflexes that he didn't waste too much time.

The sun gradually sank, the streets grew emptier, and Lin Nan's heart began to sink. If he couldn't see a single person on the road soon, the trail would go cold.

Fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead from the combination of his anxious state and the continuous running.

"I finally managed to get a full meal, and now I'm going to be starving again if I keep running like this," Lin Nan muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of life. "It really isn't easy to get a free meal out of you, Kyoraku!"

Suddenly, a crisp crack of thunder pierced the silence of the dusk from far away, yet it sounded as if it had exploded right in Lin Nan's ear. He was startled and looked up.

Not far to his front left, a beam of white light pointed diagonally toward the sky, vanishing after a momentary flash.

"That way!" Lin Nan instantly shifted his momentum, scrambled up a wall, and leaped onto the rooftops, vaulting over ridges and tiles as he raced toward the source of the light.

He didn't stop, his mind racing. Was that Kido cast by Kyoraku? Or his kidnappers?

Kidnapping a noble young master, they surely wouldn't dare to use Kido so brazenly on the street; wouldn't that be telling everyone, "I'm causing trouble here"? So, it must have been Kyoraku.

After crossing the distance of a city block, Lin Nan spotted a small, smoking hole in a rooftop by the roadside. He jumped down into the middle of the street, looking around vigilantly.

Residents on both sides of the street had begun to emerge. One of the first to come out saw Lin Nan looking for someone and pointed: "I saw two people carrying something heading that way just now."

Lin Nan thanked him and took off in pursuit.

Turning the corner, a lush forest appeared in the distance. Not far ahead, two figures—one tall and one short—were struggling to run while carrying something.

Lin Nan accelerated, rushing ahead of the pair to cut them off.

Masaki and Kuramoto were stunned to see Lin Nan, as if they hadn't expected this kid to catch up so quickly.

Kuramoto, who was carrying the boy, silently took half a step back; Masaki instinctively stepped in front of him: "Kid, this has nothing to do with you! If you don't want to die, get out of the way!"

Behind him, Kuramoto nodded: "That's right, that's right. We kidnapped your young master, and you don't even have to pay the ransom. You're just a little lackey; it's not worth throwing your life away!"

Lin Nan, who had been about to offer some friendly advice against choosing a life of crime, was so irritated by Kuramoto that he nearly choked: "Wait, what did you two just call me?"

"Kidnapping a noble's young master, and you call me a lackey?" He instantly abandoned the idea of verbal persuasion and rolled up his sleeves:

"As kidnappers, you two really have zero sense of security!"