Kuna Mashiro Had a Few Tricks Up Her Sleeve

Making Qing Yoruichi's master—at first glance, the idea didn't sound bad. Hongjiang had been bossed around by Yoruichi plenty since childhood, so having a chance to get back at her felt pretty good.

But having Ao become Yoruichi's teacher only sounded like a good idea at first. Hongjiang had been ordered around by Yoruichi ever since he was a child, after all. The chance to get back at her would be pretty satisfying.

But Hongjiang only let himself indulge in the thought for a moment. He wasn't sure whether some mysterious thing called "bonds" actually existed in this world. If not, no problem. But if they did, spending too much time together could easily expose his identity.

Still, Hongjiang only entertained the idea for a moment. He wasn't sure whether some mysterious thing called a bond actually existed in this world. If it didn't, no problem. But if it did, spending too much time together could easily expose his identity.

So in the end, Yoruichi would take the lead in developing Shunkō. She would first refine her ideas and make sure they could be put into practice. Hongjiang would assist her—not by designing some strange Kidō, of course. His task was to serve as Yoruichi's sparring partner once she had made an initial breakthrough with Shunkō, helping her continue to improve its weak points.

In the end, Yoruichi would take the lead in developing Shunko. She would refine her ideas and make sure they were feasible, while Hongjiang would assist. Not by designing some strange Kido, of course. Once Yoruichi had a preliminary version of Shunko, he would spar with her and help iron out its flaws.

With a goal in mind, the two went their separate ways. For this, though, Yoruichi would be doing most of the work.

With their goal set, the two went their separate ways. Yoruichi would be doing most of the work, though.

As a result, Hongjiang hadn't seen Yoruichi for several days, not since their last soak in the hot spring. Developing Shunkō was no easy task, and he probably wouldn't see her for quite some time.

So Hongjiang hadn't seen Yoruichi in days, not since they'd last visited the hot springs. Developing Shunko was no easy task, and he probably wouldn't see her for quite a while.

Urahara had disappeared too. His friends had all suddenly gone quiet, but Hongjiang didn't feel bored. He had some things he needed to take care of in private as well.

Urahara had vanished, too. His friends had all suddenly gone quiet, but Hongjiang wasn't bored. He had a few things of his own to take care of in private.

In Soul Society, the hunt for the Quincy would have to continue for a long time yet. The old man's talk of wiping them out root and branch was no joke. For the Shinigami, clearing out Soul Society was only a matter of time.

The Quincy hunt in Soul Society would continue for a long time. Old Man Yama hadn't been joking when he said they needed to root them out completely. As far as the Soul Reapers were concerned, clearing out Soul Society was only a matter of time.

The problem currently giving the Seireitei a headache was how to deal with the Quincy groups in the World of the Living. After all, the safety of ordinary people in the World of the Living was an issue they couldn't ignore.

The problem currently giving Seireitei a headache was how to deal with the Quincy groups in the World of the Living. They couldn't ignore the safety of its ordinary humans.

The Quincy, the Shinigami, and the Hollows— the fragile World of the Living couldn't withstand all three factions tearing it apart at once. The extermination campaign wasn't born out of a petty feud between the Shinigami and the Quincy. Reducing the World of the Living to rubble just to deal with the Quincy would defeat the whole purpose.

The fragile World of the Living couldn't withstand the Quincy, Soul Reapers, and Hollows all wreaking havoc at once. The Extermination Operation wasn't born out of some petty feud between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy. Destroying the World of the Living just to eliminate the Quincy would defeat the whole purpose.

Fortunately, Hongjiang had done an excellent job forging the Star-Sealing Barrier, and the Senkaimon in the Wandenreich's fortress hadn't suffered even the slightest damage. The Kidō Corps had now moved its spatial coordinates to the Senkaimon inside the Seireitei. The Quincy, who had once used their own Senkaimon to travel straight to the Wandenreich's fortress, would now arrive in the Seireitei and walk right into a trap.

Fortunately, Hongjiang had carried out the Star-Extermination Siege successfully, and the Senkaimon inside the Sternritter Fortress hadn't suffered the slightest damage. The Kido Corps had now moved its spatial coordinates to the Senkaimon in Seireitei. The Quincy who once used their own Senkaimon to reach the Sternritter Fortress would now end up in Seireitei, walking straight into a trap.

It was a good plan, but over the past three months, only a handful of Quincy had come to the Seireitei through the Senkaimon, and they had all died of natural causes.

It was a good plan, but in the past three months, only a handful of Quincy had come to Seireitei through the Senkaimon, and every one of them had died of natural causes.

It wasn't hard to guess that the Quincy had another way to get around. Perhaps they came at a certain time, or perhaps the Wandenreich sent someone to escort them, and so on. The Shinigami's goal was to figure out how they did it. That was, of course, the purpose of Chōzuka Hongjiang's visit—or at least one of his purposes.

It wasn't hard to guess that the Quincy had their own way of traveling. Perhaps they moved at a set time, or someone from the Sternritter Fortress came to escort them over. The Soul Reapers wanted to uncover how it worked. That was Diezuka Hiroe's purpose here—or at least one of them.

As the Seireitei's strongest fighting force, the Gotei 13 not only guarded the Seireitei; each squad also had its own duties. Squad Four, for instance, was the medical squad. But Hongjiang wasn't headed to Squad Four. He was going to Squad Nine, the squad in the Seireitei responsible for the prisons and interrogations. That was his destination.

The Gotei 13 were Seireitei's strongest fighting force, but each division had its own duties besides protecting Seireitei. The 4th Division, for example, was the medical corps. But Hongjiang wasn't headed to the 4th Division. He was going to the 9th Division, which oversaw Seireitei's prisons and interrogations.

Hongjiang had only just spotted the big "Nine" on the Squad Nine gate when a slender young woman with short green hair came over, pouting and looking unhappy.

Hongjiang had just spotted the large "9" on the 9th Division's gate when a slender girl with short green hair came up to him, pouting unhappily.

"Little Chōchō, what took you so long?"

"Xiaodie, what took you so long?"

"Kunan, could you stop calling me Little Chōchō? It sounds... pretty weird." Hongjiang rubbed his arms in protest. The name always made him think of the Little Die from Huaixiang House, which felt strange.

"Kuna, could you stop calling me Xiaodie? It sounds... weird." Hongjiang rubbed his arms in protest. The nickname always made him think of Xiaodie from Huaixiang Pavilion, which felt strange.

"You don't like it?" The girl called Kunan rested her chin in her hand and thought for a moment before continuing, "Then how about Little Zuka, Little Hong, or Little Jiang? Those sound pretty good too!"

"You don't like it?" The girl called Kuna rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. "Then how about Xiaozhongzhong, Xiaohonghong, or Xiaojiangjiang?"

The girl before him was Kunan Byaku. It was hard to believe that someone so childish was the lieutenant of Squad Nine. Hongjiang had always thought that beneath her innocent exterior lurked a mischievous heart, though he had no proof.

The girl's full name was Kuna Mashiro. It was hard to believe someone so childish was the 9th Division's vice-captain, which was why Hongjiang had always suspected there was a devious mind behind her innocent appearance. He just had no proof.

Giving people nicknames was one of Kunan Byaku's hobbies. It didn't matter whether they accepted them; she insisted on using them anyway. And if she was giving you a choice, that was already pretty good.

Giving people nicknames was one of Kuna Mashiro's hobbies. Whether they liked it or not, she'd keep calling them that. The fact that she was offering choices was already generous.

"Any of those is fine, as long as it's not Little Chōchō!"

"Any of them is fine, as long as it's not Xiaodie!"

"Then Little Chōchō it is! What do you think, Little Chōchō?"

"Then Xiaodie it is! What do you think, Xiaodie?"

See? Who could be that innocent after living for over a hundred years? Hongjiang stopped resisting, too. The more he fought it, the harder it was to shake the nickname. Maybe one day, if she couldn't get a laugh out of him anymore, she'd change it herself.

See? How could anyone live for over a hundred years and still be so innocent? Hongjiang gave up resisting. The more he fought the nickname, the harder it was to shake. Maybe she'd change it herself one day, if she stopped getting a kick out of his reactions.

"I think it's fine. Let's go with that." Hongjiang sighed and pointed at the building behind her. "Can you take me inside now, Kunan?"

"I guess it's fine. Let's leave it at that." Hongjiang sighed and pointed to the building behind her. "Can you take me inside now, Kuna?"

"Sure, sure!" Kunan stepped aside and smiled with narrowed eyes. "But don't be late next time. I'm very busy!"

"Sure, sure!" Kuna stepped aside, smiling with narrowed eyes. "Just don't be late next time. I'm very busy!"

Watching Kunan Byaku skip away, Hongjiang shook his head and quickly followed her. Busy? She didn't look busy at all.

Hongjiang shook his head as he watched Kuna Mashiro skip off, then hurried after her. Very busy? She didn't look busy at all.

Squad Nine was in charge of prisons and interrogations, but the squad didn't feel gloomy or frightening at all. The buildings above ground went without saying; even the cells underground were remarkably clean. According to Kunan Byaku, Kensei Muguruma required them to be cleaned at least ten times a day, though she wasn't sure whose idea that had been.

Though the 9th Division oversaw prisons and interrogations, the place didn't have a gloomy or frightening atmosphere at all. The barracks above ground went without saying, but even the underground cells were exceptionally clean. According to Kuna Mashiro, Kensei Muguruma demanded that they be cleaned at least ten times a day—though it was hard to say whose idea that really was.

"Little Chōchō, are you afraid of the dark?"

"Xiaodie, are you afraid of the dark?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Huh?" Kunan Byaku, who was walking ahead with her hands behind her back, didn't seem convinced. She turned her face toward him and continued, "Then why did you ask us to set up the interrogation room like that?"

"Huh?" Kuna Mashiro, walking ahead with her hands clasped behind her back, didn't seem to believe him. She turned her face toward him and continued, "Then why did you ask us to make the interrogation room look like that?"

"We usually keep the interrogation room a little dim. It's not to scare people; it's just so the squad members don't have to look at those people's expressions too much. Spending too long in a place like this really gets you down!"

"Normally, we keep the interrogation room dim. It's not to scare anyone, just so the squad members don't have to see those people's expressions too clearly. Staying in a place like that for too long can really get you down!"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Yeah, that's right."

Once Kunan Byaku got talking, she couldn't stop. In fact, she'd barely stopped talking since the moment Hongjiang had seen her.

Once Kuna Mashiro got going, she couldn't stop. In fact, she'd barely paused for breath since the moment Hongjiang had met her.

Still, she wasn't annoying. When Kunan got chatty, she was like a little sparrow—quite cute.

Still, she wasn't annoying. When she got chatty, Kuna was like a little sparrow. It was pretty cute.

"After every shift, I make sure they eat some sweets. But everyone's been so busy with missions lately that we're going through sweets too fast! The squad budget can barely keep up! And that Kensei actually said sweets weren't necessary. That muscle-brained idiot only knows how to work out all day. Hmph~!"

"After every shift, I make sure everyone gets some extra sweets. But everyone's been so busy lately that we're going through them too fast! The squad budget can barely keep up! And that musclehead Kensei says sweets are unnecessary. All he ever thinks about is training. Hmph!"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Yeah, that's right."

Hongjiang kept giving halfhearted replies, but this time Kunan Byaku stopped and suddenly turned to stare at him. Hongjiang's heart tightened. Could my go-to response have stopped working?

Hongjiang kept giving her halfhearted answers, but this time Kuna Mashiro stopped and suddenly turned to stare at him. Hongjiang tensed. Had his go-to response finally stopped working?

"So you made such a weird request just to get me to give you sweets!"

"So you made that weird request just to mooch sweets off me, didn't you?"

"Uh, well..." Hongjiang was about to explain when Kunan Byaku's little face moved right up to his. With a perfectly serious expression, she said, "Or maybe it's like everyone says, and you really are a pervert!"

"Uh, well..." Hongjiang started to explain, but Kuna Mashiro's little face suddenly appeared right in front of him. With a completely serious expression, she said, "Or maybe it's like everyone says, and you're actually a pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert!" Hongjiang blurted out instinctively, then realized something was wrong and asked, "Who said I was a pervert?!"

"I'm not a pervert!" Hongjiang blurted out, then realized something was off and changed tack. "Who said I was a pervert?!"

"No one~ But even if you were, it wouldn't matter. Lisa's a pervert too, so I'm used to it." Kunan Byaku didn't seem inclined to answer. She rose onto her tiptoes, turned around, and walked on, kicking her legs as she went.

"Not really~ But even if you were, it wouldn't matter. Lisa's a pervert too, so I'm used to it." Kuna Mashiro didn't seem inclined to answer. She rose onto her toes, turned around, and started walking again, swinging her legs.

"Come on, Kunan, tell me. Who was it?"

"Come on, Kuna, tell me. Who was it?"

"..."

"..."

"How about this: I'll cover your sweets for the next month!"

"Let's make a deal. I'll pay for your sweets for the next month!"

Kunan Byaku whistled and slowly held up two fingers. Hongjiang gritted his teeth and spoke as if forcing the words through them. "Deal!"

Kuna Mashiro whistled and leisurely held up two fingers. Hongjiang gritted his teeth. His words came out through clenched teeth. "Deal!"

"Thanks for taking care of me for the next two years~"

"Thanks for taking care of me for the next two years~"

Two years? Wasn't it supposed to be two months? She'd tricked him again!

Two years? Not two months? She'd tricked him again!

Kunan Byaku's laughter echoed through the silent dungeon, reaching even the Squad Nine members near the exit. They knew their lieutenant was in a good mood, though that was normal; she was in a good mood every day. She was just especially happy today.

Mashiro's laughter echoed through the quiet dungeon, reaching even the 9th Division members near the exit. They knew their vice-captain was in a good mood. That was nothing unusual—she was cheerful every day. She was just especially cheerful today.