"Three grams less sugar, replace it with four maple leaves, add three milliliters of Spirit Spring, add..."
Muttering to himself, Ichiro arranged the ingredients on a tray while occasionally adjusting the Transmutation Circle on the ground.
Alchemy was a supernatural ability that followed the laws of science and strictly obeyed the principle of equivalent exchange. You could use the oxygen in the air as fuel to extract flames, but you couldn't use water to create flames, because the two substances weren't equivalent.
But that wasn't particularly important to Ichiro now, because everything in Soul Society was made of Reishi. Although this entirely new substance meant that he had to research his past-life alchemy all over again, the benefits were even greater!
It meant he only needed to study one substance: Reishi. And thanks to this unique property, he was one step closer to overcoming alchemy's taboo—Human Transmutation...
Human Transmutation had three parts: the body, the soul, and the mind. In his previous life, Ichiro had read the records of failed Human Transmutations in the National Library. Most had stopped at the level of the physical body, neglecting the soul and the mind. They had violated the principle of equivalent exchange and paid a terrible price...
But Soul Society was different. Its very foundation was Reishi, and souls here were also made of Reishi. In other words, two of the three requirements had been fulfilled. Only the last remained: consciousness...
And Ichiro had found a substitute for that, too...
But Human Transmutation was still far beyond him. His current research focused on...
"Rustle."
"What are you doing?"
Urahara suddenly pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing Ichiro crouched on the floor with a small bottle in his hand, he asked curiously.
"Hm? Are you my roommate? What a coincidence."
"Yeah, quite a coincidence. What's that? It feels like it has more Reiryoku than ordinary Spirit Water." Urahara came over, sat across from Ichiro, and eyed the little bottle curiously.
"Oh, this? I made some food with a higher Reiryoku content. It's about twice as effective as ordinary Spirit Food. You know I was born in a place like Rukongai, so I have to do everything I can to squeeze the most out of my resources."
Urahara nodded. Ichiro wasn't the first person to have that idea, nor the first to succeed. In fact, most of the high-quality Spirit Food used by nobles these days had been made this way.
Noticing Urahara's curious gaze, Ichiro held out the little bottle.
"Want to try it?"
"Is that okay?" Urahara asked in surprise.
"It's fine. These ingredients didn't cost much." Ichiro shrugged, unconcerned. He wasted much more than that every day on failed experiments.
"Then I'll take you up on it." Urahara took the bottle from Ichiro, uncorked it, held it beneath his nose to smell, then drank it in one gulp and closed his eyes to savor the effects.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, astonishment in them. The Reiryoku content was very high. That tiny amount—about the size of his thumb—had already given him as much Reiryoku as he usually got from a whole meal.
Over time, that would add up to a considerable boost in growth!
"That's impressive. It's very effective, stronger than most Spirit Food available right now. But you'd better keep it to yourself. If word gets out, it could be dangerous."
"Don't worry. I know that. But it's not actually as impressive as you make it sound. It worked so well this time mostly because the environment in Seireitei is better than in Rukongai, and the ingredients contain more Reiryoku."
Urahara smiled but said nothing. If it were really that simple, why hadn't anyone else figured it out by now?
He turned his attention to the Transmutation Circle on the floor and narrowed his eyes. "Is this... a Kido spell formation that strengthens your ability to sense Reiryoku? It feels a little different..."
"Yeah, I found it in the library today. You just have to draw it out. The effect is slight, but every little bit helps."
Like the Spirit Water he'd given Urahara, this was one of the decoys Ichiro had deliberately set out in the open. He couldn't simply stop using alchemy, but he couldn't explain where it came from, either, so he had to cover his tracks.
The same went for the Spirit Water. What Urahara had drunk was a weakened version containing only Reiryoku. The complete version could directly raise one's spiritual pressure after drinking it, like an experience potion. The two were in completely different leagues.
But it was also much more dangerous.
In short, Ichiro wanted to cultivate an image as a genius, but not too much of one. Especially with something that could affect the noble system—he absolutely couldn't let anyone else find out!
"Tch, I can't believe anyone actually reads this stuff. I thought I was the only one."
"Hm? Are you studying this too?" Ichiro asked in surprise.
"Of course. This is some of the earliest Kido. It's been phased out nowadays, but there's still plenty worth learning from. Like why certain Kido spells changed, what their original flaws were, why those flaws were addressed, and what was added... There's so much knowledge packed into it."
"Exactly! And although it's ancient, it's closer to the principles behind Kido. Looking at it from different angles and combining it with modern explanations gives you a much deeper understanding."
At that, Urahara's eyes lit up. Now this was a topic he could really get into!
The two immediately launched into an animated discussion. Once they started talking, they were swept up in an even more intense storm of ideas.
Urahara had received the most systematic instruction and had an extremely solid foundation. Ichiro, meanwhile, had the perspectives of two different worlds. His fundamentals were lacking, but his wild ideas often gave Urahara endless surprises.
Some of Ichiro's ridiculous ideas from online in his first life were useless—for example, turning Bakudō #81: Dankū into a space-based attack Kido was basically impossible. But another idea was feasible: using six Dankū barriers to form a cage. With some refinement, it could become a powerful Bakudo.
For Ichiro, Urahara's deep knowledge also proved invaluable. And so, they talked with increasing enthusiasm until, before they knew it, the whole night had passed...
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
Suddenly, the tolling of bells interrupted their lively discussion. They both frowned. Ichiro asked, sounding confused, "Why do I feel like I've heard that sound somewhere before?"
"Huh, me too." Urahara looked up and echoed in surprise. Then he and Ichiro both lowered their heads and continued pondering where they had heard it.
"Ummmm... Wait?! The class bell!" they cried together.
Their expressions changed. Without even straightening their clothes, they dashed out the door!
"We're dead! Why didn't you remind me?"
"You didn't remind me either! Aaah! It's the first day of regular classes, and we're late. That Yoruichi is going to laugh at us!"
"Yoruichi?! You're still thinking about her? If we're any later, the teacher's going to look down on us!"
"Wait! We're already pretty late. Wouldn't walking there slowly and pretending to be in a hurry be just as good?"
Ichiro abruptly stopped running and looked at Urahara, who was still rushing ahead. "Yeah, I guess."
Then the two of them leisurely made their way to the classroom, without a trace of their earlier panic.
Before you continue