Future Outlook

At this moment, Ichiro had no idea what kind of shock his world-related affairs had caused the monk Tenjirō Kirinji. He was currently in the warehouse, organizing the research documents he had accumulated over this period.

These data points were incredibly precious, yet equally dangerous, so Ichiro had to handle them with care. In truth, burning them all would have been the most convenient solution, but unfortunately, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Thus, when the Captain reopened the warehouse doors, she was greeted by the sight of an incredibly busy Ichiro.

"What are you doing?" the Captain asked curiously.

"Uh, organizing my notes."

"I'm asking why you're organizing notes? Do you really think this place can still serve as a warehouse after the mess you've made?"

"Uh... sorry, Captain. What will this place be used for then?"

"I'll have it renovated. It will be your laboratory from now on, for your continued use."

Hearing this, Ichiro glanced at the documents in his hands, tossed them onto the floor, clapped his hands together, and headed toward the door. If that was the case, what was the point of cleaning up?

Seeing this, the Captain shook her head helplessly. "At least clean up these bloodstains."

"Tsk~ Fine. World, I'll leave it to you."

"As you command, Ichiro-sama."

World's voice emanated from the Zanpakuto. Along with it came a brilliant white radiance. Wherever the light touched, the room was instantly restored to a brand-new state, as if it had just been constructed!

Watching the bloodstains slowly vanish from the room, the Captain narrowed her eyes. She said nothing, instead turning her gaze toward the Zanpakuto, World, at Ichiro's waist.

"So, your experiment on Zanpakuto anthropomorphism was a success?"

"Yes. Say hello to the Captain, World." Ichiro placed his left hand gently on the hilt of his sword and whispered.

"Yes, Ichiro-sama." As she spoke, the Zanpakuto dissolved into specks of light, which then coalesced beside Ichiro into a young girl dressed in white palace robes: World. "Captain, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tianxin World, and I am Ichiro-sama's 'dearest friend'!"

"Tianxin... a 'dearest friend', is it?" The Captain looked at the embarrassed Ichiro with a playful smile, then said to World, "I am Ichiro's Captain, and his mentor in a sense. No need to be so formal. Rest assured, I will keep an eye on the girls in the squad for you."

"Captain."

"Haha, let's go. There are some things I need to discuss with you. The items you gave Kisuke Urahara have caused the Head Captain quite a headache." With that, the Captain walked toward her office with a smile.

"Urahara? Did the Mimicry Shikai succeed? Tsk~ That's troublesome. But knowing that guy, he must have improved upon it by now." Ichiro tucked his Zanpakuto, Demon Dragon, beneath World—who had reverted to sword form—and muttered to himself while following the Captain.

"Are there any side effects after the Zanpakuto's anthropomorphism?" the Captain asked curiously as they walked toward the office.

"Side effects? Quite a few." Ichiro walked behind the Captain with his hands behind his head, looking lazy. "First, I can't use Shikai anymore. World is an independent person now. Of course, if you insist, she could be considered a biological-type Zanpakuto. However, Bankai should still be usable; both she and I can manifest it."

"A dual Bankai?"

"No, only one of us can use it at a time. I can use Bankai now as long as my Reiatsu meets the requirement, but I suspect that isn't due to the anthropomorphism."

"Heh~ You enviable brat. What else?"

"Well, the Shikai is gone, and likewise, the period of rapid Reiatsu growth has ended. However, due to the special bond between World and me, our Reiatsu training progress is additive, so in the long run, there are more benefits. Then there's combat—it's more flexible, I suppose. While World's ability to restructure Reishi is powerful, to be honest, it doesn't suit my combat style."

"Whether it can be reset depends on the gap in Reiatsu; it's maximized in a crushing victory. If I try to employ complex tactics, there are too many variables and things to consider. I can't keep a handle on it."

"Is that why you forged two Zanpakuto for yourself?"

"To be precise, only Flame Sparrow was forged. Demon Dragon was an accidental byproduct. Flame Sparrow's future development will focus on Kido, pushing its offensive power to the extreme to compensate for my lack of firepower."

"I see. And what about Demon Dragon? Given your personality, you wouldn't just abandon it, would you?"

"Of course not. I intend to let Demon Dragon continue to evolve along the biological path, pushing its physical body and combat techniques to the limit. At the same time, I want to maximize its ability to autonomously recover Reiatsu. The ideal state would be for it to maintain powerful, sustained combat capability even after being disconnected from my Reiatsu supply!"

"Lastly, I plan to research Fullbring. Unfortunately, there isn't much documentation at the academy. Does the Captain have any connections?"

The Captain stopped in her tracks and turned back, looking curious. "Fullbring? What made you think of studying that?"

"During this experiment with Zanpakuto anthropomorphism, I lost a certain ability. It has caused significant interference with my future research, so I intend to see if I can recover a similar ability through Fullbring."

"Is that so? There aren't many records of Fullbring in the Seireitei, and we don't have any training materials. Research it on your own for now, and don't try anything reckless. I'll see what I can do."

"I'll be careful, Captain."

"Good. Aside from these, is there anything else?" The Captain looked at Ichiro with expectation.

"There is one last thing. I intend to pause my swordsmanship training for a while!" Ichiro lowered his hands from behind his head and looked at the Captain seriously. "Although those weren't true lives, there was ultimately no difference from flesh and blood. Having spent two months in such a bloody environment, my mental state has definitely suffered!"

"If it were standard swordsmanship, it would be fine, as it has the effect of tempering the mind. But I remember what you said: since my talent isn't suited for standard swordsmanship, I should specialize in the sword that kills! Therefore, I don't believe I am fit to practice swordsmanship right now. I plan to devote all my energy to researching Kido and Kaido."

"Once the violence lurking in my heart is completely purified, I will resume learning swordsmanship under you. It works out well, as my two mimicry Zanpakuto also need time for optimization."

"Clap, clap." The Captain clapped her hands in satisfaction. As expected of the disciple she had chosen. Although she didn't know what method Ichiro used to suppress the violence in his heart to appear perfectly normal, her past experiences told her that such a thing was impossible. Even she would have developed a strong bloodlust after two months in that environment!

So, even if Ichiro hadn't brought it up, she would have ordered him to stop his swordsmanship training, even the basic daily drills. What gratified her was that Ichiro had truly lived up to her expectations.

"Not bad. To be able to think this far is good, but it's not enough. I don't know how you resolved those negative emotions, but I suspect you've only suppressed them rather than eliminated them entirely. Therefore, you will still come to Squad 4 for two hours of training every day. Not for swordsmanship, but to release the suppression and engage in Sword Meditation with your whole heart."

"But Captain, my Sword Meditation..."

"It's fine. I will guide you. You will successfully enter Sword Meditation."

"Gulp." Looking at the Captain's "kind" expression, Ichiro couldn't help but swallow hard. The life he had been looking forward to seemed to be drifting further and further away.