Plagued by Bad Luck / Bankai, Si Ming

Gin Ichimaru was able to use the White Concealment (a type of weapon) to deceive Aizen's detection.

As an assassin Ōtōgawa Utsugi naturally knew how to conceal his Reiatsu, so Yamabuki Chidori gained nothing.

Little did he know that the black mist had silently seeped into his body.

"Hehehe! Yamabuki Chidori, accept the most terrible punishment in the world! After my Zanpakuto is released, it has neither offensive nor defensive power, but it can bring you bad luck. You will soon go bankrupt. Hahaha! Struggle in your helpless fate!" Ōtōgawa Utsugi unleashed the most outrageous Zanpakuto ability.

This is simply a case of being outmatched!

Even with her high Reiatsu, Yamabuki Chidori cannot fathom the elusive nature of fortune.

Little did he know that his fortune had already been completely drained.

"I will watch you die in madness here! Despair! Howl! Feel the pain of this world!" Ōtōgawa Utsugi laughed maniacally like demons.

All he did next was to wait quietly on the sidelines, waiting for this winner in life to turn into a penniless mongrel.

"Damn it, I'm so hungry! I really want to eat meat!"

Yamabuki Chidori waited and waited, but the assassin never came. She was even starting to doubt her plan. Could it be that this kid didn't care about money at all? Impossible! According to the intelligence she had, Ōtōgawa Utsugi was a miser who was obsessed with money. She had directly destroyed his stronghold; he should be fighting her to the death by now. Why hadn't he come looking for her?

Because it had just rained yesterday, the weather was very cool today, and Yamabuki Chidori was going to go to her clothing store to take a look.

The reason he was able to support his family despite being owed six months' wages was thanks to this small clothing store.

But after today, it seems there's been a small problem.

A lot of girls were gathered around the entrance, saying something indignantly.

Shūtara Senjumaru and Hane Hane Chiyo are trying to calm the guests.

"What happened?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Shūtara Senjumaru looked troubled. "There's a problem with these swimsuits. A batch of them had major manufacturing flaws, causing many girls to experience tearing while swimming. Look, these are all being returned."

"Huh???" Yamabuki Chidori's expression changed slightly. What was going on? This shouldn't be happening.

However, as the boss, he immediately set about resolving the matter.

"Don't worry, everyone. If it really is a quality issue with the clothing, we'll refund double!" Yamabuki Chidori knew she only had so many customers; if her reputation was ruined, how would she keep her shop running?

After spending a large sum of money to appease the guests, Yamabuki Chidori and Shura immediately inspected the swimsuits after holding hands. They discovered that the swimsuits were made of inferior fabric, far less durable than the genuine fabric.

"I'm afraid the people who purchased the fabric made a mistake. I need to go to the manufacturing factory," said Yamabuki Chidori.

Chapter 237: Beset by Misfortune

"That's it! You lost a lot of money, didn't you? You must be feeling terrible, right? But this is just the beginning! Your luck has been completely drained by my Poverty God. Turn into a pauper!" Ōtōgawa Utsugi revealed a ferocious smile.

Yamabuki Chidori was still unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

When Yamabuki Chidori arrived at the garment factory, she found it to be in complete disarray.

"What happened?" Yamabuki Chidori asked, frowning.

Most of the workers here are women. When selecting people for this job Yamabuki Chidori specifically chose people with good tempers. How did it end up like this?

"Boss, we have something to report. The cafeteria staff are skimping on the food. They promised to improve the meals every seven days and everyone would have meat. Yesterday was supposed to be a meat day, but the cafeteria didn't serve any. When everyone went home to rest, we found out that the person in charge of the cafeteria had secretly taken the meat home." A middle-aged female worker said loudly.

Yamabuki Chidori's eye twitched. What happened? How could so many things have happened in just one night?

"Is this true?" Yamabuki Chidori looked at the cooks preparing meals for the cafeteria.

The chefs' eyes darted around.

"We were really out of our minds, we'll never do it again! We don't know what we were thinking yesterday," the chefs quickly apologized.

Yamabuki Chidori had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

He understood the chefs' character; he said it was possible for them to eat a few extra bites normally, but eating alone here?

They're not that stupid; if they did that, the workers would definitely riot.

Why was it so easy to recruit people back then?

It's because of the high welfare benefits here.

There is food and drink, and safety is guaranteed.

Moreover, the people are not worried about scarcity, but about inequality.

If everyone was starving, that would be one thing, but why are these cooks eating with their mouths greasy while we workers are starving?

This kind of thing can be considered a big deal, or it can be considered a small deal.

Yamabuki Chidori first calmed the workers down and promised to improve their lunch that day, and only then did everyone go back to work.

Subsequently, Yamabuki Chidori found the workers she originally intended to purchase, and after inspection, she indeed discovered that the problem lay with the raw materials.

"This material can no longer be used; using it again would greatly damage our reputation," said Yamabuki Chidori.

The raw material purchasing worker looked bitter. "But... we've already signed a contract with them, and we have to use their fabrics for the next few years... otherwise we'll have to pay them a huge penalty for breach of contract!"

Wang Defa???

Could I be cursed?

Why is all I hear about losing money this morning?

In truth, given his abilities and prestige, he could easily terminate the contract, but how can you be so forceful in business? If he really dared to unilaterally terminate the contract, who would dare to cooperate with them in the future?

When it comes to interpersonal relationships and social dynamics, force often cannot resolve the issues.

Before this matter was resolved, news came from the factory that someone was causing trouble.

Just as the disturbance was being dealt with, news came that workers were injured, followed by food poisoning, and Yamabuki Chidori incurred a large medical bill!

When she got home that evening, Yamabuki Chidori felt completely drained!

What exactly is going on?

Could it be that I stole that Soul King's offerings, so he drew a circle to curse me? He can't be that petty, can he?

Not a single good thing happened all day. If this continues, my factory will go bankrupt in at most half a month.

Ōtōgawa Utsugi witnessed all of this.

Watching this despicable winner in life get overwhelmed with all sorts of problems, Ōtōgawa Utsugi felt a surge of satisfaction.

He used to complain about how useless his abilities were, saying they were of no help in battle.

But now he realizes that it's not only Zanpakuto that enhances combat power that are useful.

My own sword may not have any offensive power, but it's still quite formidable!

Most importantly, the ability to absorb wealth is practically mystical; even the Soul Society can't explain this strange phenomenon.

Naturally, the Yamabuki Chidori couldn't find it either.

Before Yamabuki Chidori could recover, there was a knock on her door. Was it Unohana returning?

It turned out that it wasn't Unohana who walked in, but Chōjirō Sasakibe.

"Sasakibe? How did you get here? I'm not in the mood to play with you today, and you'd better stay away from me. I've been having a run of bad luck these past few days," Yamabuki Chidori said with a wry smile.

Chōjirō Sasakibe said apologetically, "Brother Yamabuki, it seems you're going to be even more unlucky."

Yamabuki Chidori suddenly sat up and looked warily at Chōjirō Sasakibe.

Then, Chōjirō Sasakibe pulled a bill from his clothes and handed it to Yamabuki Chidori.

"What does this mean?" Yamabuki Chidori asked warily.

"Do you remember when you fought Captain Kumen'i Entetsu before, and you blew up a mountain? Actually, that mountain was privately owned. A Great Noble bought it and planted a lot of tea on it. As a result, the entire mountain was blown up, so naturally he wanted compensation from the Gotei 13... You blew up the mountain, so of course you have to pay the compensation!" Chōjirō Sasakibe said bitterly.

Yamabuki Chidori swallowed hard. "They're not going to deduct it from my salary again, are they?"

"Brother Yamabuki, you're really smart. The Captain Commander has decided to deduct it from your salary." Chōjirō Sasakibe chuckled dryly and handed over the ticket.

Yamabuki Chidori nearly vomited three liters of blood.

When will that be?

"How many years' worth of wages will it take to pay off this bill?" Yamabuki Chidori asked with difficulty.

Chōjirō Sasakibe pointed to the numbers on the bill. "About twenty years, I guess."

"Heh heh heh heh, I'm tired, let's destroy it!" Yamabuki Chidori's face was filled with despair.

For no apparent reason, I'm owed another twenty years' worth of wages?

God, are you deliberately playing a trick on me? Does it have to be this obvious?

Or maybe I should just run away and go to the Quincy!

But Yhwach's boss is just too unreliable. Working here might only result in owing some money, but working over there could mean losing your life. It's exhausting!

Ōtōgawa Utsugi were overjoyed to see the despair on Yamabuki Chidori's face.

Watching this spirited young man gradually turn into a pauper, how could I be so wise? When this bastard is completely broke, I'll reveal myself and tell him the truth. Surely he'll be furious then? I'll kill him then—that would be truly heartless.

I bet the boy's expression will be priceless!

"However, luck alone might not be enough! Let me add another one!" Ōtōgawa Utsugi drew his Zanpakuto again. "Bankai, Sīmìng."

P. S.: There's been a crackdown these past few days, so I can't post any more "welfare" content. All the previous pictures of girls in School Swimsuit have been taken down for rectification. I suspect some big shot got into trouble, so please bear with me.

Chapter 238: Bankai, the Sīmìng

Ōtōgawa Utsugi's Zanpakuto emitted an ethereal and elusive aura.

The Shikai ability "Poverty God" can absorb other people's wealth, turning them into penniless individuals, while the Bankai "Sīmìng" can devour the luck of a designated target, turning them into utterly unlucky individuals.

The distant Yamabuki Chidori felt a chill, as if something was flowing out of its body, but it couldn't quite put its finger on what it was.

Yamabuki Chidori rubbed her temples.

Why did all these unfortunate things suddenly come crashing down on me?

I always feel like the whole world is against me.

"Um... Brother Yamabuki, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. If there's anything I can help with, please let me know." Chōjirō Sasakibe put down the bill and left in a hurry.

Yamabuki Chidori looked at the bill in front of her and felt like crying.

"Yamabuki Chidori, this is just the beginning. The bad luck isn't over yet." Ōtōgawa Utsugi finally found the correct way to use his Zanpakuto.

All he had to do now was wait quietly here, watching the boy before him be tormented by fate.

"I'm doomed with this much debt," Yamabuki Chidori sighed, then her eyes gleamed. "You must think that's what I'm thinking, right? Ōtōgawa Utsugi."

No one can be unlucky forever. Yamabuki Chidori had been quite lucky since arriving in Soul Society, but yesterday it was as if she was possessed, and all her bad luck came at once.

If you eliminate all the impossibilities, then even the most outrageous result is the truth.

There is only one truth.

"Ōtōgawa Utsugi has probably already made a move against me, and he used an ability that I cannot understand." Yamabuki Chidori calmly looked at the ceiling.

Shijima Chiru once said that Ōtōgawa Utsugi never used his Zanpakuto's abilities during battle. Is it possible that it's not that he doesn't use his Zanpakuto's abilities, but rather that his Zanpakuto's abilities are of no help in combat?

For example, absorbing luck or something.

If my guess is true, then I can understand why I had such bad luck yesterday.

Furthermore, Unohana had mentioned something to herself: when she was about to go home after work, she sensed a very subtle murderous aura, but it quickly disappeared.

It seems Ōtōgawa Utsugi truly live up to their reputation as top-tier assassins; they've already located me based on the smallest clues. Could it be that they intend to use the power of his Zanpakuto to curse me to death?

Yamabuki Chidori looks quite dejected, but she is actually calmly analyzing the current situation. As expected of someone I have chosen, she is indeed quite capable.

"As for... what should we do about this bill? Should we pay it back or not?" Yamabuki Chidori looked helplessly at the bill in front of her.

Let's hide the bill for now and negotiate with this noble family after we've resolved this matter.

Yamabuki Chidori was about to hide the bill in the cabinet when her left leg suddenly cramped up as soon as she lifted her feet.

"Pain!!!"

Yamabuki Chidori slipped and hit her head on the corner of the table.

Yamabuki Chidori hurriedly reached out to steady the table, only to find that the meat-cutting knife on the table had somehow stood upright. Yamabuki Chidori pressed down on it, crushing the knife into a ball of iron.