Scams in the New Era / Kind and Adorable

Kuchiki Ginrei vaguely seemed to hear a familiar voice, and turned slightly to look towards the alley, but saw nothing.

"What should I do?" Kuchiki Ginrei had absolutely no idea what to do when her stomach growled.

"Let's find somewhere to eat first!" Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly realized that she didn't know where she should eat. Back home, servants would bring food up at mealtimes, and someone would clear away the dishes afterward.

However, eating out would cost money, right? Kuchiki Ginrei took out his purse, weighed it in his hand, and thought, "I've never spent any money in my life. This should be enough for me for two or three days, right?"

This young master had no idea what it meant to keep one's wealth hidden. The moment he pulled out his money pouch, many people on the street stared at it with burning eyes.

This bag of money is enough for an average family of three to live on for two or three months; it's a considerable sum.

Fortunately, Kuchiki Ginrei finally found a place to eat.

The restaurant manager, seeing the young master dressed in aristocratic attire, approached with a broad smile, "What would you like to eat, young master?"

Kuchiki Ginrei had never ordered food for herself before. After a moment of hesitation, she reached into her purse, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed it to the manager. "Just something to fill my stomach."

The store manager's eyes nearly popped out when he saw the money; it was almost equivalent to ten days' worth of his revenue!

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you eat your fill! Chef, we've got a big job coming up!"

Kuchiki Ginrei casually placed her purse on the table, completely unsuspecting.

In his educational philosophy, nobles do not steal; that is the behavior of petty people. Therefore, from childhood to adulthood, his Teacher have always told him that he must never steal other people's things.

Therefore, Kuchiki Ginrei instinctively believed that everyone in the world had received the same education as her, and that everyone was a gentleman, so why would they steal?

Soon, the manager placed a pile of food in front of Kuchiki Ginrei: steaming hot ramen, fresh fish slices, miso soup, grilled pork, and some vegetables and fruits—a whole table full.

Kuchiki Ginrei picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and frowned slightly. It didn't taste good.

The food cooked in this ordinary little shop is of course not as good as the food that the Kuchiki Clan carefully prepares for their patriarch. The chefs who usually cook for him are the best chefs in Seireitei.

"Well, it's good enough to fill our stomachs! Gathering intelligence is the most important thing now." Kuchiki Ginrei sighed slightly. This was probably the kind of food commoners ate.

Kuchiki Ginrei ate the food little by little, just like taking medicine.

Just then, a young mother and child walked in from outside. The mother looked to be only twenty years old, and the child was only about five or six years old. Their clothes were patched and worn, and their faces were miserable and haggard.

"Shopkeeper, could you give me a bowl of buckwheat noodles? I've been starving for so long! I can refuse to give you food, but could you please have pity on this child?" The woman looked at the shopkeeper with a pleading expression, while the shopkeeper, expressionless, calculated the day's revenue without even looking up.

Kuchiki Ginrei's gaze was drawn to the woman, and seeing her kneeling and pleading, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

"No, no, no! I have a more important mission now. If we don't kill Adjuchas in time, even more people will die at his hands!" Kuchiki Ginrei gently patted her face.

Just then, a fierce-looking man walked by, carrying a whip, and coldly looked at the woman. "What are you doing here! Hurry up and go home to cook!"

Chapter 56: New Era Scams

"What are you doing here? Hurry up and go home and cook! Do you want to starve me to death?" The man raised the whip in his hand and lashed it hard across the woman's back, and blood immediately gushed out.

The woman, clutching her child, dared not resist, crying as she said, "We have no money left. You gambled it all away, and we don't even have a grain of rice left. There's nothing I can do!"

"You still dare to argue!" The man raised his whip and lashed the woman three times. The woman lay on the ground screaming in agony, and the little boy in her arms also started to cry.

"Stop crying! It annoys me to hear you cry! Shut up!" The man raised the whip in his hand, ready to lash the little boy. The little boy was very clever. As soon as he saw his father was about to hit him, he immediately scrambled out of his mother's arms and ran around in all directions.

Kuchiki Ginrei frowned, looking at her mother whose back was covered in blood from being beaten, and a surge of anger welled up in her heart.

It is utterly unforgivable for a grown man to use such methods to harm women.

Looking around, the other diners watched this scene with amusement, as if they were watching a play, and no one was willing to lend a hand.

"Are people's hearts all so cold?" Kuchiki Ginrei frowned. Just then, the little boy who had been chased and whipped ran up to him, and the man raised his hand and lashed out with the whip without saying a word.

Unable to bear it any longer, Kuchiki Ginrei reached out and grabbed the whip.

"They are your wife and son, aren't they? Is this how you treat your wife and children?" Kuchiki Ginrei said coldly.

The man seemed somewhat indignant. He noticed that his son had already hidden behind Kuchiki Ginrei, and he also noticed that Kuchiki Ginrei was wearing aristocratic clothing. He snorted coldly.

"It's none of your business if I hit my wife and son!" The man said, though he didn't let go of the whip. He grabbed his son with one hand and his wife with the other, and said coldly, "You're just making a fool of yourself here. Get out of here now!"

The three of them then left the small restaurant.

Kuchiki Ginrei noticed bright red bloodstains on her hands, likely left by a mother on a whip when she was injured.

Kuchiki Ginrei suddenly realized that the lives of ordinary people were completely different from what he had learned.

From childhood, his Teacher told him that in Soul Society, Seireitei was the most important, and the ordinary people of Rukongai were just tools; whether they lived or died was irrelevant, and there was no need to care about them.

But today, Kuchiki Ginrei discovered that these ordinary people are also flesh-and-blood human beings.

It seems this trip wasn't in vain; I've gained quite a few insights!

He wiped the blood from his hands, finished the unpalatable food, and prepared to leave with his purse, but...

"Where's my money???" Kuchiki Ginrei stared at the empty table.

He remembered very clearly that his money bag was right there, but why was the money gone?

Kuchiki Ginrei was stunned for a full minute before suddenly remembering the family of three: the abusive husband, the beaten wife, and the child running around.

"Could it be...?"

"Hahaha! This young master from a noble family is so easily fooled! He succeeded so easily!" The woman who had looked miserable and covered in blood just moments before was now laughing loudly.

The little boy took out a large money bag from behind his back; it contained the money from the Kuchiki Ginrei.

"In this world, there are still such kind-hearted fools, so easily moved by compassion. They wouldn't survive in this world!" the man laughed loudly.

This was clearly a ruse, all for the sake of that bag of money they had.

"This money is enough for us to squander for months! What do you want to eat tonight?" the man said smugly.

"Let's stir-fry the meat with rattan cane."

A strange voice suddenly appeared behind the three of them. The man was slightly startled and quickly turned around, only to see a young boy and girl standing behind him.

Upon discovering that both men were carrying knives, the man quickly hid the money behind his back and said with a forced smile, "What brings you two here?"

Looking at the family of three in front of her, Yamabuki Chidori looked utterly exhausted. Couldn't they even see through such a simple scam?

Originally, men hit women to attract attention, then children would run around causing chaos, and finally, one of the children would steal the money. These are tricks from many years ago; why do people still use them now?

And some people actually fell for it after using it!

The man noticed that the young boy and girl in front of him were not speaking. Just as he was about to leave, suddenly his vision blurred and someone grabbed his neck.

The girl with the eye patch and pigtails grinned maliciously at him. "I already said we'd eat cane stir-fried with meat, how can you leave? You dare to lie to my people!"

The man turned pale; he had really messed up!

Could these two be the young master's servants?

The woman realized something was wrong, grabbed her child, and ran away immediately.

"One of the Bakudo, blocking."

The woman was instantly handcuffed and forced to the ground, her face filled with terror.

Yamabuki Chidori didn't stand on ceremony with her. She came up behind the woman and tore open the back of her clothes.

The woman's back was smooth as jade, without a single scar. When Yamabuki Chidori picked up the whip, she realized that the blood was actually on the whip itself. When it struck a person, the blood would splatter, making it look as if the person's skin had been torn open.

"You guys certainly know how to have fun!" Yamabuki Chidori said, both amused and exasperated. "But since you like playing with whips, how about trying mine?"

Yamabuki Chidori slowly raised her right hand. This little thing wasn't enough to kill anyone, but it would teach them a lesson and make them remember it!

It is because of people like these that there are fewer and fewer people in this world willing to do good deeds.

"I... we know we were wrong... we'll never do it again... please let us go..." The woman trembled with fear.

"I'm not some kind of demon. If you're still alive after I lash you out with this whip, I'll let you go!" Yamabuki Chidori flicked her wrist, and the whip lashed out at the wall. The tip of the whip was like a sharp blade, scraping a straight mark on the wall, two inches deep. If this whip were to hit a person, it would leave them covered in bruises!

The woman's face turned deathly pale; she was too terrified to speak.

Just as Yamabuki Chidori was about to make her move, the little boy suddenly stepped forward and blocked his mother's path.

Although he was also very scared, and although he was trembling all over, he still resolutely stood in front of his mother and Yamabuki Chidori.

"Hmm? What do you mean by this? Are you taking the punishment voluntarily? I don't care who goes first or last, it's all the same! But Younger Brother, one lash of my whip and you'll die. Are you sure you want to keep standing here?" Yamabuki Chidori laughed.

Chapter 57: Kind and Adorable

The little boy was so frightened by the scene before him that he couldn't speak. Tears streamed down his face, and he didn't have the strength to wipe his nose. Even so, he stood firmly in front of his mother.

"Alright, you're young but bold. If you don't move an inch after I whip you, I'll let you go!" Yamabuki Chidori slowly raised the whip in her hand.

The child was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, but still opened his arms wide.

Yamabuki Chidori suddenly swung the long whip in her hand!

The child instantly felt his breath stop; an indescribable fear erupted from his heart, coursing through every cell of his body, rendering him unable to move!

After a long while, he realized that he seemed to still be alive.

"Alright, that's the end of the whipping. From now on, we're even. But I'm not taking this!" Yamabuki Chidori said, taking the money pouch.

The child opened his eyes, found himself unharmed, and reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead, only to discover...

I've gone bald!

My hair was shaved off cleanly, as if it had been cut off with a razor!

Seemingly sensing something, the child turned around stiffly. He saw an abandoned building behind him that had been cleanly sliced in half diagonally, the cut-off portion disappearing silently, like a painting that had been erased.

That's when he realized how lucky he was!

What does it mean to escape death?

That's what you call escaping death!

"You two, since you have a child, you should stop doing things like swindling and cheating! You were lucky to run into me this time, but you won't be so lucky next time." Yamabuki Chidori weighed the money bag in her hand.

The family of three was so frightened they couldn't speak, they just kept nodding.

Saitō Fubōfu waved his hand, throwing the man to the ground, and then turned and left with Yamabuki Chidori.

It took a long time for the family of three to finally recover.

The woman, trembling all over, held her son tightly. "Mako, are you alright?"

The child didn't answer his mother; he just stared blankly in the direction the two grim reapers had left.

Holding her money pouch, Yamabuki Chidori sighed and found a restaurant, intending to sit down and have a drink.

"You still have the mind to sit here? Hurry up and return the money to Kuchiki Ginrei, he must be very anxious right now, right?" Saitō Fubōfu said.

"Why should I give him the money? This is extra money I got from a swindler. Who can prove that this bag of money belongs to the Kuchiki Ginrei?" Yamabuki Chidori rolled her eyes. As the saying goes, one learns from one's mistakes. People are destined to lose something before they can understand.

Returning the money to Kuchiki Ginrei now wouldn't be enough to make him remember the pain.

"You..." Saitō Fubōfu gritted her teeth and looked at Yamabuki Chidori. She wanted to reduce the difficulty of the mission for her successor as much as possible, but the final decision was in Yamabuki Chidori's hands. The Captain Commander entrusted this matter to Yamabuki Chidori, and only if Yamabuki Chidori nodded could Kuchiki Ginrei become the Captain the Sixth Division.

"Don't worry, he has Captain-level strength, after all. A grown man like him won't starve to death." Yamabuki Chidori took out two coins from her purse and placed them on the table. "Shopkeeper, bring up your best sake and a plate of your finest pastries."

After receiving the money, the shopkeeper brought out the wine and snacks with great enthusiasm.

"Don't just sit there! Eat something!" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Seeing Saitō Fubōfu sulking beside her, Yamabuki Chidori laughed and said, "If you don't eat them, they're all mine!"

"Who says I won't eat? That's my money! Why shouldn't I eat it?" Saitō Fubōfu, sat down and drank and ate his snacks in large gulps. Although he was still angry, the food was really delicious!

Just then, Kuchiki Ginrei happened to pass by the restaurant, her face extremely grim.

Flowers that have always grown in a greenhouse are being brutally beaten by society for the first time, leaving them battered and bruised.

I was just trying to help the woman who was being bullied, but it turns out that the man and woman were in cahoots, and that child and his whole family were lying to deceive people. How could these people be so wicked!

Before even finding Adjuchas, all the money he was carrying had been stolen. What should he do now? Go home to get more money?

An idea popped into Kuchiki Ginrei's head!

"But... I made a promise before I left, it would be too embarrassing to go back now! Those Old Man would laugh at me!" Kuchiki Ginrei couldn't bring herself to say it, "If we don't find a way to get the money back, we won't even have money for lodging! Are we going to have to sleep on the streets?"

Kuchiki Ginrei looked at the homeless people lying in the alley, their bodies filthy, with occasional dangerous expressions on their faces.

The thought of sleeping crammed together with these homeless people made Kuchiki Ginrei tremble. He usually slept under the finest velvet quilts, and in winter he had a fireplace to warm the quilts. Sometimes the maids in his family would also help him warm the quilts. These were all normal things for Great Noble, Kuchiki Ginrei didn't think there was anything wrong with it!

Now, where should I go to find the family that stole my money?