Urahara Shop.
When Yoriichi pushed open the shop door, Jinta Hanakari was chasing Ururu Tsumugiya with a feather duster.
"I told you, I cleaned that area! Stop coming over here and messing it up!"
"B-but, Jinta, you didn't clean it properly..."
Ururu Tsumugiya hugged her broom and objected quietly.
Jinta's eyes immediately widened.
"What did you say?"
"Jinta."
Yoriichi called out to stop him.
Jinta turned around, nearly dropping the feather duster in his hand.
"Yoriichi? When did you get back?"
"Last night."
Yoriichi looked inside the shop.
"Is Mr. Urahara here?"
"He's in the back."
Jinta wanted to ask more, but Yoriichi had already walked around the shelves toward the Japanese-style room at the back.
He had not notified Ichigo or the others of his return to the World of the Living.
Sōya Azashiro could merge with air, buildings, and human bodies. If ordinary people became involved, they would not even know where the enemy was.
Until he confirmed Azashiro's intentions, Yoriichi did not intend to let them take that risk.
Inside the room, Kisuke Urahara knelt beside a low table, a pot of freshly brewed tea set before him.
"You're here sooner than I expected, Captain Yoriichi."
He raised his folding fan and gestured to the spot opposite him with a smile.
"Have a seat. The tea is still hot."
Yoriichi sat down but did not touch his teacup.
"Has anything unusual happened in Karakura Town lately?"
Kisuke Urahara's smile faded.
"Yesterday afternoon, a man wearing a white straitjacket came here."
"Sōya Azashiro."
"So Soul Society already knows."
Kisuke Urahara gently turned his teacup and continued, "He didn't hide his identity or attack. He only asked whether I had kept any records from the research institute in Hueco Mundo."
"What is he looking for?"
"I don't know."
Kisuke