Yoriichi did not speak immediately.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy.
Ginjo walked over to the bar, where Giriko had already poured two glasses of juice. He picked one up but did not drink, merely watching the ice cubes in the glass.
"Do you know how Fullbringers come into being?"
"Their mothers are attacked by Hollows during pregnancy, leaving Hollow power within the children."
Yoriichi said, "Inoue and Chad have similar powers too."
Ginjo looked a little surprised.
"It seems you know quite a bit."
"Urahara told me."
"That man really does know everything."
Ginjo smiled, but there was little humor in his expression.
"Since you understand Fullbring, you should know that we didn't choose these powers."
Yoriichi looked at the others in the hall.
Riruka hugged a stuffed toy, Jackie leaned against the wall, and Yukio picked up his game console again. Giriko stood behind the bar, slowly stroking his pocket watch.
No one objected.
"When I was very young, I could hear the voices of objects."
Ginjo gripped the cross around his neck.
A faint spiritual glow surfaced on the cross, then quickly disappeared.
"Later, Soul Society chose me to become the first Substitute Soul Reaper."
Yoriichi's gaze shifted slightly.
"The first?"
"That's right."
Ginjo took an old badge out of his coat and casually tossed it onto the table.
Its shape was very similar to Ichigo's, though the design on its surface was somewhat different, and its edges showed obvious wear.
"Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't the first."
"Before him, I cleared out a lot of Hollows for Soul Society and saved quite a few Soul Reapers. They praised my abilities and even called me a bridge between the World of the Living and Soul Society."
Yoriichi picked up the Substitute Badge.
There was a complex layer