Shiraishi arrived at the Odd Jobs and reached out to pull open the wooden door.
The first person to catch the eye was a charming young woman with a black mole on her lip, wearing a black and purple kimono.
She knelt on a prayer mat, with a low table in front of her.
A person sat on the east side and the south side of the low table.
A thin old man who looks to be in his seventies or eighties, and a bright young girl of twelve or thirteen.
The family was gathered around a low table, and the atmosphere seemed harmonious and warm.
Shiraishi felt he had arrived at an inopportune time and was leaving too late, so he decided to stay. He closed the sliding door and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yagyū, for disturbing you while you were having lunch."
"It's alright." The old man spoke, putting down his chopsticks, glancing left and right, and saying in a stern voice, "You may go to the other side."
"Hi." The two women stood up from the prayer mat without any complaints, clearly not the first time they had encountered such a situation.
"Please take a seat, guest." Ichirō Yagyū greeted him with a broad smile.
Meals can be eaten later, but guests shouldn't be kept waiting.
In their line of work, good service is extremely important, lest you anger some bad-tempered customers and get your head chopped off.
Shiraishi took off his sneakers in the entryway and walked forward, glancing at two women passing by.
They are my wives and concubines.
Ichirō Yagyū explained, "I will absolutely not reveal your information to anyone."
"Oh, Mr. Yagyū is truly still going strong for his age."
Looking at his age, Shiraishi couldn't help but remark that the two women looked old enough to be his daughters or granddaughters.
"Haha." Ichirō Yagyū chuckled, looking quite pleased with himself. "Having Spiritual Power is a wonderful thing. It allows an aging body to still unleash vigorous energy, unlike those who have no Spiritual Power."
Even if he looks young and strong, he lacks any reproductive drive and can't get an erection.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone on like this. May I ask what you needed me for?"
Seeing his disapproval, Ichirō Yagyū immediately stopped rambling and got straight to the point.
Shiraishi stated his requirements, "I want to find a quiet place to live, not too far away, preferably where Hollows frequently appear, as I enjoy fighting Hollows."
"Have you committed any crime? Please don't misunderstand, I'm just asking to make better arrangements."
Ichirō Yagyū's business was extensive, serving not only criminals who violated the rules of Seireitei, but also the nobles of Seireitei.
Or rather, the latter was his most important client.
This is the biggest difference between him and the men from Adachi in West District Three and West District 5.
He was not a traitor, but a lackey providing various services to the Seireitei nobles.
Therefore, he would never appoint a traitor who wanted to rebel against the Seireitei.
Shiraishi didn't hide anything and truthfully stated, "In a moment of impulse, I killed Hasegawa Taizo, the Fifth Seat of the Stealth Force, in the West District Three."
Ichirō Yagyū suddenly realized, his smile becoming even more respectful, "Oh, so you are Lord Shiraishi."
My apologies, I do have a place that meets your requirements, but you'll need to pay a referral fee of 5,000 rings.
Upon hearing the exorbitant fee, Shiraishi's lips twitched. He had been working in the West District Three for four years.
For the first three years, due to the language barrier, I was ripped off by unscrupulous nobles. Not only did I not earn a single penny, but I also owed them two thousand for food expenses.
It wasn't until the fourth year, when communication was no longer an obstacle, that he started to earn money, though not much.
"Could you make the price cheaper? All I have right now is 3,800 rings."
Shiraishi opened his crossbody bag, took out a large wad of banknotes, and laid them all out on the table.
"This..."
Ichirō Yagyū stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I'm sorry, five thousand rings is the lowest price I can offer."
To ensure you remain undetected by the Projection Hall in West District Ten, I need to bribe the officers in charge of surveillance at the Research and Development Institute.
How about this? I've heard about what you've done in the West District Three, so you shouldn't renege on your debts. How about we pay you the difference later?
Shiraishi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, no problem. I'll find a job locally to repay the debt."
Ichirō Yagyū smiled, reached out and took the ring banknote, glanced at it briefly to confirm that it was 3,800 rings, and continued, " The Shinigami in charge of the West District Ten is the son of an acquaintance of mine. He has a gentle personality and does not like fighting. He was sent to the Thirteenth Division because his family wanted to give him a prestigious title."
If you were to live there, and someone were to falsely claim credit for your achievements, he certainly wouldn't compete with you; he would simply take your credit for them. What do you think of that?
"I have no objection."
The experience gained from killing the void is a benefit that money cannot replace.
Shiraishi's status as a criminal, he doesn't expect the Seireitei to award him any trophies. "Boss Yagyū probably hired someone to help him kill Hollows there, right?"
"Yes, I arranged for people from the Outer Rukongai to be there before. When you go, if you find them in the way, you can kill them. Don't worry about any trouble."
Ichirō Yagyū's expression was gentle, as if he wasn't talking about killing people, but rather about killing a few chickens to liven up the drinking. "Those guys can't shake their beastly habits from their time in Outer Rukongai."
Shiraishi didn't like that tone. He frowned slightly and mumbled, "We'll see."
Ichirō Yagyū didn't continue on that topic, instead saying, "As long as it's not a member of the Stealth Force team going to that area and happens to run into you, I guarantee you can stay there for as long as you want without being discovered."
"Really? That would be wonderful."
Shiraishi isn't the type of person who enjoys wandering around; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed in the West District Three for four years without going to other areas much.
"I'll get you the map."
Ichirō Yagyū stood up, strode to the cabinet on the wall, took out a map from the third drawer, and turned back.
"This is Kawakami Saburō's garrison location in the West District Ten. When you get there, remember to greet him and tell him I asked you to come over."
"Okay." Shiraishi opened the map and saw that the starting point was the Odd Jobs, and the dotted line continued westward until it reached a mountain peak shaped like a bull's horn.
"I won't disturb your meal any longer, Mr. Yagyū."
"If there's anything you're unhappy about there, feel free to tell me. I'll bet you, in Odd Jobs might, I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Ichirō Yagyū bowed with a broad smile, straightened up, and found that Shiraishi was no longer in sight, nor were the sneakers in the entryway.
The window swayed slightly.
Shiraishi stepped out of the window and left Stone Village. With a goal in mind, he didn't maintain a slow pace, constantly using the Steel Tempest, moving forward in the gentle breeze.
There are no obvious landmarks between the different districts of Rukongai; instead, there are invisible markers.
Only Shinigami can sense that the concentration of Reishi decreases as you move further into the next zone.
Shiraishi sensed the changes in the surrounding Reishi. When he arrived at the West District Ten, he slowed down and began to refer to some road signs on the map.
Before even finding Ox Horn Mountain, his extended Spiritual Sense detected the reactions of several Reiatsu, "Truly blatantly brutal."
After making a complaint, he decided to go and say hello to his new neighbors.