The Shiba Clan had never feared danger.
There were always convictions in their hearts that mattered more than life itself.
That was true of Kaien, and Kūkaku was no exception.
If Shiraishi was willing to treat her as a partner and be honest with her, then naturally, she would risk her life alongside him, face danger together, never abandon him or give up, and live or die together until the very end.
But if he kept things from her, he could count her out.
Kūkaku Shiba would not give her life for someone who did not trust her. Her life was not so cheap.
"There really is nothing."
Shiraishi stuck to the same answer, without changing a word.
"Then get out of my house!" Kūkaku Shiba replied in a low voice, turning her back on him.
"Sorry." A trace of helplessness crossed Shiraishi's face. To explain everything, he would have to reveal how he knew Aizen had a cloak that concealed Reiatsu.
He would also have to explain how he knew Aizen was conducting the Hollowfication Experiment.
Even if he could make up lies to explain those things away, there was one final problem he absolutely could not get around.
They could not beat Aizen.
Even without Kyōka Suigetsu's ability, Aizen could cut Kūkaku down with nothing more than a Shunpo and a basic attack.
As for Shiraishi, he could withstand two blows at most.
He was not selling himself short. The hard numbers were right there.
His status panel showed a Reiatsu intensity of 6,200, meaning a full-power slash dealt 6,200 Reiatsu in damage.
On top of that, his Zanpakuto Infinity had a chance to land a critical hit, doubling his attack when it triggered.
There were also the boosts from Yasuo's four skills and the passive effect of Way of the Wanderer.
With all those factors combined, his current maximum attack could reach a Reiatsu intensity of 15,000 in a single slash.
The problem was that those extra boosts needed him to hold out a little longer before they could take effect.
If he was killed the moment they met, he would not even be able to use two of his skills, let alone trigger Infinity's chance-based critical hit.
By his estimate, his hero level needed to reach sixteen before his Reiatsu intensity could surpass that of Aizen as a Shinigami.
That was because his Reiatsu increased by converting the experience gained toward his hero level.
For example, going from level nine to level ten required 1,350 experience, so after leveling up, his Reiatsu intensity would increase by 1,350. Following that pattern, level sixteen should be enough to deal with Shinigami Aizen.
Until then, he could not go out of his way to provoke Aizen. The right course was to act as though he did not know Aizen was behind the scenes and lie low while leveling up.
As for the proposal to join forces with others against Aizen, there was no point even considering it.
He was a Seireitei criminal wanted by the Stealth Force. What could he possibly use to challenge the reputation of the dutiful Fifth Division captain?
"Thank you for your hospitality last night. I'll repay you someday for the meal and the night's lodging."
"Sigh."
Kūkaku Shiba sighed softly, her heart softening. She turned around and called after him as he walked away, "Where are you planning to go?"
"Where the wind takes me."
Shiraishi made it sound carefree, but the truth was he had no destination at all. How could he have imagined he would have to leave the Shiba Clan so soon?
Where was he supposed to go from here?
He did not know. He would take it one step at a time.
Kūkaku Shiba folded her arms and said, "There's an odd-jobs shop in Stone Village, in West District 4. The owner's name is Ichirō Yagyū, and he handles all kinds of work. Go ask him; you might find somewhere you want to go."
"Mm, thanks." Shiraishi nodded, deciding to take her advice and visit the odd-jobs shop.
"Those clothes of yours are too conspicuous. I have a set of my eldest brother's casual clothes you can wear."
"No need. I'm not changing out of these clothes."
Shiraishi declined her kind offer. These clothes had materialized from his Zanpakuto Infinity's Shikai. They closely resembled Yasuo's prestige skin, could repair themselves, and added flashy, exclusive golden effects to his skills.
Besides, they also increased his critical hit chance by a little. Even that little was enough to keep him from changing out of them.
At a crucial moment, that slight increase might well trigger a critical hit, end a fight in an instant, and save his life.
"All right. Head straight north from here and you'll reach Stone Village. Ichirō Yagyū's house is across from the tiled-roof house."
"Until we meet again, if fate allows." Shiraishi waved, turned around, and used Steel Tempest to leave.
He raced across the vast plain. A brown rock face loomed larger before him, blocking out the entire sky.
Just before he hit it, he pushed off with both feet and leaped straight from the ground, soaring over the mountaintop like a great roc spreading its wings.
The magnificent mountains and rivers of West District 4 came into view. Layer upon layer of mountains, lush forests, and crisscrossing yellow-earth roads formed a landscape as beautiful as an ink painting.
Shiraishi kicked off the air and used Steel Tempest again, streaking across the sky like a meteor before landing on another mountaintop, not having traveled too far.
Using mountains and rivers as stepping stones and jumping freely from place to place like this was rather fun.
With nothing else to do, he did not mind playing a little longer.
Time passed slowly, and the sunlight grew somewhat hot. He landed in the shade of a tree and took off his leather jacket, short white shirt, crossbody bag, and trousers.
He did not spare his sneakers or socks, either.
Only his underpants remained.
All because a circular lake lay before him, surrounded by mountains, its surface sparkling in the sunlight.
It would be a real shame not to enjoy a swim in such a beautiful lake.
Not wanting to leave himself with regrets, he jumped into a tree, then sprang down from it. Cool lake water brushed against his skin, and as he dived deep, he gulped down quite a bit of water.
The lakes in Soul Society were all safe to drink from directly, without any filtering.
Souls without spiritual power survived by drinking water.
In the outer Rukongai districts with higher numbers, water was treated as a commodity and hard currency.
People often killed one another over the right to use a river. They were far worse off than people in a lower-numbered Rukongai district like West District 4.
It had lakes, mountains, and rivers-everything one could want. The only blemish was the lack of wild animals.
From the moment the Seireitei was established, all wild animals had been taken in and reduced to domesticated animals.
Some were served as food at the table, some were held in people's arms as pets, and others were thrown into arenas to fight for people's amusement.
As a result, the wilds of Soul Society had grown exceptionally quiet. Not even a single birdcall could be heard.
There was not a single fish in the lake, either.
Once Shiraishi had played enough, he climbed out of the lake and shook his head, scattering droplets from the ends of his hair. Then he took off his underpants, intending to wring them dry.
An unusual flow of Reishi drifted into the basin on the north wind. He instinctively looked north and extended his spiritual senses in that direction, immediately detecting a Reiatsu unlike a Shinigami's.
That hollow, empty sensation, as though it would suck his soul into it, was a characteristic unique to a Hollow's Reiatsu.
Was there a Hollow ahead?
Shiraishi started, feeling that he was in luck. He hurriedly dressed himself, grabbed his Zanpakuto, and used Steel Tempest to head toward the Hollow's Reiatsu.
He was not in such a hurry because he feared the Hollow would cause destruction. He simply wanted to get ahead of the Shinigami and finish the Hollow off.
If he was too slow, the Shinigami would take care of the Hollow.
He was not about to let experience that was within his grasp slip away.