"Do you remember Miss Utagawa from back then?"
Urahara Kisuke spoke in a deep voice. "Back then, the Tsunayashiro family went so far as to have one of their own marry Miss Utagawa just to get close to her. For the proud Tsunayashiro family, this ractically an insult."
"That's true," Yoruichi couldn't help but sneer as she recalled the Tsunayashiro family's behavior. "Those people think anyone who isn't a noble is trash. Not just ordinary Shinigami—even lower nobles are sidered garbage to them."
"For them to sider someone human, they'd have to be at least an upper noble."
"Exactly," Urahara agreed. "Don't you think this situation is simir?"
"How is it simir?" Yoruichi pin. "The Haruki family has always been a vassal of the Tsunayashiro family. Isn't it normal for the main family to give them orders?"
"True. Based on this alone, I'm only about 30% certain," Urahara said. "But when you bi with his personal experiences and... his versation with Aizen, I'm almost certain..."
"Even if Haruki doesn't have a fragment of the Soul King in his soul, at least the Tsunayashiro family and Aizen believe he does."
"And it's probably not just an ordinary fragment."
Urahara's gaze grew profound.
If it were just an ordinary fragment, it might prompt the Tsunayashiro family to act, but Aizen likely wouldn't be so... ied.
"I don't get you," Yoruichi sighed after listening to Urahara.
"Whatever, do as you please. How do you pn to handle Haruki Murakami?"
"Let's start with surveilnce," Urahara said with a bitter smile. "Aizen's attitude toward Haruki is probably also 'observation.' If we try to make a move on him, Aizen won't just sit bad let us."
"Then I'll do it? But my identity might be exposed by him."
At this point, Yoruichi grew even more puzzled.
"How did he find me?"
Yoruichi's transformation into a bck cat was a secret teique of the Shihōin family. Under normal circumstances, no one should be able to detect it.
Yet, as soon as she appeared near Haruki, the guy picked her up.
"I'm not an omnist god," Urahara said with a wry smile. "How would I know?"
In fact, he had also been discovered.
If Haruki might have detected Yoruichi by sensing spiritual pressure, what about him?
He had used a cloak that cealed spiritual pressure and added some stealth Kidō to it.
Once worn, it made him practically invisible. No one should have been able to detect him.
Yet, as soon as he approached, Haruki g him and immediately noticed.
Urahara had full fiden his iions.
In fact, it recisely Haruki's performahat made Urahara more ined to believe his earlier statements.
His suspi that Haruki possessed a fragment of the Soul King grew even stronger.
Because among the Soul King's powers, the most renowned was the legendary ability to see through everything.
Urahara didn't know what Haruki's goals were, nor did he know what Aizen wao use Haruki for. But he khat Haruki would undoubtedly be an important figure moving forward and had to be kept under surveilnce.
At the very least, he o be monitored in the human world.
"Don't worry. Even if Mr. Haruki discovers you, he probably won't say anything."
Urahara said.
Sure enough, just as Urahara had predicted, Yoruichi monitored Haruki for three days, during which Haruki made no further attempts to expose her.
Haruki's as during these three days also left Yoruichi somewhat baffled.
After leaving, Haruki didn't do much. After putting on the Gigai, he simply wandered around Karakura Town, not at all like someone on a secret mission.
Then, on this day, Haruki once again arrived at the Ishida family's doorstep.
He easily infiltrated the estate.
In the fifth training ground, Haruki sat on a tree, watg Sōken Ishida training hard below.
He didn't know how old Sōken was, but he guessed he wasn't yet an adult.
pared to him, a man in his forties, Sōken ractically a "child."
The greatest advantage of being a Shinigami was...
a long lifespan.
For someone like Haruki, who feared death, this was a tremendous boon.
In other stories, people went to great lengths to achieve immortality, but for him, it was almost within reach.
Just look at Xu Fu, who killed a phoenix and then a dragon in his quest for immortality, only to end up losing both his immortality and his life.
Haruki only then his soul, and his lifespan would increase.
Someone like Yamamoto could live for three or four thousand years without issue.
Orochimaru from door would be green with envy!
In a few decades, Sōken would bee an old man, while Haruki would remain unged.
Haruki shook his head. The Quincy of the Wandenreich were different—they were all turies-old monsters, but because they maintaiheir spiritual forms in the Soul Society, they showed no signs of aging.
Those with flesh-and-blood bodies were iably bound by the passage of time.
Tsk, Haruki felt like he was turning into a poet, his heart growing increasingly seal.
He shook his head, then jumped down from the tree.
He nded right in front of Sōken, who ractig Hirenkyaku, startling the young Quincy.
Sōkeo the ground, looking at Haruki in shock. "You... who are you?"
Haruki scratched his head, ag "fused." "Strange, where am I?"
Then, he looked at Sōken and said, "You... are you a Quincy?"
"Huh?" Sōken said in surprise. "Of course I'm a Quincy. I'm Sōken Ishida. Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Kurosaki Kōun, also a Quincy, from the Kurosaki family. I've heard of your Ishida family—a rare pureblood line." Haruki clicked his tongue.
That's right. He had no iion of befriending the Quincy as a Shinigami.
The only way to befriend a Quincy was to be a Quincy yourself.
However, this method could only be used on Sōken.
First, Sōken was still young and wouldn't be able to tell if Haruki was truly a Quincy.
Sed, Sōken's soul ability was Ior of the Quincy. As long as Haruki raised his favorability to at least 60, he could use Quincy abilities in front of the Ishida family.
This way, his identity would be more or less firmed.
So, when Sōken drew his bow and asked Haruki to do the same, Haruki simply sighed.
"Sorry, I've used the Quincy's final form and have pletely lost my Quincy powers."
"I... am no longer a Quincy."
