Since imagination wasn't a controllable ability, Gremmy found it difficult to think deeply.
Although the name Tsukishima Shūkurō sounded somewhat familiar, it was at most a name he'd heard others mention in passing.
The fact that he hadn't paid it any mind indicated it wasn't important.
If he couldn't recall it, then so be it.
As he pondered, the group's actions of punching and kicking Tsukishima Shūkurō gradually subsided as their emotions were vented.
Gremmy still didn't step forward to help; it wasn't his task. He was merely observing whether this Shukuro had the potential to become a Quincy.
As it stood... absolutely not.
Too cowardly.
Even as a Fullbringer, even having mastered X-cution at such a young age.
Yet, when facing those who bullied him, he didn't even have the courage to resist.
With such a personality, even if he became a Quincy, he would surely be swayed by the Shinigami's sweet talk and easily defect.
There were already enough traitors within the Wandenreich; they couldn't add such an unstable element.
"The candidate is temporarily on hold. We'll reconsider when he's older. Even if we brought him to the Wandenreich now, he'd be useless and would needlessly attract the Shinigami's attention."
"Speaking of which, I heard there's an adoption system in the Human World, so..."
Gremmy suddenly thought of a possibility, and as his thoughts diverged, a person abruptly appeared beside him.
This person had a similar appearance to Gremmy; upon closer inspection, it was his older self.
Gremmy narrowed his eyes, musing:
"It wouldn't be bad to adopt him as a foster father, and not just him; all potential Fullbringers could be handled this way."
"But then, their birth parents would become the biggest obstacle... I'll find an opportunity to eliminate them all someday."
"If they die in an accident, even if their souls reach Soul Society, the Shinigami won't notice anything unusual."
The corners of Gremmy's mouth curved slightly upward; he was rarely this clever.
If he adopted so many Fullbringers, would the Shinigami discover a problem?
Couldn't he just create several more versions of himself?
Different races, different genders...
Even if the Shinigami had x-ray vision, they would never see through it.
Deciding to act on his thoughts, Gremmy left the park and began background checks on all Fullbringers in the city.
To increase efficiency, he split into dozens of duplicates, quickly spreading throughout Japan.
After he left.
Inside the park.
"Pah, kid, you're lucky. Remember, a jinx like you shouldn't even dream of making friends!"
A slightly taller, thuggish-looking teenager spat fiercely at Tsukishima Shūkurō, saying menacingly,
"All my friends are hospitalized because of you. One of them broke his right leg and still hasn't recovered."
"And after all that, you can still calmly read a book... Hmph!"
"Don't let me see you again, or I'll beat you every time I do!"
The threatening words entered his ears, but Tsukishima Shūkurō didn't respond. He merely curled up on the ground, clutching his book tightly.
The bookmark in the book now glowed faintly, as if proclaiming its extraordinary nature to everyone.
Tsukishima noticed this scene.
But he didn't reach out to touch it.
He knew this bookmark was actually a sword, capable of severing all things in the world, including people.
These people bullied him, and he should retaliate, but... his grandfather's words echoed in his ears.
He couldn't do that.
Seeing Tsukishima Shūkurō's timid demeanor, those around him thought he had learned his lesson and wouldn't dare to offend again.
They kicked him a few more times, cursing all the while, and then dispersed.
After the others had gone, Tsukishima Shūkurō slowly raised his head, brushed off the footprints and dust, and stood up from the ground.
He gazed in the direction they had left, his lips pressed together, then walked towards a corner of the park.
Sitting on the swing, he swayed back and forth, recalling what had just happened.
Grandfather is missing...
He discovered this last night. He hadn't told his parents; in fact, his parents didn't even know his grandfather was still alive.
In his parents' eyes, his grandfather had long since passed away, but Tsukishima knew that his grandfather was not only alive but also incredibly powerful.
He could turn invisible, breathe fire, and at over fifty years old, he still looked like he was thirty.
When those people bullied him before, it was his grandfather who taught them a lesson after turning invisible, but now...
"He must have something important to deal with, just like Mom and Dad..."
Tsukishima Shūkurō comforted himself with these thoughts.
Although he knew his grandfather wouldn't leave without a word, the facts were before him, and he could only think this way.
At least it offered him some psychological comfort.
He exhaled, the swing creaked, and his solitary shadow stretched little by little.
Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, whose major event had temporarily concluded, suddenly remembered Rinshiro Tsukishima.
Tokito Iwákatsu had already left. To avoid dying from Seeleschneider and having his power return to Yhwach, he was undergoing a dormant process.
Yoriichi looked at the three girls of the idol group before him and asked:
"Which of you knows Rinshiro Tsukishima?"
This name was completely unfamiliar to the three girls.
They exchanged bewildered glances.
Liltotto said:
"Who's that? A friend of yours? Sorry, I haven't heard of him. By the way, when will you fulfill what you promised us earlier?"
"Soon."
Since these individuals couldn't leave the Seireitei, Yoriichi briefly recounted Rinshiro Tsukishima's life story.
He also mentioned his disappearance last night.
The words "disappearance last night" caught Liltotto's attention. She recalled Haschwalth's instructions to her and cautiously said:
"I'll believe you for now. If he disappeared last night, I think he should be with Gremmy by now."
"Also, according to your description, he's a Fullbringer, so Gremmy and Haschwalth's next actions will likely unfold in the Human World."
"If you go to the Human World, you should be able to find him."
"Of course."
Liltotto paused, then changed her tone.
"What you'll find is him having become a Quincy. From what I remember, those two don't do meaningless things."
These words raised a hint of caution in Yoriichi's heart. Liltotto continued to slowly relay what she knew.
She understood Gremmy very well, an understanding that even surpassed her own self-knowledge.
Thus, combining this with the conversion of Menos Grande, Yoriichi realized.
In the future, the Wandenreich would likely begin capturing Fullbringers in the Human World, thereby causing Soul Society to be attacked on three fronts.
Upon hearing this, Yoriichi immediately prepared to act.
At this moment, Liltotto called out to him.
"Wait, first, fulfill the promise you made earlier."
"Given Haschwalth's cautious nature, he definitely won't let me go. How will you save me from Seeleschneider?"
"There are only two hours left."
"Also, is it true that I'll get to eat all the delicacies in the world? Remember, it's all of them."
Liltotto emphasized it specifically. In this world, only food and love should never be let down.
Love was something she couldn't get for now, but food, she definitely had to eat to her heart's content.
In the Wandenreich, she was practically bored to death; it was either sweets, burgers, or hot dogs. After hundreds of years of eating them, anyone would be fed up.
Yoriichi nodded affirmingly at her words: "Don't worry, it's just all the delicacies. At worst, I'll pay for it myself."
"As for whether you'll live, you needn't worry about that."
"Bazz-B and the others I captured decades ago are still alive and well; they've just temporarily lost their freedom."
"For you, as long as you can eat delicious food, it doesn't matter where you are, right?"
This was true. Anyway, life in the Wandenreich was like a cage, confined to the Inner Silver Frame City.
Although Soul Society was also restricted, at least she could experience new things in the Three Realms.
Twenty years later, His Majesty would revive.
If they won, the Shinigami would be annihilated. As a captive, it wouldn't be too late for her to return to the Wandenreich then.
If His Majesty lost, their cooperation now was for the sake of a better life in the future.
However, although Liltotto was very satisfied, Bambietta and Meninas McAllon didn't think so.
Bambietta stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of dissatisfaction, wanting to question why she didn't receive such treatment.
But as the words reached her lips, she realized that she hadn't actually asked for anything back then.
She surrendered faster than anyone, utterly spineless. Yoriichi didn't even have a chance to tempt her.
Thinking of this, Bambietta instantly looked like a frost-nipped eggplant, staring eagerly at Liltotto.
Her gaze seemed to ask if she could tag along.
Liltotto noticed her gaze, rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit helpless.
She asked Yoriichi: "Regarding Young Bambi's treatment, do you think it could be improved? Giselle was captured by her, after all."
"Of course, this is just a request. It's fine if you don't agree. Theoretically, as prisoners of war, we shouldn't make demands."
Yoriichi turned and glanced at Liltotto, also noticing Meninas McAllon's somewhat impatient look.
He nodded:
"You're quite clear-headed. Indeed, you were the only one who made demands of me back then."
"After all, you're their leader, so your treatment should naturally be different. However, I'm not unreasonable either."
Yoriichi paused, not continuing, but changed the subject, looking at Meninas McAllon:
"Meninas, you must really want to go back, right? I'm sorry, I lied to you before. Once you leave with me, the chance of safely returning to the Wandenreich drops to zero."
"At that critical juncture, the Seireitei was in peril, and I didn't want any complications, so I had no choice but to do that."
"But now, I can give you a chance."
Yoriichi paused, then stated the prepared explanation,
"Abandon your physical body and enter a Quincy-exclusive Gigai with your soul, and you can go back."
"The cost of doing so is that your appearance will be completely different from before, and you can no longer use your Sternritter."
"Because once you use it, Haschwalth will discover your true identity. At that time, without our help, you will surely die."
"What will you choose?"
No choice.
Hearing that the cost of returning was abandoning her physical body and giving up her Sternritter, Meninas decisively ruled out that option.
She knew she had been tricked, but she couldn't blame the other party.
If it were her, she would have done the same, but comparatively, she definitely wouldn't have given the other party a choice.
But Yoriichi did.
Gigai...
Was this what Yoriichi Tsugikuni used to deceive Haschwalth?
Meninas clenched her fists then released them, her heart filled with conflict.
After a long while, she sighed, finally admitting defeat.
Yoriichi saw Meninas accepting reality and nodded gently:
"It seems you've given up this choice. Very well, next, Bambietta."
"Yes."
Hearing Yoriichi was about to decide her future, Bambietta felt a bit nervous.
Her palms became sweaty, and her heart rate involuntarily quickened.
Yoriichi looked at her and said:
"Given your obedience and good performance, from today on, you will act with Liltotto."
"Liltotto will be responsible for filtering your requests, and finally, I will select a few to fulfill for you."
"Of course, this is limited to food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
Upon hearing this, Bambietta's fervent heart instantly cooled by half. She was a bit confused. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation, what did that mean?
Before she could even ask, Yoriichi clapped his hands, preparing to lead everyone away from the area:
"Alright, your subsequent arrangements have been settled. Now, follow me."
"Next, we'll seal your Sternritter to prevent Haschwalth from locating you."
"This is for your own safety."
"Do not resist."
...
Human World.
After arranging the Quincy, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's figure, along with the disappearing Senkaimon, appeared above a bustling city.
He did not gather his clones, in case the Wandenreich launched a second attack after he left.
At this moment, the setting sun was slowly descending in the west, and the blood-red afterglow dyed the sky a shade of orange-red.
Following the information Rinshiro Tsukishima had previously given him, Yoriichi quickly arrived at the Tsukishima family's residence.
Tsukishima Shūkurō had already returned. The twilight stretched his shadow into a long silhouette, and Yoriichi saw him.
"Tsukishima's grandson? He's grown so much."
"But why does he have so many bruises on his body? Did he fall, or..."
Yoriichi's brow furrowed slightly, and a certain guess flashed through his mind, but he did not rashly step forward to disturb him.
Although Tsukishima Shūkurō was a Fullbringer, he was still young and completely unaware of the existence of Shinigami.
His parents, needless to say, were both ordinary humans.
If they were to know about the existence of Shinigami, it might cause a great deal of trouble.
"Creak—"
Shukuro laboriously pulled open the gate to his own yard.
Perhaps he used too much force and pulled on his injured body, causing him to involuntarily gasp in pain.
He reached up, rolled up his sleeve to look at the bruises, and then quickly hid them again.
Seeing this, Yoriichi lowered his gaze slightly, lost in thought.
However, the subsequent actions of Shukuro's parents interrupted his thoughts and overturned some of his previous deductions.
"Shukuro, where have you been?"
"You're back so late, come and eat."
Their voices were gentle, and they didn't sound like people who would abuse a child.
Thus, there was only one possibility: these injuries were inflicted by outsiders.
Even bullying such a small child, Japan in the Human World truly had fallen into moral decay.
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes, a cold, stern glint flashing within them. He was filled with displeasure at such behavior and decided to stay for the time being.
He reached into his robe and pulled out a Soul Candy. This was Tokito Iwákatsu's soul core, with the Sternritter engraved upon it.
He stuffed it into a doll, and the doll immediately came to life.
Under Yoriichi's soft command, the doll skillfully created one miniature winged monitor after another.
These monitors quickly flew towards the residences of various Fullbringer on the map, quickly disappearing into the gradually darkening sky.
Once this was all done, nightfall enveloped the land.
Yoriichi pulled out a Soul Candy, and the next second, Seeleschneider descended.
But then, Seeleschneider failed.
Above the brightly lit city, Yoriichi sat quietly in the air.
He thought that if nothing went wrong, those Quincy should have escaped unscathed.
Seeleschneider, after all, was merely a means to locate Quincy through their bloodline and extract their power.
Without a bloodline, Seeleschneider was naturally impossible.
The Sternritter were no exception.
Yoriichi could even imagine Haschwalth's gloomy expression within the Wandenreich.
After all, he wasn't Yhwach.
Now, all he had to do was wait quietly for Gremmy to reveal himself.
Even if he couldn't capture him, he had to crush their hopes.
...
Meanwhile, near the Kurosaki residence.
Kurosaki Masaki was carrying a bento box, walking home.
Suddenly, an inexplicable pang of anxiety welled up in her heart.
She stopped, cautiously looking around.
However, apart from the occasional passerby, there was nothing unusual on the street.
Perhaps it was just an illusion.
It was strange, though. Since returning from the Soul Society, she had clearly felt a significant improvement in her observation and perception skills.
Not only could she clearly see the flight paths of mosquitoes and the instant raindrops fell, but she could even perceive people's hearts.
The first two, for her as a Quincy, could be achieved through daily training, but this perception of hearts...
Occasionally, she could hear others' thoughts and sense their emotions, such as jealousy, happiness, sadness, anger...
At first, she thought it was a hallucination, but as this situation became more frequent, she realized it was real.
She inquired with the Soul Society, and the answer she received was that this was likely one of the benefits of her previous soul mutation.
No one knew what it meant for a Quincy to possess five powers within her body.
Nor did anyone understand what ability the green spiritual pressure, representing the Fullbringer, within her body possessed.
Based on the performance of some Fullbringer, this might be a precursor to the awakening of her abilities.
Therefore, recalling these things, Kurosaki Masaki subconsciously dismissed her previous thought of it being an illusion.
A faint worry gnawed at her, and she quickened her pace, hurrying towards her doorstep.
The moment she closed the door, that subtle sense of being watched gradually dissipated.
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and immediately dialed Shiba Isshin's number, asking if it was an action by the Soul Society just now.
Upon hearing this, Shiba Isshin, clad in a bathrobe and standing by the window, froze, his teacup almost slipping from his hand.
No, what in the world were those guys from the Twelfth Division doing? They couldn't even monitor through a screen without errors?
Also, young lady, is your perception too keen?
Shiba Isshin muttered a few complaints to himself, then, as a Shinigami, he immediately pulled out his Denreishinki to contact the Soul Society.
Then, he froze again, his eyes wide, as if he had heard something incredible.
"What did you say? The Soul Society... no, the Seireitei was breached by a Menos Grande?"
"How could such a big event happen without me knowing anything?!"
"Where is Captain-Commander Tsugikuni, where is Captain-Commander Yamamoto? And where is Kisuke Urahara?"
Shiba Isshin's string of questions caused the operator on the other end of the Denreishinki to respond with a wry smile.
In short, it happened too suddenly, and there was no time to notify anyone.
From start to finish, it only took half a day.
It was like Shiba Isshin leisurely sleeping in the morning, only to wake up in the afternoon and find the war over.
Shiba Isshin was speechless after hearing this.
He squeezed the teacup, then set it down, gazing at the night, and asked again:
"Transfer the call to Kisuke Urahara. How is the Twelfth Division now?"
"It's bad. A third of the buildings were destroyed."
"Fortunately, the Captain-Commander was far-sighted and hid important things deep inside, so the core wasn't damaged."
The operator said, while connecting to Kisuke Urahara.
Then, Shiba Isshin learned that the Twelfth Division's monitoring room had been destroyed and unusable since that morning.
His pupils suddenly constricted.
...
Five minutes later, Yoriichi Tsugikuni received news that Kurosaki Masaki was being monitored by a third party.
As soon as he heard it, he immediately knew who this third party was.
The Quincy of the Wandenreich had actually set their sights on the Quincy of the Human World...
This situation, though unexpected, was also reasonable.
Thus, dozens more areas were added to his monitoring list.
At the same time, Yoriichi developed some interest in Kurosaki Masaki's experience and abilities.
Someone who could see through hearts and sense danger—such a talent absolutely could not be taken by the Wandenreich.
Yoriichi suggested finding a time to meet.
He also said he would help her develop X-cution to increase her self-preservation abilities.
Kurosaki Masaki did not refuse, as she was also worried that one day she might implicate her family due to her lack of power.
On the phone, she took a deep breath and sincerely said, "Then I'll leave it to you. When would be a good time?"
"Because of my parents' arrangements, I'm usually in Karakura Town on weekdays."
"If possible, let's set it for this weekend."
Yoriichi nodded. Although the other party couldn't see him, he still responded in a steady voice, "Alright."
He looked at the brightly lit Tsukishima residence below, thinking that the weekend would be good.
Although Rinshiro Tsukishima was missing and it was unknown if he could be found, no matter what, his grandson could not suffer because of his disappearance.
Their conversation quickly ended. Yoriichi pondered for a moment, then informed the Ishida Clan of this matter, telling them to be more careful recently.
The relationship between the Kurosaki and the Wandenreich was a thousand years old.
However, the Ishida Clan only separated from the Wandenreich 180 years ago, so Quincy would certainly seek them out.
Ishida Soken expressed understanding upon hearing this, and then immediately called his son, who was studying abroad, back home.
It was time for the Ishida Clan to have descendants.
In another twenty years, the clashes between various factions would become even more intense. If they didn't prepare now, the Ishida Clan might disappear without a trace in the torrent of history.
Ishida Ryūken, though helpless, could only agree to his father's command for the sake of the family.
Then, when it came to choosing a wife, he found himself in a dilemma.
Pureblood or mixed-blood, that was the question.
If it were mixed-blood, he wouldn't need to think, he already had someone in mind, but for the family...
In any case, he would decide after he returned.
...
A few days later, on the weekend, Yoriichi roughly understood the reason for the injuries on Tsukishima Shūkurō's body.
—Prejudice.
Simply because he possessed spiritual pressure, which easily attracted Hollow attacks, everything was blamed entirely on the ten-year-old Shukuro.
Malice, bullying...
Some people hadn't even met Shukuro, but due to a few instigating words from friends, they blindly followed suit and joined in bullying him.
Even if Yoriichi was normally calm, he couldn't tolerate such actions.
In the park.
Just as those people were once again punching and kicking Shukuro, Yoriichi decisively appeared, picked them up one by one, and threw them directly seven or eight meters away.
When throwing them, he deliberately chose the location, ensuring that these people would only be injured upon landing, not killed, and that they would have the same bruises as Shukuro.
Feeling the sudden loss of balance and the excruciating pain upon hitting the ground, their eyes widened in unison, inexplicably recalling certain terrifying past events.
For a moment, they couldn't even bother with their bleeding bodies, scrambling to get up from the ground, shouting in terror:
"Ghost!"
Their escape was frantic and desperate, their disheveled appearance like stray dogs.
At this moment, Shukuro, who had curled up his body, felt the fists on him disappear. He subconsciously raised his head.
Then, an excited expression appeared on his face.
He cautiously asked:
"Grandpa?"
"Is that you?"