Urahara Shōten.
Higashino Shuuichi stood by the window, habitually looking outside.
Behind him, Urahara Kisuke sat with a smile, a small white folding fan in his hand.
"So, all this time you've been helping me and showing goodwill toward us Quincy… and your real goal was to have me give you intel about that place?"
Higashino Shuuichi's mood wasn't bad.
Because after Yhwach carried out the first Auswählen (Holy Selection), Urahara Kisuke finally found him and laid his intentions bare.
Urahara had once gone to the Wandenreich (Invisible Empire) himself, but the special nature of the Schatten Bereich (Shadow Realm), along with the Wandenreich's own restrictions, meant that the moment a Shinigami like Urahara entered, he was detected.
And then, he was practically chased down by Haschwalth—who at the time had already become Yhwach's stand-in—before Urahara could investigate anything. He was driven out of the Wandenreich like trash.
Even the gate he had prepared as a retreat—one that connected to the Human World—was locked from inside the Wandenreich by Haschwalth.
As a result, Urahara couldn't find a chance to return to that shadow world again.
Not because Urahara lacked a way to get back.
With his scientific ability, once he knew the Schatten Bereich existed, developing a method to enter it wouldn't be difficult.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi could pull it off in just a few days—so how could Urahara not do it?
What Urahara couldn't do was fool the Wandenreich's detection methods.
Unless he was willing to abandon his Shinigami power, or cultivate Quincy power and use it to mask his Shinigami power—
Otherwise, the moment Urahara set foot on Wandenreich soil again, he would be discovered.
That was beyond doubt.
Before Higashino Shuuichi appeared, Urahara had been trying to build a good relationship with the Ishida family, hoping to persuade Ishida Sōken and his parents to help him return to the Wandenreich.
But the Ishida family had escaped in the first place precisely because they couldn't stand the suffocating social environment inside the Wandenreich.
Even now, the Ishida family was still on the Wandenreich's wanted list. Asking them to go back would be the same as telling them to die.
So no matter how much Urahara tried to curry favor—whether it was Sōken or Sōken's parents—none of them ever agreed.
But the "Kabuno Takuya" that Higashino Shuuichi was pretending to be was different.
Higashino Shuuichi's persona was: a genius orphan who had secretly slipped out of the Wandenreich, with no attachments back there, and unlike the Ishida family, not on the wanted list.
Which meant the Kabuno Takuya he was playing was Urahara's best possible tool for probing the Wandenreich.
Originally, Urahara planned to wait longer—get closer, make their relationship even tighter—before bringing up a request like this.
But Yhwach's sudden Auswählen (Holy Selection) shattered everyone's plans.
Including Urahara's.
Urahara's instincts told him this was the best chance to get Higashino Shuuichi to help.
And he was right.
If Higashino Shuuichi truly matched the persona Urahara believed in—
From Kabuno-kun's standpoint and temperament, he wouldn't calmly watch Yhwach freely use Auswählen (Holy Selection) and threaten his life.
So Higashino Shuuichi knew that when Urahara came to him with this, he didn't really have a choice…
At least, not if he intended to keep his persona intact.
Agreeing to Urahara's request was his only option.
"Isn't this also something that's all benefit and no harm for you, Kabuno-kun?" Urahara said lightly. "If you still had feelings for that place, you wouldn't have run away and then refused to go back for so long."
"And now your king has used Auswählen (Holy Selection) again—haven't you ever worried that one day, it might be used on you?"
"Think about it. You don't end up dying at the hands of us Shinigami or those Hollows… but instead die at the hands of your own king. How tragic would that be?"
Urahara laid out the stakes, confident he'd already won.
Higashino Shuuichi only clenched the window ledge with his right hand until veins stood out across the back of it.
"But that's an internal Quincy matter. Whatever we do has nothing to do with you Shinigami."
"If I follow your demands—carry those collection devices on me, then feed you all the intelligence from inside our Empire…"
"Then in the end, more comrades will die at the hands of you Shinigami, won't they?"
"Urahara-san… do you really think I'm the kind of Quincy who would choose to become a sinner for all eternity?"
Higashino Shuuichi used his body to hide his movement, but Urahara could still catch subtle changes in his hand.
Urahara could tell: this Quincy, Kabuno Takuya, might be talking about Quincy honor, but his body was brutally honest—trembling from how hard he was forcing himself.
Kabuno Takuya was suppressing something. His emotions weren't calm.
That was Urahara's read.
And it was exactly what he expected.
Because someone like Kabuno Takuya—an impulsive, powerful Quincy who would even storm Soul Society alone over pride, just to save a Shinigami like Nemu, who should have been a mortal enemy—
There was no way he could truly tolerate their so-called Quincy King doing something as unforgivable as Auswählen (Holy Selection).
Keep acting. Keep acting and see how long you can last.
Urahara laughed loudly, flicking his small fan fast enough to be almost theatrical.
"Hahahaha! Kabuno-kun, that's a good one. I refuse to believe you went to Soul Society and still can't see what kind of attitude Soul Society has toward me now."
"Between me and Soul Society, we're basically at the point of water and fire."
"To oppose Soul Society, I can even pull in Quincy like Ishida Sōken-san and Kabuno-kun—so why wouldn't I also try to pull in the Quincy behind you?"
"Collecting intel is just to help me confirm which Quincy in that place are worth approaching… and which ones I shouldn't bother touching at all!"
"Or do you think if I hand Wandenreich intel to Soul Society, the Shinigami there will suddenly let me go?"
After hearing that, Higashino Shuuichi suddenly understood—so when Urahara had Saitō Furōfushi and the others go to Soul Society and clash with the Shinigami, there had been this layer of intent too?
Not only did it massively boost his "goodwill" in front of the Kabuno persona…
He also used it to lock himself into a truly irreconcilable break with Soul Society—
And through that, fully secured Kabuno's trust.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend. Simple. Obvious.
Urahara's plan had been killing multiple birds with one stone.
"As expected of Urahara Kisuke…" Higashino Shuuichi thought. "A Shinigami who can trade schemes with Aizen Sōsuke on the level of intellect—and even edge him out in the end—really isn't simple…"
Higashino Shuuichi felt like he could finally see through Urahara's earlier setup.
You could say that in the last incident, on the surface it looked like Aizen benefited the most…
But in reality, Urahara used that one design to accomplish several of his own goals at once.
If Kabuno Takuya's core wasn't actually Higashino Shuuichi, then at a moment like this, he probably would've been led around by the nose completely.
Thinking that, Higashino Shuuichi felt both lingering fear and a sense of relief.
Sure enough—when facing Aizen Sōsuke and Urahara Kisuke, he had to be careful. If he could keep his true self hidden, then he should keep it hidden. Otherwise, he didn't know when he'd get stabbed by one of their schemes.
"Then, from what you're saying, Urahara-san… it seems I have no real reason to refuse."
Higashino Shuuichi turned and met Urahara's eyes.
He truly didn't have a reason to refuse—and honestly, he wasn't opposed to accepting Urahara's help.
Because his next objective was to kill Yhwach. No matter what Urahara intended, it wouldn't conflict with Higashino Shuuichi's goal.
But with Kabuno Takuya's personality, agreeing this cleanly was impossible.
There needed to be gunpowder in the air.
"There are plenty," Urahara said. "For example, you still care about the difference in status between us."
"Or maybe you're extremely confident that this time you can go back without needing anyone's help."
"Or perhaps, Kabuno-kun, you truly worship your king and are willing to be a tool—one that could have its power taken, or even its life taken, at any time."
"I can give you as many reasons as you want. It's just…"
Urahara stopped fanning. His gaze sharpened like a blade as he stared at Higashino Shuuichi.
"It's just that, Kabuno-kun… are those reasons your real thoughts?"
Inside the room, it was as if someone pressed a pause button on time itself.
Higashino Shuuichi and Urahara simply stared at each other.
No words.
Silence was the best conversation.
Until Higashino Shuuichi suddenly laughed.
"Hehehe… you got me completely, Urahara-san."
"I really think you shouldn't be running a shop. You should open a counseling clinic instead—you'd definitely make more money!"
"Fine, then. When I go back into the Empire to see what things have become over there… I'll be relying on you!"
Urahara was satisfied with the outcome.
But Aizen Sōsuke couldn't quite hold it together anymore.
Neither could Tōsen Kaname—who was hiding inside the newly rebuilt Reikyo Palace.
Because just as they had prepared everything, Higashino Shuuichi sent back a piece of news.
The Wandenreich inside the Schatten Bereich had always possessed a certain Shinigami detection mechanism.
But after Urahara's reckless intrusion in the past, the Wandenreich not only withdrew deeper into the Schatten Bereich, it also practically sealed off all channels of entry from the outside.
It strengthened its monitoring of Shinigami… and Hollows as well.
Before, Urahara could remain in the Wandenreich for over ten days before being detected.
Now, Tōsen would likely be detected the moment he stepped across the Wandenreich's boundary.
In other words—unless Aizen could somehow reconstruct Quincy power into Tōsen…
Aizen's wish to have Tōsen enter the Wandenreich together with Higashino Shuuichi was doomed.
Of course, Higashino Shuuichi also offered a solution: Aizen should simply go along, and the two of them could join forces and slaughter their way through the Wandenreich.
Unfortunately, that extremely violent option was rejected by Aizen, as expected.
Was Aizen really that violent of a person?
He just wanted to see how far the so-called Quincy King, Yhwach, had recovered. If Yhwach was back at his peak, then he'd find a way to drag him out and publicly teach him a lesson in front of everyone.
If Yhwach wasn't at his peak yet, then he'd wait—wait until Yhwach did reach his peak.
That was all.
And there was another reason: to guard against Higashino Shuuichi trying to "steal the kill."
To kill off an opponent that should've belonged to Aizen—
Before Aizen could have the satisfaction of doing it himself.
By the sun and the moon, by heaven and conscience—Aizen absolutely didn't want to go inside the Wandenreich and cause trouble alongside Higashino Shuuichi.
Because even if they killed Yhwach in there…
Who would see it? Who would know?
At most, only Higashino Shuuichi and Urahara Kisuke would know—and those two would definitely never tell anyone.
Was Aizen supposed to go around telling people himself afterward?
That would be humiliating!
"So, Aizen-sama… what should I do now?" Tōsen asked awkwardly.
This turn was too sudden.
To go to the Wandenreich, they'd even arranged a fake death.
And now, right when they were one step from the finish line, Higashino Shuuichi pulled this.
"Forget it. You stay here," Aizen said.
"As for Higashino Shuuichi… since he's already accepted help from Urahara's side, I'm sure he won't reveal his true strength in front of Urahara."
"And if he doesn't reveal his true strength, then Shuuichi definitely won't be able to handle that Quincy King."
"When that happens… he'll still have to come back to me."
Aizen said it as if to reassure himself.
The truth was, there was another reason he didn't agree to go with Higashino Shuuichi right now.
He still hadn't figured out the principle behind how the Hōgyoku makes him evolve—or how to control the direction of that evolution.
Back in Soul Society, Aizen had been tricked by Higashino Shuuichi. The three-stage evolution his body underwent was still troubling him even now.
Because although those evolutions helped him in the moment…
Afterward, Aizen realized his power seemed to be hardening into a direction he didn't want.
That was not something he could accept.
And on top of that, going into the Wandenreich meant traveling with Higashino Shuuichi—Aizen couldn't guarantee some other "accident" wouldn't happen along the way.
"Then what if Shuuichi actually handles it?" Tōsen suddenly asked.
Aizen snorted coldly.
"Then that Quincy King was never worthy of being my opponent."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810