Actually, it was not a good thing.
But after seeing how terrifying that monster was, Keigo Asano felt it was pretty good after all.
And after seeing that terrifying monster get cut down in a single strike by Ikkaku Madarame, Keigo Asano felt even better.
If he said it was bad, then he would probably be the one in trouble.
But was it really a good idea to let someone that vicious stay at his house?
Keigo Asano felt a little uneasy.
Having his terrifying older sister, Mizuho Asano, at home was already more than enough... Huh?
A thought suddenly struck Keigo Asano.
Even if he had agreed, his sister could still refuse.
And then he would have no choice but to reluctantly...
At that thought, his expression brightened at once. He brought Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa home and raised his hand to knock on the door.
"You're way too slow!" his sister Mizuho Asano's fierce scolding came from inside. "Did you go out looking for a girlfriend you were never going to find? Why are you this late? You..."
The woman, who looked about seventy percent like Keigo Asano, froze the instant she saw the man behind her brother.
"Uh... well... actually... the thing is... these two are... friends I did not know... no, friends I just met." Keigo Asano struggled to put the words together. "Basically... because of some situation, they had to leave... where was it again, ah, right, they had to leave home, so I thought I'd let them stay here for a while... but... if Big Sis, you absolutely disagree... or even if you disagree just a tiny little bit, then there's nothing I can do, and I'll just have to let them go somewhere else..."
"Keigo, you..." Mizuho Asano stared at her younger brother, and her expression suddenly lit up. "You did great!"
"Since Sis is saying that, then I'll definitely have them go somewhe... huh?" Keigo Asano suddenly realized what she had said. "What?"
"They're staying here, right? Right!" Mizuho Asano patted her chest. "No problem. Absolutely no problem!"
Keigo Asano tried one last time. "Actually... there can be a problem."
"There really is no problem!" Mizuho Asano gazed at Ikkaku Madarame with affection in her eyes. "Hello... I'm Keigo's older sister, Mizuho~"
Yumichika Ayasegawa just stood to the side smiling. She had said hello to both of them, but Mizuho Asano had not looked at him even once. Her eyes were full of Ikkaku Madarame alone.
"Sis..." Keigo Asano lowered his voice. "At the very least, you should talk it over with Mom and Dad first, and then..."
"You're so noisy. What exactly are you rambling about?" Mizuho Asano turned to her brother with a face full of impatience. "Weren't they brought here by you?"
"That's true, but if you insist on saying no, then I can make them leave!"
"I see. That would be a shame." Mizuho Asano's expression turned cool. "I think this is great."
"They're strange men! This is dangerous!" Keigo Asano looked like he was about to cry. "Please, I'm begging you, seriously, carefully, properly think it over a few more times!"
"There's no need to think about it, it's no big deal~" Noticing Ikkaku Madarame's gaze, Mizuho Asano put on the expression of a warm and understanding big sister. "Even though my little brother brought home men with unknown backgrounds, his older sister still kindly welcomed them. That's the kind of sister I want to be."
"Who asked you?! Don't act like some perfect big sister with me... what are you actually thinking?!"
"Monks... are great, right!" Mizuho Asano blushed. "And one even got delivered right to my door!"
"So you really let your true feelings slip out!" Keigo Asano corrected her. "He is not any kind of monk. He is just plain bald!"
Whoosh.
The wooden sword swept past Keigo Asano's cheek.
Ikkaku Madarame looked at him menacingly. "I'm not bald!"
"S. Sorry..." Every thought in Keigo Asano's head instantly vanished.
Well...
This was pretty good too.
Probably.
Yumichika Ayasegawa looked out at the night.
At a time like this, Renji Abarai was probably already staying at Urahara Shop.
"Whether you can stay here..." Kisuke Urahara smiled and made a gesture for money with his hand. "Depends on your salary~"
"Sa-Salary?"
"Let me introduce you to the different price tiers." Kisuke Urahara dragged out a whiteboard. "At this price, you can sleep at the shop entrance. At this price, you can sleep at the counter. This is the rate for sleeping on the floor. If you can pay this much, you get a private room. And at this price, bedding is included..."
Renji Abarai hurriedly asked, "What if I want to receive your guidance?"
"Then you want to stay underground..." Kisuke Urahara opened a hidden door. "Come with me."
"Huh? Renji!" Ichigo Kurosaki waved from the underground training ground. "Why are you here?"
Renji Abarai was a little surprised too. "Why are you here?"
"I... am undergoing special training." Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze shifted away for a moment. "What about you?"
"Me too."
"Alright then, from here on, you two can spar with each other." Kisuke Urahara waved his folding fan with a smile. "I'll leave you to it."
Renji Abarai had come here for Kisuke Urahara in the first place. "Urahara-san is not staying here?"
"I'll provide a training plan for you, but not right now." Kisuke Urahara turned and walked away. "Right now, I have to go do a customer follow-up."
After leaving the underground training ground, Kisuke Urahara stepped out of the shop. "It really has been a long time since I last saw you like this... Isshin Kurosaki."
Standing before Kisuke Urahara was none other than Ichigo Kurosaki's father, Isshin Kurosaki.
Unlike his usual appearance, Isshin Kurosaki was not wearing a white coat, but a black Shihakushō, with a tattered Haori hanging from his left sleeve.
"Your Reiatsu does not seem to have weakened, so that puts my mind at ease." Kisuke Urahara shook his folding fan. "If your Reiatsu had weakened and I got blamed for it, that would have been troublesome."
"The worse one is Ichigo." Isshin Kurosaki frowned. "If my Shinigami powers have returned, then that means... my Reiatsu can no longer suppress the Hollow inside Ichigo."
"It actually could still suppress it for a while longer, but there was a bit of a deviation." Kisuke Urahara pointed out the key issue. "The awakening of the Quincy power stimulated the Hollow's awakening."
"So why did you do that?" Isshin Kurosaki looked in another direction. "Ryūken?"
"I merely placed Masaki's belongings in front of her grave." Ryūken Ishida pushed up his glasses. "As for taking things left at a grave whenever you please, I wonder who taught him that."
Isshin Kurosaki: "..."