Early morning—Asakura Yoh hadn't slept. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the wooden veranda, the refreshing summer night breeze blowing past.
Asakura Yoh leaned the stone tablet against a wooden pillar and carefully wiped every spot where a name was inscribed. He cleaned two specific names with extra care.
Abruptly, Yoh's dynamic vision, which far surpassed that of an ordinary person, caught sight of a sphere rapidly approaching.
Seeing the character 'Ura' written on it along with a chibi version of Urahara Kisuke's face, Yoh didn't bother to intervene.
*To think he could break through the barrier without any resistance. It seems that fellow Urahara has already reached a significant level in his research on Furyoku.*
The sphere slammed into the wooden wall behind Yoh's back and instantly burst, staining the wall with blood-red paint.
The paint then dripped down, leaving behind text that looked like a death message from a murder scene.
[ASSEMBLE AT URAHARA SHOP IMMEDIATELY!]
"Unbelievable. Did he even consider the person who has to clean this up?"
Yoh complained, though he wasn't the one responsible for the cleaning.
[Note: Anyone who immediately mistake this for a dying message or thinks it's a hassle to clean up... has absolutely no talent for comedy! (Haha!)]
A cross-shaped vein popped on Yoh's forehead.
"You think you're funny!?"
Although he had been toyed with slightly by Urahara Kisuke, the fully prepared Yoh still had to obediently get up and get ready to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out of the house, he found that all the spirits of the household were already waiting at the door, lined up in two rows, bowing deeply to him.
Yoh was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected such a send-off, but a faint smile soon touched his lips.
"I'm going on a long trip. I'll leave the house in your hands."
"Young Master! May fortune favor your battles!"
"Yeah."
...
Arriving lazily at the Urahara Shop, Yoh discovered he seemed to be the last one to arrive.
"Too slow!"
Kurosaki Ichigo and Arisawa Tatsuki complained simultaneously.
"Everyone is here. That's wonderful!"
Before Yoh could reply, Urahara Kisuke popped out from nowhere.
"Follow me. I'll show you how to enter the Soul Society."
"Please listen carefully, or you might kick the bucket before you even reach the Soul Society."
...
"So magnificent! I never expected such a huge space underground!"
Inoue Orihime looked around in wonder.
"So cool. It's just like a secret base in a movie..."
Sado Yasutora also gave a respectful compliment.
Seeing their reactions, Tsukabishi Tessai tearfully grasped their hands.
"Your reactions are simply wonderful! Thank you so much!"
After all, both Yoh and Ichigo's previous reactions had been far too indifferent.
Although Arisawa Tatsuki and Ishida Uryu didn't speak, they were both carefully taking in their surroundings; it would be a lie to say they weren't moved at all.
"Alright, everyone! Please look over here!"
Urahara Kisuke clapped his hands to draw their attention.
*Snap!*
Urahara Kisuke snapped his fingers, and something resembling a Nether Portal from Minecraft appeared out of thin air before everyone.
"Come, this is the gate to the Soul Society—the Senkaimon."
"Listen up. I'm going to teach you how to pass through this gate without having to die."
While he called it an explanation, the principle was actually quite simple.
First, only spirit bodies can enter the Soul Society. Among those present, only Ichigo, whose soul had already undergone Soul Reaper transformation, could move freely as a spirit body. The others did not meet these conditions.
Therefore, Urahara Kisuke had added a Reishi Converter to the Senkaimon—a device that could transform Kishi into Reishi.
Through this device, a human body could be turned into a soul directly without needing to die first.
"Having said all that, there's actually a problem: Mr. Asakura!"
Urahara Kisuke used his cane to knock Ichigo's soul out of his body while looking at Yoh.
"Mr. Asakura's profession is a 'Shaman,' and based on my research, that is a power only humans who possess both a physical body and a soul simultaneously can master."
"In other words, if Mr. Asakura wants to display his full strength, his body cannot be converted into Reishi like the rest of yours."
"What!? Why are you only saying such an important thing now!?"
The short-tempered Ichigo was the first to jump up and shout, while Tatsuki touched the crystal around her neck and asked.
"Then what about me...?"
"Miss Arisawa, you are merely borrowing Mr. Asakura's power. Aside from being unable to use the 'Integration' ability, there won't be any other effects."
Urahara Kisuke explained to Tatsuki.
"Actually, I mentioned this to Mr. Asakura before, but at the time, he told me not to worry..."
"So, you must have had a solution for a long time, right?"
Urahara Kisuke stared intently at Yoh. If Yoh said he wasn't sure, Urahara had prepared a backup plan.
"Don't worry. When it's my turn to enter, just disconnect the Reishi Converter."
Hearing Yoh's words, Urahara's eyes lit up slightly as if he had figured something out.
"Hey, this isn't a joke! Yoh, are you one hundred percent sure?"
Ichigo asked worriedly. He didn't want Yoh to encounter any unpredictable danger at the very start. The others looked at Yoh with the same sentiment in their eyes.
"Rest assured."
*Stare—*
Seeing that a mere verbal guarantee couldn't convince them, Yoh had no choice but to look at Ishida Uryu.
"Uryu, your detection abilities are likely the best among us. You can try closing your eyes and sensing my existence."
Upon hearing Yoh praise his detection skills, the corners of Uryu's mouth couldn't help but twitch upward. However, to maintain his persona, he masked it by adjusting his glasses.
He closed his eyes as Yoh instructed, pushing his perception to its maximum.
But...
"What? How is this possible?"
Uryu snapped his eyes open, his face full of disbelief. He stared fixedly at Yoh's body until the latter felt a bit uncomfortable. Then, still unconvinced, he reached out to touch Yoh's arm.
"It's not a hologram either..."
"Hey, hey! What exactly is going on? Explain yourself!"
Tatsuki finally reached her limit with these people speaking in riddles and demanded an answer loudly.
"I can't feel anything. It's as if... he doesn't exist here at all."
"Precisely."
Yoh gave Uryu a thumbs-up, acknowledging his assessment. Then, he pointed his thumb at the stone tablet behind him.