join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
Hanatarō lifted the curtain and peeked into the main hall outside, his panic reaching its peak.
Although he had heard Mr. Ishikawa Katori say that the Everything Store had a tavern downstairs, still…
The patrons of this tavern were simply too terrifying!?
Upon entering the tavern, Hanatarō even had the illusion that he had stumbled into a den of thieves.
The smell of blood, the pungent smell of alcohol, and the overwhelming smell of sweat; the floor was covered in blood, tables and chairs were scattered everywhere, and various weapons were casually discarded on the ground.
And the customers of the tavern were even more peculiar; at the very least, they were covered in scars, and some even had missing limbs, blind eyes, or half their faces gone…
From any angle, this did not look like a tavern at all!!
The most terrifying thing was that when he had just entered, he had actually seen several people carrying a human head as they walked out.
"Don't be nervous."
Ishikawa Katori looked at Hanatarō's panicked expression and comforted him, "Just pretend they're not there, and they won't cause trouble in the tavern."
Upon hearing this, Hanatarō was not comforted; instead, his expression became even more panicked.
They won't cause trouble in the tavern…
Does that mean they will cause trouble elsewhere?
What exactly does this Mr. Ishikawa Katori do?
"Alright."
On the other side, Ishikawa Katori retracted his hands and turned to Hanatarō, who was staring blankly at him, "Is the wound medicine ready?"
"Huh?"
Hanatarō snapped out of it and quickly handed the medicine jar in his hand to Ishikawa Katori, "It's…it's ready."
Ishikawa Katori took it, sniffed it, and smiled, "Not bad, but it would be even better if you could add some Prison Orchid."
"Prison Orchid?"
Hanatarō's eyes lit up at the mention, and he immediately cast his panic aside, turning to look at Ishikawa Katori with curiosity, "Mr. Ishikawa Katori, isn't Prison Orchid too potent to be used as a wound medicine?"
"Hmm, that's not wrong."
Ishikawa Katori casually selected some purplish-blue flowers from the herbs nearby, which looked somewhat like baby hands. With a flick of his spiritual power, the flowers were immediately crushed and finally turned into liquid, dripping into the medicine jar.
"Although Prison Orchid is potent, as long as the spiritual nature of the Kaido is changed during extraction, it can be perfectly integrated into wound medicine prepared with Yarrow, Spirit Reed, and Prison Buckwheat…"
"Its presence can not only maximize the activation of other medicinal properties, but its own scorching characteristic is also very suitable for treating 'Soul Sleep' injuries."
Ishikawa Katori paused and asked, "By the way, have you ever used a Mukuro?"
Hanatarō was stunned, not understanding why Ishikawa Katori suddenly brought up Mukuro, but he still shook his head.
"No wonder then. When Shinigami use Mukuro, to increase the synchronization between the spirit body and the Mukuro, they sometimes use a medicinal agent called 'Inner Soul Stabilizer,' and the main ingredient of this agent is Prison Orchid." Ishikawa Katori said, applying the medicine to a bandage.
"Big Bro Ishikawa, is this your new subordinate?" Himura asked with some curiosity.
"No."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head, handed a bandage with ointment to Hanatarō, and took one himself, walking over to Himura.
Hanatarō took the bandage and walked towards Nishijin Ori without hesitation.
The usually timid Hanatarō, when treating patients, would not be afraid of them.
Even Nishijin Ori, whom Ishikawa Katori was unwilling to have too much contact with, seemed like an ordinary patient in his eyes. This made Ishikawa Katori sigh, realizing that only when treating people did he truly resemble a Fourth Division Seated Officer.
"Big Bro Ishikawa, why don't you consider moving your shop to South 80 District? That way, if we get injured in a fight in the future, we won't have to run so far to find you for treatment."
"This isn't a hospital."
Ishikawa Katori said grumpily, "If you don't want to die, don't even think about fighting anyone for the next few days. And it's best if both of you stay in my tavern for a few days until your injuries are completely healed before leaving."
Ishikawa Katori wasn't exaggerating; their injuries this time were truly too severe. Their old injuries from three days ago hadn't fully healed before they sustained new ones. If Ishikawa Katori's Kaido hadn't been close to advanced, he might not have been able to heal them both.
Himura was better off; her injuries only looked serious but didn't actually affect any vital points.
However, Nishijin Ori's injuries were extremely severe; not only were the wounds from three days ago torn open, but the penetrating wound in his chest had also grazed his 'Soul Sleep'.
If he had arrived any later, or if Ishikawa Katori's Kaido ability had been weaker, Nishijin Ori's spiritual power would have completely drained in no time, eventually turning him into an ordinary person.
The reason Nishijin Ori was sitting so quietly in the corner, while partly due to his inherent personality, was mostly because it was extremely difficult for him to even stay conscious at the moment.
Himura was somewhat moved by this but did not reply immediately, instead looking inquiringly at Nishijin Ori in the corner.
"No need."
Nishijin Ori's reply was as concise as ever.
Seeing this, Himura made a helpless expression and apologized to Ishikawa Katori, "Don't mind him, our Boss is just like that, not very good at getting along with people."
Ishikawa Katori didn't say much upon hearing this, only glancing at the system in his mind.
[Himura's Favorability +1, gained 640 experience points, current Favorability: 41]
What a wonderful line of text.
Although he seemed very manly, his favorability was surprisingly easy to raise.
After bandaging Himura's waist wound, Ishikawa Katori checked the stump of Himura's severed arm, and after confirming there were no major issues, he said, "Even if you don't want to stay here, wait until tomorrow morning to leave. It's best to contact your subordinates and have them come pick you up."
Ishikawa Katori paused, then continued, looking at Nishijin Ori in the corner, "Your Boss's Soul Sleep is injured. If he doesn't want to die, don't let him move around casually, especially don't let him use his spiritual pressure. Otherwise, even if he miraculously survives, the spiritual power in his body won't be preserved."
"It's that serious!?"
Himura's face changed upon hearing this, and she suddenly stood up, looking inquiringly at Nishijin Ori, "Is what Big Bro Ishikawa said true?"
Although she had vaguely noticed that Nishijin Ori's condition was somewhat off, his injuries didn't seem as severe as her own, so Himura hadn't paid too much attention. After hearing Ishikawa Katori's words, she realized that her Boss's injuries were actually this serious.
Nishijin Ori looked up at Ishikawa Katori, then shook his head at Himura, "I'm fine."
Watching their interaction, Ishikawa Katori immediately became interested, his gaze constantly shifting between Himura and Nishijin Ori. There seemed to be something fishy between these two…
On the other side, Himura carefully looked at Nishijin Ori, then turned to Ishikawa Katori, "Big Bro Ishikawa, does what you said earlier about us being able to stay here still count?" She then continued with a serious expression, not waiting for Ishikawa Katori's reply, "Listen to me before you answer."
Ishikawa Katori's eyes flashed with a peculiar light upon hearing this.
Originally, he had only wanted them to stay for treatment and hadn't thought much of it, but Himura's words made Ishikawa Katori realize…
Keeping them might bring him trouble, otherwise Himura wouldn't have said such a thing.
Since he didn't want to get involved in the grievances between villains, Ishikawa Katori hadn't asked how they got injured, only adhering to the 'charge for services' principle of his shop to heal them.
But according to Ishikawa Katori's speculation, it was nothing more than some messy business like the two of them going to the South 80 District to settle scores while their injuries hadn't fully healed.
However, Himura's first sentence exceeded Ishikawa Katori's expectations.
"Actually, we escaped from the West 80th District."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories