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Hanatarō's eyes were filled with fear; he felt as if he had heard something he shouldn't have.
Although he hadn't understood too clearly, the 'Kenpachi' these people kept mentioning seemed to be the Captain of the Eleventh Division, which fit both his background and strength.
Was this really something he was allowed to hear?
Ishikawa Katori, the owner…
What exactly does he do!?
"Apologies, you should head back for today as well."
Ishikawa Katori pondered for a moment before saying, "Hmm… as for tomorrow, you can check if the bell outside the Everything Store upstairs is hung out. If it is, then we'll continue our exchange tomorrow. If not, then wait a few days before coming back."
Upon hearing this, Hanatarō's tensed heart immediately relaxed. It seemed he wouldn't be silenced.
"Um…"
But then, as if remembering something, he hesitated for a moment before pointing towards the bar and saying, "When you were talking earlier, that bell over there kept ringing."
"Eh? The bell was ringing?"
Uzuki, who was behind the bar, was startled. She had been focused on eavesdropping on Ishikawa Katori and Himura's conversation earlier and hadn't noticed whether the bell was ringing.
"Ah, that's right." Nishijin Ori, who was nearby, also seemed to remember something and interjected, "That bell did Kan just now, and for quite a while."
"I'll go up right now."
Hearing this, Uzuki hastily stood up, but before she could step out from behind the bar, she heard Ishikawa Katori say, "I'll go. I won't be taking any commissions for the next few days. I'll go upstairs and put up a notice to avoid affecting any customers who come for commissions."
"Also…"
Ishikawa Katori turned to look at Uzuki and Nishijin Ori: "Your commission fee is five million Kan, but before you sign the commission form, I need to remind you that due to the extremely high difficulty of the commission, I might unilaterally terminate it if I find it impossible to complete. Can you accept this?"
"No problem!!"
Himura agreed extremely readily. She was already deeply moved that Ishikawa Katori was willing to take them in after hearing their reasons.
Their enemy was so terrifying; it was perfectly normal for Ishikawa Katori to unilaterally abandon the commission if it came to a critical point. Furthermore, she actually somewhat regretted involving this kind Ishikawa Katori owner now, as this matter had nothing to do with him from beginning to end.
A mere few million Kan was simply not worth him risking his life for them to this extent.
However…
She didn't know that Ishikawa Katori was not only interested in money. Although he was far from wealthy, Ishikawa Katori's current savings were enough for him to splurge for a few years. Compared to money, Ishikawa Katori valued the experience points Himura provided him more.
Moreover, Himura was the only woman, apart from Uzuki, whose favorability towards him had reached maximum friendship.
Maximum friendship wasn't just a saying; it meant that if Ishikawa Katori were in danger, she would come to his aid without hesitation, even if she knew it meant death, upon hearing the news. This alone was enough for Ishikawa Katori to take this risk.
"By the way, are you sure no one followed you when you escaped?"
Although if someone had followed them, they should have appeared by now, Ishikawa Katori still confirmed with Himura for safety.
"No."
Nishijin Ori's tone was extremely certain, while Himura, looking annoyed, added, "When we fled, that guy's face was full of disdain, and he didn't pursue us, as if in his eyes, we weren't even worthy of him chasing."
"That's good."
Since no one had followed them, this place should be safe for now. With this thought, Ishikawa Katori said to Uzuki behind the bar, "Uzuki, give them a commission form." With that, Ishikawa Katori took Hanatarō directly out of the tavern.
"Um… Mr. Ishikawa Katori…"
As soon as they left the tavern, Hanatarō timidly asked, "Can the instruction continue today?"
Ishikawa Katori looked at Hanatarō with some surprise. Hanatarō had been listening in on the conversation in the tavern earlier, and Ishikawa Katori had expected him to flee immediately. He hadn't thought Hanatarō would still be interested in learning Kaido from him.
"Of course, if you want to."
Ishikawa Katori said as he walked upstairs, "Besides, you are a customer, you don't need to be so timid. The time for our exchange is up to you… Hmm?" As he spoke, Ishikawa Katori had already led Hanatarō into the Everything Store. As soon as he stepped inside, his expression darkened.
Spiritual pressure!
And it was extremely well concealed, or rather, the control over spiritual pressure was extremely strong.
It was so strong that Ishikawa Katori hadn't detected any aura from outside the door. Although he hadn't learned specialized methods for detecting spiritual pressure, generally speaking, at such a close distance, he should have already felt the fluctuations of spiritual pressure. But… the person inside the room had not revealed the slightest aura.
To achieve this, it wasn't just about having strong spiritual pressure; it also required extremely precise control.
Had the person Himura mentioned followed them?
A concentrated look flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes. He diverted some of his attention and opened the system interface in his mind. Originally, he had planned to carefully consider how to use these experience points after he was done with his current tasks, but now it seemed there was no time for careful deliberation.
Gesturing for Hanatarō to stay at the door, Ishikawa Katori walked through the narrow entrance. The first thing that came into view was an empty reception room, but then his gaze shifted to the treatment room on the left side of the reception room. The door to the treatment room was wide open, and a tall figure stood inside.
"Hmm?"
The moment he clearly saw the figure, Ishikawa Katori was startled.
shinigami uniform.
Although it was just a back, and he couldn't see the person's face in the room, the shinigami uniform, which was rarely seen in Rukongai, was extremely conspicuous.
The newcomer seemed to have noticed something as well and suddenly turned around. This was a young woman who could be perfectly described as 'heroic and spirited.'
Nearly one meter ninety tall, incredibly slender, with short light purple hair styled with several thin braids. Coupled with her somewhat neutral appearance, she gave off a refreshing impression.
And Ishikawa Katori's eyes did indeed light up, but not because of her appearance, but because he recognized her identity!!
Upon seeing Ishikawa Katori, the heroic young woman's face flushed, and she said somewhat flustered, "Ah~~ I'm sorry, I kept pulling the bell just now, but no one answered, so I thought I'd come in and see… I didn't mean to peek at these things you wrote… So… so…"
"It's alright! It's alright!!"
Ishikawa Katori's face changed like a Sichuan opera mask. His sinister expression from the previous second instantly transformed into his signature gentle smile: "I should be the one apologizing. Something came up just now, and I kept you waiting, esteemed customer."
"Eh??"
Hanatarō, who didn't know what was happening, cautiously peeked his head out from the entrance. When he saw the heroic young woman in the treatment room, he was startled and instinctively said, "Vice-Captain Isane, why are you here?"
That's right, the person who had arrived was none other than Kotetsu Isane, who had recently been appointed as the Vice-Captain of the Fourth Squad.
Ishikawa Katori looked at the bewildered Hanatarō behind him and thought to himself, "Hanatarō! From now on, you are my Hanatarō!!"
During this time, no Fourth Squad members had come to visit, and he had thought Hanatarō hadn't promoted him. Otherwise, if even a Seated Officer came to learn, shouldn't a few Fourth Squad members have come as well?
Now it seemed he had misunderstood!
Hanatarō hadn't failed to promote him; instead, he had been holding back a big gift for him! It was a heavyweight figure right away, and not a useless male like Hanatarō, but a female Shinigami who possessed both strength and status, capable of providing him with a large amount of experience points!
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