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Seireitei!
Ishikawa Katori stood outside the cordon, looking at the unobstructed Seireitei in the distance, feeling a bit nervous. Although he had been in this world for five and a half years, he had never been inside Seireitei.
Upon reaching the cordon, the ground was no longer the dirt road of Rukongai, but a path paved with clean, neat white stones, giving a pleasing sensation. Walking on it even made the Reishi in his body more active.
Ishikawa Katori was not surprised by this, because the bricks and tiles within Seireitei were all composed of Reishi, which was precisely why Oyama and the others had said they would add bricks and tiles to Seireitei after they died.
Extending the Everything Store's business into Seireitei had always been Ishikawa Katori's goal.
Although the client being the Second Squad made Ishikawa Katori hesitate whether to accept, as his impression of these people had not been very good, who knew if he would be able to return after going...
But upon careful reflection, Ishikawa Katori felt that he had not made any dangerous moves under their surveillance, so this should not be a trap set for him.
Of course, the most important thing was...
Their Captain's allure was simply too great for Ishikawa Katori!
If he could get to know her and become friends, then taking a small risk would be completely worth it, not to mention this was also the best opportunity to expand his business into Seireitei.
Before coming, he had even specifically asked Kukaku's opinion for caution. Only after hearing Kukaku say he could go did he make up his mind.
Ishikawa Katori looked up at the sky. Although he couldn't confirm the exact time, it should be close to the agreed-upon 8 AM.
Behind him, a group of Rukongai residents had gathered in a circle, curiously watching Ishikawa Katori standing in front of Seireitei.
"Big Bro Ishikawa, what is he doing?"
"I heard he has a commission from inside Seireitei."
"Really? No way!"
"How could those high-and-mighty Shinigami have anything they can't do? Even if they did, Big Bro Ishikawa probably couldn't do it, right?"
"Who said so? While those Shinigami are powerful, they are definitely not as versatile as Big Bro Ishikawa."
"That's true."
"..."
Ishikawa Katori paid no attention to the discussions behind him, merely looking silently into the distance.
Finally...
He had arrived here.
If he had chosen to join the Shin'ō Academy back then, after five and a half years, he should have been close to graduating from the Shin'ō Academy and entering Seireitei.
While there was still time, Ishikawa Katori opened the large package at his feet and checked the tools needed for his work. This was his first time working in Seireitei, so he had to leave the best impression on the customers, making them think of him whenever they had something they didn't want to do.
Ishikawa Katori's gaze was solemn. The upcoming task was a battlefield, and he had to ensure his combat weapons were in order!
Brooms, mops, rags, cleaning agents, plungers, steel wool... and various gardening tools, house repair tools, almost half of the Everything Store's tool inventory had been emptied.
Repairing and cleaning the Second Squad barracks—this was the commission Ishikawa Katori had received this time.
"These should be enough, right?"
As soon as his muttering ceased, a shadow fell over Ishikawa Katori, and Jidanbō's deep voice came, "What kind of commission did you take on?"
Ishikawa Katori was not surprised by Jidanbō's arrival and casually replied, "Cleaning the Second Squad barracks."
"Uh~~"
Jidanbō was stunned. Since when did those Shinigami assign even Squad cleaning tasks to others?
Although he wasn't a Shinigami, having been a gatekeeper for so many years, he had a certain understanding of how things were inside Seireitei.
As far as he knew, the cleanliness of each Squad barracks was the responsibility of the Squad members themselves, and the street cleanliness of the entire Seireitei was handled by each Squad in rotation.
The Shinigami who often chatted with Jidanbō would frequently complain about how poorly the street cleaning was done, especially when the Eleventh Division was in charge...
"You truly are something, kid."
Jidanbō couldn't help but praise him. Regardless of how he managed it, being able to expand his business into Seireitei was already a skill.
"Absolutely!"
Ishikawa Katori chuckled, feeling a bit proud when talking about this. As long as he opened up this channel, earning money and making friends to gain experience would become much easier in the future, provided he wasn't targeted by a certain person and those old fogies from the Central 46.
The reason he didn't choose to become a Shinigami back then, besides not wanting to interact with a certain hair gel user, was largely due to those people in the Central 46.
He shook his head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
As Ishikawa Katori finished organizing his backpack, a group of masked individuals approached at the opportune moment. They were members of the Onmitsukidō responsible for checking people entering and exiting.
Upon reaching Ishikawa Katori, the leading Onmitsukido member glanced at the package at Ishikawa Katori's feet and said, "We need to inspect the items you are carrying."
"No problem."
Ishikawa Katori had no objections to this; after all, there was nothing in his bag that he was afraid of people seeing.
However...
When he saw several Onmitsukido members spread out the large package and pull out a stack of poker-sized cards, Ishikawa Katori's expression instantly changed.
Several masked Onmitsukido members carefully read the words on the cards. It read: "From housework to finding people, proficient in everything. If you have any difficulties, come find me! Whether it's one thing or ten thousand things, as long as there's money, I'm willing to do it. It's Ishikawa Katori of the Everything Store, famous in District 38."
At the bottom of the small card was the detailed address of the Everything Store.
"..."
After reading the content on the small cards, the corners of the masked Onmitsukido members' mouths twitched under their masks. A scene immediately popped into their minds: a young man in black work clothes standing at the entrance of the Second Squad barracks, smiling as he handed out small cards to passersby.
"This..."
The leading Onmitsukido member said in a serious tone, "I cannot allow you to bring these in."
It should be known that although this commission for Ishikawa Katori had been reported to their superiors, it was under the pretext of bringing him in to assist with an investigation, not for cleaning the barracks... If this got out and other Squads found out, what would they think?
"Can't you make an exception?"
Ishikawa Katori said somewhat unwillingly, "I won't stick them everywhere, nor will I discard them randomly. I guarantee they will be handed to every single person."
He had written all these small cards himself last night, one by one. Having them confiscated like this made him truly unwilling.
However...
Upon hearing Ishikawa Katori's words, the leading Onmitsukido member's attitude became even more resolute.
In the end, Ishikawa Katori had no choice but to give up on getting the small cards back. He didn't want to miss this job because of a stack of small cards, and besides...
Ishikawa Katori glanced at the Onmitsukido member who was frisking him, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. He had anticipated this situation yesterday, so he had sewn a small pocket into his underwear beforehand, also containing some small cards. No matter how thoroughly these Onmitsukido members searched, they couldn't possibly ask him to take off his underwear for them to see, right?
And indeed, things unfolded as Ishikawa Katori had expected.
Regarding Ishikawa Katori himself, the Onmitsukido only performed a simple frisk and did not demand that he remove his clothing for inspection.
...
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