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West 38th District, Yorozuya Tavern.
Since Ishikawa Katori's battle with Genji half a year ago, the Everything Store's tavern business has become even more popular. In addition to the villains from the west, even those from the south have started using the tavern as a gathering place.
Moreover, the tavern gained a heavyweight regular customer: Nishijin Ori, the only remaining great villain from the south and west!
It's unclear if he developed a liking for the taste of cheap liquor, but Nishijin Ori has frequently visited the tavern over the past six months, sitting in his usual spot in the center of the tavern, drinking the liquor that Himura brought him.
As for Himura, she was much busier than him. In the past six months, she had been using the names of the great villain Nishijin Ori and the Everything Store's Ishikawa Katori to gather villains from the West and South 80 Sections. Recently, there were even rumors that she intended to attack the eastern part of Rukongai.
After all, villains who enter the 80 Sections are mostly a group of restless battle maniacs and murderers.
Originally, the West 80 Section and South 80 Section had multiple great villains, constantly engaging in internal slaughter. But now, the villains in these two areas have completely unified, all becoming followers of Nishijin Ori.
If they didn't want to fight among themselves internally, they could only choose to expand outwards, heading to the east and north to fight the followers of other great villains.
It's worth mentioning...
Even with such a busy schedule, Himura didn't give up her job as a tavern waitress. Whenever she had free time, she would come to the Everything Store to help Uzuki manage the tavern.
Every time she arrived, Nishijin Ori, her nominal Boss, would sit silently in his usual spot like a dedicated bodyguard, giving off the impression that his true intention wasn't the drink.
And there was another person with the same objective: Shiba Ganju, who claimed to be the hidden Boss of the Everything Store, the most revered person in West Rukongai, and the strongest hero in West Rukongai... He had various self-proclaimed titles.
Although many customers didn't know the background of this slovenly guy who always looked like a hooligan, and they didn't care about his flashy titles, the title 'hidden Boss of the Everything Store' was genuine.
Because even Ishikawa Katori, the hidden Boss of Rukongai, had to call him Ganju-nii when he saw him. Just this alone was enough to allow him to act domineeringly in the tavern.
Bang—
Himura dragged a blood-soaked burly man towards the back door of the tavern, cursing, "You dare to drink here without money? Don't you know whose territory this is?"
The other customers, meanwhile, looked accustomed to it, eating and drinking as usual... Such minor scenes had become the norm in the tavern. The sign hanging directly above the bar, inscribed 'No hitting or scolding customers,' actually served only as decoration.
Ever since the Yorozuya Tavern became popular in the 'villain circle,' some uninformed hooligans often came here to seek attention... Without exception, these people were personally killed by Himura and buried on the spot in the large pit in the tavern's backyard.
Even if Himura wasn't present, the tavern's resident bodyguard 'Oyama' would handle it, with the same outcome.
"Newcomers nowadays really don't understand the rules."
"No choice. The villains in the West and South 80 Sections were basically wiped out by Genji half a year ago. Villains from areas numbered 70 and above all swarmed into the 80 Sections. Now, the villains in the rear areas of the West and South, especially the South which lacks a great villain, are all new faces. Many of them are hooligans from the formerly stable areas."
"It's not just hooligans. In the South 77th, 78th, and 79th Districts, there are also many guys from the east and north who want to take advantage of the South having no great villain to establish their own forces and compete for the South 80 Section."
"I don't mind them coming; fighting is exhilarating. But those hooligans from the stable areas are so weak that I can't even be bothered to cut them down."
"That's enough. They're offering themselves up for us to sharpen our blades. If you're not grateful, fine, but you're mocking them here."
"Hahaha—"
Shiba Ganju sat at the bar, listening to the bragging at the table behind him, a look of disdain on his face...
Don't let these people's boasting fool you; they are all old-timers who stayed behind in the West and South and dared not go to the 80 Sections. They are only fit to show off to those hooligans.
"Hmph, Uzuki, I'm not boasting to you, but if it weren't for the fact that my elder sister would kill me if I didn't go home on time, I could unify the South 80 Section in the time it takes to fart!"
Uzuki replied without raising her head, "If you have time to brag here, you should think about your upcoming training, lest your elder sister send Ishikawa Katori to drag you back again."
"That's only because Ishikawa Katori said something like, 'Sorry, Ganju-nii, if I don't drag you back, Kukaku-nee will kill me.' As a Boss, I have to take care of my subordinates. Otherwise, with my strength, how could Ishikawa Katori possibly drag me back by force?"
"Oh? How come I remember someone wailing like a pig being slaughtered at the time? I recall him shouting things like, 'This is insubordination, you traitor,' right?"
Himura had returned at some point, saying mockingly, "Have you forgiven the 'insubordinate' Big Bro Ishikawa now?"
Ganju was somewhat speechless from Himura's retort. Finally, he snorted, "I didn't want to fight my brother; otherwise, I would have beaten Ishikawa Katori black and blue right then."
"Yes, yes, you're the most amazing."
Himura chuckled, not continuing to mock. Instead, she bent down and fumbled under the bar for a while, finally pulling out a bottle of richly fragrant liquor and walking towards Nishijin Ori's table.
Seeing this, Shiba Ganju blinked, then looked at Uzuki with a resentful expression, "They both come here to freeload food and drinks, you don't say anything to them, why do you always pick on me?"
"You're the only one freeloading food and drinks."
Uzuki, while flipping through the latest 'Seireitei Communication' in her hand, said, "Sister Ha's is earned through labor. You're the only idle person in this tavern, stealing liquor every day. Speaking of which... was it you who stole the liquor Ishikawa Katori hid in the false bottom of his office desk on the second floor?"
Ganju's expression became serious: "How could that be? Am I the kind of person who would steal liquor..."
"Don't pretend. You were the only one who went upstairs that day."
Uzuki glared at Ganju: "That pot of liquor was given to him by the President . Ishikawa Katori always cherished it, hiding it in the Everything Store and occasionally taking it out to smell. When he found it empty, Ishikawa Katori was so angry he almost tore the roof off!"
"I just saw him sniffing it every day and was curious what it tasted like. I swear, I just wanted to sneak it out and pour a cup to try; then that bastard Nishijin Ori came over with a cup, staring at me without saying a word, which was quite creepy..."
"Of course, I wasn't scared of him, I just felt sorry for him, so I shared some with him. Who knew there was so little liquor, it was gone after a few sips."
"Nishijin Ori drank some too?" Uzuki was slightly startled.
"Yeah."
Uzuki glanced at Nishijin Ori at the table in the middle of the tavern and raised her voice, "Are you mistaken? When Ishikawa Katori was beating up customers to vent his anger, someone told Ishikawa Katori with a cold face, 'I didn't drink any.'"
Shiba Ganju, seeing this, also laughed strangely: "This is called knowing a person's face but not their heart. Don't look at how some people always put on a cold front; in reality, they have more tricks up their sleeves than anyone."
Bang!
Nishijin Ori suddenly stood up, and the chair beneath him flew out.
At this scene, the commotion in the tavern instantly quieted.
Ganju's face couldn't help but turn pale: "What? You want to hit me? I'm telling you, my subordinate... Hmm?"
Halfway through his sentence, Ganju realized something was wrong, because Nishijin Ori wasn't looking at him, but at the tavern entrance. His cold face was actually... flushed with excitement.
What's wrong?
Ganju followed his gaze and saw that the tavern door had been pushed open at some point, and a tall man walked in, with a pink-haired little girl clinging to his back.
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