join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
The middle-aged man, who called himself Shirogane Ginjirō, carefully examined the entry permit he had received, and a strange look flashed in his eyes: "It's real… and it was issued by the Onmitsukidō…"
Ishikawa Katori didn't speak, carefully sizing up the middle-aged man. Although his appearance was kind and his clothes were ordinary, like a neighborly uncle, when he became serious, a sense of authority would naturally be revealed, giving people the impression that he had long held a high position.
Is he a Vice-Captain of some Squad?
But Ishikawa Katori searched his mind and couldn't recall any Vice-Captain named Shirogane Ginjirō.
"Sorry."
Shirogane Ginjirō handed the entry permit to Ishikawa Katori, smiling: "It's my first time seeing something like this, so I was a bit curious."
"No problem."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head, preparing to end the conversation and continue distributing his small cards.
Although a Vice-Captain is powerful, what does that have to do with him? He's not a female Vice-Captain who can provide him with experience points.
"Wait, as an apology, I'll give you a pair of glasses."
But before Ishikawa Katori could leave, the enthusiastic uncle held his shoulder and smiled: "This is a leading optical shop in the industry. Have you heard of the 'Shinigami Men's Association'? All their members' sunglasses are purchased from me."
"…"
Ishikawa Katori, who was forcefully pulled into the shop, twitched slightly at the corner of his eye.
What does that have to do with me? I don't wear glasses.
Besides, if I remember correctly…
That so-called 'Shinigami Men's Association' isn't exactly an organization to boast about, is it?
However, when Ishikawa Katori stepped into the shop, his pupils suddenly constricted.
Because after a casual glance, he found that the cheapest glasses on the shelves cost nearly 200,000 Kan… The expensive ones were outrageously priced, with many pairs costing over a million Kan.
A black market shop!?
As expected, you can't judge a book by its cover. This guy, who looks like a good person, is actually so ruthless behind the scenes!
Broken glasses made of two pieces of glass and a frame, actually selling for so much?
No wonder someone so strong runs an optical shop. Do people who don't buy anything just not get to leave once they come in?
What surprised Ishikawa Katori the most was…
Despite such high prices, there were still many customers in the shop, though most were just looking and not buying.
"Hmm?"
Ishikawa Katori paused, his gaze fixed on a female customer dressed in a shinigami uniform inside the shop.
The female customer was slender, wearing a shinigami uniform with a Vice-Captain's badge on her left shoulder. However, she didn't carry a Zanpakuto at her waist, but rather a very thick book. Her long, black hair was swept to the left, and combined with the exquisite glasses on her face, she exuded a unique intellectual beauty.
"See if there's anything you like; feel free to pick anything. Many of my glasses are exclusively supplied to Gotei 13 members. If you like something, just take it. Consider it my apology for stopping you so abruptly just now." Shirogane Ginjirō pushed up his glasses and laughed heartily, looking generous.
"Mmm…"
Ishikawa Katori replied absentmindedly. He wasn't interested in the glasses in the shop, but he was very interested in the customer inside.
Especially that female customer with the book tucked at her waist and wearing intellectual glasses.
Noticing Ishikawa Katori's unusual behavior, Shirogane Ginjirō followed his gaze. When he saw the intellectual beauty, he patted Ishikawa's shoulder and whispered: "What? Love at first sight? Do you want me to introduce you?" As Shirogane Ginjirō finished speaking, his eyes were full of 'gossip'.
Ishikawa Katori's mouth twitched slightly. He couldn't help but glance at the frivolous uncle beside him. Is this guy really a Vice-Captain?
As if sensing Ishikawa Katori and Shirogane Ginjirō's gazes, the intellectual beauty turned to look. When she saw them, she spoke more formally, looking at Shirogane Ginjirō in front of Ishikawa: "Vice-Captain Ginjiro."
"Nanao-chan, don't be so stiff. When you're on vacation, you can just call me Ginjiro Store Manager or simply Store Manager." Shirogane Ginjirō smiled slightly: "Is there any style you like? Feel free to choose. I can give you the lowest discount on any pair."
He truly is a Vice-Captain.
Ishikawa Katori nodded to himself, confirming his earlier guess. He just didn't know which Squad this Vice-Captain beside him belonged to.
But Ishikawa Katori had no intention of investigating, because compared to the middle-aged uncle beside him, he hoped to make friends with this intellectual beauty more.
After all…
She was one of the few high-ranking female Shinigami in the Gotei 13.
Ise Nanao.
Vice-Captain of the Eighth Division of the Gotei 13. Because she was unable to tame her Asauchi during her time at the Shin'ō Academy, she became the only Vice-Captain without a Zanpakuto. However, according to Sister Kukaku, her Kido level is extremely high, even many Captains cannot compare to her.
Therefore, although she doesn't have a Zanpakuto, becoming the Vice-Captain of the Eighth Division is well-deserved.
Seireitei is truly a good place.
Ishikawa Katori emphasized this in his mind again, while his thoughts were busy recalling information about her, hoping to use it to get closer to her.
Ise Nanao didn't mind Shirogane Ginjirō's way of addressing her. As a regular customer of the shop, she understood the store manager's personality very well. She just looked at Ishikawa, who was beside Ginjiro, and asked: "And this is?"
"This is…" Shirogane Ginjirō paused, then used his hand to block and glanced at the small card, saying: "Everything Store… Yes, this is the owner of the Everything Store."
The owner of the Everything Store?
Ise Nanao nodded, assuming that this young man with extremely faint Reiatsu was the owner of another shop on this Commercial Street, and didn't pay too much attention.
"Hello."
Ishikawa Katori didn't miss this opportunity to talk. He pulled out a small card from his black work uniform pocket and handed it to her, smiling warmly: "This is the address of my shop. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime. Our shop accepts all commissions!!"
Ise Nanao looked at Ishikawa Katori somewhat strangely upon hearing this, but she didn't refuse. Instead, she politely took the small card and, without looking at it, tucked it into the book at her waist.
Seeing this, Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but sigh.
He had originally planned to, like Shirogane Ginjirō beside him, draw her attention to the entry permit, in order to proceed with the next step of interaction.
Even if he was temporarily taken into custody, it wouldn't matter.
That's right!
It's about being taken into custody.
Ishikawa Katori's peripheral vision scanned Shirogane Ginjirō, who was smiling broadly like an elder from next door. Keep pretending, you.
Although he did it very discreetly, after confirming the authenticity of the entry permit, this smiling middle-aged man, with his back to Ishikawa Katori, made a gesture to a girl with flaxen hair and glasses behind the shop counter. Upon receiving the gesture, the girl immediately walked out from behind the counter and left the shop through the back door.
If Ishikawa Katori's guess was correct, she should be heading to the Second Division for confirmation.
It was precisely because he noticed this that Ishikawa Katori allowed himself to be pulled into the shop without resistance.
He had no complaints about this. After all, even Kotetsu Isane, who had a very high favorable impression of him, had questioned the authenticity of the entry permit. It was normal for this unfamiliar Vice-Captain to want to confirm it.
Moreover, the other party's attitude was excellent, and he even offered to let Ishikawa choose any pair of glasses as compensation. Such an action makes it difficult for people to feel ill will.
Most importantly…
If he could get to know Ise Nanao because of this, let alone temporary custody, he wouldn't mind being tied up in the shop for a few days.
"…I think this style of glasses really suits your face shape, and the frames are specially designed by me for combat. No matter how intense the movements, the glasses won't fall off…"
Shirogane Ginjirō smiled as he introduced different types of glasses to Ise Nanao, occasionally glancing at Ishikawa Katori from the corner of his eye.
Ishikawa Katori, pretending not to know, browsed the shop while thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Ise Nanao.
Both had their own thoughts. Ise Nanao listened attentively to Shirogane Ginjirō's words. Although she noticed Shirogane Ginjirō's slightly unusual behavior, she didn't pay too much attention, only thinking that he was worried Ishikawa might steal goods from the shop if he wasn't paying attention.
Initially, Ishikawa Katori was just browsing glasses to pass the time, but after looking around, he was surprised by how comprehensive this optical shop was.
All the glasses in the shop had a sense of high quality in their material, and whether they were prescription glasses, sunglasses, or goggles… they were all thoughtfully modified to be more suitable for use in intense combat.
"Are there really so many types of glasses?"
Ishikawa Katori returned to Shirogane Ginjirō and Ise Nanao, sighing with genuine emotion.
"Haha, it's hard for people who don't wear glasses to understand, isn't it?" Shirogane Ginjirō smiled upon hearing this: "Is there any style you like? I can help you choose the most suitable pair of glasses for you. Your face shape is more suitable for sunglasses, and a suitable pair of glasses can enhance your overall appearance."
"For example, a certain red-haired kid from the Eleventh Division, his goggles were chosen by me. His entire demeanor changes significantly when he puts them on."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, pondered for a moment, then asked: "Speaking of which, listening to your conversation just now, Store Manager, you should be a Vice-Captain of the Gotei 13, right? Has the salary of the Gotei 13 become so low that you need to open an optical shop to make a living?"
He was just making conversation. The salary of a Gotei 13 Vice-Captain is very high, otherwise Ise Nanao wouldn't have been choosing among glasses in the millions of Kan range. However, seeing her hesitant look, buying a pair of glasses worth several million Kan still required a lot of deliberation…
"That's not it. Opening an optical shop is my hobby. At first, I just treated it as a side business." Shirogane Ginjirō smiled, not hiding anything: "I didn't expect my optical shop, which I ran as a side business, to become very popular right after opening, so I've kept it open."
"And Captain Kucihki said… well, Captain Kucihki is my direct superior, the Captain of the Sixth Division. He said that once a suitable successor is found, he will allow me to take a leave from the Squad and focus on running the optical shop."
"Captain Kucihki allowed it??"
Before Ishikawa Katori could react, Ise Nanao, who was nearby, asked with some surprise. The fact that Shirogane Ginjirō wanted to take a leave from the Squad to focus on running his optical shop was no secret among the Vice-Captains; however, because a suitable Vice-Captain candidate had not been found, Captain Kucihki had not agreed to it.
"Yes, although we haven't found a suitable candidate yet, Captain Kucihki and I are both very optimistic about a certain young man." Shirogane Ginjirō's smile grew even wider, as if he thought of something: "If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to successfully take a leave from the Squad in just a few years."
"Let's not talk about me."
Shirogane Ginjirō changed the subject, looking at Ishikawa Katori with some confusion: "Do you really accept all kinds of commissions?"
"Yes, as long as it's within my capabilities, from housework to finding people, whether it's one thing or ten thousand things, if I can do it, I'll accept it; and my shop provides home medical services, as well as Kaido training. When there are no commissions, I also work at the Comprehensive Relief Station of the Fourth Division."
Kaido training?
Working at the Comprehensive Relief Station?
Upon hearing this, Ise Nanao, who had not been very interested in their conversation, couldn't help but look at Ishikawa with surprise.
Seeing this, a hint of joy flashed in Ishikawa Katori's eyes. He was afraid she wouldn't be interested. As long as he piqued Ise Nanao's interest, even if it couldn't increase her favorability, it would at least leave an impression in her mind, making it easier to befriend her later.
Exchanging a fact that didn't need to be hidden for her curiosity was clearly worth it!
"Are you a member of the Fourth Division?"
Shirogane Ginjirō was also surprised to hear this, as the entry permit Ishikawa Katori had shown him earlier was issued by the Onmitsukidō.
A Fourth Division member holding an Onmitsukidō entry permit?
Putting these two organizations together, it just seemed very strange no matter how you thought about it.
One's main duty is assassination and execution, the other's main duty is healing and saving lives…
"I am not a Shinigami."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head, not hiding anything: "I just received permission from the Fourth Division to visit the Comprehensive Relief Station at any time to communicate with Fourth Division members and treat patients, in order to improve my Kaido abilities. You can just consider me a temporary doctor at the Comprehensive Relief Station."
"A temporary doctor who isn't a Shinigami?"
The more Ise Nanao listened, the more confused she became, and she couldn't help but turn her gaze to Shirogane Ginjirō.
Just then, a figure walked in from outside. Upon seeing the three of them, she paused slightly, then said to Ise Nanao: "Vice-Captain Ise."
This was a girl with glasses and medium-length flaxen hair, precisely the one who had received Shirogane Ginjirō's gesture earlier and left through the back door of the shop.
He hadn't noticed before, but after carefully examining her, Ishikawa realized that this girl also possessed the Reiatsu of a high-ranking Seated Officer, clearly not an ordinary optical shop employee.
"Miyu is back."
Shirogane Ginjirō smiled, pulled the girl over, and introduced her to Ishikawa Katori: "This is my daughter, Shirogane Mihane. She's the Ninth Seat of the Sixth Division, and also the Vice-Manager of this optical shop. She often comes here to help me when she's on vacation." When he mentioned his daughter's position, his face clearly showed pride, giving the impression that 'Ninth Seat' was a higher rank than his own 'Vice-Captain'.
"Hello."
Shirogane Mihane first politely greeted Ishikawa Katori, then subtly nodded to Shirogane Ginjirō.
"Hello."
Ishikawa Katori smiled warmly and handed over a small card. He was now distributing these handwritten advertisements as if they were business cards…
"I'm Ishikawa Katori, I run the Everything Store in the West 38th District. If you need anything, you can always come find me." After saying that, Ishikawa added in his heart: It's okay if you don't come, I'll be visiting often!!
Although he might not encounter Ise Nanao every time he visited in the future, establishing a good relationship with this Ninth Seat of the Sixth Division was also very important.
Looking at the small card Ishikawa Katori offered, Ise Nanao seemed to remember something. She took out the small card Ishikawa Katori had given her earlier from her book and examined it carefully, a look of surprise appearing on her serious face.
"Entry permit?"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories