join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
"Unconsciously, I've grown accustomed to this scenery," Ishikawa muttered to himself as he walked along the streets of Seireitei.
Although he had explored less than a tenth of Seireitei, the monotonous white buildings eventually lost their novelty, and prolonged exposure to the vast expanse of white structures also gave him an inexplicable sense of oppression.
"Yo, Ishikawa, are you here to hand out flyers again?" Shirogane Ginjirō burst into laughter upon seeing Ishikawa Katori appear at the entrance of the optical shop, but a hint of wariness flickered in his eyes.
"No, I'm on my way to the Comprehensive Relief Station and just happened to pass by, so I came in to take a look." Ishikawa finished speaking and glanced around the shop, "Is Ms. Shirogane Mihane not here today? I had some new ideas for the glasses we designed together last time and wanted to discuss them with her."
At these words, Shirogane Ginjirō's gaze towards Ishikawa immediately became even more vigilant.
"She's not here," Shirogane Ginjirō said irritably. "Shirogane Mihane is a high-ranking Seated Officer of the Sixth Division. She's so busy with work every day; how could she possibly stay in the optical shop designing glasses every day?"
Ishikawa Katori's eyelid twitched.
Coming from the Vice-Captain who spent every day in the optical shop, it sounded incredibly awkward.
He wondered how idle the Sixth Division was to let their Vice-Captain run a side business. Every time he came to discuss optics with Shirogane Mihane, this guy was almost always in the shop… Even if he wasn't, he would rush back to the shop shortly after Ishikawa started talking to Shirogane Mihane…
If it weren't for him, Shirogane Mihane's favorability towards him might be even higher now, instead of just 21 points.
"If you have nothing to do, hurry to the Comprehensive Relief Station. Don't wander around my optical shop like a jobless vagrant every day, and don't buy anything!" Shirogane Ginjirō said.
To be honest, he actually liked this black-haired young man in front of him quite a bit.
He was not only handsome but also very helpful, gentle, and kind. The shopkeepers on Commercial Street all liked this kid.
But… liking him was one thing; trying to court his precious daughter was another!
In just two short weeks, his innocent daughter had actually come to regard him as a friend, often mentioning this scoundrel's name to him, and the two of them would secretly design glasses together at every opportunity.
If it were just that… while he would be displeased, he wouldn't go so far as to drive him away, as he always adhered to the philosophy of letting his daughter make friends freely.
But after his investigation, this scoundrel was not just flirting with his daughter!!!
Whether it was the chubby daughter of the daifuku shop owner on the corner, the middle-aged female owner of the clothing store on South Street, or even the old lady who ran the restaurant a street away… This scoundrel could often be seen in any shop on the entire Commercial Street that had a female presence.
Although his interactions with them were limited to friendly conversations and occasionally helping out with small favors when he happened to encounter them, with no inappropriate behavior, and he even consciously avoided intimate contact.
But even if you simply enjoy making friends, you don't need to chat with people every day, especially when all your conversation partners are women.
But if you say he's a lecher…
He completely disregarded the age, figure, and even appearance of his female friends. As long as it was a woman, he could engage in back-and-forth conversations with them in their professional fields, even guiding them—truly an all-rounder!
He could tolerate not seeing these things normally, but the most outrageous part was… while constantly pestering his daughter to design glasses together, he was also openly getting cozy with the daughter of the herb shop owner directly across the street, frequently giving her herbs and teaching her about herbal knowledge.
Moreover, he heard from Squad Members in his Squad receiving treatment at the Comprehensive Relief Station that this kid's proficiency in Kaido was no less than that of the Fourth Division's Vice-Captain, and he held great prestige in the Comprehensive Relief Station, often interacting with female Squad Members of the Fourth Division to discuss Kaido.
He was secretly referred to as 'Friend of Women' by the patients at the Comprehensive Relief Station. In short, as long as the person was female, this kid could find common ground with them…
Such a scumbag must never be allowed near his precious daughter!!
"…" Ishikawa Katori was pushed out of the optical shop, looking bewildered, feeling quite inexplicable.
He didn't know when it started, but Manager Ginjiro, who was so generous and enthusiastic when they first met, had become increasingly irritable.
The glasses Ms. Shirogane Mihane and I designed together have been very popular recently, bringing a lot of income to the shop. It's one thing that you don't give me a design fee, but constantly chasing people away is too much.
It's like casting pearls before swine… Ishikawa pouted, but didn't continue to pester him. Anyway, after realizing Shirogane Mihane wasn't there, he had already planned to leave.
"The Floral Arrangement Society starts at ten in the morning. Let's keep exploring."
Ishikawa Katori looked up at the sky, then walked towards the herb shop across from the optical shop. This scene made Shirogane Ginjirō behind him roll his eyes. This kid really had no shame at all!
"Yo, Ishikawa, are you here to play with my Kazuki Yuu again?"
As soon as he entered the herb shop, the shop owner, standing in front of the medicine cabinet, greeted him enthusiastically.
The herb shop owner was a one-legged middle-aged man with a buzz cut and a square face, giving off a very righteous impression.
The middle-aged man's name was Kazuki, and he was once a member of the Fourth Division. However, he lost a leg during an external mission, so he applied for a leave of absence, eventually retired from the Fourth Division, and opened an herb shop on Commercial Street.
Uncle Kazuki pointed to the storeroom and smiled, "My Yuu is sorting herbs inside. You can go straight in."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, and just as he was about to walk in, he seemed to remember something, pulled out a small notebook from his waist, looked left and right, and whispered, "Uncle Kazuki, this is the list of herbs the Comprehensive Relief Station plans to purchase. Please prepare it in advance, so you don't run out of stock when the time comes."
Uncle Kazuki's eyes lit up. He quickly took it and stuffed it into his pocket, asking in surprise, "How did you get this?"
"I wrote it."
"Huh?"
"I'm currently helping the people in the Pharmacy Department prepare medicines, so I write all the procurement lists myself."
"…" Uncle Kazuki.
Has this kid's status in the Fourth Division already become so high!?
As a former Squad Member of the Fourth Division, even though he was only a Squad Member until his retirement, he knew how arrogant the people in the Pharmacy Department were. Although they indeed had the right to be arrogant, after all, all the medicines in the entire Comprehensive Relief Station, as well as the emergency medicines distributed to each Squad, were researched by the Pharmacy Department.
And the procurement for the Pharmacy Department had always been decided by the head of the Pharmacy Department. Even a Seated Officer could not interfere… What's more, the head of the Pharmacy Department was already the Third Seat of the Fourth Division and the head of the First Relief Squad—Iemura.
Ishikawa Katori didn't know Uncle Kazuki's thoughts. He simply lifted the curtain and walked into the storeroom.
In the storeroom, a black-haired girl was holding a book, comparing it while placing herbs from the ground onto the shelves.
Seeing this, Ishikawa Katori rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, saying, "Let me help you."
"Huh?"
Kazuki Yuu was startled by the sudden voice. The book in her hand dropped, and after a moment of fumbling, she managed to hug the book, her small face immediately turning red: "Mr. Ishikawa… why are you here?"
"I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look."
Ishikawa Katori smiled gently, and the gentle aura that wafted over made the blush on Kazuki Yuu's face deepen.
He really is so similar~
No matter how many times she saw him, she felt that Mr. Ishikawa was very much like Captain Aizen—both were gentle, kind-hearted, and approachable.
[Kazuki Yuu's favorability +1, gained 160 experience points, current favorability: 39]
Ishikawa Katori, who was sorting herbs, paused slightly, and couldn't help but inwardly complain about how easily this girl was fooled.
He had met many people on this Commercial Street, and among them, Kazuki Yuu was the one whose favorability towards him increased the fastest. He didn't know why, but her favorability would often inexplicably rise, sometimes just a gentle smile could increase her favorability towards him…
This made Ishikawa Katori unable to resist reminding her not to trust others too much.
Shaking his head, Ishikawa Katori asked somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you say last time that work in your Squad was very busy? Why do you have time to sort herbs in the shop today?"
Unlike her father, Kazuki Yuu did not join the Fourth Division after graduating from Shin'ō Academy, but instead entered the Fifth Divsion.
Because he was used to most of the Fourth Division members suffering from social anxiety, when Ishikawa Katori first met Kazuki Yuu, he thought she was also a Squad Member of the Fourth Division, especially since Uncle Kazuki had been teaching her Kaido since she was young.
"The reason for the busyness a while ago was that the number of Hollows appearing in the Human World suddenly surged for some unknown reason, so our Fifth Divsion has been constantly carrying out rescue missions."
Kazuki Yuu paused, a hint of longing in her eyes: "But ever since Captain Aizen personally went to the Human World for rescue, the frequency of Hollow appearances has dropped back to its previous level, so those of us who missed our holidays have also started taking compensatory leave in batches."
"I see. That Captain Aizen is truly amazing."
Ishikawa Katori praised, but a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
"Yes," Kazuki Yuu was visibly excited when Aizen was mentioned. "I really want you to see how Captain Aizen, with just a raise of his hand, turned a Gillian, whose strength was comparable to a Seated Officer, into ashes…"
Ishikawa Katori smiled at her reaction and didn't interrupt, instead acting as a listener, occasionally nodding in agreement.
Although his initial contact with Kazuki Yuu was simply to make friends and gain some experience points.
But ever since he learned that she was a Squad Member of the Fifth Divsion, Ishikawa Katori subconsciously extracted a lot of information from her. Although it was somewhat despicable, the presence of that person was simply too strong. As long as he was in Seireitei, he could never ignore their existence.
Because of his unease, he always unconsciously wanted to get more information about the other party. Moreover, it had been less than a year since the Genji incident, and Ishikawa Katori still didn't know whether the other party had targeted him because of it.
Although so much time had passed without incident, the chance of the other party targeting him was extremely low.
But even with a one in ten thousand chance, he had to be prepared. Who knew what he was secretly planning? If he didn't prepare in advance, and was used as a test subject, it would be too late to regret it!
Therefore, only by having information about the other party would he not be caught off guard.
However, when facing Kazuki Yuu, Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
After all, Ishikawa Katori had always adhered to the principle of 'setting aside distractions and sincerely making friends with the other party,' even trying his best to suppress the thought of gaining experience points from them… Although the effect wasn't significant, since his motivation for making friends came from experience points…
But with Kazuki Yuu, Ishikawa Katori had always been using her identity to gather information, and this naive girl was easily fooled, telling him everything he asked.
To show his apology, Ishikawa Katori also tried his best to compensate her, generously guiding her in both Kaido and combat techniques like Zankensoki.
Ishikawa Katori looked at Kazuki Yuu, whose eyes were full of admiration, and teased, "Haha, you really like that Captain Aizen, don't you?"
"Uh…" Kazuki Yuu's small face immediately turned red. "No… no… it's not 'like'… I just greatly res… pect… yes, respect Captain Aizen's character…"
Respect Aizen's character… Ishikawa felt speechless. If he were to say who he feared most in the entire Soul Society, it would undoubtedly be Aizen, with even the Central 46, who held the highest authority, only ranking second.
Because although the people in the Central 46 were conservative and lacked human empathy, as long as one was careful not to violate the rules of Seireitei, one could avoid contact with them. But Aizen was different; once he developed an interest, no matter how much one tried to hide, they would be observed and even experimented on like a guinea pig.
"Phew— Done."
Ishikawa Katori finished arranging the last of the herbs, picked up a broom nearby, and prepared to clean up the dust and herbal residue on the floor.
"I can do it," Kazuki Yuu quickly placed the book she was holding aside and took the broom from Ishikawa Katori's hand. "Mr. Ishikawa, please sit and rest. I'm already embarrassed that you helped me sort the herbs; I should do this."
Ishikawa Katori heard this and didn't argue. Instead, he looked at the book Kazuki Yuu had placed aside and asked, "Are you used to using this book?"
"It's incredibly useful," Kazuki Yuu said somewhat shyly. "Although my father has always taught me Kaido, there are simply too many types of herbs. This 'Herbal Compendium' that Mr. Ishikawa wrote has helped me a great deal. With this book, I can do even more to help my father."
"Even my father picks up this book and reads it whenever he has free time."
"Heh heh, I'm glad it can help you all," Ishikawa said, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "You continue with your work. I should head to the Comprehensive Relief Station now."
"What? Leaving already?"
Before Kazuki Yuu could reply, Uncle Kazuki walked into the storeroom with a dessert, saying, "What's the rush? Sit a while longer and chat with me. I'm telling you, Kanda's strawberry daifuku is the best on our entire Commercial Street."
"Next time, perhaps. The Fourth Division is holding a Floral Arrangement Society today, and I've been invited to attend."
"I see," Uncle Kazuki said with a smile. "So today is the day of the Floral Arrangement Society. I've been retired for too long and forgot. Well, you should go quickly then."
"Mm."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, bid farewell to the Kazuki father and daughter, and then left Commercial Street directly, walking towards the Comprehensive Relief Station.
The number of Hollows appearing in the Human World suddenly surged for some unknown reason?
Ishikawa Katori walked, recalling what Kazuki Yuu had told him earlier.
The Fifth Divsion is a rescue Squad. When Shinigami stationed in the Human World encounter a crisis, the Fifth Divsion is usually responsible for the rescue.
There are only a few years left until the incident. The increase in Hollow appearances in the Human World at this time inevitably made Ishikawa Katori draw connections; moreover, the decrease in Hollow frequency after Aizen personally took action was also very strange.
Is Hueco Mundo making a move?
Or does Aizen have a new experiment?
Ishikawa Katori frowned. He still had too little information, but he couldn't actively collect it. On one hand, his pass couldn't access areas managed by other Squads, and on the other hand, with his current strength, actively investigating would inevitably attract Aizen's attention.
Besides…
Perhaps he was just thinking too much, and the other party might not even know of his existence. Getting involved rashly now might instead lead to Aizen targeting him.
"Forget it, I'll take it one step at a time."
Ishikawa Katori shook his head and didn't dwell on it further.
Unconsciously, he had already arrived outside the Comprehensive Relief Station, but just as he was about to enter the compound, his steps involuntarily paused.
"Hmm?"
Looking ahead, he saw more than a dozen Fourth Division Squad Members neatly lined up in the courtyard, walking out. All of them were wearing shinigami uniforms and carrying medical bags.
"Mr. Ishikawa?"
The person at the very front of the team was none other than Kotetsu Isane. Upon seeing Ishikawa Katori, her eyes lit up: "You've come at just the right time. We're going to the Human World for a rescue mission. It happened suddenly, and we're a bit short-handed. Mr. Ishikawa, could you come with us?"
"Go to the Human World?"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories