Hueco Mundo, Las Noches.
After the great war, the ruined Las Noches, filled with broken walls and debris, had now been somewhat repaired.
However, this repair was only superficial.
After all, Las Noches could be said to have been entirely constructed by Aizen and Szayelaporro's technology. Now, of the two people who could repair it, one was imprisoned and the other had died and gone to hell. It was basically impossible to find someone in Hueco Mundo who could repair Las Noches.
Leaving Aizen aside for now, Szayelaporro was arguably the only eccentric Hollow who enjoyed scientific research in Hueco Mundo, which had existed for so many years.
"As expected, I prefer a brighter sky."
Cirucci rested her hands on the broken wall of the collapsed meeting room, looking at the full moon high above her head: "Can't we find a way to repair this place? Even just a part of it would be fine."
Las Noches was not short of people. If it was just physical labor, there were tens of thousands of Arrancar at the Espada's disposal, and countless Hollows that could be called upon at any time.
But…
Neither Arrancar nor Hollows were suitable for repair work.
"Ahhhhhh—"
A lazy yawn sounded, and turning to look, Starrk was seen lying on a bed made of several chairs: "I don't care about the sky or no sky. It's darker, so I sleep better, but it would be nice if I could have a bed."
"Hmph, boring."
In a corner of the meeting room, Grimmjow stood in the shadows, saying disdainfully: "Is the mighty NO. 1 of the Espada just lying here doing nothing all day?"
"I'd rather be lying in my own room."
Starrk glanced outside through the opening in the meeting room: "But I don't know what happened. I only went to the Human World for half a day, and when I came back, not only was my bed gone, but my house was gone too."
"Hey, hey, hey, enough is enough, I'm the strongest NO. 1!!"
Following Starrk's gaze outwards, in the courtyard outside the meeting room, a large group of small figures were chasing Lilynette everywhere.
"Little sister, let's play together."
"Let's play! Let's play!"
"Let's play hide-and-seek."
"…"
And next to the courtyard, Roka was playing various small games learned from the Human World with several Picaro little girls.
Starrk looked at the annoyed Lilynette, and a smile appeared on his decadent face.
"Besides, the title of NO. 1 no longer means anything."
Starrk glanced at Grimmjow: "Now, my strength might even be inferior to yours. If you want to be it, I'll give it to you."
Grimmjow's face showed annoyance upon hearing this, but after gritting his teeth, he didn't respond.
"So, then!"
Cirucci turned to look at everyone in the meeting hall: "Don't you think we should find someone to unify and manage the Arrancar scattered throughout Las Noches? Recently, there have been many incidents of mutual killing and cannibalism. If this continues, inside and outside Las Noches will become the same."
"I agree."
Starrk raised his hand: "It would be best to also repair Las Noches. No other requests, just a room and a bed will do."
Grimmjow did not speak, but his presence there already indicated his attitude.
After all, this Espada meeting was precisely to decide on a new leader for Hueco Mundo.
This was also why he hadn't taken Starrk's bait just now, because if it came down to status, the person with the highest Espada rank was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
As for himself…
Grimmjow knew very well that he did not possess such abilities.
However, the three of them all looked towards the center of the room, at Harribel, one of the only two figures seated at the meeting table.
"I refuse."
Harribel replied without even looking up: "I have already said that I will not become the new king. Whether from the perspective of strength or status, I am not suitable."
"What's unsuitable about it?"
Cirucci said: "Among us, you are the most Apprentice at handling various matters, and you act carefully and cautiously. Although you are taciturn, you are very responsible. It can be said that you are the most suitable person to be the new king."
"Exactly, exactly."
Starrk nodded repeatedly like an echo.
Grimmjow did not speak, but hid further into the shadows, indicating that he would not contend with Harribel for the so-called new king.
Harribel frowned and looked around the meeting room.
"No need to look."
Cirucci chuckled: "Nel threw Pesche and Dondochakka out of Las Noches this morning, and then before the meeting, she told me the two went missing… Now she has left Las Noches to search for them, and is probably playing hide-and-seek somewhere in Hueco Mundo right now?"
"…." Harribel.
Then she looked up at the other person sitting at the meeting table, just like herself.
Ulquiorra did not speak, only met Harribel's gaze in silence.
After a long stare, Harribel withdrew her gaze.
She suddenly realized that in this vast meeting room, among the several Espada standing at the pinnacle of Hueco Mundo, not a single one was suitable to be the new king.
Undoubtedly, the strongest in terms of power were Cirucci and Starrk.
Although Starrk claimed to be inferior to Grimmjow, in reality, even without the ability of a second Cero like Cirucci and others, his strength was still completely on par with Cirucci.
However, Starrk, let alone managing others, even his own daily life was handled by Lilynette.
As for Cirucci…
If Starrk was unable to care for himself, then Cirucci could be completely described by the word 'slacking'. Aside from having some motivation when caring for Picaro, she spent all her other time looking at magazines of various clothes and cosmetics brought back from the Human World, or reading manga.
Now, she had even handed over the work of caring for and supervising Picaro to Roka.
And leaving those two aside, the strongest person present, and the one with the highest rank among the Espada…
Harribel looked out through the opening at Picaro, who was currently carrying Lilynette and running around the courtyard, and immediately withdrew her gaze.
If Picaro were to manage Las Noches, all the Arrancar would become their playthings.
Harribel's gaze swept across the meeting room, directly passing over Grimmjow.
"…." Grimmjow.
Although he had lost interest in becoming 'king' now, Harribel's gaze still made him extremely uncomfortable.
He had once wanted to become the strongest king, to eliminate everyone who looked down on him, but after his battle with Ichigo, this obsession was replaced by the desire to fight Ichigo again.
And he knew very well that neither their former king nor…
That strange Shinigami who saved him and granted him greater power was far beyond his capabilities. Without the strength to contend with them, even becoming king would just be a joke.
Harribel sighed heavily. She ignored Grimmjow not because of his lack of strength, but because Grimmjow was too impulsive, often disregarding group interests for his personal desires…
That Shinigami, whom Cirucci and the others respected, was the biggest example.
In Harribel's opinion, the most suitable person to become the new king of Hueco Mundo was precisely that Shinigami.
After all, the strongest people in Hueco Mundo now, besides Starrk, were all created by his own hands and were extremely loyal to him, plus he was the one who defeated the old king.
However, Cirucci clearly stated that the Shinigami named Ishikawa was different from Aizen; he would absolutely not come to Hueco Mundo to become the new King of Hollows.
But Harribel did not think so.
Although she was grateful that he saved them, in Harribel's heart, Ishikawa was actually not much different from Aizen.
This could be seen from Cirucci and the others.
He secretly created the ability for Arrancar to perform a second Cero, and successively modified Cirucci, Picaro, Nel, and Grimmjow. If he had no interest in ruling Hueco Mundo, why would he go to such great lengths to help Hollows, who were the enemies of Shinigami?
Harribel's unwillingness to become the new king had a large reason rooted in Ishikawa.
Of course, if he wanted to become the new king, Harribel would not feel resistant. After all, it wasn't the first time a Shinigami had become a King of Hollows.
"Why are you being so wishy-washy?"
Grimmjow looked at Harribel with dissatisfaction: "Why don't we just fight? Whoever loses becomes king!"
At these words, not only Harribel, but even Ulquiorra couldn't help but glance at Grimmjow. He truly couldn't understand what kind of thought process could lead to such a statement…
Unlike others, regarding the current chaos in Las Noches.
Ulquiorra actually didn't care, or rather, he didn't care about anything, not even himself.
He didn't know the meaning of his birth.
What was the goal of his existence?
He didn't even know what kind of Hollow he was.
Nihility!
It could be said that he was the most desireless of the Espada; he had no positive or negative desires.
If one were to say…
If there was anything Ulquiorra pursued, it was probably just a sense of existence, or rather, his heart.
When Aizen was present, Ulquiorra loyally carried out all of Lord Aizen's commands, which he saw as a meaning to his existence.
After being abandoned by Aizen, this meaning naturally ceased to exist.
However, he was not angry like Harribel due to being betrayed by his target, nor was he sad like Starrk because of his companions leaving, nor did he have complex psychological activities like Grimmjow… All that remained was emptiness.
After the meaning of his existence disappeared, he had thought of leaving Las Noches, just as he had initially, to once again bury himself in nothingness.
But the changes in Las Noches ultimately made him choose to stay.
He didn't know what these changes were or what they meant, but staying here, seeing the Picaro running around, seeing the unusual confrontations, and the Espada, who, despite their quarrels, got along well, gave him a sense of comfort he had never experienced before.
So no matter who became the new Hollow King, he would pledge allegiance to the new king, just as he had been loyal to Aizen, until he understood what this change was.
Cirucci looked at the silent conference room and couldn't help but sigh.
She had originally thought this would be an easy decision, as most of the Espada had seemed dignified and ambitious when Lord Aizen was still around, but after actually interacting with them, she discovered…
These Espada were either lazy, introverted, empty, or belligerent…
There wasn't a single normal one among them.
Except for Grimmjow, hardly any of them were ambitious enough to want to be the Hollow King, and Grimmjow was single-mindedly focused on fighting that acting Shinigami again.
As for candidates outside the Espada, Cirucci hadn't even considered them.
The reason was simple…
Everyone present, including Cirucci, would not accept someone without the corresponding strength becoming their king.
Besides those in the conference room, she had actually invited Dordoni and Gantenbainne, two former Espada, before organizing the meeting, but both clearly stated that they no longer had the qualifications to sit with the Espada and refused to attend the meeting.
Rudbornn of the Exequias also refused; being quite an admirer of the Espada, he directly stated that if a new king appeared, he would obey the new king and defend the new king with his life.
"I said… Hm?"
Cirucci's words paused, a joyful expression flashed across her face, and she turned to look into the distance.
The others in the conference room also sensed something, and their reactions varied.
Harribel and Ulquiorra, sitting at the conference table, stood up from their chairs, waiting silently.
Starrk, lying in the corner, yawned, rubbed his eyes hard, and sat upright.
Grimmjow frowned slightly but still stepped out of the shadows.
"It's Ishikawa-nii~"
"Ishikawa-nii, come play with me!"
"You said you'd play with us."
"…"
Excited voices of the Picaro came from outside; the Picaro, scattered throughout the courtyard, were now all heading out to greet someone.
And on the suspension bridge outside the courtyard, several figures were walking towards them.
Leading the way was Nel and her two Fracción, and following behind the three was the figure they had been waiting for, the one they believed was most suitable to become the new Hollow King.
On the suspension bridge, Ishikawa didn't know what the people in the conference room were thinking at the moment, but he looked at the dilapidated Las Noches around him with a somewhat strange expression.
This is what they called starting repair work?
Walking along, Ishikawa found that Las Noches was basically no different from when he last left, the only difference being that a wall had been erected outside the dome of Las Noches.
Ishikawa felt that…
If it weren't to stop Kurotsuchi Mayuri, that research fanatic, perhaps not even the wall would have been repaired.
"It was indeed right to come here."
And as he was looking around, Byakuya and Dondochakka, who were in front of him, were also secretly observing Ishikawa.
"Hey, Byakuya, should we go back and kowtow to him?"
"Huh?"
"You idiot, he defeated Aizen, so he will naturally become the new master of Las Noches. We'll all be working under him from now on, so it's better to get acquainted now, right?"
"But isn't he Ichigo's good friend? He should be a very good person; and we are also Ichigo's good friends, so doesn't that make him our good friend too? If we're all friends, why should I kowtow to him?"
"Uh…"
Their whispers naturally didn't escape Ishikawa.
Ishikawa had no objection to their words, but he really hoped they could change Ichigo to Nel. Compared to being Ichigo's good friend, Ishikawa was more willing to be Nel's good friend; if possible, he wouldn't mind calling them both older brothers.
Anyway, by age, if he called them older brothers, he would be the one benefiting…
Nel, on the other hand, glanced at Ishikawa, and seeing that he still had a smiling face, and even smiled gently back at her when she looked, she slightly relaxed.
Although Dondochakka and Pesche were nominally her Fracción, Nel actually regarded them completely as her older brothers, and she was truly afraid that their words would anger Ishikawa.
From this point of view, he was as gentle and kind a person as Cirucci and Ichigo had said.
[Nel Affection +1, gained 3800 experience points, current Affection: 33]
The prompt in his mind made Ishikawa's smile even gentler, and he secretly decided that he must visit Hueco Mundo more often in the future.
Having finally escaped the entanglement of the Picaro, Ishikawa followed Nel into the conference room, looked at everyone in the room, and smiled slightly: "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Everyone heard him but didn't reply.
Only Cirucci gave Ishikawa an annoyed look and said in a rather sarcastic tone: "Where's your Captain Soi Fon? When are you getting married, or are you here to inform us of your wedding day?"
"…" Ishikawa.
"…" Everyone.
Cirucci's words startled everyone present.
Harribel and the others were worried that Cirucci's words would anger Ishikawa; while Ishikawa was worried that… Harribel and Nel, because of Cirucci's words, would be unwilling to interact much with him, just like those female Squad Members in Seireitei.
Although the misunderstanding had been clarified…
Soi Fon had even dispatched the Onmitsukidō to take those who spread rumors on a tour of the Onmitsukidō, making the entire Gotei 13 aware that it was just a misunderstanding, stopping the spread of the rumor in the shortest time possible.
But for some reason…
Ishikawa always felt that those female Squad Members were avoiding him even more.
"That was just a misunderstanding. What do you mean 'my Captain Soi Fon'? Don't say such things carelessly. My admiration was merely an expression of respect for Captain Soi Fon."
Ishikawa paused, emphasizing: "This matter has already been explained clearly, and now the entire Soul Society knows it was a misunderstanding."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Then what are you, a busy man, doing all the way in Hueco Mundo?"
"…"
Harribel was slightly stunned watching the two argue.
She had always thought the relationship between Cirucci and Ishikawa should be a superior-subordinate relationship, similar to that between the Espada and Aizen.
But looking at it now, the way they interacted felt less like a superior-subordinate relationship and more like the equal relationship among the Espada.
"Oh, right."
Ishikawa pulled out a stack of cards and a Denreishinki from his black work uniform pocket: "Let me introduce myself, I am from West… No, I am Ishikawa from Soul Society's West Rukongai, 38th District, Everything Store. These are my business cards. I also have a branch in the Commercial Street outside Seireitei. My main business accepts all kinds of requests, whether it's house repairs, housework, finding people, finding items… if any of you here need anything…"
"…"
Everyone looked at the business cards in their hands, feeling utterly bewildered.
"Of course, considering the special circumstances of Hueco Mundo, I have already discussed with the Shinigami Research and Development Institute that the payment for your commissions can be offset by some unique materials from Hueco Mundo, which will then be uniformly purchased by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. Of course, the discount is also equivalent to that for Shinigami."
"…"
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Cirucci's pretty face darkened: "You came all the way to Hueco Mundo, surely not just to promote your little shop to us, right?"
"That's not it."
Ishikawa chuckled: "I just heard that you are repairing Las Noches, so I wanted to see if I could help."
"Although I don't have the technology for artificial domes, I have already contacted someone who can repair it in advance, and he will accompany me to repair Las Noches."
"However, for the staff, I will need your help to gather them."