Morpheus clicked his tongue and shook his head, thinking to himself, "Whatever, what does this have to do with me anyway?"
At the same time, his curiosity grew even stronger. He wondered how his future self had turned Kikyo into one of his followers, and how Kikyo had ended up as Aizen's right-hand woman.
Two people who couldn't be more unrelated, yet here they were, working together in this crossover world.
Intriguing—truly intriguing.
With that thought, Morpheus found himself looking forward to that bizarre future.
"You two, since we've had this rare chance to meet, how about we throw a small banquet to celebrate?"
Aizen smiled and said, "Sounds good. It's been ages since I've tasted any of those strange delicacies of yours, my lord. Could I have a few Suprise Apples?"
"Of course." Morpheus casually pulled a few Suprise Apples from the Light Dimension, cast an illusion over them, and startled them into an astonishingly high grade.
The flavor became unprecedentedly delicious.
He divided the apples between Aizen and Kikyo, then asked curiously, "Besides you two, are there any other followers in the Seireitei?"
Aizen and Kikyo exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.
"Who?"
Aizen smiled, took a bite of his apple, and said, "You once told us, my lord, that we didn't need to answer that question."
Morpheus immediately understood—his future self wanted to keep a bit of mystery.
"Fair enough." He nodded and smiled. "I'll find out myself, then."
In a way, that was part of the fun.
But Morpheus knew himself well.
He was fully aware that there weren't many Shinigamis in the Seireitei who would catch his eye, and most of them were likely women.
After all, he was quite familiar with his own lecherous tendencies.
So Matsumoto Rangiku probably counted as one.
Unohana Retsu likely did too.
Of course, whether that was accurate remained to be seen. This blind-box mentality was entertaining in its own right.
Afterward, Morpheus enjoyed a lavish meal with Aizen and Kikyo, celebrating their long-awaited reunion.
Though "long-awaited reunion" deserved quotation marks.
Because the current Morpheus hadn't yet encountered them in the past.
From his perspective, this was actually his first meeting with Aizen and Kikyo—it hardly counted as a reunion.
But from Aizen and Kikyo's viewpoint, this encounter truly was a long-awaited one.
Yet it carried a subtle sense of distance.
Perhaps once he had truly met them in the "past" and saw them again, it would feel like a real reunion.
Aizen and Kikyo were well aware of this but chose not to mention it.
They, too, were looking forward to the day of that true "long-awaited reunion."
So, after finishing the meal with them, Morpheus didn't bother wandering around the Seireitei in search of other followers. Instead, he left cleanly and decisively.
Thus ending this anticlimactic trip to the Soul Society.
It made Morpheus anticipate his next visit to the Soul Society—perhaps that one would be the real adventure.
Leaving the Soul Society, Morpheus returned to the human world.
To Urahara Kisuke's shop.
Morpheus appeared out of thin air. Entering the Soul Society required a Senkaimon, but leaving didn't.
He had already locked onto the Soul Society's coordinates.
From now on, he could come and go as he pleased.
Upon returning, Morpheus planned to look for Urahara Kisuke, only to find he wasn't there.
The shop was empty except for Tessai Tsukabishi.
"Huh, where's Urahara Kisuke? Where did he go?"
Tessai Tsukabishi said, "Not long ago, Urahara Kisuke uncovered some leads and left with the others. They might soon find the mastermind behind the Hollows."
Morpheus was somewhat surprised. "That quick? Not bad for a tech guy. Alright, I'll let Urahara Kisuke keep his head on his shoulders for a few more days."
"He can come find me once he's tracked down the real culprit."
Having encountered two followers in the Soul Society and learned some fascinating details about the future, Morpheus was in a good mood. He decided to give Urahara Kisuke some time to investigate the mastermind.
Tessai Tsukabishi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me."
Morpheus waved it off. Clearly, he had pressured them into this, yet Tessai Tsukabishi still felt compelled to express gratitude—that was the perk of overwhelming strength.
Without power, would Urahara Kisuke have put in such effort?
No way—absolutely not.
Morpheus knew all too well the downsides of weakness. His previous incarnation had been devoured clean by a Hollow because of it, leaving only a finger behind.
It went to show that strength wasn't always necessary, but you couldn't afford to lack it.
After leaving Urahara Kisuke's shop, Morpheus didn't linger aimlessly in Karakura Town. He returned to Tokyo instead.
Quietly arriving at the Higurashi Shrine.
He discovered that the Inuyasha plot hadn't started yet. There was still some time before Higurashi Kagome's fifteenth birthday.
The sealed Bone-Eater's Well hadn't mutated yet.
Morpheus had no way to travel through the Bone-Eater's Well to the Feudal Era.
So, after a moment's thought, he decided to wait a bit—until Higurashi Kagome's fifteenth birthday—then follow her through and return to the Feudal Era.
For now, he'd continue being an ordinary loafer.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
While Morpheus was idling about, wandering the streets with nothing to do, Saeko suddenly showed up.
He took her to the Cat's Eye Café for a cup of coffee.
"Now you can tell me—what's this about?"
Morpheus asked with a smile.
Saeko sat across from him, her back straight as a rod, her gaze sharp as she looked at Morpheus. "My lord, are you aware of the Dark Tournament?"
"What?" Morpheus looked utterly baffled.
Saeko explained, "The Dark Tournament is an unrestricted fighting competition. Legend has it that many devils and superhumans participate in this event."
"My lord, I want to join this tournament and experience battles like that."
At those words, Morpheus's eyes flickered. A dark fighting tournament with devils and humans.
It sounded strangely familiar.
As if he'd heard of it somewhere before.
Morpheus's mind whirred, and he deliberately sifted through his memories. Sure enough, he found the relevant information.
The Dark Tournament—wasn't that a plot point from the classic old anime Yu Yu Hakusho?
If Morpheus remembered correctly, this tournament was organized by the antagonists Sakyo and Toguro.
It was also one of the most iconic climaxes in Yu Yu Hakusho.
The other arcs were great, but none matched the Dark Tournament.
***
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