Hikifune Kirio stood with Urahara Kisuke by her side and a crowd of subordinates behind her, waving repeatedly at the street in the distance.
"Little Ren, come visit again soon!"
"And remember to bring little Yoruichi with you next time!"
Far down the street, Ren waved back. After finishing the formalities, he turned and continued his way.
Walter followed behind him, carrying a tray stacked with boxed pastries.
Seeing the Squad 12 members return to their barracks, he turned to Ren.
"It seems Captain Hikifune has a very high opinion of you, my lord."
"Not only did she see you off personally, but she also gave you so many gifts."
He weighed the tray in his hands; it was quite heavy, enough for several meals.
Ren couldn't help but shake his head. "I only intended to plant a few spies, but I ended up helping her by sheer accident."
"She thinks it was a favor and has remembered it until now."
The so-called spies were, of course, Urahara Kisuke and Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
It just so happened that both possessed extraordinary talent in research. They had been a massive help to Hikifune Kirio, assisting her in perfecting the Artificial Soul technology, which even caught the eye of the Royal Guard.
Ren suspected that with Hikifune's intelligence, she had long realized Urahara and Mayuri were essentially his spies.
After all, he had never really hidden it, yet Hikifune acted as if she didn't care at all.
Did she truly not care?
Or did she have other plans?
Recalling the details of their meeting, Ren pressed his fingers to his temples, a look of confusion crossing his face.
As for the higher-up Hikifune mentioned who gave her information...
Ren figured it must be the Northern Divine General of the Royal Guard, Shutara Senjumaru, known as the Great Weave Guard.
As far as he knew, Shutara Senjumaru had once collaborated with Mayuri Kurotsuchi to establish a civilian research institute.
After creating the Shihakushō, Shutara was promoted to the Royal Guard for her contributions, residing in the Soul King Palace above.
Mayuri, on the other hand, was the unlucky one.
Not only was the institute shut down by the Central 46, but he himself was deemed too great a threat and sentenced to imprisonment.
Since they couldn't find a specific crime to charge him with, they had no choice but to forcibly lock him away in the Maggot's Nest.
It was quite a pathetic story.
The two walked a bit further, completely leaving the Squad 12 area.
Head-sized snails began to appear on the walls on both sides, their large eyes scanning the street.
When someone walked by, the snails' eyes would fixate on them, tracking their movement.
Seeing these snails, Ren stopped and took a box of snacks from Walter's tray, distributing them to the nearby snails.
"Bloop... bloop..."
The snails sniffed the food first, then began to chew hungrily once they realized there was nothing wrong. Their large eyes remained fixed on the person before them.
Seeing this, Ren nodded slightly.
"These Visual Transponder Snails are being trained well."
Even while eating his food, they didn't stop monitoring him. They were certainly dedicated to their duty.
Walter looked at the snails with a look of novelty on his face.
"To think such little things can transmit sound and images, and even function as phones. Truly miraculous creatures."
"The world of that great ocean really has a lot of variety."
Though it wasn't the first time he had seen them, he found them fascinating every time.
These snails were called Transponder Snails, magical animals found in a world dominated by the sea.
After some breeding, the Stealth Force had taken them and placed them throughout the Seireitei to monitor the movements of the Soul Reapers.
"I originally wanted to place these snails in all thirteen barracks, but Yamamoto Shigekuni stopped me. Now they can only be placed on unimportant streets."
"Otherwise, the entire Seireitei would be much more transparent to us."
Ren said regretfully. After finishing the snacks, he didn't linger and continued walking.
During this brief pause, Walter had already taken out a bead, infused it with spiritual pressure, and raised a barrier to shroud the two of them.
He wasn't worried about being overheard.
This barrier not only blocked sound but also created a layer of camouflage on the outside, hiding the figures within.
From the outside, it looked like they had simply vanished.
Once the barrier was up, the snails on the walls stopped watching them and immediately shifted their gaze back to the street.
Ren was pleased with Walter's caution and nodded privately.
Following behind Ren, Walter sighed. "Speaking of which, our gains from this visit to Squad 12—besides these pastries and the news of Captain Hikifune's promotion—are practically nonexistent."
"It seems your original purpose was not achieved either, my lord."
Ren paused for a moment before resuming his pace.
Walter's eyelids lowered, and his impassive face suddenly darkened.
"Earlier... I observed the subtle expressions of that Third Seat Urahara. He seemed to be hiding something from you."
"Yes, I noticed as well."
Ren nodded, his voice dark yet certain.
"Urahara Kisuke lied to me!"
Walter looked up slightly, his gaze catching the broad back ahead of him. His monocle flashed with a white light.
His face grew thoughtful, his voice inquisitive.
"You have a contract with him, my lord. You should be able to sense his general emotions and feelings. What was the result?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. His words were sincere, without a hint of hesitation. It wasn't the behavior of a liar."
Ren turned his head slightly to look at Walter, then back at the road ahead.
Walter could only see half of Ren's face, but even so, he could see the cold intensity in his expression.
"That is strange indeed."
Walter raised an eyebrow, a peculiar look appearing on his face.
"Your ability detected no lie, yet my observation of his micro-expressions suggested he was hiding something. And now, you are certain he was lying..."
"Heh."
Ren let out a cold laugh, one that carried a bone-chilling frost.
"Urahara Kisuke has a talent for research that most people can't even dream of, but he isn't quite as gifted when it comes to the performance of social interaction."
"Walter, the reason I brought you along was to have you look at that fellow and help me see his true heart."
"It's precisely because my ability couldn't detect anything, because you noticed something, and because of this sense of dissonance... that I am certain he must be lying to me!"
"He has betrayed me!"
Walter perceived the anomaly in Ren's voice and quickened his pace. He moved closer and tilted his head to see Ren's face.
Although he could only see a fraction of it, he saw Ren's current expression clearly.
He was smiling!
Walter was stunned. To be honest, in all the time he had been with the Shihoin family, this was the first time he had seen a smile on his master's face.
For a moment, Walter forgot about Urahara Kisuke, his mind filled with the sight of Ren's smile.
'So, you can smile after all...'
However, that smile pulled on muscles that hadn't been used in years, making it look stiff.
It wasn't a smile of joy or happiness; instead, it radiated a hidden fury. His eyes were cold and full of savage intent.
The smile lasted only an instant before vanishing, and Ren's face returned to its usual solemnity.
His voice was biting, as if harboring an endless winter.
"Well played, Urahara Kisuke. Truly impressive!"
"He must have used Kidō to seal his own memories, or perhaps he developed something to suppress his instinctive emotional responses and deceive my perception."
As he spoke, Ren suppressed the anger in his heart, and his voice gradually returned to a calm state.
"Because of that, he lacked a complete, birds-eye view of the situation, leading him to slip up on the minor details. That's why we were able to notice the anomaly."
"Even the weakness and exhaustion he showed during our meeting might have been specially prepared just to lower my guard."
"Walter, it's a good thing this matter was significant enough for me to bring you along. Otherwise... I'm afraid he would have fooled me completely!"
Walter lowered his voice and shook his head. "Even without me, you would have realized it eventually, my lord. His clumsy tricks could never truly hide from you!"
"There is no need for modesty, Walter."
"It was because you were here that I was able to confirm it immediately!"
He saw it this time because Walter was there, but what about last time?
Or the time before that?
All those times he had sought out Urahara Kisuke... what about then?
When did Urahara start hiding things from him? Or had he been playing him from the very beginning?
Damn it!
To think he had valued the man so much, treating him as a right-hand man and entrusting him with heavy responsibilities, always considering him a friend!
And this was how he was repaid?
Concealment! Deception! Betrayal!
All his past sincerity was nothing but pearls before swine!
Hateful!
While Ren was filled with resentment, a trace of relief also rose in his heart.
Fortunately, he had never fully trusted Urahara Kisuke and hadn't allowed him into his inner circle.
The most classified secrets had always been kept from him.
Otherwise, he might have been cheated out of everything he owned.
It was a small mercy in an unfortunate situation.
Walter spoke softly, his voice carrying a hint of murderous intent.
"My lord, should we have Urahara Kisuke arrested? There are plenty of charges we could use."
"Under the Stealth Force's interrogation, even a stone would speak. He is no exception; he'll spill the truth sooner or later."
Hearing this, a spark of interest flashed in Ren's eyes. After considering it for a moment, he waved his hand.
He let out a sigh and rejected the proposal.
"Brute force... I'm afraid it won't work."
"No matter what, he is the Third Seat of Squad 12, and Hikifune Kirio sees him as her successor. Arresting him would only earn her hostility."
After a pause, Ren added:
"Besides, Yamamoto Shigekuni has always kept a close eye on the Stealth Force's actions. Moving recklessly would only trigger the old man's suspicion for no reason."
"The cost outweighs the gain."
Moreover, there was another matter standing in Ren's way.
According to his calculations, Urahara Kisuke should have already created the thing he wanted by now.
And the purpose of his trip was precisely to ask Urahara for that item!
The Hōgyoku!
Yet Urahara had told him he didn't have it, which immediately aroused Ren's suspicion.
He could tell Urahara was intentionally hiding things, and the Hōgyoku accounted for the vast majority of that.
When it came to the Hōgyoku, Ren couldn't be too careful.
Urahara Kisuke was a man of significant character; torture would likely be useless against him.
It would only make him hide the Hōgyoku even deeper.
If Ren wanted to get it then, it would be twice as difficult.
He needed another way to make Urahara bring it out himself; only then would he have a chance of success.
With that thought, a broad, gentle figure appeared in Ren's mind—the one who always wore a beaming smile.
Aizen Sousuke!
In the original story, it was Aizen who forced Urahara to reveal the Hōgyoku once, using it to aid the Hollowfication of Hirako Shinji and the others.
This time, Ren would take advantage of that opportunity.
'It seems my cooperation with Aizen needs to deepen.'
Walter looked troubled. "That's true. Urahara Kisuke is a close friend of Lady Yoruichi. If we arrest him rashly, it will surely cause her dissatisfaction."
"Right, there's also Yoruichi."
Ren realized, his brow furrowing with conflict.
"Yoruichi is pregnant. Pregnant women are sensitive as it is. We shouldn't let her emotions fluctuate too violently during this time."
"...Lord Ren, you..."
Walter turned to look at Ren, his eyes twitching and his expression speechless.
"When you were talking about dealing with Urahara Kisuke just now, you hadn't thought about Lady Yoruichi at all, had you?"
"Did I?"
"You didn't!"
Walter nodded heavily, his tone certain.
"In everything you said before, not once did you show any concern for Lady Yoruichi's feelings."
"Well, I just remembered, didn't I?" Ren said. "I'm concerned now."
"Indeed." Walter couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "But you only remembered her after your butler gave you a reminder."
What a situation!
They were supposed to be a loving couple who supported each other, yet he had to rely on an outsider's hint...
It seemed his master was, at his core, a truly cold-hearted person.
Ren glanced sideways at Walter.
"Walter, keep this a secret for me."
"Of course. Solving my master's problems is the duty of a butler!" Walter said respectfully.
After all, his master was the man in front of him, not his master's wife.
Deep down, this wasn't really a big deal.
He remembered back when he was young, he had even kept secrets about an old master's visits to brothels.
He wondered how that philandering former master of his was doing in heaven.
No, given that man's character, he was probably in hell!
Quite some time had passed since they left Squad 12. Seeing that it was getting late, Ren didn't return to the Stealth Force and instead went straight home.
Entering the Shihoin estate, Ren brought Walter to Yoruichi's room.
"Yoruichi, I went to Squad 12 and brought you some snacks."
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Yoruichi lying with her head on Suì-Fēng's lap.
In the room, Yūshirō was practicing his punches and kicks step-by-step under Yoruichi's guidance.
He was letting out little "Hah!" and "Hyah!" grunts as he moved.
When he saw Ren enter, Yūshirō immediately hid behind Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng, looking pitiful and frightened.
Yoruichi sat up slowly. Upon hearing Ren's words, her eyes lit up.
"Well, Mr. Serious, you do have a conscience after all."
"Hurry up and take them out."
Ren, feeling a twinge of guilt, had Walter lay the pastries out in front of Yoruichi.
"Don't eat too much. Your body can't handle your usual indulgence right now."
"Yūshirō, Suì-Fēng, don't be shy either."
Suì-Fēng looked as composed as ever, but Yūshirō was still trembling with fear.
Ren rubbed his chin, feeling puzzled.
Am I really that scary?
Every time Yūshirō saw him, he acted like a startled fawn.
It wasn't like he was ugly or anything.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]