"Gugu"
Little Ginjō's stomach growled loudly.
The boy scratched his head, his face turning red as he looked at Ito Makoto.
"There's really nothing I can do with you."
Ito Makoto rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Okamoto Hamburg Shop.
Okamoto Erika was in an exceptionally good mood today. Her shop's business was booming, far better than usual. Her spatula flipped constantly, and golden-brown beef patties sizzled on the hot griddle, releasing an irresistible aroma throughout the small kitchen.
She swiftly placed a patty into a bun, squeezed sauce with practiced skill, added fresh vegetables, and completed a perfect beef burger in one smooth motion.
"Hey, boss, is it ready yet? I'm starving!"
The customers urged her impatiently from their seats.
"I'm so sorry, it'll be right up!"
Just as Okamoto Erika looked down, she noticed that the burger she had just made was gone.
At the same time, a bottle of soda had disappeared from the drink cabinet near the door.
"Hoo hoo~"
"Hey, kid, eat slower. That burger is really hot!"
Little Ginjō stuffed half the burger into his mouth in one bite. It was so hot that he hurriedly blew on it, only to choke the next second.
Ito Makoto quickly twisted open the soda bottle and handed it to him.
Ginjō gulped down two large mouthfuls before finally catching his breath.
Watching him, Ito Makoto had no doubt that if he had been a second slower, the Soul Burial business would have gained another customer today.
"To think that I, the dignified Fourth Seat, would resort to stealing…"
In order to fill Ginjō's stomach, Ito Makoto had no choice but to steal burgers.
Since he was currently in a soul state without a Gigai, ordinary people could not see him.
He had no other choice.
"I'll pay them back when I get the chance."
"Belch~"
Before long, Ginjō finished the entire burger and drank all the soda.
"Since you're full, let's go."
Ito Makoto prepared to send him back to the orphanage.
He still had his own matters to deal with and could not keep this little follower around all the time.
"Bakudo Number Three, Sokuryu."
To prevent the aura of the Soul King fragment within Ginjō from attracting more Hollows after he left, Ito Makoto used Kidō to temporarily seal his spiritual pressure.
This would keep low-level Hollows from detecting him.
Because Ginjō was still young and walked slowly, it took nearly an hour to reach their destination.
At the entrance of Yuhua Orphanage, a slightly chubby middle-aged woman was anxiously shining a flashlight around.
When she saw the dirty Ginjō walking toward her across the street, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
She rushed over and picked him up.
The words she had prepared to scold him with reached her lips, then silently disappeared.
"Makoto-nii, will we meet again?"
In her arms, Ginjō spoke to empty air and even waved.
Seeing him act strangely again in the middle of the night, Kitayama Tsuneko felt chills down her spine.
She hurried back into the orphanage with him.
…
After settling Ginjō's matter, Ito Makoto turned to his own affairs.
He first spread his spiritual pressure across Yuhua Town, ensuring that all Hollows had been eliminated.
Since he had accepted the garrison mission, he intended to complete it properly.
Otherwise, a Hollow disaster would inevitably draw Soul Society's attention.
Not long after, space in front of him distorted.
A large, irregular opening appeared, revealing pitch-black chaos beyond.
A passage to Hueco Mundo.
Ito Makoto's lips curved upward slightly.
"Finally."
He stepped forward and entered.
Waiting inside was a humanoid Menos Grande with black eyes, black hair, and a body wrapped in black bone armor.
It was Yekawa.
…
Soon after, in a vast desert of Hueco Mundo, space twisted again.
Two figures emerged.
Yekawa and Ito Makoto.
The moment he arrived, Yekawa vanished with Sonido, leaving Ito Makoto behind.
Beside a low hill.
Strange Fish Barnes and Red Mountain Goat Perke were whispering.
When they saw Yekawa approach, they immediately knelt respectfully.
"How is it?"
"My King, your foresight is unmatched. We found the female Menos Grande you mentioned in that direction. But we feared alerting them, so we didn't approach."
Barnes spoke fluently, filled with flattery.
After confirming the location, Ito Makoto immediately used Shunpo and rushed toward that direction.
Although Aizen had taken control of Las Noches, he had not yet defected.
He could not remain in Hueco Mundo permanently.
Ito Makoto was exploiting the gap when Aizen returned to Soul Society.
It was a classic time-difference strategy.
The Noble Hunting General Assembly was currently fully entrusted to Aizen by Yamamoto.
If his judgment was correct, Aizen would not appear in Hueco Mundo for at least six months.
That was why Ito Makoto dared to act now.
…
South of Las Noches, inside a hidden cave.
A deer-shaped Adjuchas with a dark brown body and pale antlers bragged to a golden lion Hollow.
"That ugly big guy earlier. I could've handled him alone. He was nothing."
The golden lion lay lazily against the rock wall.
"Haha, you've gotten brave. But I've grown stronger too."
A slender white snake Hollow swam over cheerfully.
"I wonder who was trembling when they saw Baraggan."
The lion and deer turned and shouted together.
"Sun Sun, stop talking nonsense!"
The three female Adjuchas joked like human girls chatting in private.
Suddenly, a powerful spiritual pressure surged.
A sharp blade light blasted open the cave entrance.
A tall young man in a Shinigami uniform walked in slowly, holding an Asauchi.
When he saw them, he grinned.
"It really is you."
Ito Makoto laughed loudly and charged forward.
"Human? No, a Shinigami!"
"How can a Shinigami be here?"
"Did that damned expedition team come again?!"
The three Adjuchas were shocked.
"So fast!"
Just as Sun Sun was about to be cut down, a figure flashed forward.
A humanoid Menos Grande with short golden hair, covered in white bone armor, holding a massive bone sword, blocked the strike.
It was Halibel.
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