At the same time, in the Soul Society, 10th Division.
Isshin was lying on the corridor of the 10th Division's barracks, thinking about Masaki, whom he had met in the Living World.
'So the rumors about Quincies still existing are true...' Isshin's tenure as Captain wasn't long, so his knowledge of Quincies was limited, mostly based on hearsay.
Because Hollows eliminated by Quincies vanish completely, affecting the balance of souls, it was said the Soul Society waged war against the Quincies roughly two hundred years ago, slaughtIzuming many.
But this was just a rumor. Whether it was true, Isshin didn't know. The Soul Society kept that part of history secret. Although Isshin was a high-ranking Captain, his tenure wasn't that long, and his seniority among Captains wasn't deep. He wasn't too clear about events from two hundred years ago, having only heard some rumors.
Regardless of the reason, Quincies in the Living World were now extremely rare. For Isshin to encounter Masaki could only mean they were a destined pair.
'She actually stepped in to save a Shinigami like me and openly declared herself a Quincy. That's quite bold,' Isshin thought, feeling admiration for Masaki, who appeared delicate but possessed a strong character.
"She's really something... I wish we could have talked more..."
These past few days, Isshin's mind was filled with Masaki's image, leaving no room for anything else.
Thinking this, Isshin suddenly sat up from the corridor. "Yosh! I'll go meet her again! I need to thank her properly. Yeah, just to express my gratitude. There's definitely no other reason."
…
Living World.
After school, Masaki was walking home with two classmates.
"—So, Masaki-chan, you're so lucky!"
"You live with Ishida-senpai, right?!"
"That's cohabitation! That's definitely cohabitation!!"
One of the girls, with short blonde hair, said with a mix of envy and jealousy.
Masaki waved her hands repeatedly. "It's not like that! I've said it before, Ryuken and I are just cousins! There's absolutely nothing like that between us!"
The other girl, with long black hair, sided with Masaki. "Yeah, even if you weren't cousins, Masaki isn't that kind of person."
Masaki immediately brightened up. "As expected of Shiho! You understand me!"
"How annoying—"
"You guys are so boring! Even if he's a cousin, as long as it's Ishida-senpai, just looking at him is exciting enough!" The blonde girl was clearly a devoted fan of Ryuken.
Masaki continued chatting and laughing with her friends.
"Hmm?"
Masaki, as if noticing something, suddenly stopped, colliding with someone coming from the opposite direction.
"Ah! S-sorry!" Masaki covered her nose and apologized hurriedly.
"No, it's fine, it's fine. More importantly, miss, are you—"
"Are you okay, Masaki?!" Her two classmates asked anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Masaki said, rubbing her nose.
Then, Masaki and the person she bumped into passed each other and continued on their ways.
The person who bumped into Masaki took two steps before suddenly stopping, turning around to look at Masaki's retreating figure with a grave expression.
This person wore a striped green-and-white hat, revealing light yellow, slightly upward-tousled short hair, a bit of stubble on his chin, and wooden sandals on his feet.
Urahara Kisuke! This was none other than the former Captain of the 12th Division and founder of the Research and Development Bureau, Urahara Kisuke.
Ishida Family Mansion.
"I'm home—!!" Masaki called out energetically upon entIzuming the hall.
Seeing Masaki, Ryuken's face lit up with joy. "Welcome back, Ma—"
"Masaki-san!"
Before Ryuken could finish, Ishida Izumi appeared, interrupting him.
Seeing the stern-faced Izumi, Masaki immediately felt intimidated. "I'm back, Auntie!"
"I have something to discuss with you," Izumi said expressionlessly. "I heard you aided a Shinigami and fought a Hollow a few days ago?"
Masaki immediately became evasive. "Ah, the weather's really nice today..."
"Hmph!" Hearing this obvious attempt to dodge, Izumi glared at Masaki disapprovingly.
Masaki hurriedly denied, "N-no! I didn't do anything like that..."
Izumi sneered. "Oh? Still lying? I wouldn't bring it up without solid evidence. Lying only lowers your character further, Masaki."
'Katagiri, you...!!' Hearing this, Ryuken inwardly roared.
The only ones who knew about Masaki helping the Shinigami were those present at the time: Ryuken, Kanae, the Shinigami, and the mastermind.
Neither the Shinigami nor the mastermind would bother telling Izumi, and Ryuken certainly wouldn't. Therefore, the only way Izumi could know was if Kanae told her.
After the incident, Ryuken had specifically ordered Katagiri not to tell Izumi. He never expected Kanae to disobey, causing Masaki to face Izumi's reprimand.
Ryuken was furious.
Meanwhile, Izumi continued questioning Masaki. "Why?! Why didn't you tell me about this?! Explain yourself honestly. Why would you do such a thing?!"
"Aren't you ashamed?! You—raised by the Ishida Family! How dare you break the fifth Quincy commandment?!"
Izumi relentlessly scolded Masaki. Watching this, Ryuken could bear it no longer. So, he immediately went to find Kanae.
Well, directly intervening wouldn't work… as his mother, Izumi wouldn't listen to him. So, stopping Izumi was pointless.
Therefore, Ryuken wanted to know why Kanae had disobeyed his order and told Izumi.