"Gugu~"
Little Ginjō's stomach rumbled loudly.
The boy scratched his head, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as he looked up at Raizen Kō.
"There's nothing I can do with you!"
Raizen Kō rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Okamoto Hamburg Shop
Okamoto Erika was in high spirits today; the shop's business was unusually busy. Her spatula moved rapidly, flipping sizzling golden-brown beef patties on the griddle. The aroma filled the air, drawing customers closer.
Skillfully, Erika placed a patty inside a bun, added sauce with precision, and layered fresh vegetables. A perfect beef burger was ready.
"Hey, boss lady, isn't it ready yet? I'm starving!"
Customers at the tables called out impatiently.
"I'm so sorry! Coming right up!"
Before Erika could hand it over, the burger vanished - and a soda bottle was missing from the drink cabinet.
"Hoo hoo~"
"Hey, kid, eat slower! That burger's hot!"
Little Ginjō bit off a massive chunk in one gulp. The heat forced him to blow on it, but he choked anyway.
Raizen Kō quickly twisted open the soda cap and handed it over. Ginjō gulped two large mouthfuls before finally catching his breath.
Raizen Kō observed the boy and thought wryly: if he hadn't intervened, today's soul burial operation might have gained an extra casualty…
"Alas, to think that I, dignified Raizen Kō, would stoop to thievery!"
Because he was currently in his soul form without a physical body, ordinary humans couldn't perceive him. Stealing burgers was the only way to feed the hungry child.
"I'll repay them later!"
"Belch~"
Soon, Ginjō finished the burger and soda.
"Since you're full, let's go."
Raizen Kō prepared to send Ginjō back to the orphanage. His own duties couldn't wait; he couldn't escort the boy indefinitely.
"Bakudō #3 - Sōkuryū!"
To prevent the fragment of the Soul King residing within Ginjō from attracting Hollows again, Raizen Kō used Kido to temporarily suppress the boy's spiritual pressure.
Since Ginjō was still a child, it took nearly an hour to reach the orphanage.
At the entrance, a slightly plump middle-aged woman anxiously waved a flashlight. When she spotted the dirty boy walking toward her, relief washed over her face.
She hurried forward, lifting him into her arms. Her scolding paused mid-sentence.
"Raizen-Kō… will we meet again?"
Ginjō, still in her arms, waved to the empty air.
Kitayama Tsuneko, shivering at the child's midnight behavior, quickly returned him to the orphanage.
With Ginjō safely back, Raizen Kō turned his attention to his mission.
He spread his spiritual pressure across Yuhua Town, clearing lingering Hollows. Completing the Garrison task properly was essential; failure could attract Soul Society scrutiny.
Soon, a massive rift appeared in front of him a dark portal into Hueco Mundo.
Raizen Kō's lips curved upward.
"Finally here…"
He leaped into the void. Waiting inside was a human-shaped Menos Grande, black-haired and armored in black bone: Yekawa.
Desert of Hueco Mundo
Not long after, two figures appeared: Yekawa and the clone of Raizen Kō.
Yekawa vanished instantly with a Sonido, leaving the clone alone.
Beside a low dune, Strange Fish Barnes and Red Mountain Goat, Perke, whispered to each other.
Upon seeing Yekawa, they knelt, flattery in every movement.
"How is it?"
"My King, as you foresaw, we located the few female Menos Grande you mentioned. We kept our distance to avoid alerting them," Barnes reported, words dripping with exaggeration.
Raizen Kō, observing, smirked quietly. Meanwhile, the clone used Shunpo to dart toward the location.
Though Aizen had already taken over Las Noches, he had not permanently abandoned Hueco Mundo. Raizen Kō timed his intrusion precisely, exploiting Aizen's absence.
The Soul Society's noble hunting strategy had fully entrusted Aizen, leaving Raizen Kō confident the area would remain unguarded for months.
South of Las Noches - Hidden Cave
A deer-shaped Adjuchas, dark brown with pale white antlers, boasted to a golden lion Hollow.
"That big ugly guy earlier? I could've handled him alone. He was nothing!"
The golden lion, reclining on a rock, yawned.
"Haha, you've become braver, but I've grown stronger too!"
A white snake Hollow swam over, chirping.
"Remember who trembled when they saw Baraggan?"
The deer and lion snapped their heads toward her.
"Sun Sun, stop nonsense!"
The three female Adjuchas continued their playful banter when suddenly, a surge of spiritual pressure shattered the cave entrance.
A tall young man in Shinigami uniform, holding an Asauchi, appeared.
"It really is you three!"
Raizen Kō laughed and charged at them immediately.
"Human? No a Shinigami!"
"How can a Shinigami appear in Hueco Mundo?"
"The expedition team again?!"
The Adjuchas froze in shock.
"Such a fast blade!"
As Sun Sun tried to react, a new figure blocked Raizen Kō's strike: a human-shaped Menos Grande with golden hair, wielding a massive bone sword and covered in white bone armor.
The newcomer was Tier Halibel.