Inside the monitoring room of the Research Institute, Kōe and Kurotsuchi Mayuri stared at each other unblinkingly. The room was terrifyingly quiet.
Although Mayuri was merely a researcher at the Research Institute, he possessed considerable strength. Thus, when Kōe released his Reiatsu, Mayuri responded in kind. Konrad was the specimen he had dreamed of; it would be a massive waste to let Kōe destroy him just like that.
However, after a brief stalemate, Mayuri realized that the Reiatsu Kōe emitted was consistently just a notch higher than his own—more than enough to snatch away the defenseless Konrad despite Mayuri's interference.
Mayuri gradually retracted his Reiatsu, and Kōe followed suit. The two returned to their initial standoff. Mayuri knew this was Kōe's warning, proving that his earlier threat was no bluff.
"Amateurs just love to point fingers," Mayuri said, breaking the silence first.
In response to this unconventional olive branch, Kōe fired back without hesitation, "And experts are prone to self-righteousness."
"So, it's still your theory about constructing spaces using Reishi? Fine, I agree to look into it for you again."
As soon as Mayuri finished speaking, a single spark flew from Kōe's palm and landed on Konrad, burning the Quincy's clothes to ash without actually harming his body.
"If that is your attitude, then we might as well say our apologies and part ways," Kōe said, his voice dropping to a low timbre.
This was exactly how Mayuri had brushed him off before, only to return with nothing but a barrage of scolding. Sure, that might have had something to do with the low power level of ordinary Quincies, but Kōe had gone through hell to secure this opportunity. He wasn't about to gamble it all on Mayuri's empty verbal promises.
"This time, I will treat you as a collaborator. So if you have demands, state them directly. Stop wasting our time!"
Only now did Mayuri truly place Kōe on the same level as himself. He was no longer just some brat who could be easily fooled with a casual lie.
As collaborators, one party provided the materials, so the other had to offer corresponding compensation. This compensation was simple: research into the concept of constructing spaces with Reishi.
Mayuri understood that he hadn't paid much attention to Kōe's request before, focusing his research entirely on the principles behind Quincy powers. He figured Kōe had vaguely guessed as much.
The issue now was how to tangibly deliver this compensation—this was the 'attitude' Kōe had mentioned. It couldn't just be an empty promise; it had to be a method Kōe could actually verify, and Mayuri suspected Kōe already had one in mind.
Mayuri guessed right. Kōe did have specific demands. Now that everything was out in the open and Mayuri had shown his sincerity, it was best to give the man a suitable way to step down gracefully.
"First, you must provide me with your current line of thinking for the research. Don't worry, I don't need everything—just your theories regarding the construction of space using Reishi."
"A trivial matter. I just doubt you'll be able to understand it," Mayuri sneered, spreading his hands.
"If I can't understand it, I'll naturally find someone who can to help me. You don't need to worry about that." Kōe returned a smile. "You will share your current research progress with me once a week."
"Once a week is impossible. It will constantly interrupt my train of thought!" Mayuri flatly refused, pointing a finger at Kōe. "I can accept collaborating with you, but I will not accept being controlled by you. If you expect me to do nothing but this one task, then even the best materials are useless to me!"
Fair enough. Researchers needed to be given their due respect, especially someone as egotistical as Mayuri. He couldn't push him too hard.
"Then how often can you accept sharing your progress?"
Mayuri held up a single finger. "One year. That timeframe is about right."
Kōe shook his head. For someone like Mayuri, who could easily lose himself entirely in the world of research, a "year's worth" of results might just be whatever he cobbled together in a few days.
For instance, Kōe had given Mayuri nearly a year previously, and all the man had concluded was that a conscious Quincy possessed a body almost equivalent to a superhuman.
As for constructing an empire out of Reishi within the shadows? Mayuri could probably dismiss that with a single sentence like 'there is no space inside a shadow.' Kōe highly doubted it would even take him a full day to reach that conclusion.
Therefore, even if it was just a minor numerical change in the short term, it would prove that Mayuri was actively investing effort into the project. To Kōe, this was absolutely essential.
"Unless you suddenly develop an extreme personal interest in this matter, I cannot accept a once-a-year progress report." Kōe also held up a single finger. "One month. That is the absolute longest deadline I can accept. There is no room for negotiation!"
Mayuri looked at Kōe. Seeing the solemn expression on the young man's face, he figured there really was no room for debate. Rolling his eyes, his gaze fell back onto Konrad, who was still lying on the floor.
"One month, then!" Heavy breaths flared from Mayuri's nostrils. He understood the implication behind Kōe's words. With such an impatient temperament, it was no wonder the boy couldn't do research.
Still, dealing with an impatient person was better than dealing with someone who had no drive at all. Having something to research was far more comfortable than staring blankly at a wall. So, he conceded!
"If you have any other demands, spit them all out at once!" Mayuri said, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. The discomfort of this compromise was second only to having nothing to do or having nowhere to exert his energy. A brat who wasn't naive was truly a troublesome thing.
"Relax, those are my only two demands. As long as I know you're putting effort into this, I'll be at ease." Kōe stepped forward and patted Mayuri on the shoulder, adopting a flattering tone. "If there's a problem that even you can't solve, then I suppose only the Soul King could figure it out."
"It seems the Captain-Commander really does dote on you, telling you absolutely everything." Mayuri swatted the hand off his shoulder, his mood slightly improved. "If that's all, then leave. I can't wait to see exactly what kind of state this prime material is in."
"So, what is your research direction for this month?"
"..."
Mayuri stared helplessly at the young man before him. How did someone who had just seemed a tiny bit endearing suddenly become so utterly detestable again?
"I will differentiate it from other materials across three major aspects: function, strength, and precision. Then, through methods like controlled stimulation and dissection, I will search for the root cause that influences Quincy power. Of course, if it isn't a physical factor, then I'll have to consider other avenues."
"And how does that relate to Reishi constructing space?" Kōe asked, looking completely lost.
"The relation is that I don't even know what this material can do yet! How am I supposed to propose a reasonable hypothesis? How am I supposed to determine a research direction?!" Mayuri barked sharply, before his voice suddenly dropped into a sickly sweet, gentle tone. "Does that make sense to you?"
"It makes sense..." Kōe nodded blankly.
"It makes sense, does it?" Mayuri said softly, before pointing at the door behind Kōe and roaring, "If it makes sense, then hurry up and disappear from my sight!"
...
After returning from the Research Institute, Kōe instructed his squad members to "wake me up in a month" before entering the meditation room for another closed-door session.
Mayuri was dead wrong in thinking Kōe was just impatient. If he could, Kōe would have loved to research the Quincies himself, but time simply didn't allow for it.
Never put all your eggs in one basket—that was the logic behind having Mayuri search for the Wandenreich. But Kōe also knew that the basket holding the most eggs had to be the one named Kōe Shihouin.
Regardless of whether they could locate the Wandenreich ahead of time, he would inevitably be dragged into the future war against Yhwach and his elite Quincies. When that time came, the only person he could truly rely on was himself. He had finally gained some enlightenment during his recent battle, and he absolutely could not let such a rare opportunity slip by.
However, just because one entered a meditation room, did it mean their heart was truly at peace?
Power Stones, reviews, and comments— really helps a lot
Want to read ahead? Get access to 50+ extra chapters on my Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Aragai_Sama