"Which two reasons?"
Nemu asked curiously.
Over so many years, she had always wanted to get along well with Mayuri.
But whenever she was with Mayuri, if her expressions became more animated, her questions increased, or she showed too much admiration for her father, Mayuri would leave.
Through guidance from Kon and others, Nemu had finally found the pattern that allowed her the longest time with Mayuri.
Kuudere!
No speech, no heart, no expression!
No speech… meaning Nemu wouldn't speak unless Mayuri spoke first.
No heart… meaning Nemu wouldn't express her emotions in front of Mayuri, not even when placed on the operating table for modifications.
No expression… meaning Nemu controlled her facial muscles to prevent them from showing emotions she felt inside.
After mastering these three aspects, Nemu's time with Mayuri had indeed improved significantly.
But at the same time, using 'kuudere' as her protective shell meant Nemu had lost the ability to confide her feelings to Mayuri.
Over the past few days, Nemu had noticed that while Mayuri clearly disliked Kyoya, during his teaching sessions and conversations with Kyoya, she could sense Mayuri was actually quite happy.
That's why Nemu wanted to follow Kyoya, to see if she could learn from him how to have more topics to discuss with her father.
"First possibility: Captain Kurotsuchi discovered you were following him but saw no threat from you, so he ignored it."
"Second possibility: Captain Kurotsuchi noticed your presence, but your growth might make him happier, so he was content to let you continue."
"But regardless of which reason, it's impossible that Captain Kurotsuchi wouldn't have noticed you."
"Is that so?"
Nemu tilted her head, carefully thinking back. The situation did seem similar to what Kyoya described.
Many times she had felt she was about to be discovered, but the next moment her father would turn his head or body away, allowing her to continue her actions.
"Well, what father wouldn't look forward to his daughter's growth?"
Indeed, for Mayuri who treated Nemu as his daughter, Nemu's growth was his greatest expectation.
However, because Nemu's changes from childhood to adulthood were quite significant, Mayuri suspected he might have made mistakes during Nemu's modifications, leaving him with some guilt toward Nemu.
"Why were you following me? What did you want to know?"
"I want to know how I should interact with Father."
"I want to be able to have as many conversations with Father as Kyoya-sama does."
Nemu didn't hide anything from Kyoya, directly stating her desire.
"Lieutenant Nemu, I think you don't need to learn from me."
Kyoya shook his head: "Everyone's way of interacting with others is different."
"You and Captain Kurotsuchi have your own unique way of interacting developed over more than ten years."
"Changing yourself or others rashly isn't necessarily a good thing."
To be honest, every time Nemu spoke, Kyoya wanted to try teaching her to become 'tsundere', to make 'urusai' her catchphrase. (T/N: Urusai means shut up, and it's usually said by Tsundere like Taiga and Shana.)
But ultimately, Kyoya gave up.
Nemu was Nemu.
Even if her voice perfectly matched Rie Kugimiya's from his memories, Nemu had nothing in common with other tsundere characters.
If he really taught Nemu to be 'tsundere', her character would become completely OOC.
Although Kyoya didn't bring about any changes in Nemu, they had become somewhat familiar with each other.
Even in front of Mayuri, Nemu could actively speak a few words with Kyoya.
Mayuri noticed this too.
Because of this, Mayuri didn't hold back when teaching Kyoya, imparting all his research on Zanpakuto and souls.
And Kyoya's learning ability didn't disappoint Mayuri.
Any experiment necessarily involved 'operations'.
Kyoya might lack the sharp insight and divergent thinking of a true scientist when it came to research capabilities-
But as the world's greatest swordsman, Kyoya's control over his own power and Reiatsu was undoubtedly top-tier in the Bleach World.
Additionally, Kyoya possessed Observation Haki and the perception ability of 'light'.
Simply replicating Mayuri's operations wasn't difficult for Kyoya at all.
In terms of operational skill alone, Kyoya's hands-on ability even surpassed Mayuri's.
What Kyoya lacked was simply the means to separate the Devil Fruit's Abilities from his soul.
The One Piece Achievement System, while existing within Kyoya's soul, was different from the Zanpakuto's [Inner World].
When Kyoya used Zanzen for training, he entered the Inner World shared by himself and his Zanpakuto.
Only when Kyoya wanted to use achievement rewards could he enter the system's space to view his obtained achievements and unused achievement rewards.
Under normal circumstances, even Kyoya couldn't find the system within his soul.
It was as if the One Piece Achievement System and Kyoya's soul existed in different dimensions.
Fortunately, when Kyoya used achievement rewards, the items from the achievement system would interact with his soul.
This gave Kyoya an opportunity to operate.
Kyoya stayed in the 12th Division for a full month before leaving.
Reportedly, when Kyoya left, he had four or five Zanpakuto hanging from his waist, looking quite comical.
Of course, those who recognized Kyoya didn't dare to laugh.
As for the Captains, they had learned from Yamamoto about some cooperation between the Revolutionary Army and the Gotei 13, with the cost being that Seireitei would provide some Asauchi each year.
Therefore, aside from Mayuri of the 12th Division, no one knew that the Zanpakuto at Kyoya's waist weren't the Asauchi stored in Seireitei, but Zanpakuto condensed from the power Kyoya had separated from his own soul!
...
Tap tap tap...
In the 12th Division, Mayuri's hands danced across the keyboard, lines of data appearing on the screen before him.
Mayuri's eyes moved rapidly as he quickly scanned through the data.
Because he had developed considerable friendship with Kyoya during their exchanges, when Kyoya left, he asked Mayuri to keep an eye out for Quincy.
With Mayuri's intelligence, it wasn't hard to deduce that Kyoya wouldn't mention irrelevant matters.
Presumably, the Quincy were the reason for the cooperation between Yamamoto and Kyoya.
Although the records about Quincy in the 12th Division weren't as detailed as those in the Great Spirit Book Gallery, they still gave Mayuri a general understanding of [Quincy].
At the same time, through fragmentary remarks about Quincy left by previous generations of the Technical Development Bureau, Mayuri learned that the Quincy were a force that had contended with Shinigami for 'orthodoxy' a thousand years ago.
"The data is still too scarce..."
After reading his predecessors' records about Quincy, Mayuri shook his head.
He felt that the Technical Development Bureau's previous researchers' studies on Quincy were too superficial.
What they left behind were only descriptions of Quincy's abilities, without the more essential Reishi Conversion's principles.
This was like Kido researchers only leaving behind the numbers and effects of spells, without any records of incantations or Reishi arrangements.
"Kon..."
"Captain."
"Strengthen monitoring of the living world. If any traces of Quincy are found, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Captain!"
Kon nodded, "Traces of Quincy?"
"Captain Kurotsuchi, I remember that decades ago, there were Quincy who actively contacted Shinigami..."
"Oh?"
Hearing Kon's words, Mayuri was quite surprised.
After the battle between Quincy and Seireitei a thousand years ago, Seireitei's Shinigami had been exterminating Quincy throughout this millennium.
Naturally, this was because some people had seen the future prophecy about the Quincy Progenitor Yhwach in the Great Spirit Book Gallery.
To eliminate this prophecy at its root, they prepared to eradicate all Quincy.
Over a hundred years ago, Seireitei found the hidden main Quincy bloodline in the living world and pursued them for decades, with only a few managing to escape.
Calling Shinigami and Quincy mortal enemies wasn't an exaggeration at all.
Under such circumstances, there were still Quincy who actively contacted Shinigami?
What kind of spirit was this?
Did they think they and their families had lived too long, actively delivering themselves to the Shinigami's slaughter?
"Which division was contacted? For what purpose?"
"The 13th Division, Captain."
At this point, Mayuri could sense that Kon held some respect for this Quincy who dared to actively contact Shinigami.
"From what I know, this Quincy actively contacted the 13th Division's stationed Shinigami in Karakura Town in the living world."
"As for why he actively contacted Shinigami… mainly because the Jureichi have shifted recently, and Karakura Town has become the next Jureichi, increasing the frequency of Hollow appearances."
Spiritual ley lines, as the name suggests, are areas with high Reishi Concentration.
The living world is different from Hueco Mundo and Soul Society.
Hueco Mundo has Las Noches, Soul Society has Seireitei… both possess abilities to 'restrain' and 'bind' Reishi, allowing them to gather large amounts of Reishi in Las Noches and Seireitei.
The living world is different.
The living world has no supernatural ability users.
Even when psychics or Fullbring users occasionally appear, they become targets for Soul Society's pursuit and research.
Moreover, even ordinary people with slightly higher Reiatsu are delicious food for Hollows, meaning the living world has no soil for the birth and nurturing of 'supernatural' beings.
Therefore, the Reishi in the living world isn't forcibly restrained in certain areas like in Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, but rather flows like water.
Normally, this Reishi moves approximately every hundred years.
Locations in the living world where large amounts of Reishi gather are called [Jureichi] by Shinigami.
Every century, the Jureichi in the living world are key areas of focus for Seireitei's Shinigami.
One could say that the number of Hollows appearing elsewhere in the living world over a hundred years doesn't match the number appearing at a Jureichi in one year.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, you know our Shinigami's slogan for exterminating Quincy is that Hollows killed by Quincy have their souls completely destroyed-"
"While Hollows killed by Shinigami have their souls purified, memories erased, and begin new lives in Soul Society."
"So when Karakura Town became a Jureichi, and the 13th Division's stationed Shinigami couldn't promptly purify the appearing Hollows, this Quincy actively contacted them, stating that he could restrain Hollows when they appear, preventing them from harming ordinary people in the living world, while waiting for Shinigami to arrive and purify the Hollows."
"Hoh?"
Mayuri raised an eyebrow, even more surprised.
Quincy are, after all, humans.
Even if they master methods to control Reishi, their Reiatsu and physical qualities are still those of ordinary people.
Their attack, defense, and speed are all achieved through Reishi Manipulation.
Admittedly, the destructive power of Quincy strongly counters Hollows.
This Quincy's approach essentially nullified his strongest ability, placing himself in danger.
"Kon, pay more attention to that Quincy recently."
"Yes, Captain."
...
A female Shinigami with black hair stood on a telephone pole, extending her index finger. A black Hell Butterfly rested on her finger for a few seconds before leisurely flying away.
Whoosh-
The female Shinigami leaped up, following behind the Hell Butterfly.
"This is the place."
Stopping at a hospital, the female Shinigami quickly found the soul of a middle-aged man.
"Hehehehe..."
The middle-aged man saw the female Shinigami and revealed a lecherous smile, extending his hands to pounce on her.
Although he was a soul and couldn't actually touch real people, what the pervert wanted was just momentary pleasure for the soul.
Swish-
A white light flashed. The pervert only felt a chill on his hands.
Looking down, he discovered that the sleeves of his clothes had been directly cut open, revealing his thin, weak arms.
"Ah, ahhhhh..."
"You, you can see me?"
The cut sleeves terrified the pervert's soul.
Since his death, this was the first woman who could see him and touch him.
If this woman could cut his clothes, she could certainly kill him.
Drawing her Zanpakuto from her waist, the female Shinigami walked toward the middle-aged man's soul.
"Don't, don't kill me!"
"I haven't done anything bad..."
Seeing this, the pervert's soul quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the woman, begging for mercy.
"Don't worry, it won't hurt."
The female Shinigami's face carried a gentle smile as she bent down and whispered to the pervert: "I'm a Shinigami, here to send you to where souls should reside."
"That place is where souls can live peacefully."