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Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The wind howled in his ears as Ishikawa Katori frantically used Shunpo to move through the city, his Reiatsu boiling like a whistling kettle, his handsome face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Commissions, prohibitions, everything was thrown to the back of Ishikawa Katori's mind. He only wanted to figure out one thing now.
That is...
Urahara Kisuke, that Lunatic!!
What did he do to me?
Ishikawa Katori looked at the black work uniform on his body and couldn't understand why he was seen by humans... And even if he was seen, why was only the person seen and not the clothes?
He could only think of one possibility.
That was when he came into contact with Urahara Kisuke, Kisuke did something to him.
Gikon?
Did he unknowingly put a Gikon on him?
But if so, why was he completely unaware?
Although he wasn't as crazy as those scientists who dissected a few for research, when it came to the study of spiritual bodies, from Rukongai residents to Maggot's Nest prisoners, and then to Comprehensive Relief Station patients... he had studied at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, spiritual bodies.
Ishikawa Katori could say with certainty that his current body was a complete Spirit Body, no different from the residents of Rukongai or Shinigami!
...
"Hahahahaha—"
Meanwhile, at Urahara Shop.
A Kuroneko lay on the floor, constantly patting the floor with its paws, laughing breathlessly.
"...Hahaha... Ah, I can't take it anymore... This kid's reaction is just too funny!"
Urahara Kisuke, with a wide smile, called out to the people in the shop: "Shinta, Ururu, stop messing around, prepare to welcome our distinguished guest."
"What distinguished guest?"
Two exquisite children, who looked to be only about two or three years old, poked their heads from the front of the shop to look into the back room.
"A distinguished guest who can bring us a lot of income."
Urahara Kisuke stood up, tidied his clothes, straightened his hat, and stepped out of the back room in his geta, standing at the shop entrance to await Ishikawa Katori's arrival.
In less than half a minute, a powerful Reiatsu approached from a distance.
The two children only felt a blur before their eyes, and Ishikawa Katori, dressed in a black work uniform, appeared at the shop entrance. As soon as he stood still, he raised his hand and made a gesture in the air in front of him.
"Bakudo #26, Kyokko."
Ripples appeared in the air, like light refracting on water, concealing Ishikawa Katori's body, leaving only his head visible.
After doing all this, Ishikawa Katori looked at Urahara Kisuke with a cold gaze.
"What exactly did you do to me?"
I want to cut him... I want to cut him... I want to cut him!!
During his words, these three words kept repeating in his mind, but Ishikawa Katori forcibly restrained himself. The reason was simple... he couldn't win!
Not to mention his Reiatsu was restricted to only one-fifth of its usual level, even if it wasn't restricted, with his current strength, he couldn't be Urahara Kisuke's opponent.
Restrain~!
Urahara Kisuke seemed not to notice Ishikawa Katori's cold gaze, and with a folding fan half-covering his face, he said, "Hehe, Mr. Ishikawa, you arrived really quickly." With that, he turned and made a 'please' gesture: "It's better to discuss anything inside the shop; standing here isn't very good for appearances."
...
Ishikawa Katori was silent for a moment, but ultimately followed Urahara Kisuke's instruction and stepped inside the shop.
Although this place was remote, it wasn't completely deserted; otherwise, he wouldn't have used Kyōka Suigetsu to conceal his figure as soon as he stood still.
However, before entering the shop, Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but observe the two small children who were watching him. These two children looked much younger than he remembered, probably having just been born not long ago.
And precisely because they had just been born, the two children's Reiatsu was extremely unstable, which allowed Ishikawa Katori, who was very knowledgeable about spiritual bodies, to instantly spot their strangeness.
After entering the shop, Ishikawa Katori instinctively first observed his surroundings.
The shop didn't look big from the outside, but the interior must have exploited spatial technology, as it appeared much larger than it seemed from the outside.
Bang~!
As Ishikawa Katori entered the shop, Urahara Kisuke directly closed the door and smiled at Ishikawa Katori: "Don't misunderstand, I just thought it would be more convenient to talk with the door closed."
Ishikawa Katori nodded, but he didn't remove the Kyōka Suigetsu on him. He still hadn't figured out what exactly happened to him, and he didn't know if he was wearing his work uniform in the eyes of others.
"Actually, Mr. Ishikawa, it's perfectly fine for you to remove the Kido on you."
Urahara Kisuke smiled when he saw this: "What happened to you has nothing to do with me; in fact, even I am very curious about what you experienced."
Ishikawa Katori frowned and didn't interrupt, but waited for Urahara Kisuke's explanation.
"Whether viewed with the naked eye or distinguished by sensory perception, your body is undoubtedly a Spirit Body, but the strange thing is..."
Urahara Kisuke's gaze towards Ishikawa Katori shimmered with a strange light: "Your Spirit Body also possesses the characteristics of 'Kishi', allowing you to be seen by people in the Human World, and you can pass through the Senkaimon without needing to install a 'Reishi Converter', which indicates that your body is composed of Reishi. Therefore, I can only think of one possibility..."
"Your soul and body have fused due to some accident, turning your body into a special substance that is between 'Kishi' and 'Reishi'."
"Normally, for humans in the Human World to pass through the Senkaimon without dying, a 'Reishi Converter' needs to be set up on the Senkaimon to convert 'Kishi', which makes up all matter in the Human World, into 'Reishi', the main substance that makes up souls."
"Your situation is somewhat similar, yet also somewhat different."
"Because your Spirit Body, like a human body, has extremely high density, even reaching the point where it can contain the destructive power of Kido within its physical form." With that, he glanced at the Kuroneko licking its paws on the shelf, and chuckled: "Miss Yoruichi is very curious about this."
"And it's not difficult to confirm this point; I just don't know if Mr. Ishikawa is willing to cooperate with me."
Urahara Kisuke finished speaking and looked at Ishikawa Katori with an expectant expression.
Seeing this, Ishikawa Katori couldn't help but take half a step back, because he always felt that the meaning revealed in this guy's gaze made him feel a chill down his spine.
But after hesitating for a moment, Ishikawa Katori gritted his teeth slightly: "How to confirm?"
Although he was very resistant to being researched, if this matter wasn't clarified, Ishikawa Katori would have no way to move around in the Human World in the future, and besides...
After hearing Urahara Kisuke's words, Ishikawa Katori actually felt a hint of relief in his heart.
Relief that Urahara Kisuke was the one who discovered this.
If Aizen or Kurotsuchi Mayuri had discovered this, just thinking about it made Ishikawa Katori feel a little chill.
Fortunately, from Urahara Kisuke's words, without the eyes and equipment of humans in the Human World, it was impossible to distinguish the difference between himself and a normal Spirit Body. However, when acting in the Human World in the future, he must be careful, careful, and even more careful!
And the most suitable person to help him conceal this point was undoubtedly Urahara Kisuke in front of him.
Provided that everything Urahara Kisuke said was true!
"It only requires a small experiment."
Urahara Kisuke smiled slightly, raised the cane in his hand, and showed the bottom to Ishikawa Katori, saying: "I have set up a function similar to a 'Soul-Sensing Gauntlet' at the bottom of the cane. A Soul-Sensing Gauntlet, to put it simply, is a tool that can forcibly extract the soul from the body. If you still have a soul, you can use this to detach it."
"And another method is to take a Gikongan. Mr. Ishikawa, which one do you want to try?" Urahara Kisuke chuckled mischievously: "Personally, I really hope you take a Gikongan, because if your body and soul are truly fused, taking a Gikongan might produce some unexpected effects..."
"The first one!!"
Ishikawa Katori interrupted without hesitation.
Of course, he knew what a Gikongan was.
Combining the knowledge instilled by the system with Ishikawa Katori's own research on spiritual bodies, it seemed highly likely that if he took a Gikongan, because his soul could not detach, the 'Gikon' inside the Gikongan would fuse with his own soul.
This fusion had too many uncertainties.
If it was just a fusion without adverse effects, that would be fine, because the purpose of a Gikon's creation was precisely to place Reiatsu unrelated to oneself within the body, thereby elevating one's own power level, rather than simply being used by Shinigami to protect the body's safety after detaching from a Gikon.
However, what Ishikawa Katori feared most was that his unique nature would cause an anomaly in the fusion, allowing the 'Gikon'—a conscious, thinking soul modified from a human soul within the Gikon pill—to influence his own being.
"Tsk, tsk, that's truly a pity," Urahara Kisuke said with some disappointment, but immediately pointed the end of his cane at Ishikawa Katori's forehead.
Bang~
Ishikawa Katori, who restrained his instinct to dodge, felt nothing but a slight coolness on his forehead.
The two looked at each other and fell silent.
Ishikawa Katori hesitated, then said, "How about you use a little more force?"
"It's already confirmed."
Urahara Kisuke shook his head, "You are indeed like a normal spirit, with no distinction between body and soul. Otherwise, even if you couldn't separate, there would be a momentary tremor when touched, instead of no reaction at all like now."
After this experiment, the faint research desire in Urahara Kisuke's eyes not only did not dissipate but became even more intense.
"Hmph~ How long are you two planning to stand here foolishly?" The Kuroneko on the shelf said with some impatience, "Anyway, you have so many machines in your lab. Wouldn't it be better to just let this kid go and get a thorough check-up?"
"I refuse!" Ishikawa Katori said, retreating directly to the shop entrance, assuming a stance that implied he would flee if they took another step forward.
"Don't worry," Urahara Kisuke reassured him, "I'm not some mad scientist. I won't conduct research on you, Sir Ishikawa, without your permission."
"…Do you even believe that yourself?"
Ishikawa Katori was almost certain that this guy had been monitoring him for more than just a day or two. It was highly probable that he had been under Kisuke's observation ever since he last came to the Human World.
Cooperating with small experiments was fine, but Ishikawa Katori could not accept being subjected to in-depth research, no matter what.
Who knew if, after in-depth research, he would create tools that could restrain him, just like Kurotsuchi Mayuri? One must know that Mayuri, that Lunatic, was released from the Maggot's Nest by Urahara Kisuke himself.
And even…
Akon, the Vice-Director of the Technology Development Bureau;
Hisagi, the Head of the Communication Technology Research Division and the Electromagnetic Wave Measurement Division;
And countless other members of the Technology Development Bureau;
All of them were once prisoners of the Maggot's Nest!!
The Supervisory Team Squad Members complained to Ishikawa Katori more than once that the Technology Development Bureau kept recruiting people from the Maggot's Nest…
And the person who started this trend was Urahara Kisuke, standing right in front of him!
Don't let his current normalcy fool you; once he gets engrossed in research, he becomes crazier than anyone else. Otherwise, he wouldn't have created something he later regretted but couldn't destroy.
"Ah hahahahaha—"
Urahara Kisuke let out a silly laugh, not refuting Ishikawa Katori's words. Instead, he pulled out the bag he had shown Ishikawa Katori earlier from somewhere and shook it, saying, "I wonder, Sir Ishikawa, are you interested in my new invention now?"
"When I was introducing it earlier, you interrupted me, Sir Ishikawa, so I didn't finish explaining the functions of this clothing. Besides its 'wear-resistant' and 'self-cleaning' features, this set of clothing can also convert its constituent material between 'Kishi' and 'Reishi' based on the surrounding environment."
"In short, as long as you wear this clothing, whether in the Human World or the Soul Society, it will be just like normal clothing."
Urahara Kisuke finished speaking, then looked at the clearly interested Ishikawa Katori and continued, "Moreover, I specifically added a Reishification function for Sir Ishikawa. This way, even if others come to the Human World with you, you can be like your companions and not be discovered by Human World humans."
"However, since you have a physical form, this set of clothing can only conceal your figure, not eliminate your presence. You will still need to avoid contact with humans while moving."
"…", Ishikawa Katori.
This bastard definitely did it on purpose!!
If he had mentioned this function when he first arrived in the Human World, he wouldn't have…
Ishikawa Katori shook his head, driving away the images that resurfaced in his mind.
That being said…
Urahara Kisuke wasn't wrong about one thing: it was indeed he who hadn't listened to him completely back then and had left because he didn't want to interact with him.
"Make it cheaper."
"Sorry, small business, no bargaining."
"Then let me owe you for now…"
Ishikawa Katori only brought his personal belongings when he came, and all the money in his purse added up to less than 50,000 Kan.
"No credit!"
Urahara Kisuke smiled slightly, looking at Ishikawa Katori's subtly darkening face, and continued, "There's one thing I just forgot to mention. Since this is my hiding place, I blocked all tracking of you before you came here; please bear with me on this, as I am still a wanted man by the Soul Society."
This inexplicable remark made Ishikawa Katori frown, but then his expression changed.
Because if his whereabouts disappeared, the Onmitsukidō would inevitably launch an investigation, and if necessary, they would even request assistance from the Technology Development Bureau.
In other words…
After leaving here, he might be exposed to the Technology Development Bureau's view.
"Are you threatening me?"
"How can you call it a threat?" Urahara Kisuke opened his folding fan to cover his face, smiling, "Sir Ishikawa, you're not unaware of my situation. Didn't you already realize before coming here that I would block the Soul Society's tracking of you to 'hide myself'? Otherwise, you wouldn't have let me erase your traces."
"Isn't it a bit too late to pretend to have just realized it and try to haggle now?"
"Tsk~"
Ishikawa Katori clicked his tongue, his expression returning to calm, completely devoid of his previous fear and worry.
His strong emotional control made the onlookers' gazes unconsciously turn a bit strange.
Yoruichi, in her Kuroneko form, looked between Urahara Kisuke and Ishikawa Katori several times, a human-like surprise appearing on her cat face.
Although these two were meeting for the first time, she felt a strange, inexplicable understanding between them.
"Terms."
"Straightforward!" Urahara Kisuke laughed heartily, "One drop of blood for one set of clothes."
"No."
"Then please give me five million Kan, Sir Ishikawa."
"Reishi."
"Hmm… no, I still want blood!"
Ishikawa Katori said coldly, "I'll report you immediately."
"Is that really a good idea?" Urahara Kisuke chuckled, "It doesn't matter if I get caught, but without me, Sir Ishikawa, your situation doesn't seem like it would be any better, right?"
Ishikawa Katori fell silent for a long moment, then finally gritted his teeth: "Blood is fine, but all research results must be shared with me, cannot be known by others, and you cannot create tools that directly or indirectly target me. If you can guarantee this, in addition to sufficient blood samples, I can also provide you with Reishi samples."
"No problem!"
Urahara Kisuke immediately agreed, pulling out a contract from his person and saying, "Sir Ishikawa, all the conditions you proposed are recorded on it. This contract was conceived by a friend you know and trust, and her Reiatsu is left within it as a witness. Finally, it's a rule-bound contract that I perfected."
"With your understanding of Spiritual Crests, it shouldn't be difficult to see that if either of us violates it, we will both suffer a backlash from the rules within the Spiritual Crests. On this point, you should understand it better than I do."
Ishikawa Katori took the contract and examined it carefully, finally confirming the Reiatsu within it before saying with narrowed eyes, "Boss Urahara, you truly came well-prepared."
"To be able to reach a cooperation with you, Sir Ishikawa, I truly racked my brains."
Ishikawa Katori chuckled, not replying, and directly imprinted his Reiatsu on the blank space of the contract, then threw it to Urahara Kisuke.
If the witness of the contract had been someone else, Ishikawa Katori might have found it very difficult to make up his mind.
Only Big Sister Kukaku…
She was an exception. Over the years, if it hadn't been for Big Sister Kukaku, the troubles he encountered would have been far more than they were now. He might not even have had the chance to grow up while staying in Rukongai!
With the contract signed, Ishikawa Katori directly snatched the clothes from Urahara Kisuke's hand and walked into the back room of the Urahara Shop.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter