In the World of the Living.
A Hell Butterfly fluttered away and slowly vanished before Shimo's eyes.
Remembering what happened just moments ago made his jaw clench in mild irritation.
"I forgot those guys aren't officially certified Soul Reapers yet…
Hope the Reigai patrols don't end up chasing them."
A black feline head poked out from inside his arms.
"Relax," Yoruichi said lazily.
"Even the weakest among them already exceeds a seated officer. Crossing a Dangai isn't difficult for them."
Just as her voice fell, someone waved to them from a nearby rooftop.
"Yoooh~! Miss Yoruichi! Shimo-kun!"
Kisuke Urahara called out cheerfully, sounding as lively as ever—nothing could dampen his mood.
"Where's Ichigo and the others?"
Before Shimo could answer, the sky suddenly split open.
A Senkaimon opened above them, and to Urahara's startled eyes, a large cluster of people tumbled out all at once, plummeting directly downward.
At the critical moment, Kisuke activated some mechanism.
A loud BOOM echoed across the ground as a massive flying-carpet-like cloth shot upward, wrapping the falling group into a giant ball.
A shadow leapt skyward from the rooftop.
"Jinta!
Home run!"
Jinta's triumphant shout echoed through the air.
THUD!
The sickening crack of bat meeting fabric resounded. Under that tremendous force, the bundled group shot downward again at even higher speed.
Shimo wasn't sure how durable Urahara's flying carpet invention was, but it probably wasn't designed to withstand that kind of hit.
"Iron…"
Someone muttered.
At some point, Tessai had appeared directly beneath the falling carpet-ball.
"DEATH—CATCH!"
Under Shimo's astonished gaze, Tessai caught the entire group in his arms.
"…A dignified Kidō Grandmaster really got turned into a melee brawler," Shimo muttered, lips twitching.
He wasn't sure what to say anymore.
Tessai twisted his body and hurled the bundled carpet back into the sky with monstrous strength. Screams echoed nonstop from inside until the carpet unfolded mid-air and slowly glided.
Shimo stepped onto reishi platforms, flashed upward, and landed atop the flying carpet.
The moment he sat down, a fast-moving figure shot up from below.
WHUMP!
Shimo instinctively raised a layer of spiritual pressure to block the impact.
"Uuugh… my head's spinning…"
A small body landed directly in his arms—pushing aside the black cat occupying the spot.
Nel blinked as she steadied herself. Once she recognized the person holding her, she instantly brightened.
"Shimo!
Nel missed you so much!"
She nuzzled happily into his chest, rubbing her head back and forth.
"I missed you too."
Shimo stroked her soft turquoise hair, calming her excitement.
Yoruichi, squeezed out of her place, leapt lightly onto Shimo's shoulder.
Shimo and the others sat in a corner of the flying carpet, leaving space for Urahara and Ichigo's group.
Urahara still owed them an explanation for everything that happened in Soul Society.
Facing Ichigo's questions, Urahara simply took all the blame.
"Sorry, Ichigo-kun," he said earnestly. "I really did hide things from you."
"Fine," Ichigo sighed after thinking it over.
"I'll forgive you this time—since you didn't mean harm."
Thus, their Soul Society expedition came to a temporary close.
Ishida, still stubborn, declared that next time he and Ichigo met, they would be enemies.
After all, one was a Quincy, the other a Shinigami.
Shimo snorted.
"Funny, I don't see you declaring war on Soul Society.
Just admit you'll miss him. What's with the tsundere act?"
"C-cough!!"
Ishida nearly choked on his own saliva.
There was no winning against Shimo, so he could only endure it.
"We're here."
Ishida prepared to jump off the carpet, but Shimo grabbed his shoulder.
"Oh, right—if you want to restore your Quincy powers, go to Ryūken. He has a way."
Ishida's pupils shrank, surprise flickering across his face.
"…Thank you, Mr. Shimo."
He leapt off the carpet and disappeared down the street.
Ichigo watched him leave, then turned anxiously to Shimo.
"Shimo-san… what do you mean by all that?"
Shimo stroked Nel's head while answering casually.
"In Soul Society, when Ishida fought Captain Kurotsuchi, he used the Quincy Sanrei Glove and entered his final form.
The reishi condensation far exceeded what his body could endure.
Sooner or later, he'll lose his Quincy powers entirely."
Ichigo stiffened in shock.
"But don't worry," Shimo added.
"Ryūken Ishida will restore them."
Ichigo still looked puzzled—Shimo had no intention of explaining further.
"Anyway—we're at the Kurosaki Clinic."
Urahara held onto his fisherman's hat to keep the wind from taking it.
"Don't slack off, Ichigo. We're definitely going to need your strength again."
For some reason, seeing Urahara's smile filled Ichigo with dread.
"No offense, but I really never want to see your face again," he groaned.
To him, Urahara meant:
Danger, battles, Hollows, and everything he didn't want to deal with.
After dropping everyone off at their homes, Tessai controlled the carpet back to the Urahara Shop.
Jinta and Ururu immediately resumed cleaning duties.
Shimo had witnessed their creation himself—their role was simply one of Urahara's many hidden contingencies.
As someone acknowledged as one of the "Five Special War Powers," Kisuke always prepared layers of backup plans—both for himself and the world.
Inside the shop, everyone sat around the tea table with warm cups in hand.
Nelliel sat in Shimo's lap, Yoruichi resting on her head.
The room was eerily silent.
Eventually, Tessai couldn't take the atmosphere anymore.
"I'll… go boil more water."
He left, and Urahara exhaled.
"Alright then. Let's talk about the plan."
He removed his hat, revealing slightly messy blond hair.
Shimo took a sip of tea—this time he'd specifically asked Tessai to use normal Soul Society tea leaves.
Aside from being too hot, it tasted fine.
"The plan went smoothly," Shimo said casually.
"Aizen's taken the Hōgyoku.
Whether he can fully fuse with it—or what trouble he'll cause—that's not something I can predict."
Urahara started calculating mentally.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong.
Complete fusion should take about three months… assuming no external interference."
Shimo didn't take the estimate seriously.
Accidents could happen at any moment.
His existence alone had already derailed countless of Urahara's original arrangements.
"What about Hirako and the others?" Shimo asked.
He'd only met the Vizards once during his decade in the Human World.
They protected only their own neighborhood—everywhere else was still watched by stationed Shinigami.
"As usual," Urahara replied.
"You should tell them about Aizen."
Shimo nodded. He didn't mind the Vizards getting involved.
Even if they were just extra bodies thrown at Aizen, more manpower was better.
A one-on-one battle with Aizen would be boring anyway.
"Oh—there's something else."
Shimo's tone shifted.
"With the recommendation of nine captains, I've officially been promoted to Captain of the Third Division."
Urahara froze, eyes widening before he laughed.
"Well well—congratulations."
He raised the cup to drink—then immediately grimaced.
"…Why does this tea taste so strange?"
"Tessai!"
The moment he called, Tessai returned.
"Is something wrong, shopkeeper?"
"…Is this tea expired? It tastes terrible!"
Tessai blinked, returned to the kitchen, then brought back a fresh cup.
Urahara took a sip and nodded.
"This one's right!"
Shimo watched the exchange, twitching at the corner of his mouth.
His own tea had definitely not expired—meaning the fresh one was the expired tea.
"Unique people, unique taste, I suppose," Shimo murmured.
Urahara blinked.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Shimo waved. "Anyway, there's another reason I came back."
"Oh?"
Shimo grew serious.
"I'm bringing Nel back to Soul Society."
Urahara's expression tightened.
Nelliel, as a Vasto Lorde-class Hollow, entering Soul Society would absolutely cause an uproar.
But Shimo looked entirely unconcerned.
Urahara thought for a moment.
"…Should I prepare an extra Reiatsu-Concealing Cloak?"
The Reiatsu-Concealing Cloak was one of Urahara's inventions—used to hide spiritual pressure, especially when paired with Bakudō #26 Kyokko.
Shimo shook his head.
"It only works temporarily.
I can't expect Nel to stay under a cloak forever.
Even if Nel didn't mind… I would."
"So you've made up your mind."
Shimo nodded firmly.
"If that's the case—"
Urahara suddenly yanked open a large hanging cloth behind him.
"Take these two with you too!"
Beneath the cloth, Donchakka and Pesche lay flat, clearly having eavesdropped the entire time.
Both had returned to their human-like forms—Donchakka's head still huge, Pesche still skinny as ever.
They grinned awkwardly as Shimo looked over.
Shimo narrowed his eyes at the giant rolled cloth in Urahara's hands.
"…Don't tell me that is your concealing cloak?"
Urahara puffed out his chest proudly.
"Developed while you were back in Soul Society!
A supersized Concealing Cloak—capable of hiding ten or more people!"
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