Mirai went straight to the Second Division barracks. He knew the way well and found the door to the far research lab.
He knocked on the door. He did not wait for an answer before pushing the door open and walking inside.
The room was in its usual state of chaos.
Kisuke Urahara was crouching in the middle of many metal parts and scattered drawings. His hair was as messy as a bird's nest.
His face had oil on it. He held a strange tool and was pointing it at a board covered in circuits.
Hearing the noise, Kisuke Urahara did not even look up. He muttered, "Wait a second, wait a second. This spiritual energy circuit is almost connected..."
"Urahara," Mirai said. His voice was not loud, but it was very serious.
This tone made Urahara stop what he was doing. He looked up through the gaps in his messy hair toward the door.
When he saw the worried expression on Mirai's face, he immediately put down the things in his hands. He cleaned his hands and stood up.
He stood a bit straighter. "Mirai? What's going on...?"
Mirai walked into the room. He closed the door behind him to block out the noise from outside.
He walked up to Urahara and spoke directly. "I have an emergency. I need your help."
Seeing his serious attitude, Urahara became more serious too. "Tell me."
"Tomorrow, I have to leave for the World of the Living with the Eleventh Division."
Mirai did not speak fast. He made sure every word was clear.
"Things are a mess over there right now. They are fighting every day. People are hurting each other very much."
"You know there is no logic on a battlefield. Any kind of accident could happen."
He paused and looked directly into Urahara's eyes. "I need something. Something to keep me alive. The more I can trust it, the better."
After listening, Urahara blinked. A look of confusion appeared on his face.
"A battlefield in the World of the Living? Those new Hollows are very weak. Even top students from the Academy can handle them easily. What is the danger?"
What he said was common sense. All students must finish an internship before they officially become Shinigami.
They go to the World of the Living to perform basic soul guidance. This is called a soul burial.
This is a strict rule. Even geniuses cannot skip it. Of course, students rarely meet Hollows during this internship.
To most Shinigami, no matter how messy the World of the Living is, it just means there are more souls to guide. It just means more work.
If you have bad luck, you might meet one or two newly born Hollows. But those new Hollows have limited power.
They are not a big threat to trained Shinigami. So Urahara thought Mirai was worrying too much.
Mirai's face became even darker. He slowly shook his head and lowered his voice.
"Urahara, if you think it is just 'a few more souls,' then you are making things too simple."
He took a step closer and explained the situation. "Large numbers of humans are dying in bad ways over a long time."
"The number of souls gathered will be a huge number. So many souls with strong bad feelings are gathered there. What will that attract?"
"It will attract a huge number of wandering Hollows who want to eat souls. They will come from Hueco Mundo in large groups!"
He asked a question. "Why do you think the Eleventh Division was called instead of the Fifth Division? The Eleventh are the most violent fighters."
Before Urahara could answer, he gave more big news. "Also, Captain Kuruyashiki Kenpachi is leading the team himself."
"Sending a 'Kenpachi' for a routine mission that sounds like 'helping to clean up new Hollows'?"
"Don't you think this team is a bit too powerful for that?"
Urahara's eyes slowly opened wide. He followed Mirai's logic.
Yes, if it were just a few Hollows or many normal souls, a Captain would not need to go. They would not need a strong force like the Eleventh Division.
Unless... "You mean...?" Urahara's voice became serious too.
"Exactly!" Mirai nodded. His face did not look good.
"Normal Hollows are not a big problem for us Shinigami, especially for a group led by an officer. New Hollows are even weaker."
He paused. He said every word clearly. "But with this many souls and bad feelings, there is a very high chance 'that' will appear."
Urahara's breath stopped. He asked, "You mean... the 'Menos Grande' mentioned in the textbooks?!"
He had only seen vague descriptions of Menos Grande in the Academy textbooks. He only knew they were evolved forms of normal Hollows.
They were stronger and more cruel. After wandering in the World of the Living for a while, most normal Hollows instinctively go to Hueco Mundo.
The textbooks did not explain how normal Hollows become Menos Grande. Most teachers avoided the topic too.
He remembered clearly that his teacher warned all the students in a very serious tone.
If you meet a Menos Grande, you must run away without looking back. Only Captains or the Royal Guard can handle them.
You must not wait at all!
"It is definitely possible." Urahara's face changed. He was completely convinced by Mirai.
Why send a Kenpachi to the World of the Living if there was not a huge threat? It would not make sense.
"I understand! Mirai, wait a moment!" Urahara did not ask more questions. He turned and ran to a corner of the room filled with old things.
He pressed a few spots on the wall. A small clicking sound came from the floor.
A part of the floor slid open, showing a dark hole. He jumped down without waiting.
Soon, the sound of moving boxes came from below. Then, Urahara climbed back up. He was carrying a metal box.
He put the box on the floor in front of Mirai. He cleaned the dust off his hands.
He opened the box. Inside was a soft lining. In the middle was something that looked like a normal piece of wood.
It was small and thin. The edges weren't straight. It looked like a random piece broken off a board
Urahara pointed at the piece of wood. His expression became much more serious.
"This... is still an experimental product. I call it the 'Substitution Wood Charm'."
"When you are in danger, you put spiritual energy in and say the chant. It will instantly swap your position with where the charm is."
"This works within a range of 900 meters. So you need to set this thing up before the danger."
Mirai's eyes lit up instantly! This was great! It was like a simple way to swap places.
It could save his life in a crisis! He quickly picked up the piece of wood and looked at it closely.
The surface was smooth. It looked like normal wood. There were no patterns on it. It looked very common.
"What about side effects?" Mirai asked the key question.
Urahara scratched his messy hair. A shy smile appeared on his face.
"The side effect... for about ten minutes after the swap, you might feel very dizzy. You might also feel like vomiting. That's all."
Mirai felt relieved. Dizziness and vomiting? Compared to his life, that was nothing! He could accept it!
"No problem! That side effect is nothing!" Mirai put the Substitution Wood Charm inside his clothes, close to his body.
He looked at Urahara and gave a real smile. He patted Urahara's shoulder.
"Thanks. You really helped me out this time, 'Urahara'!"
He thought for a bit and added, "When I come back safely, I will invest another 200,000 Kan! I promise!"
"promise?" Urahara was confused.
But when he heard about the money, his eyes became very bright!
He jumped forward and grabbed Mirai's hands. He shook them hard. His tone was very sincere.
"Mirai! Don't worry! With these preparations, you will definitely be safe!"
"I will wait here for your good news! Don't worry about the money. Your safety is most important!"
Mirai felt a bit uncomfortable from this sudden attention. But he did feel much more secure.
He talked with Urahara for a few more minutes. Then he turned and left the messy research lab.