"Magistrate?"
In ancient times, that title was roughly equivalent to a minister-level official.
For someone to carry the title Grand Magistrate, the woman before him—Ihara Naa—clearly held enormous authority within the gangs of the Rukongai.
And Haruto had not missed the meaning behind her earlier words.
She had introduced herself as the owner of Yoshiwara.
All districts of the Rukongai were technically under the jurisdiction of Seireitei, and there were no official local administrators like governors overseeing each region.
In other words—
"The woman who controls every gang and pleasure house in the entire Yoshiwara district?"
"My luck really is something…"
Haruto had never imagined that the random establishment he had been pulled into would conceal such a powerful figure.
Then again, if she truly possessed Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure, she absolutely qualified to dominate the underworld of a district.
After all—
Even an ordinary Shinigami soldier could bully people freely in districts beyond the fortieth.
Lower-ranked seated officers barely had the authority to bark orders around the twentieth district.
But upper seated officers?
In the first few districts outside Seireitei, their words carried undeniable weight.
Still—
Since she hadn't attacked him first…
"Haruto."
Although his hand still rested on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, Haruto answered Ihara Naa's question formally.
Whether enemies or allies, exchanging names was a common custom in Soul Society.
And according to the unwritten rules of heroic storytelling, those arrogant enough to refuse giving their names rarely ended well—aside from someone like Byakuya Kuchiki.
"Haruto…"
Ihara Naa slowly repeated the name.
"A student of Shin'ō Academy… yet you don't even have a family name?"
"I'm from the sixty-sixth eastern district of the Rukongai," Haruto added.
"Oh? That's quite far away."
The districts of the Rukongai varied wildly in size.
The territories beyond the seventieth district were often more than ten times larger than the earlier regions.
At the same time, their barren conditions meant their populations were less than a tenth of the inner districts.
Although they were still technically called "streets," finding settlements in those lands was difficult.
District sixty-six was not much better.
In a place that poor, nameless people were everywhere.
A name like "Haruto" sounded casual enough.
"Young man."
Ihara Naa lazily brushed her left hand across the arm of the short chair beside her.
Blue sparks burst from her fingernails.
A small flame ignited.
With a soft sound, she relit the pipe in her hand.
"With your talent…"
"Didn't any noble families try to recruit you?"
Talented students from the Rukongai often attracted the attention of nobles during their time at Shin'ō Academy.
The reason the noble families remained powerful in Soul Society was simple.
Many of the dependable mid-level officers within the Gotei 13 were Shinigami who had once received support from noble houses.
Adoption.
Marriage into the family.
The methods might not sound glamorous, but they represented mutual opportunity.
Those who were overlooked inevitably developed resentment toward both the nobles and the chosen few.
Haruto himself had received such invitations.
Since he had no surname, if he accepted a noble family's offer, he would be granted one.
"I'm not interested in minor nobles."
Haruto replied with a faint smile—and a hint of disdain.
A student with Seventh-Class Spiritual Pressure before graduation was talented enough to attract the attention of middle-ranking noble families.
If Haruto called those nobles "minor," it meant he aimed higher.
"In other words…"
The amusement in Ihara Naa's eyes deepened.
"You want to enter one of the Four Great Noble Houses?"
Instead of answering, Haruto calmly returned the question.
"Manager Ihara seems quite concerned about the nobility."
"So tell me…"
"Which of the Four Great Noble Houses expelled your family from Seireitei?"
"…."
Her silence confirmed his suspicion.
Her bearing did not resemble that of an ordinary Shinigami.
There was a clear difference between someone powerful and someone accustomed to holding authority.
And the authority he sensed from her was not the crude arrogance of a gang leader.
After eliminating the most obvious wrong possibilities, Haruto had chosen a direct test.
He hadn't expected it to work so well.
"Our arrival here…"
"…had the support of the Tsunayashiro family."
After several seconds of silence, Ihara Naa's expression returned to its earlier calm.
She exhaled a cloud of smoke as she spoke.
But her answer made Haruto realize how dangerous his earlier gamble had been.
"Tsunayashiro?"
"I've never heard of them."
Haruto shook his head immediately.
A lie.
Before arriving in Soul Society, Haruto's knowledge of the Tsunayashiro family came from the future story involving Kaname Tōsen.
Tōsen's close friend Kakyo had been murdered by her husband, a noble of the Tsunayashiro family.
Yet the man had never been punished.
After living in Soul Society for years, Haruto had learned more.
The Tsunayashiro clan was currently the most powerful among the Four Great Noble Houses.
His claim of ignorance was an obvious excuse.
And Ihara Naa clearly understood its implication.
He had no interest in the Tsunayashiro family.
"Is that so?"
As if her earlier silence had never happened, she smiled again.
"You have good taste, young man."
When she openly admitted her conflict with the Tsunayashiro family, Haruto's answer had become crucial.
Had his response displeased her, their conversation might already have ended in bloodshed.
Haruto believed he could escape using his prepared Kidō.
But Naa was equally confident she could capture him.
Both sides trusted their strength.
"I'm hardly impressive," Haruto said lightly.
"My closest friend happens to be from the Kuchiki family."
Haruto revealed his path openly.
Of course, he had never dared call himself Byakuya's "close friend" to his face.
If Byakuya ever heard that description, he would probably mock him endlessly.
"A close friend?"
"For someone from one of the Four Great Noble Houses to accept such a title…"
Ihara Naa studied him thoughtfully.
"Haruto, it seems you're quite good with children."
From such limited information, she had already guessed the truth.
Her analytical ability was clearly formidable.
"Something like that."
Haruto genuinely got along well with people younger than himself.
Children were not as easily fooled as many adults believed.
They could often sense sincerity better than grown men.
"…."
The conversation suddenly stalled.
Only two minutes had passed since they began speaking.
Combined with the time spent climbing the stairs, the power of Haruto's hidden Kidō had already fallen to twenty percent.
If the conversation continued drifting aimlessly, he would retreat before losing his final advantage.
Just as he prepared to leave—
A sharp motion cut through the air.
Ihara Naa flicked her wrist.
A streak of blue light flew toward him.
It landed in his hand.
"What's this?"
Haruto looked down.
In his palm lay a jade object carved into the shape of a demon mask.
"A Kidō Jade," Ihara Naa said.
The name meant nothing to him.
"It absorbs spirit particles from the environment."
"And through a process similar to meditation with a Zanpakutō, it allows one to reproduce the Kidō knowledge stored inside."
"Normally it's used to quickly learn… high-level Kidō above number eighty."
Haruto nearly lost control of his expression.
This was an incredible gift.
Compared to the miserly priest from the Ise family, Ihara Naa's generosity was astonishing.
At the same time, it revealed her background.
If the Tsunayashiro family had once exiled the Ihara clan, that meant they had been an elite noble house themselves.
"Our establishment is expensive," she continued with a teasing smile.
"We can't let customers waste their money."
"So consider this a small apology for the misunderstanding earlier."
"What Kidō is stored inside?"
Haruto still maintained control of his hidden technique and couldn't risk channeling spiritual pressure into the jade.
"You don't need to be so cautious," Ihara Naa said lightly.
Although she spoke casually, a hint of admiration flickered in her eyes when he refused to inspect the jade immediately.
"Our family doesn't possess the ability to plant traps inside Kidō Jade."
She paused before adding—
"Inside is Bakudō Number Eighty-One: Dankū."
Haruto's eyes widened.
Although she had mentioned Kidō above number eighty earlier, he had never imagined it would be such a powerful defensive spell.
Dankū.
Under equal spiritual pressure, it could block any Kidō below number ninety.
Despite being classified as Bakudō number eighty-one, its defensive ability gave it unparalleled combat value.
Obtaining such a secret technique so easily exceeded Haruto's best expectations.
"Don't look so surprised."
Ihara Naa noticed his reaction instantly.
"With your talent, if you truly aim for the Kuchiki family, gaining the Dankū technique is inevitable."
"The Kuchiki family has no shortage of Kidō secrets."
"I'm simply investing in advance."
"And besides…"
"This particular Kidō Jade isn't so easy to use."
"I'd like to hear the details."
Faced with such a reward, Haruto dropped any pretense of pride.
"The jade requires time to absorb spirit particles naturally."
"It cannot absorb spiritual pressure already converted by a Shinigami."
"After using it once, you must wait at least six months before it can be used again."
"I see."
Haruto felt no disappointment.
In fact, he felt relieved.
Unless someone was talented enough to master the technique immediately, they would need at least six months between attempts.
During that period, the jade could not even be studied like a written manual.
"But that's not all."
"There's more?"
Haruto kept the thought to himself.
"The spirit particles stored over six months form a large quantity."
"Absorbing them places considerable strain on both body and will."
"To withstand it…"
"Even for Dankū, you'll need Fifth-Class Spiritual Pressure at minimum."
That was roughly the level of Byakuya Kuchiki right now.
Some weaker divisions' vice-captains possessed similar power.
According to her explanation, Haruto would need to reach lieutenant level before he could use the jade.
But by that time, if he truly entered the Kuchiki family, Byakuya would likely teach him Dankū freely.
If Haruto advanced quickly enough, even the stubborn elder Ginrei Kuchiki might not mind sharing such a technique.
Thinking about it that way…
The jade suddenly seemed less valuable.
Then—
Haruto glanced at Ihara Naa.
Something felt wrong.
If the jade was truly so precious, what would she use to learn Dankū after giving it away?
She clearly hadn't lost her path to advancement.
Her subordinates probably lacked competent Shinigami.
Otherwise she wouldn't have handed the jade over so easily.
"Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure…"
"Even if my judgment is slightly off, she definitely hasn't reached lieutenant level."
Which meant the most likely answer was—
She had already mastered Dankū.
A bead of cold sweat formed at Haruto's temple.
The biggest problem was not the jade.
If Ihara Naa could cast Dankū, his greatest trump card would become useless.
Even a technique ten numbers higher than his current one could not break Dankū's defense.
Yet that realization also revealed an opportunity.
If Ihara Naa could learn Dankū with Sixth-Class Spiritual Pressure, then her earlier estimate had been intentionally misleading.
A talented Kidō specialist could still use the jade at that level.
"I understand."
Haruto nodded and stored the jade away.
No matter what, it was still a valuable treasure.
Even if he never used it, he could sell it for a high price.
Trading a mere ten coins for such an item was practically theft.
But now that he understood its true nature—
Another plan had already begun forming in his mind.
Perhaps…