Tsk...
Shinji Hirako's expression twisted for a moment.
As someone who had once been a captain, he knew such behavior was improper.
But the frustration and gloom gnawed at him like a festering wound, making it impossible to ignore.
"So what?! We already know the situation! What we want to know now is how to reverse it!"
His emotions slipped out of control.
But the moment he shouted, Shinji immediately regretted it.
After all, misdirected anger was a bad habit—
Even Love Aikawa, who had remained silent, appeared behind him.
"Take it easy. Forcing someone to do the impossible… isn't that just plain unreasonable?"
Shinji should have apologized.
But Urahara Kisuke waved it off casually, completely unbothered.
"Ahaha~ no worries, no worries. To be honest, this whole thing has been giving me a major headache too."
After all, there weren't many things he wanted to do but couldn't.
Letting his gaze fall for a moment, Kisuke quickly sorted through his thoughts before offering a new hypothesis.
"That said, I do think there's another possibility to consider."
"Then let's hear it!"
"Do you all still remember Captain Shiba?"
The sudden shift in topic caught everyone off guard.
But aside from Hiyori—who was still rolling around in pain from kicking Urahara's metal-reinforced shins—the others were quick-witted enough to keep up.
Love adjusted his sunglasses and nodded.
"Of course. The former Tenth Division Captain… I actually wanted to talk to him more that day, see what's been going on in the Seireitei."
Lisa Yadōmaru pushed her glasses up, adding,
"But that guy just patched himself up and said he was leaving right away."
Hachigen Ushōda chuckled.
"Except… he didn't return to his division, did he?"
"Probably something to do with that Quincy girl, right?"
"A Shinigami and a Quincy? That's… kinda hard to imagine."
"Something about this feels off."
The group tossed around their thoughts, gradually narrowing in on the real issue.
Urahara's gaze sharpened slightly.
"I believe the key to this problem lies with that Quincy girl."
Mashiro Kuna leapt off a rock, landing with a thud as dust scattered.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you all remember that Hollow flash from that night?"
—That immediately caught everyone's attention.
After all, that single attack had almost killed someone.
"Of course! But in the end, didn't you save her?"
"Well, I appreciate the praise, but… the problem isn't solved."
Urahara's expression grew subtly tense.
"Because shortly after… that Quincy girl started showing signs of Hollowfication. A hole formed in her chest."
From there, he explained the events leading up to now.
Including his theory—
That Shiba Isshin giving her his Shinigami powers might neutralize the Hollowfication.
"While the results remain unknown, I believe the chances are quite high."
As soon as he said that, the conversation took a sharp detour.
"Wait, wait, wait—for real?!" Mashiro's eyes sparkled.
"A Shinigami and a Quincy… together?! For real?!"
Hiyori suddenly grinned wickedly.
"Shiba's not that young anymore, is he?"
Lisa cleared her throat, her glasses catching the light ominously.
"Forbidden… love…"
"Enough of that!"
Shinji snapped, bringing the conversation back on track.
"So you're saying Seiya's soul disappeared because of that Quincy's Hollowfication?"
"I can't rule out the possibility."
After all, at this point, it was the only connection they had to go on.
Hiyori cracked her knuckles and suddenly sprang to her feet.
"Alright!"
"Alright… what?"
"I'm going to the World of the Living to grab that Quincy!"
—If this Quincy girl was the problem, then the solution was simple.
Find her, extract Seiya's soul, and fix everything.
Hiyori turned, shouting toward the rest.
"Anyone who wants to help, come with me!"
—
Sometimes, a simple approach was more effective than overthinking.
The group hesitated briefly, weighing the pros and cons.
After all, compared to some random Quincy, Seiya was someone they all knew and trusted.
If this could bring him back, the trade-off seemed more than fair.
Having lived as exiles for so long, they weren't exactly saints.
To them, eliminating one person was no big deal.
The mood shifted—many of them visibly wavered.
But before they could act—
"Hold on."
Urahara's voice cut through the tension, suddenly serious.
"This won't work."
"Haah?!"
Hiyori spun back, fuming.
"What do you mean, 'it won't work'?! Got a better idea?!"
"No, I just need you all to calm down first."
Rash decisions lead to bad outcomes.
"First, you need to consider the fundamental difference between Quincy, Hollows, and Shinigami."
"We can't guarantee that Seiya's soul still exists in a recoverable form."
"If it's already fully merged, then it's like… food that's already been digested."
"You can't just pull it back out."
Silence.
Urahara continued.
"Second, that Quincy girl isn't alone. She has her own people."
"Rushing in recklessly could start a war."
"And quite frankly, I don't think that's our responsibility to deal with."
Finally, Urahara sighed.
"And, most importantly…"
"What I just told you… is all just a theory."
"Without hard evidence, we can't act impulsively."
—The room fell silent.
Hiyori gritted her teeth, then swung her leg—
BAM!
A rock exploded into dust under her kick.
"Damn it!"
"This isn't fair! So what the hell are we supposed to do?!"
That frustration—having power, but no way to use it—was infuriating.
Urahara lowered his gaze, thinking deeply.
Finally, he spoke.
"For now… the best course of action is to wait and observe."
Like monitoring a terminal illness—
Not an answer anyone wanted to hear.
Shinji exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his forehead.
"…How long?"
"Don't know."
A blunt answer.
But also the truth.
—
Just then—
A new presence dropped in.
"Kisuke. Got the intel."
Yoruichi Shihōin.
Dressed lightly, carrying a sealed report, she handed it over.
Urahara quickly scanned it—
And his expression shifted.
Shinji caught that immediate change and narrowed his eyes.
"What is it?"
"A new development."
Urahara's voice turned somber.
"According to confirmed reports—"
"Seiya is still alive."
"But his soul is critically damaged."
"He has officially stopped working and is now in long-term recovery."
—The room erupted.
"I knew it!"
"His soul got split in half, huh? Damn…"
"Bet Aizen used him. That bastard always does this."
The anger swelled.
Even Urahara… who personally doubted whether Aizen was truly responsible—
Chose to remain silent.
Because, based on what they knew—
Aizen was the only likely culprit.
And so, all he could do was say—
"Yoruichi, from now on… keep an eye on that Quincy girl."
—
And at the same time, far away—
Aizen lowered his gaze, looking at his own hands.
Seiya… I should have guided you more carefully.
This was my mistake.
My failure.
And for that…
"I apologize."
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates