I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

Mi Zhen frowned, sensing that something was amiss, and immediately pressed for an answer: "What does this mean?"

"Just some trivial things..."

Lu Qubaiyunzhai replied casually, then looked at the picture album in his hand, gently closed it, and placed it on the coffee table beside him. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Are you curious?"

"Of course."

So, Lu Qubaiyunzhai pursed his lips and said, "Consider it a reward for letting me see these good things. If you want to hear more, I will talk until you are satisfied."

So, erotic art books can be used as items to increase affection levels...?

Even the few eroge (adult games) in visual novels probably wouldn't use this kind of setting.

The Eighth Division is full of people like this from top to bottom; it seems they're beyond saving.

"That's an exaggeration." Mi Zhen scratched his face with his index finger. "Excuse my rudeness, senior, you don't look like you have any chronic illness. How could you say that you won't live much longer?"

"Because of what I have to do later."

Shikatori Hakunsai said without hesitation, "It won't be long before I become an enemy of the entire Seireitei—but don't worry, you've done me a favor, so I won't drag you into this."

"What you did..." Mima asked, "Does it mean you wanted to kill the 46th Chamber?"

"Yes, that's it."

Lu Qu Baiyunzhai tilted his head: "However, I probably won't be able to kill them all... Well, according to the original plan, I should be hiding in the shadows to assassinate about ten of them, and then I will be discovered by Yuan Liuzhai and Yaqianliu. After that, I can only do my best and kill as many as I can."

Although he didn't say it out loud, his words seemed to imply, "If it weren't for what you did, I wouldn't have had to kill four people and then run away."

Ignore it, ignore it...

Mima shrugged: "I wanted to ask you the reason as soon as we met, but you probably wouldn't have been willing to tell me back then."

“There’s no need for honorifics,” she added. “Just call me by my name.”

“Alright, Shikatori-senpai.”

Mi Zhen readily agreed, "So, why did you want to assassinate the Forty-Sixth Chamber? I guess it wasn't because they imprisoned you in the Abyss, was it?"

“You’ve gone against me. I was sentenced to imprisonment because I tried to kill the Forty-Sixth Chamber.” Shiroku Hakunsai looked at his palm with a complicated expression. “Actually, they originally wanted to execute me directly, but because of the special nature of my ability, which makes me difficult to kill, they changed the sentence to imprisonment.”

Chapter 96: Shikichi Bayunzai Sends a Battle Request

"It seems that the historical records' description of you as 'unruly' is an extreme example of euphemism..."

Mima raised an eyebrow and said, "Since you've given me enough information, I'll continue—why did you want to assassinate the 46th Chamber?"

"That's quite simple."

Shikaku Hakunsai casually uttered two words: "Displeased—that's all, there's no complicated reason."

The unexpected answer made Mima repeat in confusion, "Displeased?"

"The likes of the 46th Chamber are basically a bunch of idiots who follow seniority based on bloodline." She commented somewhat maliciously. "I admit there are a few capable guys in there, but the average level is still idiots. I don't want to be ridden on by a bunch of idiots."

"……It's that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Shikatori Hakuunsai said calmly, "It's not that I can't stand being ruled by someone—after all, I joined the Gotei 13 because I couldn't beat Genryusai. Back then, he stormed into the Shikatori Dojo, beat me up, and then put a knife to my neck and asked me if I wanted to join. I still didn't have any complaints about him."

The captain was really wild back then...

Mima's lips twitched twice: "I always feel... this theory is quite different from your image, senior..."

"Really?" The cute girl with glasses raised a slender, fair hand, made a cat-paw gesture, and laughed, "Appearance is innate. Actually, looking like this is a great advantage in battle. Many opponents have been easily killed by me because they thought I was a cowardly and weak woman. Genryuzai and Zenjoji couldn't do that."

“That’s true.” Mima nodded. “Go on.”

"Besides thinking they were a bunch of idiots, I also felt a kind of... well, how should I put it, disgust?"

At this point, a clear look of disgust appeared on her otherwise harmless face for the first time: "You probably don't know the truth about the four noble systems. It's a disgusting thing. If you want to maintain a normal understanding, I suggest you skip this topic."

"--Well, I do know that."

Mizhen first pointed to the sky, then made a few strokes at the ends of his four limbs, then spread his hands and looked at Shikagu Hakunsai with a helpless expression.

"...They probably don't teach this kind of thing in textbooks, do they?"

Shikaku Hakunsai blinked in confusion, but didn't delve into it, and continued, "In short, although I don't have a strong sense of justice, I don't really want to be ruled by a bunch of traitors and idiots. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, so I just took action—and that's how it turned out."

"..."

Mi Zhen rubbed her temples, pondered for a while, and then said, "Let me ask you something."

"Speak."

"I already understand the reasons. But let me ask you this: if you successfully destroyed the Forty-Six Chambers and the Four Noble Families, have you thought about how to clean up the mess left behind?"

"Well……"

Shikaku Hakunsai pushed up his glasses, looked troubled and thought for a moment, then said very frankly, "I don't know, I've never thought about this kind of question."

Mima: "..."

What a waste of her refined and elegant appearance; she's just a brute...

"Let me ask one more time..." Mima gradually straightened her expression and asked somewhat seriously, "You're not the kind of person who would be happy to see a scene of utter chaos, are you?"

The oil lamp, burning quietly, crackled.

Seeing that Mima's attitude was gradually becoming somewhat dangerous, Shikato Hakunsai narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly.

"So you're that kind of person?" she replied calmly. "Then I can tell you definitively—no."

"Of course, I've killed quite a few people. Although I don't test my sword on people like Yachiru does, I've still chopped off at least a few hundred heads." Shikatori Hakunsai ran his hand across his neck and continued, "I have very little tolerance for fools, and my knife always moves faster than my hand—the so-called fools are those arrogant guys who refuse to take responsibility but want to seize power. Apart from that, I'm not interested in destroying things, so I can't be considered a demon."

Mima blinked and put away the mental beacon.

No lies.

In this way, the biggest concern about getting along with Shikaku Hakunsai no longer exists.

He doesn't mind if his partner is a schemer, but he absolutely cannot be a madman.

“In that case, there’s a proposal that might be a win-win situation for us.” Mima put away his serious expression and smiled. “You can get rid of those idiots in the 46 Chambers, and I can make the environment in Soul Society better.”

"Oh~"

Ignoring his use of the Mind Beacon, Shikatori Hakunsai propped his cheek with his hand and chuckled meaningfully: "It seems you're not as simple as others perceive you to be."

Mima calmly replied, "Everyone has their own little secrets, that's perfectly normal."

“Then tell me about it.” Rokutoku Bayunzhai stared at his face. “I’d like to hear what this so-called ‘win-win’ is all about.”

“Cooperation!” Mi Zhen shrugged. “Not a simple transaction like this, but a deeper and longer-term cooperation—judging from what we just said, we can provide each other with what the other needs.”

"An interesting point of view; cooperation is indeed a good thing."

Lu Quba Yunzhai's smile grew even brighter: "But I must repeat, I find it hard to tolerate those fools who lack self-awareness, such as speculators who hoard goods and make a fortune during times of disaster—junior, I have a fairly good impression of you, you shouldn't be that kind of person, right?"

A chilling feeling, like a thorn in one's back, crept up Mi Zhen's spine.

But he didn't show any fear; instead, he returned the same smile: "Judging from what you're saying, senior, you probably want me to do something to prove myself?"

"I don't care what you're up to."

Lu Qu Baiyunzhai clenched his fist slightly: "But there is a principle that applies to both ancient and modern times—no matter what you do, you need strength to support it."

Mima smiled and nodded: "That's right, so that means..."

"Let's try it."

The first captain of the 8th Division used his thumb to draw his Zanpakuto from its sheath, a warm yet chilling smile on his face: "Let's see who's the best."

Well, this is really not surprising...

The original captains were, after all, ruthless characters who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It would be wishful thinking to try to persuade them with a few words. It was perfectly normal for them to ask them to prove themselves with their own hands.

“Of course, this won’t be a life-or-death battle,” Shikatori Hakunsai added. “I have no interest in learning Kenpachi’s style; a little sparring will suffice.”

Although the content was heartwarming, the tone actually conveyed a sense of bleakness.

Mizhen narrowed her eyes, weighing the pros and cons.

In terms of her current status, Shiroku Hakunzhai is almost an isolated ghost outside the entire Three Realms. Those who were once familiar with her have either passed away or are plotting to kill her, meaning she has almost no channels for communication with the outside world.

Since we share the same interests and have no conflicting views, reaching a cooperation agreement should not be difficult.

The only price to pay is to expose a little bit of our strength.

This is an absolutely unbeatable deal.

“Let’s go then.” Mizhen stood up and said, “There’s a suitable open space nearby, let’s go there.”

..........................................

A few minutes later, the two stood facing each other on a flat area at the foot of a hill, drawing their swords and bowing in accordance with the etiquette of sparring.

"After all, to set a good example like a senior, I'll let you make the first move."

Judging from her movements, Shikatori Hakunsai was just like a female college student who was holding a knife for the first time. Her sword was crooked, her steps were unsteady, and her slender wrists showed no strength whatsoever. She was a complete amateur.

But from the moment she drew her sword, a subtle, almost imperceptible chill gently caressed Mi Zhen's throat.

It was as if he were facing a terrifying monster, a ghostly demon, and he could not afford to be careless for even a moment.

The contradiction between vision and instinct made Mima feel a little irritated.

He took a deep breath, held the knife in both hands, and shouted, "Please enlighten me!"

Then immediately followed softly with "Surge forth, flowing moon."

The acceleration multiplier was set to the maximum!

Imitating Zaraki's momentum, Mima used all his strength to strike Shikatori Hakunsai head-on!

Faced with this lightning-fast attack, Shikatori Hakunsai's reaction was rather calm. He simply raised his sword with a light, effortless motion, blocking the path of Ryugetsu's slash.

"clang!"

The moment the blades clashed, a blast of air spread out like a tsunami!

Mima immediately sensed something amiss in their exchange.

His vertical slash was more powerful, so it naturally overpowered Shikatori Hakunsai's Zanpakuto—but just a second before the blade touched her forehead, his force suddenly and inexplicably shifted, grazing her hair as he slid to the ground.