Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The word "ah" contains an extremely rich range of emotions: three parts confusion, three parts surprise, two parts scrutiny, and nearly ninety parts of some kind of unspeakable regret.

"This Quincy," Shen Jue said with difficulty, his hands still raised in a gesture of surrender, but his tone carried a hint of genuine confusion that he couldn't hide.

"I'm sorry, I cannot comply with your request immediately."

"Mainly..."

Shen Jue took a deep breath and said in a tone that she had carefully considered and believed to have optimized her wording to the most tactful degree:

"If I may, I mean, it's just a small, personal, and immature preference."

"I'd rather that lady had said that."

He nodded in the direction of Inoue Orihime.

Orihime Inoue's face flushed bright red, reaching her ears, and she waved her hands frantically, stammering, "Eh?! No, no, no, I... I didn't mean that!"

A sharp glint flashed in Ishida Uryu's glasses.

He pushed up his glasses, a gesture that seemed to say, "I always knew Grim Reapers were all lowlifes," and said coldly, "We need your clothes to disguise our identities."

What are you thinking about?

"I'm regretting it," Shen Jue replied instantly.

"Regret what?"

"I regret why I walked into this alley." Shen Jue's tone was so sincere it was heartbreaking.

"And I regret not calling up the battle maniacs from the Eleventh Division."

"Although I initially thought they were too noisy, now it seems that it doesn't matter whether they're noisy or not, as long as they can save lives."

A glint flashed in Ishida Uryu's glasses again.

"The Eleventh Division?" He paused for a fraction of a second as he adjusted his glasses. "Battle maniacs?"

"Yeah, the Eleventh Division." Shen Jue's tone was as if he were recommending a well-regarded restaurant.

"They're all muscle-bound bastards. If they saw a Quincy, they'd just chop them down without saying a word."

"Even though you'll probably still take down a bunch of them in the end, at least it'll buy me some time to escape."

Orihime Inoue blinked and whispered, "Um, sir, is it really appropriate for you to talk about your companion like that?"

"Very good." Shen Jue said without hesitation. He didn't really like the gay battle maniacs under Kenpachi Zaraki's command.

"They can't hear us anyway."

Ishida Uryu stared at him coldly for three seconds and finally came to a conclusion: this Grim Reaper either has a problem with his brain or a problem with his courage, and most likely both.

"Clothes," he repeated succinctly.

"Alright, alright, clothes." Shen Jue put down his hands, stretched his sore arms, and completely ignored the spirit beam arrow that Ishida Uryu had placed around his neck.

"But I have to make this clear first, I can't give you my Shinigami uniform. A Captain-level Shinigami's Shinigami uniform and haori aren't something you can just take whenever you want."

"I need to go back to the barracks to get you guys the Death Knight's Gear."

"We'll go with you," Ishida Uryū interrupted Shen Jue.

"Of course, of course," Shen Jue smiled and nodded.

"Now that the Ryoka has invaded Seireitei, I don't mind having an extra bodyguard to prevent what just happened from repeating itself."

Shen Jue turned and walked into the depths of the alley, her steps light as if she were going to an appointment rather than being coerced.

Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue exchanged a glance, and at Uryu Ishida's signal, the two followed.

Orihime Inoue asked softly, "Ishida-kun, is this really alright?"

Uryu Ishida did not answer; his intuition told him that there was something wrong with this Grim Reaper.

But his reason told him: what threat could someone who raises his hands in surrender with textbook precision and speaks with heartbreaking sincerity pose?

As it turns out, reason doesn't work very well in Soul Society.

Shen Jue led the two through the streets and alleys of Seireitei, turning left and right as if they were strolling in their own backyard.

He even bought three skewers of rice balls from a roadside stall on the way, ate one himself, and handed the remaining two to the two people behind him.

"Try it, it's a specialty of Seireitei, you can't get it anywhere else."

Inoue Orihime instinctively accepted it, saying, "Ah, thank you..."

Ishida Uryu didn't answer; his gaze behind his glasses was as cold as ice. He pushed up his glasses and said, "You're stalling for time."

"I'm doing my duty as a host," Shen Jue said slowly, taking a bite of her rice ball.

"Besides, you're going to find Rukia, right? The Palace of Penance where she's imprisoned is in the Spirit Tower, I know that place very well."

"I'll take you there right after you get your clothes."

Ishida Uryu paused, "What did you say?"

"I said I know it very well." Shen Jue swallowed the last dumpling and licked the sauce from the corner of his mouth.

"The 10th Division is responsible for patrolling and guarding the Seireitei. The area around the Purification Tower is under our jurisdiction."

"If you try to find it yourselves, it will take at least a few days. If I lead the way, we'll get there in half an hour."

Inoue Orihime's eyes lit up: "Really? Sir, you're willing to help us?"

"Of course I'm willing, why wouldn't I?" Shen Jue smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I'm the most enthusiastic person."

Along the way, the outgoing Shen Jue almost managed to get information about Inoue Orihime's figure and measurements out of her.

Orihime Inoue, with her magnanimous heart, is so silly, but also very cute.

Ichigo Kurosaki is really living the good life.

Ishida Uryu kept hinting to Inoue Orihime to talk less, but a teenage Japanese high school girl is at the age when she talks the most.

The Quincy remained silent for two seconds.

Ishida Uryu's Quincy instincts were frantically alerting the police, but Shen Jue's expression was so sincere that it was flawless.

Moreover, logically speaking, it is indeed unlikely that a Grim Reaper with questionable combat capabilities and an exceptionally skilled hand-to-surrender technique would dare to play tricks.

"Then lead the way," Ishida Uryu finally said.

Shen Jue nodded with a smile, and then climbed over the courtyard wall to find a set of Shinigami uniforms for Ishida Uryu from another squad's barracks.

Seeing Shen Jue's skillful wall-climbing movements, Ishida Uryu's stereotype of Grim Reapers as lowly and despicable was further reinforced.

The three continued on their way.

Shen Jue led the two slowly through the Seireitei. The Shinigami who passed by all bowed respectfully to Shen Jue, which Ishida Uryu found somewhat strange.

Logically speaking, how could Shen Jue, a weak Grim Reaper who is powerless and surrenders faster than falling asleep, earn so much respect from his colleagues?

Uryū Ishida was about to make a move.

The three people, having crossed two main streets and turned into a quieter alley, were met by a person walking towards them.

The man was wearing a white lab coat and his face was covered in thick face paint.

His walking posture carried the irritability characteristic of a researcher who says, "I'm too busy, don't bother me."

His gaze swept over Shen Jue, he nodded as a greeting, and then fell on Ishida Uryu and Inoue Orihime.

The man's gaze paused.

Shen Jue noticed that the head of the Technology Development Bureau, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, lingered on the two men's shihaka suits for a full two seconds.

To be precise, it's about their temperament and appearance.

"Captain Shen Jue," Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice was hoarse and slow, carrying a curious air as if examining experimental specimens, "and who are these two?"

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Ishida Uryu's fingers twitched slightly, a sign that he was ready to summon the Spirit Bow at any moment.

Orihime Inoue instinctively held her breath.