The Alchemist in Bleach

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Chapter 222 The Extra's Advance!

Three days later, Ichiro, having come up with absolutely nothing, walked out of the Fourth Division's laboratory again. It can only be said that the Philosopher's Stone truly lives up to its reputation as the ultimate goal of alchemists; it is indeed difficult to deal with.

We know exactly where the problem lies, but we just can't find a way to break through it.

Of course, Ichiro wasn't impatient and didn't want to achieve success overnight. Research is a process of trial and error, and encountering difficulties or even failing is perfectly normal.

But this requires constant trial and error, and Ichiro is currently unable to do so!

The first step is completely blocked!

At this moment, he was thinking about whether he should make a Hogyoku to test the waters, because based on his intermittent exchanges with Aizen, the Hogyoku's incredible power came from the Soul King.

Even more so, Ichiro suspects that this is also related to the Sage Particle he discovered, that is, the special spirit particle structure!

But Ichiro hesitated, because the Hogyoku had its own consciousness, and it was certain that the thing was not a good thing and was very easy to lose control of.

Therefore, Ichiro is still considering whether to research a Hogyoku.

"Lord Ichiro... are you planning to wear this?" Sekai, dressed in a pure white tuxedo, looked speechlessly at Ichiro, who was only wearing a Shinigami uniform.

"Is there a problem?" Ichiro looked at his shihaka uniform with a puzzled expression. Right, it wasn't dirty.

"...You know today is Urahara and Yoruichi's wedding, right?"

"I know, but I don't have any other clothes to wear for formal occasions, and the shihaka outfit isn't bad either, is it?"

“…I give up!” Sekai gently touched her forehead, sighed deeply, then walked behind Ichiro and pushed him back into the room. “I’ll get you a set.”

"Be careful, the embroidered flowers on your clothes are being crushed."

"It won't have a big impact. We can adjust it later. Please don't move!"

"Okay, okay, I won't move."

After a while, Ichiro looked at his black suit with a strange expression: "Am I looking too weird? This doesn't seem right."

"It's alright, I've already checked. This kind of clothing is formal attire in the West End of Soul Society, it's just not available here. This is currently the style that best reflects etiquette and also satisfies our preferences."

"Tsk~ Alright, let's go then."

Ichiro thought about it and realized that it made sense. Suits were a type of formal wear, and in both his first and second lives, he often... well, in his first life he often saw others wearing them, and in his second life he often wore them himself, so the world's statement wasn't wrong.

After tidying their clothes slightly, the two headed towards the Shihouin residence.

That's right, today is Urahara and Yoruichi's wedding day!

It's incredibly fast!

Especially for a top-tier noble family like Shihouin, it was an unprecedented wedding!

Of course, this also shows how anxious Qingyan was.

......

"Ichiro, Hiyun." As Ichiro entered the brightly decorated Shihōin house, his eyes lit up, and he led the world toward Ichiro and her supporting character best friend.

"You're wearing... a suit? Why are you wearing the uniform from the West Wing Bureau?" Ichiro looked at Ichiro in surprise, or rather, at the suit he was wearing.

After all, the relationship between the West Shore Bureau and the Seireitei is somewhat awkward, so their culture naturally won't have any impact here. Moreover, this is the Shihouin family's wedding banquet, so it's even less likely that anyone would wear the West Shore Bureau's clothing. Therefore, Ichiro, dressed in a suit, looks somewhat out of place.

"Well, in my time, this is considered formal attire internationally. I'm too lazy to bother with anything else. You nobles have so many things to do, I don't want to break any taboos."

The extra's best friend nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true, and there shouldn't be anyone who would object to you, Ichiro. Look, these people are all green with envy."

Ichiro looked around and noticed everyone staring intently at him. He covered his mouth and chuckled, "Looks like our medical genius is quite popular~"

"It's all just empty titles. By the way, can any of you explain the process to me? After all, this is Urahara and Yoruichi's happy occasion, and it wouldn't be good if we messed it up."

"I'll come, Feiyun. Your family is looking for you."

Upon hearing this, the extra's best friend glanced at her father who was calling her from not far away, and helplessly apologized to Ichiro and Sekai, "Sorry, I have to go over there."

"It's alright, we don't have anything going on here either. They're just tools, Yixu is enough."

"What do you mean by 'tool'..." Silently muttering to herself, Ichiro greeted her supporting actress best friend and then began to quietly explain to Ichiro the entire process of the aristocratic wedding, as well as the things to pay attention to along the way, in order to avoid any mistakes.

(I won't go into details about this; it's most likely a Japanese wedding ceremony. If you're interested, you can look it up yourself. There's not much to write about, and I doubt many people would want to read it anyway.)

......

Time slowly passed, and after a long and tedious process, Urahara and Yoruichi finally appeared, however...

"So beautiful~"

Ichiro and Sekai simultaneously turned their heads silently to look at Ichio, who was standing to the side with a face full of envy. Is this what you call beautiful?

Her face was as white as ice, and she still called herself beautiful?

Furthermore, Yoruichi is usually dark-skinned, so this sudden change to such paleness makes her look like a completely different person...

However, looking around at the others, who all had the same reaction, Ichiro and Sekai could only exchange a helpless smile. Different aesthetic views, there was nothing they could do.

To be fair, aside from the makeup, Yoruichi's demeanor today is completely different, giving off a stunning feeling, unlike her usual dashing and heroic air. Unfortunately, the only flaw is that her face is too pale...

"Hmph~ Hmph~"

Suddenly, Ichiro heard sobbing behind him. Curious, he turned around and was instantly shocked!

Good heavens, a dozen or twenty women were sitting together crying!

Does Urahara really have that much charm?

Why didn't he know?

"Lord Yoruichi... Waaaaah~ Why~ Waaaaah~"

Ichiro: "..."

Alright, the case is solved....

He was slightly speechless. He now understood Yoruichi's charm to some extent. This woman was attractive to both men and women!

Thinking this, Ichiro's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the group of men. Yoruichi had such dominance over women; would Urahara have the same... influence over men?

Okay, he's overthinking it...

When Ichiro's gaze shifted, he noticed that the boys were generally normal compared to the girls. The few who looked disappointed were there because of Yoruichi, not Urahara...

This left Ichiro somewhat disappointed...

Seeing the regret on Ichiro's face, and following Ichiro's gaze, the world nudged Ichiro with its elbow, somewhat speechless, and whispered, "Lord Ichiro!"

"Ahem~ I'll be careful." Ichiro coughed awkwardly, refocusing his attention on the wedding.

......

Before they knew it, it was noon. Ichiro was leading Sekai on a stroll through the reception courtyard that the Shihouin family had prepared. There was still some time before the next stage of the ceremony, during which they were free to move around and take a short rest.

Yes, a whole morning has passed, and it's still not over!

In Ichiro's opinion, this was far too long. If this were in the country he lived in during his first life, the feast could have filled two tables, and the preparations here weren't even finished yet...

"Yo... Fei... Yun, uh, Linglan, you're here too." Ichiro was about to greet his friend, who was playing minor roles, but when he saw the beautiful figure next to her, Ichiro's expression immediately became a little awkward.

"Yeah, because we were classmates before, and you helped me a lot back then, Ichiro."

"Heh~heh~heh~ I still remember? Those were nothing." Ichiro glanced at the world behind him, feeling a little guilty, and said with a dry laugh.

"It might be something casual for you, Ichiro, but it's very important to me. And I'm only able to speak because of you, Ichiro. This favor is very heavy, isn't it, Sekai?" Suzuran said, smiling at Sekai.

"It is heavy, I understand, but you've done a lot of research for Lord Ichiro, which should be enough to repay your kindness, so you don't need to keep worrying about it!"

"A debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain, how can it be so easily repaid? You, on the other hand, should spend more time with Ichiro. After all, you are his Zanpakuto; it would be dangerous for him to be away for too long."

"Don't worry about that. As long as Lord Ichiro calls me, no matter where I am, I will appear by his side immediately. Our bond is unbreakable!"

......

Watching the two of them getting increasingly excited, Ichiro swallowed hard. How scary!

At this moment, the extra's best friend also noticed that something was off between the two. She took a small step, walked over to Ichiro's side, tilted her head, and asked softly, "Why do I feel like there's something strange about their atmosphere?"

"...It seems they've gone...This place is no longer safe! Let's retreat!"

After saying that, Ichiro quietly left the courtyard. He had a premonition that if he stayed any longer, the flames of war might spread to him, and he would be in a very passive position!

To be honest, he really wanted to reject Suzuran directly, but they had met several times in the past few days, and every time he talked to Suzuran, she would change the subject.

Ichiro was also helpless about this. He wanted to refuse, but the other person's feelings had been conveyed. Whether he confessed or not didn't matter. As long as I didn't confess directly, the other person couldn't refuse me!

Thinking of this, Ichiro secretly felt resentful. Why did he have to be so foul-mouthed and say so much back then?

Yes, that's right. This strategy was also taught to Suzuran by Ichiro himself...

Use the methods he taught me to win him over...

This is absolutely infuriating...

So Ichiro was definitely someone she couldn't afford to offend, so she had no choice but to back down, otherwise the situation would become very awkward. Meanwhile, the extra's best friend glanced at the confrontational Sekai and Suzuran, then at Ichiro who was quietly retreating, blinked, and followed Ichiro out.

......

"They all seem to like you."

"...Remove 'seems like'..."

"You knew?" The extra's best friend looked at Ichiro with a surprised expression, thinking that Ichiro hadn't figured it out.

"Am I really that stupid in your eyes...?"

"No, it's just that it's unfair that a genius like you is so perceptive in this area," she complained, then her friend, who was just playing a minor role, asked curiously, "Since you know, why don't you refuse?"

Suddenly, the extra's best friend's expression changed, and she took a few steps back, looking at Ichiro warily: "You wouldn't... be enjoying this feeling, would you?"

Ichiro rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Could your imagination be any more vivid? It's not about that."

"Why is that?"

"She hasn't confessed her feelings, so how can I reject her? It would be too awkward to say it out loud."

"Then let's try a different approach. Hint at your thoughts or even tell her directly." Seeing the helplessness in Ichiro's eyes, the extra's best friend paused for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "You haven't already hinted at it, have you?"

"I didn't just hint at it, I practically said it to her face! And the result... sigh... is what it's turned out like this."