Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

Ba Ba Yuan answered subconsciously, then realized what he had done and gasped.

"I understand!"

"No wonder the higher-ups of the Covert Force came here to investigate. I thought it was about the missing students from the Spirit Arts Academy from your snippets of conversation, but now it seems that something happened to a Grim Reaper, which is why they were alerted!"

"Otherwise, normally, it would be sufficient for one of the 1st Divisions of the Gotei 13 to send someone to investigate."

"Shinomiya realized the nature of the incident had changed after seeing Ōmaeda, so he deliberately tested him by suggesting that Ōmaeda go find the Grim Reapers here to find out what was going on. But his reaction of looking at us like we were idiots showed that this method was no longer going to work."

Why didn't it work? Of course, it's because something went wrong.

Ichigo wasn't a hot-blooded idiot like Naruto; he just rarely encountered these kinds of unexpected events, so his reactions seemed a bit slow. But once he calmed down and listened to her explanation, he quickly figured out the connections.

Most residents of Rukongai do not need to eat, only to drink water. A small number of people with spiritual power need food, which is a scarce resource in Rukongai.

The main source of water and produce is provided regularly by agricultural and water supply bases established in Rukongai by personnel dispatched by the Seireitei.

Needless to say, managers are also reapers.

The good security in the area surrounding Seireitei is also thanks to the efforts of the administrators.

Now, the manager of Runlinan has run into trouble.

Although the incident was minor, its nature was quite sensitive.

Whether it's someone targeting the regional officials dispatched by Seireitei to Rukongai, or problems arising within their own ranks, it's easy to tarnish Seireitei's reputation, which is why the Covert Mobilization Forces were mobilized.

"So what happened?"

The relationships have been clarified, but the situation has also become more complicated.

"It's hard to say, but in any case, the bigger the incident gets, the worse it will be for the elders."

The Four Palaces Venerable said softly.

"If it's just a student going missing, the people who come to our door are simply looking to obtain information. But if it involves the Grim Reaper, the people who come to our door may be looking to arrest or interrogate someone."

"That's why Miss Sora appeared here at this particular time. Her purpose was to use her influence and information to attract the other party's attention, so that she wouldn't have time to cause trouble for the elder."

This best sentence made Ichigo and the others clearly realize the risks hidden behind what seemed like a ridiculous one-sided verbal abuse.

"You're exceptionally clever, kid. One look at you and I feel like you can't hide anything, not even your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys."

Shiba Kukaku pointed to his head and said meaningfully:

"But if you're really smart, you should know not to get involved in this mess right now."

"That idiot Ōmaeda was a bit harsh with his words, but they were kind. As a student, you'd better go back to sleep."

The Four Palaces Venerable nodded and said, "Indeed, it hasn't been long since the incident, and it's the time when the investigation is at its most intense. Running around everywhere could easily cause trouble, so we only came to visit the elder after hearing that some of Run Lin'an's students had gone missing."

"Very good, stick to this statement, and make sure to keep the same story."

Shiba Kukaku snapped his fingers, then changed the subject.

"Next, I'll share some information."

"Eh?"

Ichigo and Hachihachi were stunned.

Rindou remained silent, but his wide eyes clearly showed that he hadn't expected Shiba Kukaku to react this way.

"What? I know exactly what you're up to running out in the middle of the night. If I call you back now, you'll probably turn around halfway and do something reckless somewhere I don't know. Rather than that, I'd rather keep you under my watchful eye, so I'm prepared if something happens."

Shiba Kukaku rolled his eyes.

"Big Sister Kukaku! You are truly my wonderful big sister! May I call you Sister-sama?"

Hachihara was excited and touched, wanting to rush over, but the other person pressed their hand against their forehead and continued talking as if nothing had happened, completely unaffected.

"We currently have two pieces of intelligence."

"Firstly, both the cases of the administrators and students disappearing without cause are related to the virtual world."

Secondly, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that illusory being will be very strong.

"Another piece of information is attached."

"I just want to drag the criminal out and beat him down before the 13th Gotei 13 causes trouble on my turf. This way, I can vent my anger and save face. So I plan to find a few helpers who won't cause any trouble."

"If you don't want to be used as cannon fodder by me, it's not too late to head home now."

The atmosphere froze instantly upon hearing this.

Hachihara stopped struggling, his expression stiffening.

"Miss Kukaku."

Unbeknownst to them, Shinomiya-no-Kami had become the backbone of the group, and his voice immediately drew the attention of Ichigo and the others.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"Miss Kukaku would be very suitable to be an educator."

"what?"

"First, they tolerate our willfulness, then tell us the truth, satisfy our curiosity, and finally force us to weigh the pros and cons with the actual danger, overturning our good impression of them. Even if they reject you, they may not intervene afterward, because curiosity is no longer enough to support our impulsiveness."

Looking at the armless beauty who resembled Venus, Shinomiya-sama couldn't help but sigh.

"Miss Kukaku, you are so gentle."

"Guwa!"

When Shiba Ganju, who happened to be at the mansion, heard these words, he felt as if the whole world had become distorted.

His expression, however, became even more distorted.

"?!"

Shiba Kukaku was also a bit bewildered. When she saw the strange looks on everyone's faces, she felt like bugs were crawling all over her body. Finally, she noticed the newly arrived Ganju and his distorted expression. She was immediately filled with shame and indignation and directly made a ball of spiritual energy and threw it at him.

"what!"

The burly man, who was hit in the face by the spirit ball and sent flying, let out a miserable scream.

"Is that guy alright?"

Ichigo's lips twitched slightly.

"Hmph, ignore him. That's my brother Yanjiu. He's tough and thick-skinned. This little thing will only make his eyebrows disappear for a week. Let's get down to business."

Kukaku Shiba waved her hand. Fortunately, Ganju had calmed down again. However, her ungentle side left a deep impression on Ichigo and the others, and their respect for her increased dramatically.

"Actually, I completely agree with Ms. Sora's point of view, but we also have our own principles."

"Persistence? What kind of serious resolve could a few kids possibly have?"

Shiba Kukaku scoffed at Shinomiya-sama's statement.

"There is no enlightenment."

The Fourth Prince patted Ichigo's shoulder, who was a little angry, to soothe him, and said in a very natural tone:

"But, we're already here."

"..."

Shiba Sora squinted and stared at him for a long while.

"Your name is Shinomiya-no-Tsuru, right? If you don't die, you'll definitely become a great person in the future."

"She's not as amazing as Miss Konghe makes her out to be. I just have a lot of confidence in us, otherwise I wouldn't have said that."

"That's why you can't rely on a reckless person who doesn't care about their own life, but someone who is confident in themselves and doesn't pat their chest and guarantee that they can definitely get things done is often more reliable, at least that's what I think."

"Now that both sides have reached a consensus, when shall we set off? Miss Kukaku has angered Ōmaeda, so she should already have information about the enemy's whereabouts."

The Four Palaces Master spoke with a questioning tone but in reality, he was certain.

“That’s right. My understanding of Rukongai far surpasses that of the Covert Force. They definitely don’t know how many secret bases I have in Rukongai.”

Shiba Kukaku proudly raised her chin.

"Let's get going! The sooner we finish this, the less likely we are to be killed!"

Ichigo suddenly stood up.

Shinomiya-no-Mikoto glanced at him and said to Shiba Kukaku, "Although this guy is prone to getting carried away, what he said makes sense. I also hope to return to the Spirit Arts Institute before dawn."

"Oh? It sounds like you have some good suggestions."

"Let me confirm first, Miss Kukaku, do you think Vice-Captain Ōmaeda can handle that Hollow?"

"That's enough."

Shiba Kukaku shook his head.

"I was partly sincere when I told him to go back and call for help."

"But he certainly won't do it."

"So you're an idiot."

"Then let's tell that idiot the information about that void."

"what?"

The words of the Four Palace Master left everyone momentarily speechless.

"...Tsk, as expected, those who will become big shots in the future are bound to have some bad intentions."

Shiba Kukaku joked.

He had clearly grasped his idea.

"I was clearly thinking of Miss Kukaku."

The Four Palaces Lord refused to take the blame.

"Let Ōmaeda go scout ahead. He's too proud to call for help anyway. When he excitedly goes there and runs into a wall, we'll resolve the issue in front of him."

"This way, we have manpower, we've vented our anger, we've saved face, and we don't have to use us weak spiritual students as cannon fodder. We've also achieved our goal of participating in the incident. Even if it's a bit unfriendly to Ōmaeda, he's accomplished his mission. It's a win-win situation."

"Ah."

Shiba Kukaku stood up, propping himself up on his knees, and looked down at the seemingly harmless Shinomiya-no-Tsukai.

"I'm certain once again that you'll become a big shot, because you all have equally dirty hearts."

"and many more."

Stopping Shiba Kukaku, who was about to go out on an errand, Shinomiya-no-Mikoto kindly reminded him, "Just in case, let Mr. Ganju, who just returned from running errands, 'inadvertently' leak information while he's talking to others in the alley."

"..."

Shiba Kukaku stopped and turned around, staring blankly at Shinomiya Mikoto with the same look that everyone else was giving him.

“Omaeda knew that Miss Kukaku had information, and Mr. Ganju rushed back. If their conversation were to leak out at this time, Omaeda would definitely not doubt that the information was false. On the contrary, he would be overjoyed, feeling that he had gotten a great deal. He would set off immediately, wanting to make a contribution before Miss Kukaku, and then triumphantly mock Miss Kukaku to get back at her for the time he was angered and left.”

“If we tell him directly, he might become suspicious and think he’s being clever, which would waste our time.”

"—That's my thought."

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?"

The Fourth Prince frowned, feeling insulted.

"...Nothing is wrong, it's just that I feel my evaluation of you is too conservative."

Shiba Kukaku took a deep breath, turned and left, unwilling to look at him again, afraid that her heart would be tainted by the schemer.

Although it wasn't a sophisticated scheme, it was truly outrageous to even include Ōmaeda's cleverness in it.

I don't know who he learned this from at such a young age.

Chapter Fourteen: Encountering a Ghost

In a corner of Runlin'an, in a dimly lit and secluded spot.

"What did you say? The culprit has been found?!"

Ōmaeda's eyes widened, and he looked somewhat frightening.

The patrol team member standing in front of him had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead and quickly gave a more detailed account of what he had overheard during his undercover investigation: Shiba Ganju's conversation with his underling.

Ōmaeda was stunned, unable to believe his ears.