You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Originally, when Lord Hyakuhou of Shihouin was in his prime, he could have waited for a successor to appear. However, during the war in the present world, Lord Hyakuhou was severely injured. Although he was rescued, he was left with incurable aftereffects and was even unable to use Bankai.

Even with the title of captain, it would be difficult for someone seriously ill to continue leading the Second Division and the Execution Army... Therefore, selecting a successor is urgently needed.

“However, Bankai isn’t something you can just learn at will.” Iori raised an eyebrow. “Besides stalling for time, you don’t have any other options, do you?”

"Indeed, it is unrealistic to cultivate a Bankai master in a short period of time, but our Shihōin family is not a family that is bound by trivial matters. Even if they are not from our main family, as long as we can establish a close enough proxy relationship, then an outside master can also inherit the position."

Lady Red looked at Iori intently: "That's why I made this suggestion so rudely."

Ultimately, however, it depends on free will... So, may I ask, Lord Aizen, what is your opinion of Yoruichi?

Iori pondered for a moment, then cautiously asked instead of answering immediately, "You want me to marry into Shihouin's family and become Yoruichi's proxy to lead the Second Division—can I understand it that way?"

"That's right!"

Lady Red nodded honestly: "It's not just me, everyone from the branch family should also be actively looking for suitable candidates, we must get ahead of them!"

"It's really not easy... Even nobles have their troubles."

While feigning emotion, Iori glanced at Yoruichi, only to see the young lady with furrowed brows. Although her expression was unpleasant, she did not refute him, clearly indicating that what Lady Red said was true.

"But why was I chosen?"

Iori regretted asking the question as soon as she did: from Shihouin's perspective, it was only natural to choose him.

Sure enough, Lady Red smiled slightly: "Firstly, your strength meets the requirements, and secondly, because you come from Rukongai, you don't have many complicated interpersonal relationships around you."

There may be hidden Bankai masters within the current Seireitei, but to meet all the requirements of the Imperial Court... probably only Iori is fit to do so.

"But in the end, it seems like this doesn't do me any good."

Iori frowned and asked in return, "Whether I join Shihouin or not, I will become a squad leader and enter the decision-making level of Seireitei... So why should I choose to live under someone else's roof and marry into a noble family?"

"Yes, Bankai-level masters don't need to improve their status through marriage because their own power surpasses the assistance provided by noble families. If they wanted to, they could easily establish a lineage that would last for hundreds of years as the progenitor."

Normally, we would never be so rash as to ask a decorated captain if he was willing to marry into the family… but the situation is different now.”

Lady Hong said eagerly, "Now is the critical period for the struggle for inheritance. As long as the status can be determined, we can dispel the unrealistic delusion of dividing the family."

For Lord Aizen, this is not necessarily a bad thing. It should be noted that this is no ordinary minor noble family, but rather the Shihouin clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families!

Having said all that, Lady Red did not explain precisely why Shihouin was different, but Iori knew that it was a noble family that had existed in Seireitei for tens of thousands of years, and was one of the five great families that served the Soul King together.

Perhaps they had already begun fulfilling their responsibilities as Shinigami and guardians of the three realms even before Seireitei existed, making them, in a sense, the "original shareholders" of Seireitei.

Moreover, the commander of the Shihōin clan, Xingjun, has been engaged in shady dealings for thousands of years. If he didn't have a strong enough backbone, he would probably have been overthrown long ago.

The hidden power of its leader is far beyond what an ordinary captain can match.

"Originally, I wouldn't mind helping out."

After a moment's thought, Iori decided to refuse seriously.

"But I'm sorry, I already have someone I'm committed to spending my life with."

"what?!"

The spiritual pressure in the air suddenly changed. Putting aside the surprised look on Lady Red's face, Yoruichi excitedly approached and said, "You're quite something! You usually seem so dull and have never taken the initiative to look for women. I thought you were a staunch bachelor... When did you have one, before you went to the human world?"

"...Well, I guess so. We've known each other for a long time."

"Who is it? Ah, sorry, I shouldn't have asked... What kind of person is it?"

Describe the features and let me guess; maybe I know them?

"This……"

Do you prefer long hair or short hair?

Long hair!

"Tall or short?"

"Tall guy!"

"Big or small?"

"big!"

"What about your age?"

"He looks better than me, doesn't he?"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Art, I guess? I do quite like combat-related stuff though..."

"Personality?"

"Cheerful, proactive, and decisive when necessary."

"Is he also a Grim Reaper...?"

Yoruichi pondered for a long time, then suddenly pointed to herself in surprise: "Except for the long hair, isn't this describing me?"

"what?"

No, I meant Esdeath...

-

Isn't this me?

My little rascal really cares about me!

Unfortunately, he doesn't have a place in my heart, or at most, it's only as big as a fingernail.

—Aizen Sōyūhime, who was eavesdropping next door using Kidō, had a charming smile on her lips.

Chapter 198: Written as a Hero, Read as a Pervert (4K)

Isn't it time to end this childish game?

--call!

In the dark and cramped alley, delinquent youths with dyed hair and tattoos lay sprawled about, some with their arms bent at unbelievable angles, others with blood trickling from their mouths, and teeth that had been knocked out could be seen on the ground.

All of this was accomplished by a masked man of average height but with incredibly muscular build. His physique looked more like it had been honed in a free-fighting ring than in a gym, with clearly defined muscles.

Although his image—naked from the waist up, wearing only boxer shorts, and with a hood covering his face—much resembled that of a pervert… he undoubtedly exercised “justice.”

Yes, all thanks to the blood-stained holy sword of physics in his hand—the crowbar!

The people lying down were a group of thugs who were assaulting homeless people because they were in a bad mood, while the masked man was like a vigilante lurking in the dark—as for where his bodysuit went, that's another question.

After all, someone would definitely not understand something like "running naked at night to seek a breakthrough in mental strength," right?

Okay, no matter how you look at it, it's perverted, but this man is willing to try even the most perverted behavior in order to break the limits.

What's more, it yielded excellent results, didn't it?

In modern society, this is already a rather tragic scene, the limit that can be achieved under the premise of "no one dying".

It's not that the "murderer" wouldn't dare to kill, but rather that once a victim is found, the nature of the case changes, greatly increasing the police's attention. Even if the Japanese police are incompetent, the power of the state apparatus is immense. As a law-abiding citizen, it's best not to draw too much attention.

If that were to happen, he would expose himself to the public, which would violate his long-standing code of conduct.

However, after defeating these delinquent youths and incidentally scaring away the homeless man with a friendly smile, the "murderer" felt an endless sense of emptiness.

It wasn't because of the homeless man's reaction, but because he found the fight itself uninteresting.

He prefers to encounter more "legendary" and "challenging" enemies, such as the Russian mafia, foreign agents, extremist terrorists, and Nazi remnants, rather than small-time thugs.

After all, only by facing off against legends can one become a legend!

No matter how many petty thugs and local gangsters you defeat, you can only be considered a vigilante at best.

His real goal is to fight against the massive "organization" or become the leader of the "organization" himself, and then engage in a battle of wits and strength with various enemies in the darkness!

Children all admire heroes, but he was slightly different.

From childhood, he longed for the mysterious and powerful characters in movies and novels who always influenced and manipulated the world from the shadows, but who were ordinary and unremarkable in daily life and would not attract anyone's attention.

That's right, he wants to become a "Shadow-level powerhouse"!

First, one must become incredibly powerful, possessing the dual identities of an "ordinary person" during the day and a "protagonist" at night. Then, one must establish an underground society that recruits various talents and fight against evil forces.

Finally, in the final battle, in front of the NPCs who knew nothing about him, he removed his mask as a mortal and revealed that he was a Shadow-level powerhouse, causing everyone to shout in shock, "This is impossible!"

—This is his dream, "Minoru Kageno"!

So cool!

The ultimate evolution of chuunibyou!

Unfortunately, this dream is impossible to realize because he was not born in a magical alternate world, or a chaotic cyber world dominated by capital, or even the turbulent Warring States period.

He was born on Earth in the 21st century, in the relatively stable Far East. In a modern society far removed from the clash of swords and the information age where intelligence is readily available, the so-called "mysterious powerful individuals" do not exist.

Without "evil," "justice" becomes difficult to define, and without an organization to fight against, heroes in the darkness will be at a loss.

The reason Batman became Batman is because he lives in Gotham City. If he lived in Beijing or Shanghai, he would just be an ordinary rich kid who likes tight-fitting clothes.

Minoru Kageno lived a stable life, perhaps unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, without the opportunity to step onto the stage—or rather, there was no "stage" at all.

Small fry like thugs and gangsters are not qualified to be the opponents of dark heroes.

Besides environmental factors, the human body also constrained his dreams.

He trained himself to the extreme, acquiring a physique that would be considered a waste for modern people with his obsessive dedication to martial arts, but that was already his limit.

The improvement in realm ends here. Even if there is an increase in the numerical value due to growth and development, it is still limited to the category of "mortal".

He tried many spiritual practices, from Western mysticism to Eastern yoga, breathing exercises, and other spiritual theories... all in an attempt to find supernatural powers, but ultimately he could only helplessly admit one fact:

It seems the world he lives in is quite normal; there are no supernatural or ghostly things there. That's truly something to celebrate!

No matter how much you train your body, even to the point where you can kill a gunman, you still can't beat a tank!

A Shadow Warrior crushed by a tank—this is not the dream he wanted to see.

Therefore, despite his seemingly carefree and abnormal demeanor, he was actually in great pain deep down.

Day after day at school, he played the role of "the most inconspicuous person," believing he was ready for his daytime identity, but the dark hero of the night could never appear...

Holding a crowbar, Minoru used ninja footwork learned from ancient texts to navigate through various secluded paths and nooks and crannies, so as not to let his neighbors see him half-naked.

Tonight, I failed again. I still couldn't achieve a breakthrough in my mental strength, nor could I find any trace of magic.

I've done this countless times, each time with hope, but each time ending in despair, until I can only admit that I'm looking for something that doesn't exist.

Should we give up? End this game of pretend play that's been going on for over a decade...?

call!

That sounds like the wind?

Or is it the plane's engine?

The boy, with his keen hearing, seemed to hear a sound similar to the roar of a wild beast...

A bright light suddenly appeared on the horizon, standing out starkly in the darkness. When Kageno looked up, he saw a crimson flame streak across the night sky, leaving a long trail of light that illuminated half the city.

Meteorite?

I really want to see it. Maybe it's an alien spaceship. It would be best if there were survivors inside, who would hand over alien technology to the right humans for some purpose, and then have a grand battle royale, with the unassuming hidden BOSS, namely me, Minoru Kageno, taking the spoils of victory!

Or perhaps it was a country's quantum satellite that was shot down from space by a runaway humanoid weapon!

...Of course, this is just wishful thinking. Minoru Kageno was a UFO enthusiast for a while, but he also came up empty-handed. Meteorites are basically just combinations of various minerals, which are valuable to researchers, but meaningless to him.

But since we're so close to home, let's take our gear and go look for her!

Thinking this way, Minoru Kageno saw a news report the next morning about a meteorite crashing into a mountain and creating a huge crater. However, the investigation team did not find the meteorite itself, suspecting that it was too small to have been worn down by the atmosphere and crashed deeper into the mountains.

This piqued Minoru's interest, but he didn't immediately go to search for it. Instead, he put on his school uniform as usual and went to high school, continuing to play the role of an ordinary student with mediocre grades, average looks, and almost no popularity.

After a day that would make Saitama envious to the point of plasmolysis, Minoru Kageno took a crowbar engraved with "EX Curry Stick," put on special mountaineering gear and a hooded mask typical of American comic book heroes, and rode the Durham (Headless Rider) bicycle to the mountainous area that had been reported.

He searched until late at night, and although the crater was found quickly, the meteorite inside had indeed disappeared as reported, and no trace of it could be found even after further excavation.

Kageno Minoru searched diligently at the bottom of the pit for a long time, hoping to find some peace and quiet and to try to meditate and sense the energy of the universe... but she gained nothing except attracting large mosquitoes from the mountains.

Of course, such failures were commonplace for him, so he wasn't too discouraged. He packed up his gear and prepared to go home, picking up a few stones that had been vitrified by the high temperature as souvenirs before leaving.

He used a crowbar as a climbing axe and struggled to climb out of the pit.