Chapter 39: The Maid


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya abandoned the car with servants, opting instead for the sleek, midnight-ck vehicle that belonged to Izumi. He slid into the leather seat beside the driver''s, waiting for Izumi to get over her reflection.


    <span style="font-weight:400">After a couple of minutes, Izumi opened the door and gave him an unamused look. “I told you to go with them.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I have some questions, Onee-chan. Can you answer them while driving?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">A spark of delight flickered in her eyes. She would have ejected him from the car with merciless force had he dared to call her Oba-san. Instead, he called her Onee-chan, a far cry from the dreaded Oba-san title given upon her by the demonic children of her neighborhood. After all, she and Kazuya looked the same age, or so she liked to believe.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I can.” She sighed and assumed the driver seat. “I’m Izumi Ishida. What’s your name?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The name Ishida stirred a torrent of memories, leaving him momentarily stunned.


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Ah, of course. It’s Uryu’s rtives. She has to be his grandmother or someone close to that level.’</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">He never fathomed encountering Uryū Ishida''s grandmother in her prime or that she would bear a striking resemnce to his past lover. Thest he recalled of her from the shbacks, she was a typical housewife, venting her frustrations upon Ichigo''s mother, Masaki.


    <span style="font-weight:400">She appeared moreposed and restrained than her future self. Well, she was also naive for epting his words at face value, rather than probing his background. Hecked an identification card in his pocket to validate his name. There was no way for him to prove the rest of his story.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Yet, she didn''t entertain the possibility that he could be a fraud. Perhaps his persuasion skill clouded her rational thinking.


    <span style="font-weight:400">"I’m Kazuya," he replied, motioning for her to pause. "Put on your seat belt, Onee-chan. For safety."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Izumi’s hands on the steering froze as she turned to assess his innocent face. “It’s unnecessary, for me at least.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Having yed Hollows for years, she viewed a car ident as a trifling concern. Save for the injury inflicted by a formidable Hollow, she had gone unscathed in her five years of Hollow killing career.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The car roared to life, its powerful purr resonating throughout the cabin. A hush enveloped them as she maintained unwavering focus on the road, her intense expression an uncanny echo of his past lover. Yumi and Izumi—even their names rhymed.


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">‘What a sick joke.’</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">He shrugged, his gaze drifting forward. Even if they looked simr, Izumi was not the person he had once loved. No good woulde out of chasing Yumi’s shadow in Izumi.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, Onee-chan. How did you receive that injury?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s… a big story. I don’t want to talk about it right now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. I’ll bother you another time then.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Okay. You’ll be staying at Ishida''s house as a guest. We’ll test something and teach you facts about the spiritual worlds… hang in tight.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her words implied she would provide him a ce to stay and food, and instruct him on the ways to harness the powers that qualify a human as a Quincy. Though hecked Quincy blood in his veins, he possessed the cheat-like prowess of his System. The inclusion of Quincy in his evolution paths signified his potential to acquire their abilities. There wasn’t any harm even if he failed her test.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Quincy… so that’s how you pronounce it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She couldn’t suppress a smile. “Bing a Quincy — I believe your mother wanted it to happen. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent you here.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Me too. I’ll try my best, Onee-chan!”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She turned to him for a brief moment. “Your hair makes you look like a ruffian.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Uh… I like them big, Onee-chan,” he spoke while ncing at her chest but she was too absorbed in the front view to notice his gaze. “Onee-san, what about you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She rolled her eyes. “Size is just a matter of perspective. I have taken down some giant ones with my hands.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He was talking about tits while she spoke of her Hollow ying experience.


    <span style="font-weight:400">…


    <span style="font-weight:400">A mere thirty minutester, Kazuya found himself sprawled on a bed within a in room meant for a single person. This guest room was his domain until Izumi decided otherwise.


    <span style="font-weight:400">He noticed that, aside from the two Gemischt, the family seemed toprise only Izumi. However, a photo of a middle-aged man in the living room and the ring adorning Izumi''s finger hinted at the existence of a spouse. This revtion snuffed out any intentions of seducing Izumi into an affair, as he had no desire to wreak havoc on her marriage life for a few nights of pleasure.


    <span style="font-weight:400">"I hope I have some dreams today."


    <span style="font-weight:400">In Hueco Mundo, he had consistently awoken with a ''hollow'' sensation, leading him to theorize that Hollowscked the ability to dream.


    <i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Onee-chan, get ready to be shocked out of your mind tomorrow!’</i>


    <span style="font-weight:400">A yful grin appeared on his face as he eagerly awaited shattering some ''expectations'' tomorrow and getting a goodugh out of it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">…


    <span style="font-weight:400">That night, for the first time in a month, Kazuya found himself enveloped in the embrace of a dream. The dream was shrouded in mist, echoes of past memories from his slumbering mind. The dream painted a picture of him navigating an ordinary day, traversing the hallowed halls of his university, only toter mess around with his alluring teacher-turned-lover.


    <span style="font-weight:400">He could recall every electrifying sensation of her body, the intimate connection they shared pulsing through his memory, until the dream world was abruptly torn away, yanking him back to the cold grasp of reality.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Blinking open his eyes, Kazuya found a maid standing attentively by his bedside. ck locks cascaded over her forehead, framing her face, while a neat braided ponytail rested on her shoulder. The bespectacled maid gazed at him, her eyes devoid of any discernible emotion.


    Spoiler


    [copse]


    <span style="font-weight:400">Izumi stood beside the maid, her expression filled with concern for him. As he sat up and rubbed his head, he felt a bit shaken by the dream, but it was nothing he couldn''t handle.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s creepy to watch me sleep, Onee-chan and Maid-chan.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Izumi folded her arms over her chest. "Your Reiatsu was hectic when you were dreaming. We came to check up on you."


    <span style="font-weight:400">He almost terrified her with his rampaging Reiatsu, a byproduct of his violent emotions from his dream. If he had continued to unleash his Reiatsu, she might have lost her house. The incident also revealed a glimpse of his true potential, making her realize that the random Quincy she found on the streets possessed a freak-level Reiatsu.


    <span style="font-weight:400">"He is no weakling, Izumi-sama," the maidmented. "Are you sure he is a Gemischt? He has a captain—a great capacity for Reiryoku."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Even if it was for a mere moment, she had felt his Reiatsu peaking at somewhere around Great Level, aka Reiatsu rivaling a Gotei 13 Captain.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Kazuya didn’t miss the maid’s small error inparing his Reiatsu to a Captain-ss. “Did you just stutter?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">The maid shook her head. “You are still sleepy.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">"Lisa, prepare a bath for Kazuya," Izumi instructed before turning to Kazuya with a small smile and a polite nod. "I''ll be waiting in the dining room."


    <span style="font-weight:400">Her attitude shifted dramatically after witnessing his potential. She went from treating him like a kid to treating him like an honorable guest.