Chapter 61: A Wild Chase
<span style="font-weight:400">Beneath the nket of the Garganta''s pitch-ck sky, Kazuya’s group strolled without a rush, their casual pace showing their rxed mental state.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yo, why are you still in your Resurrión? It’s gonna drain you dry,” M Rose asked, her voice echoing in the darkness.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sung-Sun shook her head. “I can’t run around naked. My skin is not as thick as yours.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Her base form also left her naked like M Rose. The dark-skinned Arrancar was still running around in Kazuya’s shirt.
<span style="font-weight:400">M Rose rolled her eyes. “Fuck you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yoruichi let out a softugh. The yful banter between them was light, a sharp contrast to the stern interactions among most Shinigami groups. Yoruichi found herself understanding why Kazuya risked so much to save them. “You''re quite a close-knit group, aren''t you? How did you manage to wee a man into your fold?”
<span style="font-weight:400">She knew of M Rose’s obvious bias towards men and this intrigued her even more.
<span style="font-weight:400">“My integration went more smoothly than I expected,” Kazuya said. “Only M Rose showed some resistance in epting me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, what did you do? Saved her life? Charmed her with your voice?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Shaking his head, he replied with a yful tone, “I waved my magic wand and cast a love spell. Now she is even ready to have my children. I went overboard…”
<span style="font-weight:400">The shocked outcry of M Rose echoed across the void. "Who would have your kids? This guy can''t stop spouting lies!"
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hahaha,” Yoruichiughed and pointed at the egg held by Harribel. “What’s the story of that egg?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s the byproduct of M Rose’s intense passion for me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So it’s her egg.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“He is spitting bullshit again!” M Rose retorted. “It’s his egg. His Zanpakutō. I got this sword after I became an Arrancar. He got a friggin’ egg.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Yoruichi’s eyes widened. “You are telling me you defeated the King of Hollows without your Zanpakutō?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It was a tough fight, though. I couldn’t have done it without you. So, thanks, Shihōin-san.”
<span style="font-weight:400">His sincere smile and smooth voice were a disastrousbination that made her heart flutter. Having the thick skin of a crocodile, she stared at him without any emotion. “Don’t mention it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Feeling left out, Api nudged Kazuya''s leg with her horn. “You haven''t told us about your time in the Living World. What were you up to?”
<span style="font-weight:400">He observed the obviously jealous deer walking by his side and ced a hand on her head. “Should I summarize it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure…”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I was adopted by a beautiful sister, who wants to y Hollows but is restricted from killing them by Shinigami. I found a friend in a maid, who loves every piece of romance literature." His words painted a vibrant picture, each detail more intriguing than thest. "Then, I awakened new powers which let me kill Baraggan for good. To top it all off, I made allies with a genius Shinigami outcast and his childhood friend who, interestingly enough, loves shape-shifting into a cat form. That’s an apt summary.”
<span style="font-weight:400">***
<span style="font-weight:400">“Otouto-kun hasn’t been back for eight hours.”
<span style="font-weight:400">The prolonged absence of a certain someone had a huge impact on the matriarch of the Ishida n. Izumi was on the verge of a mental breakdown when Lisa couldn’t find Kazuya. The maid had scoured the entire Karakura Town in search of his Reiatsu but to no avail.
<span style="font-weight:400">He had vanished out of thin air, leaving Izumi in a broken state. To her, Kazuya wasn’t just a shining beacon of hope for their Quincy race, he was also someone whom she treated like a real brother.
<span style="font-weight:400">Copsing onto a chair, Izumi buried her face in her hands. “My sweet, sweet Otouto… it’s all my fault. I should have been more vigi—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Stop!” Lisa interjected, unable to handle Izumi’s exaggerated reaction. “You''re making a mountain out of a molehill, Izumi-sama. He isn''t a child. He''s capable of taking care of himself.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, you aren’t understanding the gravity of this. He could have been kidnapped by the Soul Reapers because of his potential.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa couldn’t find a reply to Izumi’s hypothesis. Shinigami weren’t very trusting of the leftover Quincy from the massacre. Heck even she was here to monitor Izumi and her friend who was mostly missing from home.
<span style="font-weight:400">A part of Seireitei thought of Quincy as a nuisance and the other part was indifferent towards them.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Izumi-sama,” Lisa tried to reason. “We didn''t sense anybat. He might have just wandered to another town."
<span style="font-weight:400">“Soul Reapers have many spells. Don’t you know that?!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“They certainly do.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa had to admit that Izumi had a point. As a Shinigami herself, Lisa couldn''t even list all the countless Bakudō and Hadō spells ssified under Kidō spells. As for casting them, she could only manage less than a handful of sealing and destruction spells.
<span style="font-weight:400">Regret gnawed at Lisa for not keeping a closer eye on Kazuya. What could have been the worst oue? Getting found out? It seemed far more tolerable than witnessing a strong woman like Izumi break down into tears.
<span style="font-weight:400">Seeing Lisa''s silence, Izumi wiped away her tears, putting on a brave face. “I shouldn''t lose hope so easily.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. Let’s—”
<span style="font-weight:400">“We’ll drive through the nearby towns. Lisa, we’ll find him at any cost.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa let out a heavy sigh. “Izumi-sama, rest here. I’ll contact my friends who can help me locate Kazuya.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Izumi sped her hand, a grateful smile illuminating her face. “Thank you, Lisa. I don’t know how to repay this gratitude.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t worry about it, Izumi-sama.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa managed to ster a polite smile on her face, all the while recalling Kisuke''s cautionary words. Kisuke had been right all along. She should have severed her connections when she had the chance. Instead, she found herself more entangled in Quincy affairs than ever. Moreover, with Kazuya privy to her secret, she couldn''t exit her job until all loose ends were tied.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">‘Ugh, why am I apletionist?’</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">She mentally berated herpulsive need forpletion, a habit cultivated from persistently finishing books regardless of their quality.
<span style="font-weight:400">…
<span style="font-weight:400">Minutester, Lisa stepped out of the car. Beyond the open shutterid a warehouse filled with junk. She lingered at the edge, a little uncertain about asking for help.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, Lisa!” Shinji’s voice echoed from the warehouse''s cavernous interior. He emerged from the shadowy interior, a crease forming on his forehead as he spotted Lisa. "Why are you still wearing that? Are ya here to say goodbye and leave us for that—"
<span style="font-weight:400">His words were abruptly silenced as a swift kick sent him sprawling onto the ground.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hiyori, the instigator of the sudden attack, darted out of the warehouse, her gaze falling on Lisa. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be on cleaning duty in that mansion?”
<span style="font-weight:400">A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lisa''s lips at the sight of Shinji and Hiyori''s disy of sibling love. “Where is Hachi? I need his help in tracking down someone.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Hachigen Ushoda, former Vice Captain of Kidō Corps, had numerous Kidō. One of them could certainly take care of her problem.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hiyori stomped up to Lisa, her arms crossed as she frowned up at the maid. “Weren’t you instructed to act like a human maid? Why are they sending you out on search missions?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I''m a human maid who can''t manifest her Reishi gathering ability,” Lisa corrected Hiyori, her tone matter-of-fact. “This isn''t the time for an interrogation. This is urgent.”
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ugh, alright." Hiyori looked over her shoulder, calling out to the man still within the warehouse. "Hachi! Hey, Hachi! Get out here!"
<span style="font-weight:400">Momentster, a rotund man with short pink hair came out. He exuded a gentlemanly aura, emphasized by his olive-green tuxedo and neatly trimmed mustache. “Lisa, you’re back.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hachi, help me out. Just a small task.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Hachigen interlocked his fingers as he raised a brow, a little skeptical about Lisa’s request. “I have nothing on hand. I suppose I can help you out. Don’t give me too hard of a task.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s go then.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa drove while exining the task at hand.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hachigen ced a hand on his chin. “I can cast Bakudo #56 ‘Motomeru (Seek the Shadows). There is a drawback. The trailing mechanism of this spell isn’t very quick.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I knew I could count on you, Hachi.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Upon their arrival outside the Ishida Mansion, Hachigen immediately picked up on the remnants of Kazuya''s Reiatsu. He began forming symbols in the air, his golden Reiatsu conjuring words. “Chase them, you ck spirit of the night! Gaze upon this with curiosity and then seek the traitor out with your howls!”
<span style="font-weight:400">As Hachigen’s words echoed in the air, Lisa saw ck trailse to life. “That was easier than I thought.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Hachigen closed his eyes, giving her a soft smile. “Most things in life are easy, but we needlesslyplicate them.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Lisa chuckled at his wise quote. “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s chase this guy.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She broke into a dash, following the trails. She was following familiar streets, the route giving her a feeling of deja vu. After weaving through narrow alleyways and bustling main roads for several minutes, the reason behind her sense of deja vu fell into ce. She skidded to a halt in front of a building she knew all too well — Kisuke Urahara''s Shop.