Chapter Eighteen: Mutation

Ten days had passed since Di Chun had visited.

During this time, Nagatsugirō was forced to move. His previous house had been almost completely destroyed in the battle with Di Chun, leaving him with nowhere to live. Reluctantly, he had to relocate, and during the process, he temporarily stayed at Yamamoto’s residence.

The moving expenses? Of course, he had to pay out of his own pocket.

Nagatsugirō had even gone to Seireitei to try to get Di Chun to compensate him for the cost of moving and repairs.

“Money? Such a vulgar thing—how could I possibly have any? But you’ve come at just the right time! Since you’re here, let’s have a fight!”

Nagatsugirō had been so frightened he fled from the First Division headquarters.

So, sobbing, he handed over his savings to the other souls to help him move and rebuild his house.

“Lord Jakube, how does this look?” the head soul came over, fawning, rubbing his hands together with a sycophantic grin.

“Hm? Oh… it’s fine, very fine…” Nagatsugirō paid no real attention to the state of the house. With a silent sigh, he left everything to the steward and went off to find Shigenokuni Yamamoto.

...

“You seem to have a lot of free time lately, Nagatsugirō.”

Yamamoto had been kneeling on the tatami, quietly meditating, when Nagatsugirō came to see him. Although Nagatsugirō was only staying at his residence temporarily, the fact that he came by every day proved he truly wasn’t busy at all.

“I wouldn’t say that, Lord Hyōzansa… I’m almost bankrupt…”

With a face full of misery, Nagatsugirō let out a long sigh. Though he was a noble, he was far from being someone who could spend lavishly anymore. Moving and building a new house had severely strained his finances.

Yamamoto knew about Nagatsugirō’s fight with Di Chun and understood his situation well.

“Hmph, a soul reaper troubled by money—what a vexing brat you are.”

Once more, Yamamoto closed his eyes, as though he wished to hear no more of Nagatsugirō’s woes.

“Ah… ah…”

What should I do from now on… Money, money…

...

With a helpless sigh, Yamamoto opened his eyes and glared at Nagatsugirō with irritation. The depth of resentment evoked by Nagatsugirō’s financial complaints had begun to seriously disturb Yamamoto’s meditation. He decided this troublesome brat needed to disappear from his sight immediately.

“Not long ago, Lord Yasuda entrusted me with a task. There’s a not inconsiderable reward for completing it. If you’re short on money, why not do it for me?”

Go away, go away, go away, go away! Unconsciously, Yamamoto’s resentment had surpassed Nagatsugirō’s own, threatening to overwhelm him.

“What? A task from Captain Commander Yasuda?”

To be personally entrusted by the Captain Commander? The reward must be considerable!

...

“Damn it… I’ve been tricked…”

The so-called ‘task from the Captain Commander’ was, in fact, a request from Yasuda, who had recently sensed strange spiritual pressure in the outskirts of the Soul Society for reasons unknown. He wanted the powerful, unoccupied Yamamoto to look into it—but at this critical moment, Nagatsugirō had walked right into the trap.

I’ll turn Lord Hyōzansa’s mansion upside down when I get back! he thought bitterly, though whether he had the nerve to do so was another matter entirely.

“So then…” Nagatsugirō surveyed the village before him, feeling an ominous premonition. “What on earth is here?”

District Seventy-Five of West Rukongai—Ryūnyūkai—was one of the areas farthest from Seireitei. Its lawlessness was notorious. Any soul with sense would avoid the place, lest they court their own demise.

There, murder and robbery were as commonplace as eating, occurring daily.

For a soul reaper, however, there was little to fear. A soul reaper, after all, was a soul with spiritual power, and dealing with these brutes who only knew violence was child’s play.

Here, personal safety was never at risk.

In the outskirts of District Seventy-Five—Ryūnyūkai—every soul was listless, like walking corpses. Even Nagatsugirō, who had just arrived, paid them no heed.

Deathly silence and the stench of decay permeated the entire village.

Could there really be strange spiritual pressure here?

Nagatsugirō was doubtful. There wasn’t a single lively soul around, so how could there be anything unusual?

Finding nothing amiss in the village and unwilling to linger in such a lifeless place, he hurried away to the nearby forest.

If District Seventy-Five was known for anything, it was that even the forests were devoid of life. Not even a single birdcall could be heard—something about that was troubling.

Nagatsugirō tightened his grip on his sword, not daring to relax for a moment, as his sense of foreboding inexplicably grew stronger.

“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a soul reaper here.”

!

Someone had approached without him noticing! Nagatsugirō turned at once, drawing his sword partway, ready for whoever stood behind him.

“Whoa!” The newcomer, seeing the drawn sword, jumped and waved his hands. “Wait, wait! I mean no harm!”

“Who are you?” Nagatsugirō demanded in a low voice, only now realizing the stranger was also a soul reaper.

“Ah, my name is Kusaya Genkai. Um… could you put your sword away?”

“Oh—oh, sorry, my apologies.”

Nagatsugirō realized he was still threatening the man with his sword and, slightly embarrassed, sheathed it.

“Phew… May I ask who you are?”

Kusaya exhaled in relief before inquiring about Nagatsugirō’s identity.

“I am Jakube Nagatsugirō, right hand of Lord Hyōzansa. I’m here on Captain Commander Yasuda’s orders to investigate something unusual… Are you the soul reaper stationed here?”

It was odd; he’d never heard of a soul reaper being posted in District Seventy-Five.

“No, I’m just passing through.”

“Passing through? Oh, heading home, perhaps? How rare—never expected to see a soul reaper beyond the seventieth district.”

In all of Soul Society, the fiftieth district marked the boundary: soul reapers were usually born in the first fifty districts. Beyond that, those who became soul reapers were exceedingly rare.

“Ah… well… I suppose…”

Before he could finish, a great rift suddenly appeared in the sky behind them!

!!

Nagatsugirō spun around in shock. “What is that—?”

With a crash, the sky shattered like glass, torn open to reveal a massive hole and, within it, a face radiating malice.

“How… can this be…”