Chapter 52: Going to the Present World

Yamabuki Haruto nodded, showing that he had no objections.

Outside the door, Kano Chimaru’s face clouded with unease. She didn’t barge in, however. Deep down, she knew her own limitations—combat was not her gift. Instead of making her elder sister worry, perhaps she should devote herself to things she could actually do well.

Inside, both Haruto and Kano Chiharu exhaled in relief. They had been worrying about how to calm Chimaru if she acted rashly. Now that she seemed composed, the tension in the room eased.

The two had barely returned to their meal when a sharp knock rattled the door.

Chiharu frowned. None of her household servants would dare disturb her while she was dining.

“Who could it be?” she muttered.

A voice came through, steady but urgent.
“Chief of Staff, it’s me—Bee Kite. The Captain has issued an urgent order. All Gotei 13 officers are to assemble immediately. Lady Kano, you are also asked to step away at once.”

Both Haruto and Chiharu froze. An order from Captain Yamamoto himself? Something serious had happened.

“Tch. That damn old man—still piling work on me when he hasn’t even paid me properly,” Haruto grumbled. Still, he rose to his feet, brushing himself off. Together with Chiharu, he hurried toward the First Division barracks.

The Captain’s Assembly

When they arrived, Haruto was startled to find every senior officer of the newly founded Gotei 13 gathered. Yamamoto Genryūsai himself stood at the center, expression grim.

“All present,” Yamamoto said at last, his voice like steel. “Then hear this: our Shinigami stationed in the Human World have gone silent. In addition, reports confirm a sudden, drastic decrease in both Hollow and human souls. This threatens the balance of the Three Realms. The Central 46 has ordered us to investigate immediately.”

Haruto straightened.

Souls… disappearing? That shouldn’t be possible. A Zanpakutō purified a Hollow; it never destroyed the soul itself. The total count of souls between worlds should never change. Unless—

His eyes narrowed. There was one exception.

The Quincy.

They did not purify. They erased.

“Yamabuki,” Yamamoto rumbled, noting his troubled look. “You seem disturbed. Speak.”

Haruto swallowed, recalling fragments of a future he knew. “Captain, your description… it matches a group I’ve heard whispers of. The Quincy.”

At once, the room reacted. Shihōin Chihiro stiffened, and Tsunayashiro Fuka’s expression darkened. As scions of noble families, they knew well the records hidden in the Great Spirit Book Corridor.

The truth about the Soul King. The Quincy origins. Secrets never to be spoken aloud.

“What is a Quincy?” asked Saitō Furofushi, voicing the confusion of the less informed.

Haruto explained evenly: “A sect from the western lands. They possess the ability to obliterate Hollows—and souls—completely. Not purify. Erase. If left unchecked, the balance of the Three Realms will collapse.”

The hall fell silent.

Yamamoto slammed his scabbard into the floor with a thunderous crack. “Enough. Whatever the truth of these Quincies, our mission is clear. The Gotei 13 exists to maintain balance. Yamabuki Haruto, you will lead an expedition into the Human World. Investigate thoroughly.”

“Yes, Captain.” Haruto’s usual flippancy faded. He understood the weight of this task.

“Yanagi Jinsuke. Kano Chiharu. You two will accompany him,” Yamamoto ordered.

They both stepped forward.

If this truly involved Quincies, ordinary squad members would be liabilities. But with two captains and Haruto himself, the team would at least have the strength to fight—or flee if necessary.

The Gate

“Captain,” Haruto asked, “how exactly do we… get to the Human World?”

Yamamoto gave him a flat look. “Through the Gate, of course.”

Haruto blinked. “There are already gates between worlds?”

But of course there were. Soul Society had existed for millions of years, far longer than human civilization. The practice of guiding souls to the afterlife had been ancient even in his time. It was only natural that methods for crossing worlds existed.

“Shihōin Chihiro,” Yamamoto said.

The noble captain stepped forward, sliding open what appeared to be an ornate Japanese door. Between its panels lay nothing but pure black void.

Haruto peered inside nervously. “Uh… doesn’t look too reliable, does it?”

Without hesitation, Yamamoto kicked him squarely in the rear. “Move!”

Stumbling forward, Haruto forced a grin and sprinted into the darkness. It grew darker with each step until, at last, he realized they had entered the Dangai—the corridor between worlds.

“By the way,” Haruto muttered, glancing around nervously, “I heard the Dangai sometimes has a cleaner—the Kōtotsu. They say it erases anything in its path, spiritual pressure or not. You guys ever run into it?”

Yanagi Jinsuke and Kano Chiharu turned to look at him as though he had just cursed them all.

A crow’s mouth, indeed.