Aoto bent his knees and gently petted Yoruichi. She didn't flinch away and allowed Aoto to stroke her fur. Aoto was delighted that she was permitting him to touch her, even if it was partially accepted. He knew the system was assisting him, but he was still pleased.
While Aoto was doing that, the others experienced the shock of their lives. They had heard of shinigami, the death gods, and the various beliefs surrounding them. Even in the magic worlds, there were so-called 'death gods,' although it was more a title than anything else.
But here was someone who claimed to be a death god?
"But you're a human," John couldn't help but ask. In response, Urahara took out a small pill from his pocket and swallowed it. In the next minute, another person appeared from behind Urahara, looking exactly like him.
The new Urahara appeared somewhat ethereal compared to the one they had been conversing with. Urahara went on to explain what was happening, particularly about the gigai, which was essentially a body replacement for this world, allowing everyone to see them.
"System, can the ninjas see the shinigami?" Aoto asked.
[
Anyone who possesses chakra can see a shinigami, so essentially, almost everyone can see a shinigami, and their identity would not be exposed if they appear openly.
]
"Got it. So basically, I'll have to treat them like another kind of ninja. That's good enough," Aoto said. While Aoto was consulting the system, Urahara continued explaining about shinigami and their role as the bridge between the living and the dead. The more everyone heard, the more surprised they became.
Meanwhile, Tessai and Yoruichi mingled with the others. Tessai explained about the Soul Society and its functions, while Yoruichi simply meowed and roamed around. While they were talking, Aoto approached the second wheel, ready to summon another being. Seeing Aoto about to bring in a new summon, the group put their curiosity on hold and eagerly waited.
After a simple rotation, the pointer stopped, and a woman's picture replaced it this time. A woman with long hair tied in front of her, looking calm and serene in the picture.
Aoto, upon seeing her, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was the system trying to provide him with super bodyguards or something? If it was, then Aoto had hit the jackpot. Urahara and his friends had been confused earlier, but once Hot Pie explained the concept of the wheel lottery, they understood. The wheel soon disappeared, and the woman in the picture came to life.
However, unlike the serene woman in the picture, the real woman didn't have her hair tied down, and it flowed behind her. This gave her a different image altogether. She appeared ruthless and emanated a strong thirst for blood, so deep that even the others could feel it.
"Ah, Captain... You are alive and well. I thought you had died," Urahara suddenly spoke in a very annoying tone, as if wishing death on the woman who had just appeared. The woman didn't seem to be affected by Urahara's words and still exuded a form of bloodlust.
Out of instinct, Shikuro and John went into defensive mode. Shikuro had many glowing magical insects flying around him, while John had some shields floating in the air around him. They really thought that she was going to attack.
The woman looked at these magical items that had appeared out of nowhere and was surprised for a bit. Then slowly, her bloodlust receded. Her hate-filled eyes returned to normal, and she looked like the serene woman they had seen in the picture before.
Everyone was surprised and confused by how easily this woman was able to change the whole atmosphere around her and return to normal.
"Sorry about my reaction. I didn't understand my situation before and thought I had died. My name is Retsu Unohana, and just like the person here, I was also a Captain," the woman said. Aoto had already recognized her when he saw her picture.
Four Shinigami in a row. And all of them were of Captain class. He could understand why Unohana was brought to this world to be his aide. It was because of her healing abilities, and she could easily open a clinic and heal people. Of course, she would have to do it in her Shinigami form and not Gigai form, but that could be overlooked, as people wouldn't be able to differentiate anyway.
Alternatively, she could attend the school and help teach medicine to the students. That could also be done. This time, the system didn't give any idea when the next upgrade would be or what the conditions were. Thus, he didn't need to worry about the upgrade for the time being and could just focus on living life and getting stronger.
But she also had another reputation. The reputation of being one of the strongest and most ruthless Captains of the Soul Society. Her bloodlust there wasn't some kind of smokescreen; it was real.
While Aoto was thinking all that, Urahara came forward and cleared the air about her. He also explained that she was dead in their world and somehow the power of their summoner was able to bring her back to life.
Urahara now gave a normal rundown of how things were in the Soul Society and their lives. Since Unohana died long before the final end, she asked what had happened and got to know that the Soul Society came out victorious.
Aoto just introduced himself and proceeded to the final wheel of summoning. Unohana had her hair tied down like she always did and was back in her old ways, while Urahara mingled among everyone. Though Shikuro and John were still a bit wary of Unohana.
Everyone went silent as Aoto rotated the last wheel, and after a bit of spin and stopping on a question mark, a picture of a man appeared. Aoto was taken aback even more when he saw the picture.
It was because he didn't recognize the man in the picture at all.
---
Read 39 more chapters on my p@treon.com/thelightedghost