The moment Izumi departed, Kazuya's gaze was drawn to the maid known as Lisa. Her calm, almost cold beauty effortlessly showcased the innate elegance and charm of her frilled maid dress. However, her Reiatsu proved to be disappointingly below an average human.
'Wait a minute… A black-haired girl with glasses named Lisa…'
A flicker of recognition ignited, as memories of a powerful group hiding in Karakura Town surfaced. If his recollection was accurate, Lisa was one of the Visored — a small group of Shinigami who could don Hollow masks to augment their powers. Her involvement with Quincy matters certainly piqued his interest.
Lisa adjusted her glasses, the lenses momentarily gleaming. "Do you prefer cold water or hot water?"
"Hmmm?"
"Cold or hot?" she repeated in a cold voice. "I don't have time, Guest-dono. Shake your head if you prefer to bathe in cold water. Nod if you believe a hot water bath is better."
With a cheeky smile, he responded, "You rekindled my love for cold things."
Lisa was momentarily disarmed by the soothing nature of his voice. It was as if it held a mystical power, one she had never encountered during her time in Soul Society. "Cold water it is then. Clearly, the superior choice."
Lisa departed to prepare his bath. To kill some time, he rose from the bed and stretched his muscles before getting down to do some pushups. As he worked his body, he reflected on what just transpired.
'Lisa and Izumi.'
His dream had all but exposed the full extent of his Reiryoku. Fortunately, Izumi refrained from prying further, attributing the surge in his Reiatsu to his dream. Only because she could not detect the true depth of his Reiatsu, as her Reiryoku level matched that of a seated officer in the Soul Society. The vast difference didn't allow her to properly feel his strength.
Then again, a Quincy's might was not measured by their Reiryoku level, but rather their ability to gather Reishi from their surroundings and forge spirit weapons.
In stark contrast, Lisa must have recognized his Reiryoku level, being a former Vice-Captain of the Squad led by Shunshui Kyoraku. As both Shinigami and Hollow were mere souls, Lisa evidently depended on a Gigai to assume a physical form and conceal her Reiatsu.
'Urahara must be behind her Gigai. On second thought, I can make some use of her.'
He could use her to approach Kisuke Urahara. As a master inventor, Urahara undoubtedly possessed items capable of concealing a Hollow's Reiatsu, which would enable his companions to live in the Living World without worrying about Shinigami.
Lisa's appearance was a blessing in disguise.
'Or I can move to some island that's outside of Soul Society's jurisdictions.'
He was conflicted between the two choices: one allowed more fun with his group and a clear path in acquiring Hōgyoku from Kisuke. The other choice led to more relaxed days for his group and far less risky.
'I can't keep avoiding risks.'
Mila Rose risked her life to protect him, Harribel was ready to sacrifice her life to save them, and Apacci almost died protecting something that belonged to him. Sung-Sun had yet to demonstrate her loyalty but she would undoubtedly go to great lengths for him. It would only be fair to take some risks to secure an Arrancar powerup for them. A powerup they would undoubtedly need in taking down Baraggan once and for all.
'Hōgyoku will be mine.'
He came to find shelter for his allies and ended up vying for the most powerful item in this world. Laughing at the absurdity, he got up and looked out of the window. The ludicrous situation reminded him of a certain quote from his world.
"The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling."
…
Following a long bath and a healthy breakfast, Kazuya was brought to a realm with rows of towering bookshelves — a library. A wealth of knowledge lay within arm's reach, beckoning him to delve in and explore its contents.
He feigned an exhausted groan. "It's my nightmare come to life."
Lisa, who was standing by his side, shot him a mild look of disdain. "Unappreciative of literature. You must have been the least liked student of your teachers."
"Quite the opposite. My teacher used to love me. It was true love, beyond the bond of a teacher and a student."
"It must have been for reasons other than your grades. I doubt you were good at studying…"
"Maid-chan, never judge a book by its cover. Open it up and read first," he said, glancing at her with immeasurable disappointment. "My sensei used to praise my tongue, saying there is something magical about it. I always aced the oral tests."
Lisa arched a brow, her expression remaining deadpan. She flipped the book in her hand. "There is something wrong with you, Guest-dono. Literature isn't about acing exams or becoming proficient with a language. A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. It has the power to transport you to other worlds, it can introduce you to characters and new perspectives, and immerse you in tales that can carve your heart with blazing emotions…"
The intricate analogy showed her deep passion for books. He felt like she would write a whole-ass essay on 'the magic of literature' if she was allowed.
"Hey, are you allowed to say that while holding a young adult romance novel? I'm pretty sure it's a novel of that variety."
"Manga, novel or erotica, they are all part of literature, Guest-dono," Lisa muttered as she walked over to the table and busied herself in the pages of a 'cultured' novel.
Izumi couldn't help but smile. Kazuya's presence made things a tad livelier in her otherwise quiet house.
She patted his shoulder. "Lisa is right, Kazuya. There is something wrong with all of us here. We might seem normal on the surface but this is just a facade. Say, Kazuya, have you ever come across a Hollow — a monster wearing a white, bone-like mask?"
He lightly shook his head, keeping up his naive persona. "I haven't."
"Your spiritual awakening is recent or you were incredibly lucky to never attract a Hollow," Izumi said as she ran her finger along the spines of countless books, wandering past row after row of towering shelves. "Cast aside your normal laws and beliefs and open up your mind. Allow me to introduce you to a new, terrifying reality lurking beneath our 'common' world."
"That sounds…"
"Scary, right?" Izumi spun around, offering him a comforting smile. "But it won't be that hard for someone with your talent. Believe in me who believes in you."
"I didn't mean to say scary." He paused as his lips curved up. "It sounds exciting, Onee-chan. It's every man's dream to smash giant monsters with their bare fists."
His excited grin put a pause on Izumi before she chuckled softly. "I wish every Quincy had your enthusiasm."
"I promise that you'll never find another like me."
Really, there was only one Hollow capable of completely twisting its roots and changing races. One other could be born if they wished for it upon Hōgyoku.
'Imagine I am born from some organ of Soul King.'
The absurd thought drew a chuckle from him.
"Indeed," Lisa chimed in, her focus never lifting from her novel. "Quincy with monster-level Reiatsu are a rare breed in today's world."
From Lisa's perspective, if Kazuya succeeded in manifesting his Quincy powers, he'd become a prime target for the Soul Society's scrutiny. The Soul Society simply wouldn't allow him to roam freely and decimate Hollows, which would destabilize the balance between the three worlds.
As a spy, she also couldn't go against Izumi's decision in recruiting Kazuya into her clan.
He let Lisa's words slide in one ear and out the other before placing his hands on Izumi's shoulders, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Onee-chan, tell me. Do we fight Hollows with bare hands?"
He was referring to Blut, the ability most Sternritters showed in the Thousand Year Blood War. The technique allowed Quincy to significantly enhance their defensive power or offensive power, the only drawback being that they use the defensive and offensive powers at the same time.
As a brawler, he could certainly make use of the Blut ability.
Izumi blinked in surprise. As a Pureblood Quincy, she could certainly use Blut Vene and Blut Arterie. "We might have spiritual powers, but our body is still that of a human. Fighting Hollows with bare hands is impossible with our Quincy techniques. We rely on these."
She swiftly grabbed a silver Quincy cross pendant from around her neck and held it out in front of her. A radiant blue light enveloped her hand, pulling the surrounding Reishi as if it was a magnet. In the next instant, a magnificent spirit bow materialized.
"Haaaa!"
She took a deep breath, steadying herself as she drew the bowstring back. Blue arrows of Reishi energy formed in the ethereal bow. "These arrows can slay Hollows — monstrous souls filled with vengeance, who eagerly devour other souls without discrimination."
Kazuya clapped as if appreciating her performance. "Magnificent, Onee-chan. You are so cool~."
Swept by his appreciation, she nodded with her chest high. Feeling Lisa's intense gaze, she coughed and dematerialized the spirit bow. "My apologies."
His naïve admiration brought out a wholly new side out of Izumi that only Lisa knew.
"Kazuya, the bow is the most important technique for a Quincy in battle. I'll be teaching you that first… then we'll go over some basic theories."
"'Kay, Onee-chan," he replied. He never had a sibling but addressing Izumi like this was a completely new experience for him. He didn't mind being spoiled like this. "So where do I start?"
Izumi crossed her arms. "The bow I used is made up by combining the ambient Reishi with my Reiryoku."
Lisa facepalmed at the stupidity of her employer. "Izumi-sama, he is oblivious to the terms you're throwing around."
"Oh…" Izumi frowned. "How do I explain them without overwhelming him?"
Lisa placed her book aside and left the room. Moments later, she returned with a whiteboard and a pen. She drew two identical humanoid figures and labeled them 'Human (Kishi)' and 'Soul (Konpaku).'
"Your drawing is sick."
Lisa ignored his sarcastic comments on her basic-level drawing. "Listen carefully. Humans, like you and Izumi-sama, are physical beings. They live in the world of the living and are made up of Kishi, or matter, like everything else here. The bodies of Kishi can interact with each other but they can't see or touch Suls unless they are spiritually aware like you recently became. Are you following me so far?"
"I am, Maid Sensei."
"What is a Soul then? In simple words, we call them spiritual bodies made up of Reishi. The samurai you saw were souls. Then, there's Reishi, or spirit particles. They're the smallest units that make up souls and all spiritual matter, similar to atoms in your world. In spiritual planes like Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, the concentration of Reishi is higher than in the world of the living."
He had a shallow comprehension of spiritual concepts since he was born as a Hollow. These formal lessons gave him a deeper insight into the spiritual concepts. "Hm. Hm."
Lisa looked over her shoulder to see his fully concentrated expression and pointed at the 'Soul' figure. "Moving on, Reiryoku is the amount of spiritual energy a being has. Think of it as your spiritual muscles. The stronger your Reiryoku, the more power you can have as a spiritual being. And finally, Reiatsu is the pressure that your Reiryoku exerts. It's like your spiritual signature. The stronger your Reiatsu, the more powerful and intimidating you appear to other spiritual beings."
"Ah. Onee-chan said I have a high level of Reiryoku. Does that automatically make me an elite warrior to other souls?"
Lisa shook her head. "Reiatsu only reflects the Reiryoku you can consciously use. Don't worry about it. Izumi-sama will teach you how to utilize your Reiryoku first."
Kazuya took a deep breath. "Alright. So, humans are made of matter, souls are made of spirit particles, Reiryoku is spiritual power, and Reiatsu is the pressure that spiritual power exerts. Did I get it right?"
Izumi smiled at his quick learning. "We'll start the Reiryoku and Reishi gathering lessons within a force field. Lisa, do you want to come?"
Typically, any location would suffice for Reiryoku training, but Kazuya's vast Reiryoku complicated things. His immense spiritual energy would undoubtedly attract a slew of Hollows, requiring them to use the force fields to hide his spiritual presence.
"Izumi-sama, you'll have to forgive me. I have to prepare lunch."
"We will order something. Lisa, you have no more excuses."
"Checkmate, huh?" Lisa sighed. "Lead the way, Madame."
From their interactions it was clear Izumi held a great deal of trust in Lisa, unaware of her true identity as a former Vice-Captain Shinigami. Unlike her husband, she bore no love for Shinigami. Lisa was playing with Izumi's feelings, just like he was playing with theirs.
***
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