Isshin Shiba felt the completely empty spiritual power within his body and gave a bitter smile. "This feeling... is so unfamiliar it's actually terrifying. Urahara, are you sure I won't suddenly die of old age?"
"As long as you pay your rent on time, I imagine you won't."
Kisuke Urahara returned to his merchant persona, packing up the medical equipment while looking thoughtfully toward the next room. "Since Miss Masaki has stabilized, we should discuss the matter regarding Mr. Asuka."
Ryuken had also calmed down by now. He glanced at the unconscious Asuka, then at Isshin. "Will he turn out like this too?"
"No, his situation is much more complicated than Mr. Isshin's." Kisuke Urahara tapped his folding fan. "Captain Shiba willingly became an anchor to stabilize Miss Masaki, but Mr. Asuka... it's hard to say."
"There is a very peculiar energy lingering in his soul... It's as if he is simultaneously cycling between life and death, torn between creation and destruction..."
"If Captain Shiba voluntarily put on human clothes, then young Asuka was locked inside a human cage by me..."
Urahara looked at Isshin beside him, his expression turning stern. "Captain Shiba, in a way, you and he are the same now. Live on in this city as ordinary humans."
"Until the day the wheel of fate turns once more."
"Ah, I get it, but you don't need to call me Captain Shiba anymore. I don't have my Soul Reaper powers now, do I?" Isshin Shiba scratched his head helplessly. "Just call me Isshin."
The faint morning light pierced through the gaps in the clouds, spilling onto the Urahara Shop's signboard.
The unconscious Asuka's fingers twitched slightly.
His consciousness was immersed in fragmented memories.
The wind of Hayama, the herbal scent of the Butterfly Mansion, and Shinobu Kocho's smile.
"..."
He called out in his sleep.
But when he opened his eyes again, what he saw was not that sea of wisteria flowers, but the slightly low and oppressive wooden ceiling of the Urahara Shop.
'This is... right, that swindler!'
Asuka remembered now. When he had expressed his anger at Kisuke Urahara's actions, that guy had actually knocked him out directly!
In front of him, this body was unbelievably weak.
'No, I have to hurry...'
"Oh, are you awake, young man?"
Kisuke Urahara pushed the door open and entered, holding a long bill in his hand.
He had clearly sensed the moment Asuka woke up and came prepared.
"Since you're awake, start working."
"After all, I used up quite a lot of expensive materials to save your life. Until you pay off this debt, you are a clerk at this shop, Asuka-kun."
Asuka stared intently at Urahara. Those eyes, which had once slain countless evil demons, were now filled with anger.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Give me my power back!"
"Oh my, so quick to anger."
Although Asuka really wanted to just knock Urahara down and force him to restore his body, this body was as heavy as lead, and even breathing was incredibly difficult. This made him look like a helpless child against Urahara's nimble dodges.
After struggling for a long time, Asuka was finally exhausted, lying on the floor panting heavily.
"My, a little morning exercise like this isn't bad once in a while."
"...Is my power... really not coming back?"
"Who knows?" Kisuke Urahara opened his folding fan, covering half of his face, and smiled meaningfully. "In this world, sometimes losing something is a form of gaining. Look, isn't Captain Shiba next door smiling quite happily?"
Asuka followed Urahara's gaze.
Through the half-open door, he saw Isshin Shiba, wearing a goofy smile, busy pouring water for Masaki.
'That man... wasn't he a Soul Reaper Captain? Why doesn't he have any Spiritual Pressure at all right now?'
However, Asuka could feel a light burning within the man, a light he had seen before, called 'protection'.
It was the exact same light as the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Asuka slowly closed his eyes and clenched his hands, which no longer had calluses and had become as soft as an ordinary teenager's.
'How absurd,' he suddenly thought.
"...Setting aside whether what you said is true or false, I want to ask you for a favor."
"Mr. Clerk, you need to use honorifics when speaking to the manager."
"Can you help me find a soul?"
After rummaging around for a long time, Kisuke Urahara dug out a compass-like device from a cluttered shelf, inlaid with a dial flashing with a faint blue light.
"Found it, found it."
He patted the dust off his clothes and presented the device to Asuka. "This is a modified Spiritual Pressure detector. As long as you can provide the target's residual aura or a similar soul trait, it can conduct a wide-range search."
"A detector?"
This was naturally Asuka's first time seeing such high-tech equipment. He originally thought Kisuke Urahara would cast some mysterious spell or something.
"Exactly. Even though your spiritual power is temporarily locked away by me, the soul aura of the soul you are looking for must exist deep within your own soul. Hold it and concentrate."
Asuka closed his eyes and gripped the detector tightly with both hands.
Kisuke Urahara spoke up at the right moment. "So, what is the name of the soul you are looking for?"
"...Her name is Shinobu Kocho."
"A butterfly? What a gentle name... Now, please carefully recall her appearance and traits..."
Following Urahara's instructions, many memories surfaced in Asuka's mind, including the days and nights in Hayama, the scent of wisteria flowers, and the smiling face of the woman who always wore a butterfly haori...
Buzz!
The detector trembled slightly, and the faint blue light was instantly dyed with a pale layer of purple.
"Oh? A very strong reaction!" Kisuke Urahara raised an eyebrow and quickly tapped on the screen. "Found it. There is a Spiritual Pressure feedback with a similar wavelength in the western suburbs of Karakura Town. Let's go see if it's the 'butterfly' you're looking for."
However, when the two rushed to an abandoned park in the western suburbs, the light in Asuka's eyes instantly dimmed.
Under that old locust tree, there was indeed a female soul.
She wore an old-fashioned kimono, had a delicate face, and was staring blankly at the dead leaves on the tree.
Asuka only took one look and stopped in his tracks.
"It's not her."
Aside from the fact that she was a woman, she had absolutely nothing in common with Shinobu Kocho.
Over the next few hours, Kisuke Urahara took Asuka to every corner of Karakura Town.
On the bustling streets, they found a soul lingering due to a car accident; in a dark alley, they saved a young girl's soul that was nearly devoured by a Hollow.
Every time, the detector's purple light would ignite a glimmer of hope in Asuka, but every time, it resulted in deeper disappointment.
Some of them also liked collecting flowers, some also had petite figures, and some even had similar voices.
But none of them were Shinobu Kocho.
The woman who had broken through the Dangai with him to come here seemed to have completely dissipated in those turbulent currents, leaving not even a trace of ash behind.
"It's no use..."
Kisuke Urahara looked at the dejected Asuka and put away the detector, his tone turning serious. "This conventional search method has reached its limit. If she is further away, we won't be able to find her with this little toy."
Asuka clenched his fists and punched the ground in frustration.
"What other methods are there?"
"Although it's a bit risky, if we want to conduct a full-area search... Mr. Tessai, we'll have to trouble you again."
In the back room of the Urahara Shop, a burly man wearing glasses and a neat mustache sat quietly.
He wore a simple apron, yet he exuded an aura as steady and imposing as a massive mountain.
The former Grand Kido Chief, Tessai Tsukabishi.
Tessai looked up, his gaze sweeping over Asuka before he spoke in a deep voice. "Sir Asuka, I can try to scan the entirety of Karakura Town along with the Naruki City area where you appeared, but I will need a bit of your cooperation."
Saying that, he shot a glance at Kisuke.
"Ah, I know." Kisuke Urahara's expression turned solemn. "Asuka, Mr. Tessai will use [Tenteikura] to conduct the search."
"He will use your memory fragments as a medium to lock onto the locations of multiple similar souls through Spiritual Pressure. Do not resist."
Asuka didn't know what these terms meant, but he could feel the tension gradually tightening in the air.
"Let's do it." He nodded firmly.
Tessai stood up, his hands rapidly forming seals.
The complex movements were so fast they blurred into afterimages. As he chanted, a complex golden array emerged on the floor.
"Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts!"
"Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peaks, engulfing land, hidden in night, sea of clouds, blue line!"
"Form a circle and fly through the heavens!"
"Bakudo #77: Tenteikura!"