Asuka leaned against the wall, recalling Yoruichi's movement techniques.
He had also tried superficially gathering Spiritual Pressure at the tips of his toes, combining it with the explosive power of Thunder Breathing to achieve a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch.
But compared to the woman known as the Flash Master, he was as slow as a baby just learning to walk.
Furthermore, the Spiritual Pressure surrounding her wasn't some aimless, scattered fluctuation. It was more like a highly compressed thundercloud, constantly stimulating every inch of her nerves.
When she moved, it was as if she had become thunder itself, slicing directly through space.
"Tch." Asuka let out a dissatisfied cold snort, directed at himself.
'To think that Hakuda could be so powerful in Yoruichi's hands...'
'My training still isn't enough. I need to practice more.'
He threw off the blanket, enduring the throbbing pain radiating from his chest, and prepared to start the day's busy schedule.
However, when he walked into the shop, he didn't see the black cat sunbathing on the counter.
"My, my, although I know Asuka-kun is a hardworking person, it's better to lie down at a time like this."
Kisuke Urahara was squatting on the steps at the shop's entrance, holding a small wooden stick and scratching something on the ground.
He wasn't wearing his signature bucket hat today, and his messy blond hair looked a bit listless in the sunlight.
"Morning, Manager," Asuka greeted with zero respect as he came to a halt. "Today is the weekend, so I shouldn't have to make deliveries, right?"
"Oh my, Asuka-kun has become quite the mercenary."
"Where is Master Yoruichi? Let's start training early today."
"Well, Yoruichi-san..." Urahara dragged out his words, tapping his folding fan against his palm. "She has some 'private matters' to attend to. You know, important figures are always very busy."
"Plus, she said she was a bit too heavy-handed last night and is a little embarrassed to see you today. She wants you to get some good rest for the next couple of days, so there's no need to rush your training."
Hearing Urahara's words, Asuka's eyes revealed undisguised anxiety.
"Rest?"
"Is there a problem?"
Asuka's brows knitted together. "How can I just give up halfway on something like training? It's one thing not to do extra practice, but how can I skip my daily training entirely?"
"Training is like sailing against the current. If I stop, the rhythm my body finally managed to adapt to will be broken. I don't have time to waste on things like 'resting'."
Especially now, when he was so powerless and weak, resting was practically a crime.
"Asuka-kun, you're still as stubborn as ever."
Kisuke Urahara tossed away the small wooden stick, walked into the shop, and circled Asuka.
"Actually, given your current condition, being able to draw out the performance of this Gigai to such an extent has already far exceeded my expectations..."
"You have to understand, this was originally a seal meant to suppress your power. I didn't expect you to actually be able to draw out combat power from it..."
His expression grew slightly more serious as he pointed at Asuka's still-aching chest. "However, blindly pushing yourself to the limit will only result in snapping like an overstretched rubber band."
"Get some good rest for two days. Just consider it giving this body time to repair itself."
Urahara's voice was soft, but it carried genuine persuasiveness.
Asuka looked into his eyes in silence. He had already accepted this reasoning in his heart and stopped being stubborn.
That which is too rigid easily breaks. This was not a difficult concept to understand.
"Seeing as you can't sit still..." Urahara changed the subject, his tone becoming brisk again, even carrying a hint of flattery. "Then how about helping this pitiful manager who can't afford to hire employees with some chores?"
Asuka shot him a sidelong glance. "What kind of troublesome matter is it this time?"
"Oh my, how can you call it a troublesome matter..." Urahara pulled out a stack of paper talismans tied with a red string, emitting a faint fluorescent glow, from his clothes.
The moment he saw the talismans, Asuka could feel it.
These weren't the usual fakes.
Previously, Urahara had peddled plenty of so-called 'supernatural items' claiming to ward off evil spirits and bring wealth to superstitious elders, housewives seeking psychological comfort, and businesses praying for good luck.
They were basically all just for show—looking profound but actually completely useless.
But these were different. They were genuinely emitting the aura of Reishi...
"These are spirit-warding talismans pre-ordered by some residents in the eastern suburbs of Karakura Town. Although they're just little trinkets for peace of mind, they are requests from old customers after all. It would be very troubling for me to turn them down."
He shoved the talismans into Asuka's hands and continued with a smiling face, "That place is called Funbari Hill. Although rumors say it's often haunted, the scenery is actually quite nice. It's a great place to go for a relaxing walk."
"Just treat it as a long trip and take the opportunity to breathe in some fresh suburban air."
Asuka looked at the talismans in his hands, then at Urahara's face, which was smiling like a fox.
"Wouldn't it be faster if you delivered these yourself?" Asuka coldly exposed Urahara. "You're just too lazy to make the trip yourself, aren't you?"
"Haha, did you see right through me?" Urahara scratched his head, apologizing without a shred of sincerity.
"Because there might be an important client coming to the shop today, I really can't get away. Please, Asuka-kun!!"
Asuka cursed inwardly but ultimately didn't refuse.
He had a faint feeling that Kisuke Urahara wouldn't do something so meaningless.
Although this man claimed it was for him to relax, since these talismans were genuinely unusual and he specifically mentioned hauntings...
This errand probably wouldn't be as simple as it seemed on the surface.
However, compared to staying cooped up in his room feeling that suffocating sense of frustration, going out for a walk was indeed a better option.
"Got it."
He returned to his room and put on a dark blue jacket, covering the bandages on his body. He then placed his Zanpakuto in a baseball bat bag and strapped it across his chest.
Hopping onto his bicycle, he rode toward the eastern suburbs as Urahara had directed.
Only after his figure gradually disappeared from Kisuke Urahara's line of sight did the man put his hat back on, his playful expression receding like the tide.
"My, my, Yoruichi-san, you really were a bit heavy-handed."
Urahara said without turning his head.
From the shadows behind him, a lithe figure slowly stepped out.
Yoruichi Shihoin had changed into a sleek combat suit, leaving her shoulders and legs exposed, displaying a healthy and vibrant beauty.
Although her expression was calm, a hint of complexity was hidden within her golden eyes.
"That brat... is very strange..." Yoruichi crossed her arms, her voice low. "Even though I held back last night, a full-powered strike from Shunko should have shattered all of his spiritual energy pathways."
"But look at him. He's clearly recovered for the most part... Don't tell me this is the effect of your Gigai?"
"That's why I said he's a 'foreign entity'." Urahara pulled down the brim of his hat. "Such a powerful will to survive... to think it could even influence the Gigai he inhabits..."
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "So, why did you send him to Funbari Hill? Don't tell me you really were just too lazy to deliver those garbage talismans."
"That place hasn't been very peaceful lately."
Urahara turned around and walked into the shop, his voice drifting back faintly. "I detected an abnormal distortion in the Spiritual Pressure nodes over there. It might be a newly formed Menos acting up..."
"Let's see just how far he can challenge the rules of this world when pushed to the brink of despair..."
Asuka had no idea he was stepping into a carefully woven testing ground.
He pedaled for several hours before finally arriving at the area where Funbari Hill was located.
Just as Urahara had said, the atmosphere here was completely different from the modernized areas of Karakura Town.
The building density here was generally low, century-old trees could be seen everywhere along the road, and the air was settled with the heavy weight of time.
Following the addresses, Asuka first went to deliver the talismans to those so-called old customers.
Seeing that Asuka was just a teenage boy, most of those people had a hint of suspicion in their eyes. Asuka couldn't be bothered to explain; he simply delivered the items, grabbed the receipts, and left.
'There's nothing unusual about these people... Am I overthinking this? Is it really just a new product from that profiteer?'
Asuka muttered to himself as he walked out of the residential area.
Since he was already here, he wasn't in a hurry to go back.
He rode aimlessly along the streets and, before he knew it, arrived in front of a slightly elevated small hill.
This place seemed to be an untended, desolate graveyard. Several tombstones were even shattered, their names illegible.
"Hm?"
Asuka stopped in his tracks.
He parked his bike by the side of the road and hesitantly ventured deeper into the hill.
Because in his line of sight, a massive number of souls were actually gathered on this desolate graveyard.
They sat in twos and threes on the graves or under dead trees. Some were bowing their heads in deep thought, while others were muttering to themselves in the air.
'There are quite a few wandering souls in Karakura Town, but this is the first time I've seen them clustered together like this.' Asuka narrowed his eyes slightly, walking through the souls as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
When he reached a flat patch of grass at the top of the hill, he noticed the atmosphere there was somewhat different.
Surrounded by numerous wandering souls, a boy wearing an open white shirt and blue trousers was lying casually on his back against a slanted tombstone.
He rested his head on his hands, his eyes closed, wearing a pair of giant orange headphones. He looked as relaxed as if he were taking an afternoon nap on his couch at home.
The wandering souls, invisible to ordinary people, surrounded the boy. A few child-like souls were even trying to touch his headphone cord.
The boy didn't seem to mind at all; he even wiggled his toes slightly, tapping out a beat for them.
Asuka stood a few steps away, watching this bizarre yet harmonious scene, feeling a bit strange.
"Hey," Asuka called out.
The boy with the headphones didn't open his eyes immediately. Instead, he slowly took off one side of the headphones and hung it around his neck.
He turned his head slightly, revealing a smile that looked a bit sleepy yet exceptionally easygoing.
"Yo, is there something you need? Delivery guy from out of town?"
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