Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō novel Chapter 148

Chapter 148 - 148: Am I That Kind of Person?

"Dare to disrupt our experiment? Szayelaporro-sama will not let you go!"

—Those were Domilo's last words.

"Who is this Szayelaporro the Hollow mentioned?" Kūgo Ginjō asked.

"A Vasto Lorde-class Hollow—one of the most powerful in Hueco Mundo."

Masatsuki Aozaki absentmindedly stroked the jade storing the collected souls and replied casually, "This was a good haul, but it's about time for me to leave."

"You're leaving?!" Kūgo Ginjō's face lit up with visible relief. His composure was nowhere near that of the man he would become in the future.

"That's right." Masatsuki Aozaki narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice lowering. "You sound a little too happy about that."

Obviously! Who the hell would want to stick around a guy this dangerous?! Kūgo Ginjō thought to himself.

Scratching his head awkwardly, he quickly covered, "No, I'm just surprised you're leaving so soon."

Masatsuki Aozaki chuckled. "Oh? So you don't want me to go? Maybe I should stay, then?"

Kūgo Ginjō: "..."

Masatsuki Aozaki gazed down the shattered street. The already dilapidated wooden houses had completely collapsed, and as the morning sun began to rise over the city, the land was bathed in an orange glow.

He and Kūgo Ginjō had spent most of the night here. To ensure that no critical knowledge was leaked, Masatsuki Aozaki hadn't let Kūgo Ginjō assist in collecting the souls from the fallen Hollows, handling it all himself.

If not for the soul collection, dealing with these small fry wouldn't have taken nearly this long. Unfortunately, he lacked any efficient method for large-scale extraction.

Kūgo Ginjō, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. He mentioned that nighttime was his favorite time of day. He liked being alone in the dead of night—it gave him a sense of solitude, a reminder that he was still alive, that he was still human.

Masatsuki Aozaki casually asked if he wanted companions.

Kūgo Ginjō dismissed the idea, saying that companionship wasn't important. In this dangerous world, the only thing that mattered was power. If gaining a Shinigami's strength required sacrificing everything, then so be it.

Masatsuki Aozaki didn't comment, but he understood—this man who would one day be filled with ambition was, at this moment, just a lonely young man.

Those who are different from the rest tend to drift apart from others. For some, that's a tragedy.

When faced with the death of that priest, the man who claimed that power was everything had clearly been moved.

But because he lacked the strength to resist, he had chosen to accept and submit.

"Relax, I was just messing with you. There are more important people waiting for me in Soul Society—I don't have time to waste hanging around here." Masatsuki Aozaki's voice echoed through the ruins.

Kūgo Ginjō was lost in thought about the future when Masatsuki Aozaki suddenly clapped a hand on his shoulder, snapping him back to reality.

With the sun rising, a man like Masatsuki Aozaki—handsome and with a striking voice—would no doubt cause a commotion if he walked the streets. Girls would probably be willing to give up sleeping in just to catch a glimpse of him.

But Kūgo Ginjō only shuddered. After all, this was a man who could level entire streets with a single swing of his blade. If that slap had been even slightly harder... he'd probably be dust.

"What do you need me to do?"

The pressure on his shoulder made Kūgo Ginjō wince. Gritting his teeth, he asked, fully aware that he should offer to help Masatsuki Aozaki with whatever needed to be done.

Masatsuki Aozaki replied, "I placed a tracking Kidō on you. It's a technique I stole from the Shihōin Clan. No matter where you go, I'll always be able to find you. If you can break it, well, that'd be impressive... So, want to give it a try?"

"No... No need." Kūgo Ginjō forced a strained smile, feeling utterly helpless.

Of course, he didn't want to be under someone else's control, but considering Masatsuki Aozaki's terrifying strength, he figured it was best not to test his luck.

Masatsuki Aozaki continued, "Go ahead and do what the Tsunayashiro Clan assigned you. I'll check in on your progress from time to time."

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify