First Contact

Surprisingly, Seinosuke didn't stop. We'd carried on with our movement techniques, still heading towards the Aristocratic District. He wore a cheerful smile across his face, his eyes downcast as we dashed forward. He looked the same as before, but...

His façade couldn't mask his leaking spiritual pressure, though. He could put up a front as much as he'd want, it couldn't hide from my Pesquisa.

My response had likely come as a surprise to him. Seinosuke Yamada and Tokinada were already friends, after all. Whether or not we'd ever met was beyond Seinosuke, but that didn't matter. Tokinada was now within reach.

"An interesting man, indeed." Seinosuke uttered. "How did he save you, if you don't mind my asking?"

All I'd done was lie recently, but lying to Seinosuke didn't seem all that bad.

"Wisdom, maybe? I don't think I could describe such a thing, in all honesty," I said. "His willingness to strive for the better of the Four Noble clans was what granted me access to freedom. Something like that."

Not completely untrue, in my defense. I'd just neglected some key information, and worded it oddly. Seinosuke was a smart guy, undoubtedly, but that wasn't important. Even a genius would fall if they didn't know the whole truth.

"I see…"

He was likely thinking something like 'Did Lord Tokinada include this man into his plans?' or 'Is he onto us already?'.

"Are you friends with Tsunayashiro Tokinada?"

Seinosuke remained quiet, his shunpo dragging him forward as we entered the Aristocratic District. The ambience here was immediately different, as if the war itself hadn't started at all. People were casually walking around, eating, drinking, and chatting away as if nothing was occurring.

These people were evil incarnate. The worst of the worst. There were few here with morale, much less good intentions.

"I'm an acquaintance of Lord Tsunayashiro," Seinosuke finally replied, stopping briefly as we arrived near an estate.

The bustling streets had abruptly stopped the further we got, with larger, wealthier mansions finally coming into view. Many of them were decorated with ivy running up their walls, beds of flowers laid out front surrounding enormous fountains. The estate I was most interested in was up ahead, the Tsunayashiro Clan Household.

Tokinada, the man I was looking for, was a member of a branch family, but a clan member nonetheless. He was most definitely present at the mansion. The sickly, abhorrent spiritual pressure emanating from within was proof enough.

"We've arrived, Lance. Please allow me a moment to contact the guardsmen."

"Go ahead."

Waiting wasn't a problem. It was around 2pm, so I had until morning the next day to fulfil my plan. Whether or not I pulled it off wasn't important, it was a win-win regardless. Me standing here was proof enough.

There were forces at work beyond my imagination in this universe. It didn't matter if they'd chosen me for a reason or not, none of that mattered. They clearly needed someone in this universe, there was a goal they had in mind. They'd made a mistake choosing me of all people, though. If there was one thing I hated more than selfish people, it was those who manipulated situations behind the scenes for their own benefit. A selfish, soulless clump of flesh pretending to be something they weren't.

Their intentions didn't matter. They manipulated people, something I couldn't forgive. Such an act was the complete opposite of altruism, something I sought after. Something I believed in. I wished to become altruistic. Whether or not I was currently was up for debate, even I could see that. I'd fallen into a grey area. I wasn't acting on good intentions anymore, solely selfish ones.

Regardless, achieving the first piece of my plan was the first step in unravelling the mess that'd brought me here, and there wasn't a single thing anyone could do about it.

Glancing up at the mansion, I could detect 2 large spiritual pressures, one being the most notable—undoubtedly Tokinada. Such a vile aura was identifiable across the Seireitei itself, but this close? It was like staring at death itself.

Tokinada's spiritual pressure almost had a form to it, an ethereal presence unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. An enormous, green and black snake was coiled around the mansion, its eyes a sickly-green.

As I fought the urge to repel his spiritual pressure with my own, Seinosuke quickly approached the front gate. "You've been granted access."

'That was fast…'

I hadn't expected access at all. The Noblemen were likely snobs, so to have them actually allow an Arrancar into their home was baffling to me. Something beyond the scope of my plans, believe it or not.

It was better than assaulting the mansion, though.

"Great," I replied, a smile plastered across my face as I walked up the stone path.

With that out of the way, I entered the mansion.

As I stepped through the two large front gates, I noticed something odd. Maids plagued each corner of the hall, with one standing on each step of the lavish staircase situated in the center, aligned directly with the entrance. Some of them wore normal Shihakushō, while some were wearing what appeared to be doctors' uniforms.

Much of the decorations were grand, marvelous in design with golden-adornments lathered across the interior. Most of the room was white, giving the place a heavenly feel, despite the atmosphere it possessed.

It was as if I'd stepped through the gates of hell.

"A visitor?"

A foreign voice spoke out, not one I recognized. Surveying the room, it had come from a woman, her angelic voice reverberating from the top of the stairs.

"Lance. This woman is Tsunayashiro Takeko, a prominent member within one of the branch families."

Who? What was going on? This wasn't a woman I was familiar with, much less recognized. I hadn't foreseen something like this. Could she pose a threat?

She—Tsunayashiro Takeko, was exerting a large amount of spiritual pressure, likely on par with Riruka. While not the strongest of foes, it was baffling that there truly were people that existed beyond the scopes of the series itself. People beyond what the author had created. Was something like that really possible?

"Hey," she waved. "We don't usually get visitors. How peculiar."

She appeared to my side, her Shunpo dragging her from the top of the stairs. Up close, I could see the finer details of her person. She was undoubtedly beautiful, her short-hair held up high in a pony-tail, two bangs flowing down both sides of her face. Similarly to Tokinada, her hair was green, though much darker, almost black. Though tied up, it was unkempt and messy, as if she'd just got out of a brawl with a bear.

Unlike her hair, her two eyes were dark-silver, leaving her with a mysterious presence. She was the spitting image of Yoruichi Shihōin, though her skin was a pale-white.

"So? What's with the Arrancar, Seinosuke?"

Seinosuke coughed, "Ah, well. He's here to see your brother, Miss. Takeko."

As Takeko listened, a shiver ran down my spine. A mist-like substance appearing at the top of the stairs, spiritual pressure leaking out from one of the corridors. Many of the maids ran down the staircase, now retreating to different rooms.

"Hmm… Tokinada isn't very fond of visitors, you know?" Takeko chuckled, digging her elbow into my chest.

"I assure you, this won't take long," I replied . "I'll try and keep it brief."

As I explained my situation, or at least part of it, to Takeko and Seinosuke, a footstep echoed from the stairs, followed shortly by another. A figure soon appeared, his shadow casting down from the light behind him.

"I do understand law and punishment. Locking me up in my house was a rather kind gesture. But to find myself trapped in a room with a monster? How cruel, Kyōraku."

'Tokinada…'