The Negotiator

"HUHHHH?"

Rukia's face turned to pure shock, while Urahara gave a slight chuckle at the surprising remark, clearly amused at his client's expense. Rukia, on the other hand, was more flabbergasted than anything, not to mention slightly a little indignant that Chiaki was ignoring her wishes.

"Chiaki! Do not interrupt my business! What I have to purchase is none of your concern, and frankly, I should use the memory eraser I was going to get on you!"

Chiaki did her best to give an understanding smile. Frankly, she liked Rukia, and she didn't want the two of them to be on bad terms, but she had to get a little risky for the plan she had in mind, raising her hands in a gesture of sympathy.

"Listen, listen, I totally understand. But you know, I've been putting in a lot of work as well you know. I think I deserve to grab a little something as well, especially if it would help me more work efficiently with Ichigo. At the very least, it would be a good idea for me to get a better understanding of what sort of gadgets you have and use some on my own, you know?"

Before Rukia could comment, Urahara gave another of his knowing chuckles, before cutting in himself.

"Hmmmm…. Interesting points, all of them. But unfortunately, assuming that Rukia purchases that memory eraser as she stated, there won't be anything left for you~. While I always appreciate more money going my way, you may need to wait to get a few more hollow kills under your belt before you can get anything here."

"Hrrrrrm."

Chiaki frowned and stroked her chin, trying to look as if she was considering the implications fervently. In reality, it wasn't too far off from the truth. In order for her plan to work, she needed to both outthink Rukia and outmaneuver the smartest man in Soul Society. Considering that Urahara likely wouldn't be acting against her, it wouldn't be impossible, but she still had to avoid rousing suspicions.

After a moment of mock consideration, she raised her finger to show she had reached a conclusion, grinning widely as she declared what she wanted:

"Well, you can always give me equipment on credit, right? That's a pretty common thing for some workers after all. Does anyone know the standard lending rate for soul society?"

To her surprise, it was Tessai (the big man who was Urahar's second in command, who spoke up first, a stern look on his face.

"That is entirely dependent on the equipment being purchased on credit. Generally, due to shinigami lifespans, the amount of time to pay back is higher compared to humans, but in exchange, you should also assume a higher interest rate. Are you certain you can carry such a burden?"

Chiaki nodded vigorously, looking a little childish as she did. Frankly, she was glad that Tessai had spoken up, as Urahara was the type to try and swindle anyone who came near him. What he said made sense though, there was always going to be a difference in culture between the two worlds. However, she was killing hollows most shinigami couldn't. Being able to pay it back with bounty money wasn't out of the question whatsoever.

Urahara coughed a little, clearly trying to get the attention of the room. She wasn't surprised he was going to be difficult about it, but even so, it put a bit of nervousness back into her heart, and she had to look down to avoid his gaze.

"Be that as it may… Chiaki was it? It's true that we can give it to you on credit, but you're also not a shinigami… Even if we could lend to you at all, it would have to be at a different rate."

Chiaki only shrugged at this remark. It was true, but it was also expected. In fact, in her view.

"I mean, with my bro, I'm doing the work of a shinigami, in the place of a shinigami, at the rate of a shinigami. Rukia pays for stuff with the money we earn… I mean, we basically already have been your customers, and we've been doing so as the equivalent of shinigami. Seems weird to suddenly have an issue with it now?"

Urahara rubbed his chin, looking rather unsure of himself for the first time in the exchange. Chiaki couldn't help but feel a little smugness rise up within herself; Urahara might have been a genius of science, but he wasn't omniscient. There were areas where he could be beaten, and Chiaki had been quite the whizz at negotiations ever since her previous life. This may have been the one thing she could outfox him in.

After a moment of hesitation and contemplation, Urahara sighed, having resigned himself to his loss in this factor, or at least, was resigned to the idea that he'd have to give this strange girl a chance.

"Fine… it still depends on what you decide to get though. If it's beyond what's feasible, I fully reserve the right to deny it. So… what sort of idea do you have in mind?"

Curiosity flashed across Urahara's face even as those in the room waited with bated breath for the conclusion to the exchange. Chiaki's mind was now at full throttle, fear being replaced by excitement and anticipation as she fully entered "the zone" and read his expression, working to adjust her own persuasive technique to match.

Urahara was evidently curious about what an inexperienced hollow hunter could possibly know about his wares, let alone make proper use of them. All she'd have to do was feed into his preconceived notions, and she could claim victory. With that goal visualized, Chiaki pumped her hands in the air, a wild grin on her face as she confidently declared what she wanted.

"Rukia got 60 Soumafixers and a Soul Candy? Then I'll get 70 Soumafixers and 3 Soul Candies!"

"E H H H ? ! ?"

The faces of the entire room fell into confusion and surprise once more at this immature declaration. Urahara, quick-witted as he was, was the first to recover, but Chiaki could still see a little bit of uncertainty on his face. It might not have seemed like much, but to her keen gaze, it was clear that he was caught between his desire to allow her to make her "mistake" in purchasing those items for herself without question, or to satisfy his scientific curiosity by inquiring what caused her to desire those specific items. Eventually, the latter won out, and Urahara approached her with a curious smile.

"Those are some interesting choices… you know Soumafixers are meant to synchronize a shinigami's soul with their false body though, correct? You're not going to get much use out of them as a human."

"Ah… well, I mean, from what I heard, it makes it harder to take you out of your body too right? I had that happen to me earlier, I really didn't like the sensation. If it's something I can be affected by, it's definitely worth investing in something to guard against it, right?"

Chiaki scratched her head, playing up the facade of a cocky and headstrong girl who was in over her head. She needed to make Urahara believe she was just smart enough to overestimate her own capabilities, and not a smidgen more. Unfortunately for her though… it seemed he wasn't yet convinced.

"I guess that's fair, but what about the soul candy? I could understand one, but you said you don't want to be removed from your body in the first place? Why do you need 3?"

Chiaki had a moment of panic internally, realizing she'd made a mistake. However, she was also not the type of person to be dissuaded so easily. On the outside, she was as calm and collected as ever, shrugging her shoulders and gesturing as if waving off the question. It seemed entirely theatrical, but she was really trying to buy herself time to think up a reasonable explanation for why she wanted them. After all, explaining her true plan was out of the question.

"Ah, that? I mean… it's really not that deep. I'm getting something, Ichigo will be mad if only Rukia brings him something back… I might as well get him a backup candy while I'm at if, and a few with it. From what I heard, there are a lot of different types, and besides, I lose stuff all the time. It's just like insurance, ya know?"

"Hm…"

Urahara thought about what she'd said with a slight frown, his cane twirling in his hand all the while, spinning at speeds that were matched only by the speed of his mental analysis, exploring all possible avenues of thought in the blink of an eye. Chiaki's entire being tensed up as she awaited the final judgment, unsure if her charade would finally come crashing down.

Then, slowly but unmistakably, Urahara's lips curled into a thin smile, the kind made by a predator who had entrapped their prey utterly and thoroughly. His face a mask of joviality and politeness, Urahara smiled and extended a hand.

"Alright then, you have yourself a deal. But no takebacks, ok?"