I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

He raised his knife.

The clone ability was activated in a different way than before.

But this time, no new Mima appeared; instead, the Mima who was standing in the same place underwent a new change.

"Fuck..."

Inside the Eighth Division barracks, Mima, who was using the excuse of recuperating to slack off, couldn't help but say something.

"Fuck..."

A somewhat cold female voice came from the shadows.

It is Liuyue, or more accurately, it is Mizhen wearing Liuyue's skin.

His appearance, body, and spiritual pressure have all changed. Even if he went to Shunsui or Lisa now, they would never recognize him.

The principle behind the power of "splitting" is to use "a certain moment in the past" as a clone. If the clone usage quota is full, the newly created clone will replace the old clone, just like overwriting a save file.

But in reality, Liu Yue can also draw upon her past self.

As the consciousness of the Zanpakuto, Mima can naturally exert control over her, including over her body.

Thus, a seamless disguise ability was achieved.

Or should it be called a "transformation"?

"This is truly a damn good job, it deserves a reward..."

Mima gave Ryugetsu a thumbs up, then canceled the clone and focused her attention back on the main body of the Eighth Division barracks.

Next, I should go slack off... just kidding.

Judging by the timeline, it hasn't been long since Urahara was tricked by Aizen into leaving. A major upheaval is about to occur in Soul Society, and it will be difficult for him to continue living peacefully under such circumstances.

Even if it's just to continue his slacking off career, there are some things he needs to start preparing for...

At the beginning of his journey, Mi Zhen realized this, so he had a clear plan for the enemies he might face.

For example, Gan™'s Wandenreich, Gan™'s Aizen, Gan™'s 46 Chambers, and Gan™'s Tokiba.

There's no way around it; there are just too many troublemakers in the Three Realms.

If we were to use a game as an analogy, the Wandenreich would naturally be the final boss in the main storyline. After all, Yhwach's ultimate goal is to return the three realms to chaos, at which point no one will escape unscathed, and he must be dealt a heavy blow.

As for Room 46, the mere existence of those old fogies reeking of feudal remnants was enough to make Mi Zhen extremely unhappy—useless good-for-nothings who were more trouble than they were worth, abusing their power to do whatever they wanted, and heaven knows how many times he had cursed them as idiots over the years.

But ideas are just ideas; when it comes to putting them into practice, he's clearly no match for anyone (in a derogatory sense).

So here's the question: what's the fastest way to defeat an enemy you can't defeat on your own?

Cheating...

Oh wait, I mean, call for backup!

So who in Soul Society has a grudge against the Wandenreich's 46 Chambers and other reactionary forces?

Of course, it's my dear Captain Aizen!

As a radical reform pioneer, Aizen's debut achievement in the rebellion was the massacre of the 46 Chambers. He later earned the medal for best support in the Yhwach battle. Who else could you turn to for such a thing if not him?

Another point is that he actually had no need to be an enemy of Aizen. The latter's goal was to take over the Soul King Palace, and even if he succeeded, it wouldn't matter.

Rather, if his boss were Aizen, he would be far better than those incompetent 46.

Chapter Sixteen: The First Subordinate

In the present world, in a border city in Kyushu.

After bringing Anise to the present world through a method akin to deception and trickery, Mima found an abandoned village as a temporary base.

This clone, which was only given a tiny bit of spiritual power, was actually incredibly weak. Even the most ordinary nobody in Hueco Mundo could probably easily kill it. But Anise lived up to her reputation as a top-tier coward. Not only did she not resist, but after being locked in a mud-brick house, she just squatted in the corner with her head in her hands, not even moving.

Now that everything else is settled, as long as this matter is resolved, he can continue to be a couch potato for a while longer.

...But this matter is actually quite troublesome.

Previously, in order to save time, Mima spent a lot of effort acting out the image of a capricious thug, which scared Anise into giving up her thinking. After all, her ability characteristics might be very valuable when dealing with the Wandenreich—for example, using Hueco Mundo as a springboard to jump back and forth between the three realms. If she played it smoothly, she could at least make the Sternritter half-paralyzed with anger.

Although there is no particularly clear strategic direction yet, it is good to hold a few cards in hand first.

To put it bluntly, he needs to recruit this weak and cowardly Adjuchas into his camp.

Unfortunately, the opportunity for the two to meet was so terrible, and their subsequent interactions were even more disastrous, leaving Mizhen standing at the door, racking her brains for a long time, not knowing what to say when she went in.

He was neither a master of manipulation like Aizen, nor could he establish a terrifying rule like Yhwach. Even when assigning tasks to the members of the Eighth Division, he found it difficult to put on airs, and recruiting subordinates himself was a first for him.

What should we do now...?

There's no other way but to take it one step at a time. Maybe the otherworldly specialties he just acquired can be of some help.

After making up her mind, Mizhen pushed open the door and went inside.

................................................

Anise sat in the corner, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the oil lamp on the wooden table.

Why did things turn out this way...?

She still remembers the day she fell into nothingness—

An emptiness tore a hole in her chest, from which a pale liquid gushed out, becoming the mask she could never take off her face. Then came hunger, hunger, an unending hunger, a hunger that seemed to require devouring the entire world to fill.

Hollows are a race born from violence and slaughter. The thrill of battle can mask the emptiness in their hearts, and battle can help them evolve. However, Anise was born very weak, and every Hollow could easily trample her underfoot. If she hadn't been able to open her Black Hole and escape faster than them, she would have been dead long ago.

Thus, the desire to survive overwhelmed everything else.

She kept running, running until she reached the edge of a world where no one could set foot, and then...

Then Szayelaporro found her.

Against Vastod, Anise's elusive skills were far too slow, so she was easily captured and taken to a place known as Las Noches.

In order to study her abilities, Szayelaporro brought many Hollows to the brink of death, then let her devour them, forcibly raising her rank to the level of Adjuchas...

Then came a painful memory.

Szayelaporro didn't care about the test subject's feelings. Although her ability was rare, it wasn't particularly important. So she was subjected to many semi-destructive experiments. If it weren't for her super-fast regeneration ability, which was quite good for an Adjuchas-level subject, she probably would have died on the testing table long ago.

Szayelaporro's terror shattered Anise's will to resist; she only dared to follow his orders, even forgetting that she could use the Black Hole to escape to some place where no one could find her.

...She would die, she would die if she disobeyed orders...She didn't want to die. Death was more silent than the emptiness of the void, more terrifying than Szayelaporro's testing ground.

But death... or rather, death still came. She was taken from Hueco Mundo by a Grim Reaper and brought to the human world.

Should I resist...? But I'm no match for him, and resistance will only cause me more pain... I've heard from other Hollows that a Shinigami's Zanpakuto can free a Hollow from the void and allow them to enter the cycle of reincarnation... Will I be free from suffering after reincarnation? Will I find happiness in the next life?

The wooden door creaked open.

The Grim Reaper who had abducted her here walked in calmly, and after a moment, a brilliant azure light shone in his eyes.

Mima unleashed a new ability he had acquired from the system: Mind Beacon.

The result went very smoothly.

Perhaps because Anise's spiritual pressure was far weaker than his, Mima only glanced at her before immediately entering a pitch-black world.

In complete darkness, Anise was huddled next to a cylindrical machine that was only half-assembled.

Her long, white hair hung down to the ground, as beautiful as the fine snow of early winter.

She wore a plain white dress, without a mask or any hollows, just like any ordinary human being.

My previous impression was correct; this guy is indeed very good-looking.

Countless images flashed across the dark space, rapidly playing out Anise's life after becoming a Hollow, including being hunted down as bait by lower-ranking Hollows, trembling in the deserted wilderness, having her body cut open by Szayelaporro on the experimental table, and assembling that cylindrical machine in the room.

"..."

Mi Zhen's hand trembled slightly, and her conscience ached as if it had been stabbed dozens of times.

No, this guy is really pitiful...

Although he didn't have much compassion, he wasn't so wicked as to persecute the poor child after seeing those memories.

It's decided... The idea of ​​bringing Anise under my wing won't change, but the way it's done will have to be changed... For example, treat her better and pay her a higher salary.

With a sigh, Mi Zhen stepped forward, pointed to the round machine beside her, and asked calmly, "What is this? Is it important to you?"

"This is a self-disciplined doll I designed; it can protect me."

Anise raised her head, looking around blankly at herself and her surroundings. "Where am I...?"

“That’s not important.” Mima scratched his head. “Let’s get straight to the point, Anishite Bionis—are you interested in switching jobs?”

"Job change?"

As if sleepwalking, Anise spoke in a daze, her gaze unfocused, whether it was the effect of the mind beacon or something on her own, it was hard to tell.

But this is a good thing; a direct conversation saves the effort of appeasement, something Mi Zhen is really not good at.

"Work under me, flexible hours, generous salary, and Szayelaporro won't find you... Oh, and you can continue making your autonomous dolls, just serve me when I need them." Mima shrugged. "Interested?"

"Won't you torture me?"

"I'm not that kind of sadist."

“Then…” She raised her head, her empty eyes scanning the surrounding darkness, then smiled with relief, “I agree.”

Chapter Seventeen: The Choices of Adults

July 12th: Playing cards, drinking, fishing

July 13th: Fishing, drinking with the team leader.

July 14th: Fishing

July 15th: Mizhen, you can't continue to be so dissolute. There are still many crises waiting for you to overcome.

July 16th: Fishing

"..."

On the sixth morning after his trip to Hueco Mundo ended, Mima took some time to recall his recent itinerary, paused briefly, and then unconsciously reached for the fishing rod on the counter.