You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

After all that, Iori felt a lot of resentful gazes fixed on him... but he was speechless!

What a boring teacher! What's the point of having such a vivid imagination?

[CG obtained]

I am mortal enemies with the King of Scrolls!

Category: Bond CG (From Classmate's Resentment Bond)

Grade: D

Quality: Normal

Extraction in progress~

Calculation in progress~

Rewards Overview:

Attribute value:

Mental strength +5

Mobility +3

Avoidance +3

-

Speechless as she was, Iori still accepted the attribute points and vacation without hesitation.

Just as the Ghost Dao Master had said, he went back to eat, take a bath, and sleep, and didn't wake up until dusk in the afternoon.

Perhaps because he had slept all day, he was surprisingly energetic as the birds returned to their nests. He checked the time and flipped through the calendar, remembering that he had an appointment with someone. He changed into his everyday clothes, left the Spirit Arts Academy, and walked along the towering white wall of Seireitei.

Continuing deeper into Rukongai, deliberately taking some secluded paths, Iori arrived at her destination after about half an hour:

A doll shop that has long since closed down. As the name suggests, it was a place that specialized in making dolls, but not the kind of high-end, life-size dolls. Instead, it was the kind of kimono dolls that were offered as sacrifices on certain festivals.

Yes, even in Soul Society, there are still many festivals. The spirits may have "died" once, but they still have a sense of ritual in their lives.

However, the fact that this store has closed proves that the demand for small dolls is not very high.

Hmm, if they were life-size dolls, they could definitely sell well in Seireitei...

Iori wasn't there to buy a doll, nor did she intend to use the main entrance. Instead, she went around to the back of the house and started banging on a new, incongruous door.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

"Open the door! Mayuri Kurotsuchi, don't hide inside and keep quiet. I know you're home. You've got the guts to rob me—pah! You've got the guts to owe money and not pay it back—but why don't you have the guts to open the door?"

I'm telling you, your deadline has arrived!

Chapter 12: Boss: You have no idea how hard I work!

squeak~

The small door opened a crack, and cold air seeped out from the dimly lit room, making Iori quite uncomfortable.

Then, a yellow eye with little emotion appeared through the crack in the door. It seemed to be unaccustomed to the light, and its pupil contracted slightly.

"It's you... Come in."

Snapped!

The small door closed, followed by a surge of spiritual pressure and a series of mechanical sounds. The seemingly ordinary small door then slowly opened.

Sunlight streamed into the room, revealing a pale-faced person... no, even more outrageous, wearing a black and white mask, and not the usual hard mask, but a soft mask that clung tightly to the face like leather, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, with heavy eye shadow making them look like a demon.

If you look closely, you'll find that not only the face, but also the neck and hands are painted white, making the whole body look strange.

The guy had short, loose purple hair and was leaning against the door with a hunched back. He wore a plain white smock that looked loose on him, which showed that he was rather thin.

"The deadline...is it coming so soon? Come in, your things are all ready. Don't shout anymore."

"What's wrong with knocking on the door? If it were someone else, and they had invested so much money with no return, they would probably have hired someone to kill them."

"If I could settle all my debts by 'dying' once, I would be happy to do so."

"Think beautifully!"

After Iori finished speaking, she smiled and asked, "So, how's the research going lately?"

"Yes, but it's no use telling you. People like you who are obsessed with fighting and killing might be good at practicing kendo, but science is the domain of the wise."

Even with acquaintances, this guy always had a sullen and ambiguous attitude, which was very easy to make people unhappy. But Iori didn't care. He had long been used to Mayuri Kurotsuchi's strange way of speaking, or rather, he had prepared himself with plenty of patience ever since he met Mayuri Kurotsuchi and decided to make contact with him.

Scientists are known for having quirks, which is normal, especially someone like Mayuri Kurotsuchi who is clearly not mentally sound.

After entering the room, they went into the basement, where the strange man led Iori to a very secluded private research room.

Narrow, crowded, and strange, but not messy or dirty; on the contrary, it was arranged in an orderly manner. The various research materials were not particularly bloody or disgusting, like a normal laboratory. Even some animal organ specimens were preserved in transparent containers soaked in an unknown liquid.

Is the preservative used in Soul Society formaldehyde?

While Iori was lost in thought, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was ahead of her, had already gone to a storage cabinet to rummage through the things Iori had ordered.

Despite his sarcastic remarks, his actions speak louder than words:

The Twelfth Division is having a tough time these days. His boss is a rather troublesome old woman, and many of his funding sources have been cut off. His collaboration with Iori accounts for about 35 percent of his research funding, making her a major financial backer.

"I haven't been out for a while. Has anything happened outside?"

“As always,” Iori said simply.

"Is that so? That's really... boring." Mayuri Kurotsuchi said with a mocking expression, though it was unclear what she was referring to.

This future director of the Technology Development Bureau is currently only a seat officer in the 12th Division, and not very high in rank.

When talking about the Twelfth Division, we must mention its special characteristics:

Just as the Fourth Division also serves as a medical institution, the Twelfth Division is responsible for promoting research into spiritual technology.

However, besides the Twelfth Division, the nobles of Seireitei also have their own research institutions and archives. In addition, there are some other similar organizations that exist independently, with the Twelfth Division being just one of them.

This situation will not end until about a hundred years later, when Kisuke Urahara comes to power and, with the support of Captain-Commander Yamamoto, brings all related organizations under the Twelfth Division and formally establishes the "Technology Development Bureau".

However, even at this point in time, the Twelfth Division still holds a prominent position because its leader is a powerful figure who can communicate on equal footing with Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni.

Shutara Senjumaru!

However, about a decade or so ago, the mysterious Shutara Senjumaru suddenly appeared and took over as the captain of the 12th Division, and there was no objection from the entire Seireitei.

The ordinary soldiers naturally didn't know her background; all they knew was her name. It was only through combining her experiences from her previous life that Iori realized just how astonishing the background of this mysterious and beautiful captain truly was...

Strictly speaking, she was not a member of the Gotei 13, but a member of the "Zero Division" directly under the Soul King, whose status was no lower than Yamamoto's.

However, within the Seireitei, one must show respect to this symbol of power, the "strongest Shinigami," hence the half-rank reduction, though still significantly higher than other captains.

This female Grim Reaper's age, qualifications, and background are all unknown. Apart from the first captain, no one knows her past, but one thing is certain:

She was promoted many years ago for her "great contributions to the Soul Society" and went to the Soul King's Palace to protect the legendary Soul King. Logically, she shouldn't be in Seireitei.

Since Shutara Senjumaru has made an exception and returned to Seireitei, and has been staying in the 12th Division without making any moves, there must be something extremely important that needs to be dealt with, and that requires her, a member of the 0th Division, to take the lead.

Considering some of the advanced technologies in the Soul Society in later generations, whether it's artificial bodies, artificial soul pills, modified souls, or even the Hogyoku of Kisuke Urahara and "the original Aizen", they were all initiated during this period (but it would take a hundred or two hundred years to research them successfully).

Tech gurus, including Kiryu Hikifune and Mayuri Kurotsuchi, are starting to become active now... The waters here are incredibly deep!

A closer analysis reveals that Shutara Senjumaru, Hikifune Kiryu, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Urahara Kisuke, and others clearly had prior acquaintances, and may even have had a master-disciple relationship.

Iori has always remained silent about this matter, and even after befriending Mayuri Kurotsuchi, she had no intention of delving into it, since her small body couldn't withstand too much of a storm.

Of course, it's also possible that Iori is overthinking things, or maybe it's just a coincidence.

Just like when he was following Naruto, he imagined a lot of things, but it turned out that they were mostly just conspiracy theories from netizens.

You thought the original author was on the 18th floor, but actually the original author is on the 1st floor.jpg

But in any case, it's never a bad thing to be cautious.

Therefore, the relationship between Iori and Mayuri Kurotsuchi is limited to "mutual help".

More specifically, it was Iori who funded Mayuri Kurotsuchi's research, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi was expected to repay Iori with the fruits of his wisdom.

As for why they didn't choose Kisuke Urahara, but instead chose this pervert with a bad reputation?

Kisuke Urahara is a professional gigolo now, clinging to the Shihōin family's coattails, he's not short of money at all!

Moreover, Urahara is a typical "royalist," single-mindedly focused on maintaining order in the three realms, and his stance is "friendly and neutral." He will not cooperate with you without a legitimate reason.

But Mayuri Kurotsuchi is different. Forget about "royalists," he doesn't even have a normal sense of right and wrong. If you ask him for poison or something similar, he'll deliver it immediately without ever asking what it's for!

What Iori needs is exactly this kind of "good friend" who neither speaks recklessly nor meddles in other people's business.

The only problem is that this relationship won't last long. Mayuri's current research is barely normal, and his illegal activities are limited to things like stealing corpses, but Iori knows that he will cross the line sooner or later, and then their cooperation will end.

This is a matter of principle. Although Iori is not a partner of justice, she will not stoop to that level.

Of course, before that, Mayuri Kurotsuchi was still someone that Iori wanted to win over and support.

—I'll write erotic stories to support you.jpg

"Here you go, this is what you wanted, the whole set."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi handed a small package to Iori: "This thing is special, but it's of no practical use to Shinigami. It's only needed in prison... Of course, what you want to do with it is none of my business."

"Oh, thank you." Iori took the item, weighed it in her hand, and nodded in satisfaction.

Upon opening the package, one finds several diamond-shaped amulets, all the size of walnuts, entirely white, without any intricate patterns, only a few simple engravings, but definitely not made of ordinary material, appearing extremely hard.

—The Killing Stone.

This is a mineral unique to the Soul Society. It can release fluctuations that decompose spiritual energy, somewhat similar to Seastone from One Piece. However, it doesn't cause you to lose power upon contact; it simply isn't affected by spiritual energy.

The massive white wall surrounding Seireitei is constructed from Killing Stone, creating a spherical protective shield that protects Seireitei from the air to the ground. Therefore, ordinary spirits cannot enter Seireitei to cause trouble.

The reason why Iori ordered this thing is quite simple:

An extra layer of insurance.

The main reason is that, thanks to his "art style," his aptitude and potential have increased too quickly. Although Soul Society is not lacking in geniuses, his growth curve is just too bizarre.

One or two breakthroughs after a battle can be attributed to talent, but if it happens all the time, it will raise suspicion, since this world doesn't have Saiyan blood.

These Sesshōseki amulets are coated, so they will not come into direct contact with Iori's body, nor will they affect the normal rhythm of his spiritual pressure. In other words, they will not weaken Iori's power like Seastone.

However, they can still affect subtle spiritual pressure fluctuations in the surrounding area. This allows Iori to adjust the spiritual pressure fluctuations she releases by increasing or decreasing the number of her charms, trying to make her improvement process show a "smooth and regular curve" rather than like Ichigo's roller coaster ride...

Once Iori learns the technique to perfectly conceal his spiritual pressure, he won't need this thing anymore.

'Wait! This thing…'

While stroking the Killing Stone charm, Iori suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a great way to improve the art style:

Weight blocks, a feature typical of action-packed manga!

From Dragon Ball to Naruto, many shonen manga use a common technique of creating contrast. Although it's a cliché, it's undeniable that when Rock Lee removes the weights from his legs—

It's really hard not to get excited!

Although the Killing Stone amulet doesn't have a weight-bearing effect, others don't know that!

It can also create a contrast in spiritual pressure intensity. For example, if Iori suddenly drops his amulet while fighting an enemy and then unleashes his full spiritual pressure...

Is this art style really worth it?

Thinking of this, Iori felt excited, but then she felt a pang of sadness:

Some people only see how pretentious and arrogant the BOSS is, but they have no idea how much preparation they have made to enhance their image.

Is it natural for someone to have indigo-dyed hair gel hands?

Don't the Akatsuki know that long trench coats are hard to wash?

Some time-manipulation vampires may look like Dio, but they still have to desperately carry people downstairs!

—Everyone has been working incredibly hard to maintain their high-class image!

"By the way, I ordered more than just these, didn't I?" Iori hadn't forgotten the important matter.

"Are you talking about that prosthetic body technology called 'artificial body'?"