#once the people Ichigo came in with are incapacitated

[black--sun]

Considering how many of Shiro’s people might be in on this plot to kill him, that’s probably a fair assessment. “Would they care even if they knew? People are selfish assholes.” Mostly.

He presses his lips but then snorts. “I was fighting for my life and you were thinking about getting your dick wet.” Or he thought he was fighting for his life. Or for not getting caught at least. But he sobers slightly, looking over, brow furrowing slightly as he tries to determine if Shiro means it or if he’s just trying to keep Ichigo from lecturing him any further. “I hope you are. I don’t want to see you that messed up.” It’s not even that he minds the drugs. He’s taken his fair share. He just doesn’t want Shiro being stupid about it and fucking himself up or becoming someone else.

His brows go up. “Watch probably. Why would I do anything about it? You just said you can fight just fine.” Of course he’ll do something. But he’d rather watch. The idea of it sidetracks his brain for a moment, but he shakes himself. “If I survived, I’m sure you will. What would you do if you were me?” He’s betting Shiro would watch, too.

He looks toward the back until he sees what might lead to a place to change. Ichigo scoops up the stack of clothes and starts toward the bored kid at the counter. He doesn’t even get anything out before the kid reaches over to pick up a key attached to a flat piece of plastic and slides it across the counter. All without ever looking up from a phone.

Ichigo raises a brow, but shrugs and starts toward the back. It’s starting to make sense why there aren’t more people here, but it doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t particularly like dodging people while he shops. He unlocks the door and sets the clothes down.

His brows go up slightly in a dry, unimpressed expression. What a helpful answer. But Ichigo does go on to explain better. He doesn't quite know what to think or how to respond. "You think too highly of me. What would I even do to the city?" He hadn't realized he wasn't ambitious, but he supposes he's not. He never really thought much about it, but just assumed it was normal. "I assumed you liked me because I was formidable." He can't picture Ichigo even noticing someone who isn't formidable in some way. He scoffs, "No."

That's fair. "Yeah, I get it." He's a little short while he says it because he doesn't want to get into it. He's had an emotional rollercoaster already today and he's pretty sick of it. He doesn't want to sit here and hear about how Ichigo and Grimmjow think he's a horrible person. He really should just drop by, but he always kind of wonders if he's going to get shanked and if he'd try very hard to avoid it. It would all depend on Grimmjow's mood and his own mood. He shrugs. "Whatever. I can figure something out. You don't have to."

He pushes a few hangers aside to look at something in a color that caught his eye but doesn't pull it off the rack. Mostly he trails behind Ichigo, enjoying the chance to do something so mundane with him. He pulls out the most revealing thing he comes upon -more price tag and bow tie than cloth- and casually adds it to Ichigo's pile, mostly because he thinks it's funny but he definitely wouldn't mind seeing Ichigo wear next to nothing.

[phantasmagoricreverie]

Hello! May I request a small saniwa, who can unexpectedly fight? Nikkari, Tsurumaru, Ookurikara, and Ichigo reactions, please! Stay in good health!

Ahh, asmall saniwa that can fight, how lovely! I hope you stay in good health aswell!

Nikkari Aoe

Hedoesn’t really expect you to be able to fight; you’re the general that leadsthe army, the one that gives the orders

It’s notnecessary for you to fight, especially since you can just manifest tsukumogamias soldiers in the war you fight

So itcomes as a bit of a surprise when you insist on joining the frontlines; youassure your swords that you know what you’re doing and won’t be a hindrance

The swordsare naturally reluctant because things can change in an instant, it’s just toodangerous; no one wants to lose you

So youcompromise and say that if you defeat, or at least match the strength of, oneof the swords going to sortie, then that should prove that you’re able tohandle yourself

The swordsagree and Nikkari offers to be your “plaything” with that unfathomable smile ofhis

You takethe battle outside and end up being so fired up, you forget to hold back a bitand consequently end up injuring the wakizashi

Itbecomes evident that you’re extraordinarily strong, if his injuries areanything to go by

You’re apologeticand uttering about how you should have held back, but Nikkari just laughs itoff and says he’s glad you fought seriously and that injury is expected

All theother swords are stunned by your display of strength finesse, especially sinceyou never seemed to be the type to fight, and to fight so well at that

But becauseNikkari is injured you have to find a replacement for the team going on sortie andyou handle that rather quickly

Ultimatelyyou decide to stay behind to tend to the injuries you caused yourself (to the reliefof all the swords)

As youtend to his wounds he warns you that the battlefield is dangerous, no matter howskilled you are, and that he’s glad you didn’t go

You canonly gently chastise him, saying that as the leader that you should see it atleast once, otherwise how can you better understand the swords or what’snecessary of you?

Nikkari onlylaughs in a mysterious way, wondering how he came to have such a capable andconsiderate master

Tsurumaru Kuninaga

It’s asurprise for him when he learns you’re able to fight

Not reallythough, as he’s one of the more observant swords he’s able to notice that you’vehad some kind of training for combat

It’s inthe little mannerisms you have, from the way you’re able to respond almostinstantaneously to catch a tantou that’s tripped or the way you manage to evadenearly all of Tsurumaru’s surprises

Though ofcourse, he’s naturally curious if he’s correct and the extent of your abilities

And intrue Tsurumaru fashion, finds out a way he can do so while also (hopefully)surprising you

So withthat in mind he decides to approach you from behind, though he’s not able toexecute his plan very far

You endup throwing him across the room after delivering a solid strike to the solarplexus and he hits the opposite wall with a small oof

Despitethe fact that he anticipated you striking back, he’s the one surprised, consideringyour response time and the fact you thoroughly aimed to disengage yourself froma dangerous situation, even though you’re in the citadel where you’d leastexpect to find an enemy

He’s abit winded but he gives you a thumbs up from across the room and makes a ruckusabout how surprised he is that you threw him across the room

It’s thenyou realize that you tossed one of your swords across the room, but you aren’t surprisedthat it’s Tsurumaru

He thinksthat maybe you aren’t a master who will die so easily since you’re able toreact so quickly to protect yourself and is assured that you’re a master thatcan defend yourself

Heintends to keep his distance as he always has and letting the other swords lookafter you despite all this though and keeps such thoughts a secret

It isn’tas if it had been a proper fight, but Tsurumaru bounds up to you saying howimpressive you are and says that you should have mentioned you could fightsooner

He also half-jokinglysuggests that perhaps next time, you can join him on the battlefield andsurprise all the other swords

Ookurikara

Doesn’treally think much about how small you are; he doesn’t plan on getting alongwith you regardless of how you are, so it doesn’t matter to him

He findsout about how you can fight when you find yourself a bit frustrated with hisbehavior, with his constant insistence of doing everything alone (even if youunderstand why he is the way he is)

Youchallenge him to fight you one on one with the intention of making him acknowledgeyou, because at the very least, you don’t want to be ignored or pushed aside whenyou address him

He scoffsand figures that if he beats you, you’ll leave him alone so he agrees (and hedoesn’t want to deal with you continuing to insist if he refused)

Hefigures that with such a small and presumably weak master such as yourself it’dbe an easy win anyway

Each ofyou takes one of the wooden practice swords and spar with each other

It’s afairly heated match and you manage to come out victorious one way or another

Hedoesn’t really show it but he’s surprised when you take a proper stance, andeven more so when you wield the sword with a finesse he hadn’t expected

He’s abit surprised since he wasn’t expecting to be defeated by you and unconsciouslyfinds himself comparing you to the tantou (it’s because you’re so small)

Ookurikarais definitely forced to rethink his assessment of you being weak; his image ofyou has improved and he ends up conceding that he’ll at least acknowledge youwhen you approach

You havethe read between the lines to really see it, but he acknowledges your skillwith the sword, even if he only faced you in a practice match and he sees youas strong and capable

He’s trueto his word and every time you approach, he acknowledges your presence even ifhe only glares or gives a noncommittal noise

If youever bring up wanting to help at the frontlines or something similarly risky,Ookurikara will tell you that you’re capable, but that you should leave thefighting to the swords, but of course in his own Ookurikara way    

Ichigo Hitofuri

Honestlyis probably a bit worried initially; you’re just so small and he sees you asdelicate because of that

Then hereminds himself a lot of his brothers are small and even seem delicate, but aremore than capable of taking care of themselves

But thenagain, just because you’re small like his brothers doesn’t mean you are stronglike them as well

He’sstuck between thinking of you as being capable of defending yourself even if itdoesn’t seem like it, or maybe you really are as delicate as you appear

Ultimatelyhe forces himself not to stick to any one assumption; maybe you just appeardelicate and you’re capable of protecting yourself, but perhaps not…

Still hecan’t shake off his concerns and his uncertainly pushes him to make a suggestionthat you should learn some defensive moves from the swords

Ichigo’soffer comes across as him being concerned for your safety and well-being, whichdoesn’t strike you as being odd since he seems to be considerate of everyone

You tryto appease his worries by assuring him that you’ve already learned to disarm apursuer and that you know to incapacitate them so you can flee

Though youalso bring up that while that might be effective for your original time, thatit may not be so pragmatic in an actual battle, which results in you asking himto teach you

You decideto start your little impromptu session with him by demonstrating what you knowfirst, so that way he knows what you’re capable of

Thus,Ichigo pretends to be an attacker (though, of course, he’s more far more gentleand considerate than an actual attacker would be) and he’s satisfied to knowthat you should be able to get away from a human, but you’re not against normalpeople, not in the same way you’re used to encountering

And heinsists that you learn to defend yourself beyond just getting away and youagree, though he’s a bit surprised to see you can hold your own in a fightunarmed

You actuallymanage to unarm him and subdue him without expending a great deal of effort

You sheepishlyadmit that you do have experience in a number of…confrontations, but that youdon’t know how to fight armed

And so youtry to convince Ichigo to teach you to fight with a sword, though it doesn’t takemuch since he’s the one that started this in the first place

[missstormcaller]

CAN’T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD Vol.II Part 2 Full Translation

(This is part 5 on the app, chapter 7 continued.)

A few days ago - Department of Research and Development.

"Good grief, quite the stubborn one aren't you. I'm surprised your attitude is still uncooperative." Kurotsuchi Mayuri remained expressionless in the presence of the test subject before his eyes as he gave utterance to these words. There stood a large cylindrical glass tank. Inside, it was half filled with some sort of liquid solution, a woman who was currently submerged in that solution only up to the lower half of her body, raised her voice in anger.

"…How does it look as if I'm going to bend to your will under these circumstances? Huuhh!?" Faced with Candice who was in a state of containment as though she was sealed from head to toe, her limbs and the nape of her neck fitted with things like tubes and electrodes, Kurotsuchi Mayuri addressed her in an aloof manner. "That's an odd thing to say. The very moment you were able to shout in such a loud and clear voice, you might at least have realised that you are receiving the highest level of privilege as a specimen." "I have long been aware that you're a nutcase sadist." (TN -- she says サディスト [sadisuto] which is a loanword from the term 'sadist', that in mind the next line should make sense) "What a pity. If I were to put it in your own choice of words, I am not a sadist, but a scientist." (TN -- Mayuri says サイエンティスト [saientisuto] which is of course a loanword from the term 'scientist') "…But you don't deny that you're a nutcase huh." "Looking at it from an average person's point of view, it's only natural that you would perceive the work of a genius as strange. I feel a sense of pity towards those who can do nothing but waver in the face of unexplored endeavours and try to exclude themselves from it. It would only be a waste of time to deal with such people one after another." Candice clicked her tongue at Mayuri who displayed a haughty yet serene attitude. "And? Am I supposed to express gratitude and shed tears for the Shinigami punks who treated my injuries, and at the same time become your pawn?" "It is not accurate to say that your injuries were treated. Rather, we 'rebooted' something that was almost a corpse. Well anyway, during the time you were half a corpse, the experiments which included an autopsy are more or less complete." "Wait a minute… what did you just say!? Autopsy!?" "As far as I'm concerned, I rescued you lot from your cruel master who tried to eat his pets so untidily and without mercy too, not to mention casting you all away, so it's certainly not too farfetched to expect one or two words of gratitude." Whilst fixing a glare at Mayuri who said as such, Candice flashed a bold smile. "Ha… you merely removed the hunting dog collar from our necks. I will not fall so low as to choose a scumbag like you to be my new master."

"It's unthinkable that you would refer to me as scum. Given that I am known as a prominent gentleman among members of the Gotei 13, I don't want to treat women roughly."

"You have the nerve to say something like that and yet you don't consider this rough!?" While disregarding her cries of protest, Mayuri released a heavy sigh as he continued to speak. "In any case, my research into your rare species naturally came to a close long ago. The 'subspecies' known as Yhwach… no, I should say 'original species' to be more accurate shouldn't I… anyway, although it is somewhat trickier to carry out an analysis on you lot who have shared his powers, as long as I have a sample, synthesis of results is an easy thing. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to continuously analyse things until things become messy, just like it did with past samples." Mayuri recalls the many gruesome experiments he used to perform on Quincies. Sometimes he would chop them up, sometimes he would grind them down to fine particles, sometimes he would drill holes into their skulls while they were still alive, and sometimes he would let the Quincy scorch their own fledglings to death during these 'experiment' days. Perhaps there is a reason why the same is not being done to Candice and the others today, whether it's simply 'because that's not necessary' as far as Mayuri is concerned, or there was a change of heart regarding some aspect of his research, this is something that would be impossible for others to comprehend. ---- As for Candice who knew nothing of the miserable fate of those Quincies much less comprehend such a thing, she was unable to accept his words as anything but a mere bluff. "It doesn't make any sense to me. If you've finished your analysis, shouldn't we have been disposed of right away? However, you don't think you can just kill me do you? Because I'll turn every last one of you assholes to ashes before I die! Starting with that Kurosaki Ichigo guy who made a fool of me!" Whilst it looks like idle talk, Candice spoke with an expression in her eyes that said she was brimming with motivation to put up a resistance for as long as she was alive. "That man has already left Soul Society. He is a naive man. So if he was to observe your current circumstances, he would probably complain that what I'm doing is unjust." Easily brushing aside her gaze which looked as if it could shoot a person to death, Mayuri gradually began to insert the 'candy’ into his words. (TN -- In Japan they say "candy and whip" to refer to what is commonly known in the west as a "carrot and stick" approach.) "Anyway, with regard to internal research, no more specimens are required. However, when it comes to actual combat in the future… that is to say, if the lot of you are uncooperative in an examination of your performance in battle, then it will be necessary to replace you with substitutes." "Substitutes…?" Mayuri fixed a piercing stare towards a perplexed Candice as he crafted his words. "I'm talking about that zombie girl and the little girl with a big appetite who mobilised together with the lot of you. It appears that recently, they've been sneaking around Hueco Mundo for some reason or another. Well, all my research concerning the zombie has been completed, and I can also make an educated guess about the big eater's abilities so I'm not particularly interested in them." "……?"

For a moment, she couldn't quite grasp what was being said, but her memory circuit soon made the connection, the sparks of hope that had already disappeared, began to flicker once more. "Hey… just a minute. Lil and Gigi are still alive!? Well then, is Bambi alive too!?" "Ah, if your talking about the girl with the bombs, it seems she's still zombified. Honestly, the one time they had made an appearance before me, they didn't even notice that I had administered tracking bacteria into her system, these so-called Quincies truly are an unsuspecting bunch." At Mayuri's unsettling grin, Candice masked her slight joy with irritation as she spoke up. "…If that's the case, why are you leaving them alone? And even regardless of you, other Shinigami will have no reason to turn a blind eye to them will they?" "Much to my disappointment, in the midst of war, the captain commander and others took the liberty of accepting the proposal to put up a united front against Yhwach. So it's come to be that those girls are no longer considered hostile forces. Dear me, even if it was for the sake of bringing down Yhwach, I think that's being far too lenient." "…United front? You mean, they betrayed his majesty…?" Candice was puzzled by the various facts she was hearing for the first time. However, since she distinctly remembered the feeling of Yhwach robbing her of her powers in her final moments, she extended the scope of her speculations in her own way. "… or rather, his majesty seriously wanted us to…… if that's the case, judging from Lil's personality, she would certainly……" In response to Candice who was mumbling to herself whilst contemplating something, Mayuri proceeded to take the conversation further. Like converting poison, injected in the form of information, into sweet candy. "How about it? For my part, it is said that I have compassion coursing through my veins instead of blood, that is, if the lot of you are compliant…" "……I'd even be willing to return the specimens I've finished experimenting on, back to their Quincy friends."

Present time. In reality, Candice Catnipp did not believe Mayuri's words. She never trusted Shinigami to begin with, but among them, that man named Kurotsuchi Mayuri in particular could not be trusted. Nonetheless, Candice considered it worthwhile to just play along on this occasion and have some means of connecting with the outside world. She took into consideration the possibility of working together with Meninas McAllon who was taken prisoner alongside her, and even the chance of catching the Shinigami off guard and taking advantage of the opportunity if she was able to get in contact with Lil and the others who were still out there. Of course, she can't be too optimistic, but as far as Candice was concerned, it's enough reason to temporarily pose as a Shinigami puppet. Even if the same had been included among Kurotsuchi Mayuri's calculations. That's why Candice did not plan to make any compromise for the task she was assigned to. "Incapacitate the Fullbringer and then secure him." As a Quincy, Candice had always fought against Hollows or Shinigami, however she knew next to nothing about the existence of Fullbringers. She felt as though Lil had told her something about them before, but after all, determining that they were a very small group of gifted individuals who weren't even hostile forces, she didn't pay enough attention to the topic. Nevertheless, Candice had no intention of being regretful of that. This is because she strongly prides herself on the idea that no matter what kind of foe, they would all fail to to keep up with her lightning strikes, nor could they even hope to ward off such an attack. Be that as it may, that pride was once smashed to pieces during the war with the Shinigami, beginning with Kurosaki Ichigo. ---- But it was precisely for this reason, that when her first arrow was repelled and sent flying by that big sword, her limit which was known as being short-tempered, was easily sidestepped. And then, utilising a transfer technique which employed the use of shadows characteristic of the "Wandenreich" and derived from the 'equipment' Mayuri had prepared, she was able to throw an extra large bolt of lightning at point-blank range towards her targets. Although her might has significantly weakened now that she has lost the power of her Vollständig, the blow from her "Electrocution" still far surpasses any lightning in the realm of nature. Kurotsuchi Mayuri who was observing the lightning strike from a fair distance away, shook his head whilst his eyes narrowed. "Oh for crying out loud, apparently the meaning of words 'Securing a target' has not been properly conveyed." The lightning strike was unleashed with the intention of completely reducing her opponents to burnt cinders. As a thunderous noise that tore through the very space itself reached his ears after a few seconds of delay, Mayuri released a sigh with a blank expression on his face. "I don't remember preserving her so haphazardly to the point where her brain tissue would be made to decay." At Mayuri's back, the throaty voice of a man could be heard. "I told y~o~u so, didn't I? I said that tomboy seems to lack refinement, and therefore she's not suited to this kind of delicate operation…" "Who permitted you to speak?" Without turning his face to look, Mayuri pushed a button in one of his hands whereupon the crackling sound of an electric shock came from behind him, corresponding with that, the shrieks of a few men and women resounded through the air. "Hmph…in the presence of ultimate beauty, this amount of lightning is practically a spotlight for me!" "Argh… quit making any more noise! Why must we all be implicated and receive an electric shock!" "Perhaps it's better to ask, why the all-important Charlotte is jumping around with so much health and vitality!" "He increased the strength just when I thought I was steadily getting used to this…" Four people characterised by white garments and scars on their bodies, each sang their own praises or let slip words of complaint. Charlotte Chuhlhourne. Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio. Cirucci Sanderwicci. Luppi Antenor. They are powerful members of the "Arrancar" who would not normally exist in Soul Society. Treated as deceased and brought back to life in the Department of Research and Development long before Candice and the others, they were forced to serve as members of the "Kurotsuchi Corpse Unit" which simultaneously held elements of being both a test subject and a hunting dog. In the end, Dordoni and Cirucci who were well prepared to accept jobs in the form of a contract, have not yet lost heart for the sake of their own objectives, Luppi has half abandoned hope and accepted the state of affairs around him, and Charlotte seems to enjoy his current situation to a certain extent, each had varying agendas. "What's more, was it really necessary for us to come along on this trip?" At Dordoni's query, Mayuri uttered his reply in a detached manner and without averting his eyes from the lightning.

"You will be a sort of suppression device in the event of a malfunction with the Quincy specimens. Haven't I effectively communicated to you my benevolent mercy which is allowing you to breath in the outside air this very moment?" "If you merely want to suppress them, you can use the electric shocks and poisons you're so proud of." "Hey wait, quit provoking him. What's to be done if we receive electric shocks by being implicated again?" Cirucci muttered idle complaints and Luppi rebuked her for it, meanwhile Charlotte struck an enigmatic pose in a spot that was a little further away. "Anyway, what happened to the promise of letting me meet up with that orange-haired niño?" At Dordoni's words, a bored looking Mayuri gave a shrug of his shoulders as he replied. "I'm going to bring you along to the next best thing. After all, the target to be captured this time, was a substitute Shinigami same as that Kurosaki Ichigo… a man who lost his life by suffering a defeat at the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo." Hearing those words, Dordoni's facial expression became tense. "Woah… he actually killed a fellow human being rather than a Hollow like us, has he cast aside that innocent nature of his? If that's the case, I suppose I can't call him ‘niño’ anymore." "He's quite an extraordinary specimen, for a human. Moreover, he is also the man that once cut down the Quincy Ishida Uryū." Then, Cirucci who appeared to be uninterested until just now, raised her voice. "Huh!? Just a minute, stop screwing around! You don't mean to tell me that irritating Quincy four-eyes, was easily knocked down by that nobody over there!?" "Oh, and if it's true, then that fact alone would be proof enough that he's not a simple 'nobody'. Well, that's precisely why I ordered the Quincy corpses to recover him this time." In response to Mayuri who continued with his observations, Luppi mutters something as if speaking to himself whilst looking in the direction of the flash of light which gleamed brightly. "Recover you say, at this rate there's probably nothing left of them by now." However, there was no sign of anxiety on Mayuri's face. "…Interesting." "Huh? …What is, that?" And finally, the smoke that rose up from the scene and the afterglow that was scorched into the back of their eyelids simultaneously began to fade, watching what materialised within their field of vision ---- every member of the corpse unit including Luppi, widened their eyes. Whilst smiling in content, Mayuri compared the data streaming in from his observation mechanism with the spectacle before him. "If that is part of the power of his 'Fullbring', then I am truly intrigued."