Death: No cheats, take refuge in Aizen

Chapter 188 186. Unexpected People

"Is this all you know?"

Sitting in the lobby of Koizumi Izakaya, Higashino Hideichi took a sip of ice crystal bellflower and looked at Rukia in front of him and said.

"Yes, Master Hideichi, I just asked my colleagues in the izakaya, and they only know this."

Rukia said timidly.

This was the first thing Higashino Hideichi did after he agreed to help her meet her sister, and Rukia naturally associated it with a test.

But the answers she gave for this test paper were very poor.

Except that Ukitake Sasama was a Shinigami of the 10th Division and a lower-level noble, she knew nothing.

The same was true for other colleagues in the izakaya.

For guests like Ukitake Sasama who usually didn't make trouble in the izakaya and didn't have any special fetishes, they really didn't have any special impression.

Not to mention asking for information about Ukitake Sasama and others.

But this made Higashino Hideichi feel puzzled.

Because according to the investigation reported by Kisaragi Hideki, Ukitake Sasama and his friends who are still missing are a group of "office workers" with similar interests. Their daily life trajectory is to go to work on time and get off work on time. Apart from often gathering together in this izakaya, they have no other hobbies.

If they didn't offend someone in this izakaya, then they couldn't be targeted by coincidence, right?

Higashino Hideichi didn't believe this kind of thing, because Ukitake Sasama was killed after he issued a warning to the guards of the south gate of Seireitei.

For ordinary non-premeditated crimes, there is no need to take such a big risk. In a situation where the god of death may come to check the situation at any time, he still chose to kill Ukitake Sasama.

Especially since this is Soul Society, not the real world, Higashino Hideichi has reason to believe that someone who has the ability and full confidence to kill Ukitake Sasama, a member of the 10th Division, before the guards of the South Gate react, must be able to take away Ukitake Sasama's body, thereby delaying the exposure of the matter.

But that person did not do so.

This is enough to show that the person has his own considerations.

So, no matter what the purpose is for doing so, it is enough to show that Ukitake Sasama and his friends are definitely not targeted temporarily.

But now, according to Rukia, Ukitake Sasama and his friends behaved very normally in the izakaya, so what is the reason why the person who killed Ukitake Sasama targeted Ukitake Sasama?

"Master Shuichi, I remember that the man named Ukitake Sasama seems to have a few friends in our izakaya. I can ask them for you!" Seeing Higashino Shuichi's embarrassment, Rukia thought that he was pointing at her for not working hard enough, so after racking her brains to recall, she volunteered to Higashino Shuichi. "Does he have other friends here?" Higashino Shuichi asked. This is information he has never mastered. Isn't it said that Ukitake Sasama and his friends are all a group of introverts? Can you make new friends in such a place? Then after listening to Rukia's explanation, Higashino Shuichi's mouth twitched a little. No, Rukia, the definition of a friend is not that you can just chat with a stranger for a few words and then you are a friend. Higashino Shuichi was a little overwhelmed. In fact, according to the time, Rukia should be quite old, at least in her teens or twenties, right? Compared to the long life of the god of death, just being like a child doesn't mean you are really an ignorant little girl!

Forget it, Higashino Hideichi doesn't intend to discourage Rukia's enthusiasm, so he just lets her work hard.

In fact, if this matter really needs to be dealt with, as long as Higashino Hideichi can produce the alibis of Matsumoto Rangiku, Kisaragi Hideki, and Nagasawa Satomi at the time of the crime, it will be fine. For the current rules of the Soul Society, proving innocence is actually very simple, and most people also recognize this, and they won't even go into the deep rationality.

However, Tsunayashiro Tokinada's attitude makes Higashino Hideichi always feel that there is something fishy about it.

No matter how much he despises Tsunayashiro Tokinada, Higashino Hideichi still has to admit that the latter's vision is a little bit.

Therefore, Higashino Hideichi stood up and didn't intend to continue wasting his time in this izakaya. Since he couldn't figure out some things for a while, he didn't force it.

Higashino Hideichi himself didn't have any mental cleanliness that required him to do everything himself. He could just go to Aizen Sosuke and find something for him to do.

As for Rukia, there was no need to wait for her to finish asking.

Because through Rukia's description, Higashino Hideichi already knew that they were just a group of strangers who had a brief exchange with Ukitake Sasama. What useful information could those people have?

Higashino Hideichi planned to tell the other waiters in the pub and let them tell Rukia that they had left.

However, just as Higashino Hideichi walked to the door and was about to push open the curtain, the door of the private room in the corner was opened, and Rukia retreated from inside while saying sorry.

Of course, this is not the point. The point is that after missing Lucia's figure, Higashino Shuichi saw a familiar figure that should not appear here.

"Why is he here?"

Higashino Shuichi thought in confusion.

Then he took back the hand that pushed the door curtain away.

What's the best way to resolve confusion?

Higashino replied, face it.

So Hideyoshi Higashino walked straight to that room.

"Mr. Xiuyi? Why are you here? No, it can't be done, Mr. Xiuyi! This private room has been reserved by that guest."

Lucia was surprised at first when she saw Higashino Hideichi walking over. Then, after realizing that Higashino Hideo had passed her over and was targeting the private room, she immediately nervously tried to stop him.

Let other guests break into the private room without permission. If there is a conflict, she will not be able to get the job at the izakaya afterwards.

But how could Rukia move faster than Higashino Shuichi?

"There's no room outside. I happened to see that your place was quite empty, so I came in on my own initiative. You wouldn't mind, right?"

Ichimaru Gin. Captain~"

Hideyoshi Higashino came directly to sit opposite the silver-haired man in the private room and said with a smile.

"Of course I won't mind. In fact, this position is reserved for you, show off your sword and hunt skills~"

Ichimaru Gin didn't seem to be surprised at all by Higashino Shuichi's arrival. He narrowed his eyes and said with his usual snake-like smile.

As everyone knows, at the door, Rukia, who was still preparing to apologize to Ichimaru Gin for Higashino Shuichi's sudden intrusion, went numb after hearing the two people in the room calling each other.

She is no longer the ignorant little girl who was still living in District 78. After coming to District 1 of Minami Rukongai for nearly a year with Renji Abarai, Lu Qi Ya is already very aware of the existence of those Shinigami, and even more aware of what the word captain means in Soul Society and among the Shinigami.

Not everyone can be called captain.

As for Daito Karicho, let alone that. Thanks to the tireless propaganda campaign of the Tsunayashiro family after Higashino Shuichi's return, who in Soul Society now doesn't know that there is a Kazuo in the Seireitei? What about the Sword Hunters that the Gotei 13th Division can't deal with?

Rukia even heard that many of the big villains in the four major Rukongai areas were clamoring to join the Sword Hunters and fight against the Shinigami of the Gotei 13th Division!

As the captain of the Sword Hunters, the title of Chief of the Sword Hunters is naturally not something anyone is qualified to accept.

And now, what did Lucia hear?

Without Higashino Shuichi's reminder, Rukia immediately slammed the door shut.

"This must be a dream, yes, I am dreaming, otherwise why would there be news about my sister who has been missing for so long?

Otherwise, why would a Shinigami captain and a famous sword hunter leader come to this small izakaya where I am? "

Lucia leaned against the door, one hand covering her flat chest that seemed to be stalling, and whispered.

But it was obvious from her trembling body that even she did not believe the lies she had just instilled in herself.

"So what was I doing just now? Worrying about a big shot like Captain Death?"

Rukia felt that after returning from get off work today, even if she told Renji everything about tonight's encounter verbatim, the latter might not believe it.

But Rukia soon realized that her worries were not unnecessary, because didn't everyone say that the Sword Hunters were going to fight against the Gotei 13th Division?

So when the boss of Tokari Cho meets alone with the captain of the Gotei 13th Division, what kind of sparks will arise between these two people?

Lucia swallowed. She found it difficult to imagine that scene with her poor imagination.

The worst-case scenario would probably be to burn their izakaya to the ground, right?

No matter how rough the house was outside, the atmosphere inside the house was always weird. It was like this from the moment Higashino sat down and the door was closed by Rukia.

"Leave it to me? Let me just believe it~

So can I ask Captain Gin Ichimaru a question? Why did you know I was coming? We shouldn't have made an appointment beforehand, right? "

Higashino Shuichi took a wine glass and placed it in front of him and said.

"Then you better not believe it, Chief Xiu Da Da Da Dao, but it would be an honor for me to have you come and have a drink with me. At least, this should be considered the beginning of the misunderstanding between us?"

Ichimaru Gin poured half a cup for Higashino Shuichi in cooperation and said.

Although Ichimaru Gin had planned a few months ago to patch up what happened to him in front of Higashino Shuichi, Higashino Shuichi only showed a relaxed expression in front of the captains on that day. , and did not make any more promises, let alone take the initiative to settle the feud with Ichimaru Gin later.

Therefore, Ichimaru Gin's words may not contain some of his true thoughts.

But, there is only one point.

At least from Ichimaru Gin's tone, Higashino Shuichi did not hear the slightest idea that he wanted to ease up with him.

Because when Ichimaru Gin did that, he just wanted to make it easier for him to ask Higashino Shuichi about Matsumoto Rangiku.

Now that Matsumoto Rangiku has returned, the misunderstanding between him and Higashino Shuichi has become irrelevant.

"Misunderstanding? Is there any misunderstanding between us?"

Higashino replied with a smile.

This sentence, in the current context, can be interpreted in two completely different ways.

One is that Higashino Shuichi believed Ichimaru Gin's previous explanation and chose to believe that Ichimaru Gin was framed, so by saying this now, he is giving himself a step down, that is, settling the old feud with Ichimaru Gin;

The second is that Higashino Shuichi didn't believe Ichimaru Gin's lies at all. Ichimaru Gin's misleading that day had no effect on Higashino Shuichi. Higashino Shuichi always insisted that Ichimaru Gin was the culprit that year, so the relationship between the two , there is no misunderstanding, it is all true feelings.

How to understand it specifically? Higashino Shuichi left the choice in the hands of Ichimaru Gin.

"Well, it tastes delicious~ Is this the ice crystal platycodon?"

Hideno Hide took a sip of the wine in his glass and let out a sigh.

"Yes, it's the Ice Crystal Platycodon. Speaking of which, Hidetada Sword Hunter, you are here just to investigate the murder of a nobleman two days ago, right?"

Ichimaru Gin is also a smart man. He knows that he can never answer this kind of question. Before Higashino Shuichi fully expresses his attitude, no matter which answer he answers, it will be extremely detrimental to him, so Ichimaru Gin chose to change the topic.

However, this way of changing the topic is a little bit blunt. Fortunately, Higashino Shuichi has received professional training.

"Then what else? Why would I suddenly visit this izakaya in Rukongai?

You can’t, like you, right? "

Higashino Shuichi is still pulling.

But Gin Ichimaru turned a blind eye;

"Then I have a little bit of information collected here. I hope it can help Xiu Da Da Dao hunter. This is my answer, how about it?"

Higashino Shuichi looked at the booklet handed over by Ichimaru Gin. It contained some contents recorded by Ichimaru Gin with a pen. This could not be temporarily forged.

So, Ichimaru Gin is also investigating this izakaya?

That would be really interesting

Ichimaru Gin's identity, doesn't he Higashino Shuichi still know?

For Ichimaru Gin to investigate, it was either because of Aizen's instructions, or because this izakaya was related to Aizen.

However, considering that Ichimaru Gin has always adhered to the principle of killing Aizen himself, even if this matter seemed to be in line with Aizen's style of behavior, Higashino Shuichi automatically ruled out the latter.

If it was really related to Aizen, then Ichimaru Gin would never be able to share the information so generously.

So the answer is obvious. It was Aizen who instructed Ichimaru Gin to come over to investigate.

What happened that even Aizen was alarmed?

Higashino Shuichi discovered that behind this incident, it was not that simple.

It’s no wonder that even Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who may have seen some of the original events through the movie theater, found it interesting.

Higashino Shuichi felt that it seemed that he had to find a way to meet Aizen tonight, otherwise he would not be able to sleep well.