Chapter 370: BSUS - 373: A Very Bizarre Atmosphere

At first glance, the Espada present had split into four groups, corresponding to the Urahara Shop, Ichigo, Inoue, and Ishida.

Among them were three Arrancar—Grimmjow, Yammy, and Luppi, who had initially moved together. They appeared closest to the Urahara Shop, making it seem like their primary target.

Judging by the numbers, the Urahara Shop was the focal point of their offensive. However, not only was Chad the only one there, but Grimmjow hadn’t even paused for a minute before breaking off from the group on his own, heading straight for the restless Ichigo.

Whether looking at the strategic importance of the targets or the enemy’s level of focus, nothing inside the Urahara Shop seemed like Aizen’s true objective. It was merely a decoy.

Where there was one decoy, there would be a second and a third. At the same time, the true, heavily concealed prey naturally began to draw attention.

The real killing blow likely lay with the two Arrancar who had yet to show themselves. But would they suddenly appear as reinforcements, or did they have another target entirely? Hiroe and Urahara weren’t the only ones who wanted to know the answer.

Outside the somewhat dilapidated Urahara Shop, a girl with beautiful lake-green hair suddenly paid a visit. She calmly surveyed her surroundings, a hint of anticipation flashing in her golden-green eyes.

Atop the girl’s head sat a terrifying skull mask, but even so, if anyone could see her, they wouldn’t associate her with anything frightening.

However, those who *could* truly see her naturally understood the meaning behind that skull mask. Take Jinta, for example, who was trembling as he gripped a baseball bat while peering through the crack in the door. *Arrancar. Espada.* Just those two words representing her identity were enough to make his heart pound with dread.

Therefore, when identities and opposing stances became a matter of habit, hostility had nothing to do with emotion or behavior.

Through the gap, the girl also spotted the eyes flickering behind the door. She narrowed her eyes and smiled as if to express goodwill, completely unaware that such goodwill was even more terrifying!

"She’s coming over!" Jinta exclaimed, falling back onto his rear. Feeling Ururu’s slender legs behind him, he mustered his courage and said with a trembling voice, "D-don’t be afraid! I-I-I’ll protect you!"

"But, she doesn’t have any killing intent," Ururu replied rather cutely. "I don’t think she means any harm, Jinta."

"Ururu, you idiot! She’s an Arrancar, and the most, most, *most* terrifying of them all—an Espada! How could she not mean any harm? Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Jinta waved his hands, lecturing the clueless Ururu while occasionally checking the situation outside. His comical display actually made Ururu burst into laughter.

"Stop messing around, you two! Go hide in the back and be good!" Tsukabishi Tessai, who had been left in charge of the shop, grabbed the two little ones, one in each hand, and tossed them toward the back.

Ururu’s intuition was always spot on. Not only could Tessai sense it, but even Chad, who was still in the middle of his training, knew that the Arrancar at the door harbored no killing intent.

Even so, it still wasn’t enough to put anyone at ease. There were many people in this world who could perfectly conceal their killing intent. Without looking too far, Urahara, Hiroe, and Yoruichi could all do it.

It was even more exaggerated with someone like Aizen. Even if he were actually killing you, you might not feel any killing intent. To someone like him, there was no real difference between killing and not killing. Swing the blade a little harder, and he kills; a little lighter, and he doesn’t. There was absolutely no need for him to specifically think about whether his next strike would be heavy or light.

But generally speaking, a person who could smile and act like nothing was wrong right before killing their own kind was usually no simple character. In terms of sheer danger, this Espada before them was probably more terrifying than the three the shop manager and the others were facing combined.

"Let me go out, Mr. Tsukabishi!" Chad couldn’t sit still any longer. Clenching his fists, he volunteered to fight.

Tessai glanced back at him and replied bluntly, "The manager said that no matter what happens outside, you are to stay right here."

"I’m already capable of fighting. Over the past month..."

"You’ve worked very hard this past month. The manager and the rest of us have seen it. Because of that, we know your current physical condition better than anyone. This isn’t about protecting you; it’s just a fact. You are not fit to fight right now."

Over the past month, Chad had barely had a moment to catch his breath, aside from when he collapsed from exhaustion. His body hadn’t returned to its peak condition for even a second.

Training like this was unreasonable, but for the stubborn Chad, stopping the guilt and self-condemnation over his own perceived incompetence was the most important thing.

Unlike Ichigo, who could grow rapidly just by controlling his Hollowfication, Chad could only take it one step at a time, using endless sweat to feel and prove that he was getting stronger.

Muscles grew stronger through continuous ’damage’ and recovery. Sometimes, the resilience of a heart worked in much the same way. Therefore, even though it was unreasonable, both Hiroe and Urahara had tacitly allowed Chad’s reckless behavior.

Of course, this indulgence had its limits, just like right now. Whether considering a better offensive and defensive strategy or Chad’s own safety, letting him leave the Urahara Shop was out of the question.

"But!" Chad tried to argue, but he only managed a single word before Tessai shut him down. "Leave the outside to me."

"Mr. Tsukabishi..."

"I’ll go out with you, Tessai!" Jinta seemed to have caught Tessai’s infectious resolve. He slammed his baseball bat down, actually poking a hole straight through the floorboards. "We’ll show that bastard outside a thing or two together!"

"Just me, not you!"

As Tessai spoke, he untied the apron he seemed to never take off. "Before leaving the Seireitei, I was the Grand Kidō Chief of the Kidō Corps, after all. I won’t go down that easily."

"But if I do fall, I’m leaving this place entirely in your hands, Chad." Tessai turned back with a solemn expression, meeting Jinta’s displeased face. Before the boy could start chattering, he quickly added, "And Jinta, I’ll be leaving our home to you guys then, alright?"

"Of course, no problem! But, I’m not getting all worked up because I think you definitely can’t stop her..." Jinta babbled a couple of sentences before giving up on explaining altogether. Clenching his fists, he said fiercely, "Just don’t worry about it, Tessai!"

Tessai nodded, his gaze shifting to Chad, who seemed to be struggling internally.

"I will protect this place well, but I won’t let anything happen to you either," Chad said earnestly. He was always very earnest.

"Then I’ll entrust myself to you as well. That puts my mind at ease."

Tessai looked very serious, and he truly was. If you had already fallen, even the slimmest glimmer of hope was still hope. And as long as it was hope, it was worth trusting.

The somewhat old wooden door slowly slid open. Compared to the heavy atmosphere inside, the autumn breeze blowing through the street outside was actually quite refreshing. Aside from the lack of people, everything else seemed exactly the same as usual—including the girl standing not too far away.

The atmosphere was a bit bizarre...

"I’m sorry, but our shop is closed today. We are not open to the public."

*I had to say something,* Tessai thought to himself.

"Oh, um, I wasn’t trying to barge in!" the girl quickly said, waving her hands. Her voice was very pleasant, and her attitude was even better than some high school girls. Of course, high school girls rarely visited the Urahara Shop anyway.

The atmosphere grew even more bizarre...

The tension in Tessai’s heart, which had spiked when the girl raised her hands, slowly relaxed. Before he could ask anything else, the girl spoke up first. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Chōzuka Hiroe?"

*She’s looking for Chōzuka?* Tessai couldn’t help but frown. He was one of the people who knew part of the truth—that Hiroe had some personnel in Hueco Mundo. Could this be one of them?

"And you are?"

"I am the 3rd Espada of Las Noches. My name is Neliel Tu Oderschvank, but you can just call me Nel. You must be Mr. Chōzuka Hiroe, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you!"

Tessai swore he had almost blasted her with a Hadō just now. It was like opening your door first thing in the morning to find a tiger lying on your porch. You startled it, and you could even count how many teeth it had, but in the end, it just stuck out its tongue, gave you a lick, and affectionately rubbed its head against you. It was probably a tiger possessed by a cat.

*You’re an Espada, and the 3rd Espada at that—a title that instantly puts people on guard—yet you’re actually bowing properly and greeting people? You’re going to scare someone to death without even trying.*

Nel didn’t seem to understand how much pressure her actions were putting on others. She looked up at Tessai, who was patting his chest, and gave a sweet smile. "You’re a bit different from what I imagined, Mr. Chōzuka."

"I am not Chōzuka Hiroe."

"Oh..." The smile on Nel’s face gradually froze.

The atmosphere was very bizarre!