CH 114: VISORED
“Welcome! Welcome! Satoru Gojo, I presume? Happy to meet you. My name is — Kisuke Urahara.”
Giving a light bow filled with flourish, Kisuke straightened up and looked at the man he had heard so much about.
A man of legend — Satoru Gojo — in just under ten years he was breaking record after record and If he managed to become captain in the upcoming event, he would become the fastest Shinigami ever to become captain after graduating from the academy.
But if Kisuke had to say what really impressed him the most, it were the events that followed recently, the slow but steady changes of the soul society.
It wasn't perfect.
There were still many things wrong and things that would most likely never change.
Still, the man in front of him had managed to bring changes in the never-changing Soul Society.
This was why he gave a bow. It was a sign of respect towards a fellow revolutionary.
Even though the atmosphere was heavy, Gojo could understand respect when he saw it. In the same way, he couldn't help but become curious about the legend in front of him.
A man who went from a poor noble house to one of the most renowned scientists in the whole history of the Soul Society. Even to this day, the results of some of his research were used to support soldiers when on mission.
Someone who did the impossible by creating the first and only independent department of the Gotei 13.
This was why Gojo put away his usual frivolous smile and gave a light bow himself.
"I am indeed Satoru Gojo, I am happy to meet you, Kisuke Urahara."
Standing on the side, Yoruichi smiled. She had always wondered what would happen when those two unprecedented geniuses met.
She was thankfully not disappointed.
Once he was done with his bow, Gojo looked around at the people that had been observing him in silence.
"I guess I am facing the previous captains and vice-captains?"
His frivolous and easy-going smile came back in force.
He could give a bow to Kisuke because he respected the achievements of the latter but that was all.
He would never show weakness in front of people who were obviously judging and measuring him.
"You should call them Visored, the name of their team. The blonde guy with the sketchy smile on the side is Shinji Hirako, their leader."
"Ah…" Gojo gave a gentle smile, but Yoruichi suddenly felt that something bad would happen, "The guy who got done in by his own vice-captain."
"Bastard!"
'Sigh I knew this would happen.'
She facepalmed while wondering if she should stop the small blonde girl from rushing towards Gojo. But in the end, she didn't need to intervene.
"Hiyori. Calm down."
The blonde girl, Hiyori, stopped, her expression full of struggle.
"But…"
"Stop. It isn't like he is wrong. I really did get tricked by Aizen in an epic way."
'Oh!? Would you look at that?'
Gojo wasn't into gratuitous provocation. The reason he uttered those words was because he wanted to observe and understand this group known as 'Visored.'
If everything worked out well, they would become allies for a while.
But, as the Chinese say, it was better to have a powerful enemy than having a pig-like teammate.
Gojo knew that losing was always a possibility.
Still, it was one thing to lose after being outsmarted by your enemy and it was another thing because you had someone stupid guarding your back.
Clap!
Bringing his hands together, Kisuke managed to calm down the pressure that was steadily increasing.
"Come on, we are in an unprotected zone. If you guys continue to show off here, we will have a swarm of Shinigami on our ass in little time. Shall we move away?"
----
[A few minutes later]
Boom!
A fist encased itself in the wall.
"Shit! Do you believe what that guy is saying? I don't like that bastard!"
Sending a flurry of fists, Hiyori continued to pound on the wall to blow away some steam.
"Stop damaging that innocent and helpless wall. Anyway, you would have gotten thrashed if Shinji didn't stop you. You should have felt it, right?"
A tall and slim black-haired girl wearing a pair of glasses commented while reading a book with rapt attention. From afar, it seemed like a book completely normal, but they would be mistaken. After all, it was filled with erotic pictures.
Hiyori, hearing the remonstrance of Lisa, scowled but didn't deny it.
When she had been about to attack, it had only lasted for a split second, but she had felt like she was being crushed alive.
Though it hurt to admit, that guy wasn't someone she could deal with alone.
Perhaps if she used her Hollow powers…but not even she would use that power just because she didn't like someone. She might be brash, but there was a limit to it.
"His music is sublime. I can feel it in my blood. I am sure he will be a reliable ally."
On the side, another blonde man, with a french cut, added. He was scribbling music notes in his notebook while his expression was feverish as if filled with inspiration.
"Fuck! Am I the only one who finds that guy fishy? I mean, he reached that level in ten years? Are you kidding me? What if he is one of Aizen's goons?"
"Well, this is a possibility we cannot put aside. Even if he isn't with Aizen, he could also be working for Central 46. I am sure those old bastards would love to see our corpses."
A man with short silver hair and the number 69 tattooed on his chest, Kensei, was busy doing a handstand push-up as he answered.
"Well, in the end, it doesn't really matter, does it? Shinji will make the decision that will be the most helpful to us."
The others closed their mouths shut at this, expressions of trust clear on their faces.
Shinji Hirako wasn't the most charismatic guy around, but he had their full trust and they would respect whatever decision he ended up taking.
---
While the Visored were debating about the decision Shinji would end up making, the man was currently playing poker with Gojo and Kisuke in the room adjacent to them.
The atmosphere was pretty light despite what one might think and there were even some laughs, as Yoruichi, the dealer, was giving the cards.
They weren't talking about any kind of alliances or anything of the like but only simple everyday things such as their respective lives both in soul society and on earth.
Finally, when Yoruichi dealt the card, Gojo smirked as he looked at his hand.
"Well then, shall we play?"