Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Hikifune Kirio’s Invitation

A month later, Nanatsuki received an unexpected invitation.

A Shinigami from the 12th Division arrived with a message fromHikifune Kirio.

"Hikifune-taichō invited me to the 12th Division as a guest?" Nanatsuki was a little surprised to receive an invitation from Hikifune Kirio.

They’d only met once or twice—hardly enough to call each other familiar.

"Yes. The captain invites Katori-sensei to the 12th Division to enjoy some fine cuisine," the Shinigami confirmed with a nod.

"If it’s an invitation from Captain Hikifune, then it would be rude to refuse." Nanatsuki hadn’t expected Hikifune Kirio to be so warm—inviting him over to enjoy food.

Nanatsuki followed the division member to the 12th Division.

At this point in time, the 12th Division had not yet been transformed into theDepartment of Research and Development, and it lacked the futuristic feel it would have in the future.

Still, there was already a technical research division here, andShutara Senjumaruhad once been part of it.

The Shinigami led Nanatsuki to the squad barracks. There, in an open courtyard, he sawHikifune Kirio.

Her appearance caught Nanatsuki off guard.

She had... gained weight.

The last time they met, Hikifune Kirio had been quite slender.

Now, she had clearly entered the "slightly chubby" category.

Thanks to his memories from his previous life, Nanatsuki understood exactly what this change meant.

Hikifune Kirio’s weight gain was actually the result ofstockpiling Reiatsu!

"Captain Hikifune, your Reiatsu feels strange. Has theTemporary Soultechnique been perfected?" Nanatsuki asked.

This technique was something he also held in high regard.

Hikifune Kirio’sTemporary Soultechnique was a method that involved creating temporary souls and placing them into biological hosts.

It was fundamentally different from theReishi Shelltechnique, which still relied on other Shinigami’s Reishi as a base to form a Reishi body.

But the souls created this way weren’t complete. They had fundamental flaws, showing violent tendencies and an inability to grow. The difference between them and normal spiritual beings was massive.

TheTemporary Soultechnique, however, was different. It was the foundation for what would become theMod-soulandArtificial Bodytechniques in the future.

It had the potential to create complete souls.

Nanatsuki even believed it could one day affect the balance of souls across all three realms.

But for now, theTemporary Soultechnique was still in its infancy. It wouldn’t be until the era ofMayuri Kurotsuchithat a full soul could be generated from Reishi.

"Oh? You know about that, Katori-kun?" Hikifune Kirio blinked in surprise.

"I heard about it from Batsu’unsai," Nanatsuki replied with a nod.

Tenjirō Kirinjihad once toldKatori Batsu’unsaithat Hikifune Kirio’sTemporary Soulresearch might eventually help her solve the issue with herSpiritual Pressure Core.

"TheTemporary Soultechnique isn’t quite at the stage where it can produce complete souls yet, but it’s already proving useful in some applications." Hikifune Kirio gave Nanatsuki a hearty pat on the shoulder. "All thanks to thatReiatsu-Converging pillyou made. It gave me the inspiration I needed to refine the technique!"

The last timeTenjirō Kirinjimade the oversized Reiatsu-Storing Pill, it was done in Hikifune Kirio’s lab. She had personally witnessed the process.

Nanatsuki blinked. It seemed his Reiatsu-Converging pillhad helped Hikifune Kirio accelerate the refinement of theTemporary Soultechnique.

"That’s why I’m going to cook you a big meal today to thank you!" Hikifune Kirio laughed cheerfully.

Hikifune Kirio’s cooking!

Nanatsuki was excited—after all, she had gained weight.

This meant she had stockpiled Reiatsu using theTemporary Soultechnique—and this Reiatsu could be infused into food during cooking.

Eating her food could boost Reiatsu!

It was one of the rare ways in theSoul Societyto improve Reiatsu without side effects.

Even though Hikifune Kirio wasn’t large enough to obscure her facial features yet—so the effect wouldn’t be as exaggerated as whenKurosaki Ichigoate in theRoyal Realm—it was still something Nanatsuki could look forward to.

Hikifune Kirio brought Nanatsuki into a dining room and got right to work.

Her cooking speed was impressive—within half an hour, she had laid out over a dozen dishes.

By the time she was done, she had shedthirty pounds, slimming back down from slightly chubby to slender.

"Katori-kun, dig in! Make sure to eat it all~" Hikifune Kirio said warmly.

"Thanks for the meal!" Nanatsuki couldn’t wait to dive in.

Hikifune Kirio’s culinary skills were on par with his own. Other than his own dishes, this was the first time he’d tasted cooking of this caliber in the Soul Society.

Nanatsuki quickly devoured everything on the table. Rubbing his stuffed belly, he sighed contentedly. "Captain Hikifune’s cooking is incredible!"

Hikifune Kirio smiled. "I heard Katori-kun is also quite the chef. I hope I’ll get to taste your cooking someday."

Nanatsuki could already feel his Reiatsu rapidly growing inside him.

He glanced at hisStatus Interface—his Reiatsu level was jumping wildly.

84... 85... 88!

Hikifune Kirio’s cooking had raised his Reiatsu level directly from 84 to 88!

"Next time, I’ll have to invite Captain Hikifune to visit theKatori-ryu Dojo." Nanatsuki paused. "I really do feel like my Reiatsu’s grown significantly."

He released his Reiatsu.

"This is an application of theTemporary Soultechnique. I infused the Reiatsu I had stored into the food while cooking, so you absorbed it by eating," Hikifune Kirio explained, sensing his spiritual pressure. She was astonished. "Katori-kun... your Reiatsu is already close to captain level."

"It’s all thanks to you, Captain Hikifune," Nanatsuki replied gratefully.

"I should be the one thanking you—for the inspiration your pill gave me." Hikifune Kirio chuckled. "Without that spark, I never would’ve been able to refine theTemporary Soultechnique this quickly."

After the meal, Hikifune Kirio gave Nanatsuki a tour of her lab.

There weren’t many researchers—only eight worked there.

One of them caught Nanatsuki’s eye—a young man with light blond hair.

[Urahara Kisuke]

[Talent: SS]

[Reiatsu: 75]

[Reputation Level: Stranger]

Urahara Kisuke’stalent was SS?!

In terms of combat potential, he was inferior toGenryūsai Shigekuni YamamotoandAizen Sōsuke.

Clearly, he had reached SS status thanks to his brilliant mind.

"Katori-kun, you created the Reiatsu-Storing Pill, right? That shows you’ve got real talent for R&D too," Hikifune Kirio said with a smile. "My lab could really use someone like you."

Her words stirred something inside Nanatsuki.

Hikifune Kirio had refined theTemporary Soultechnique ahead of schedule.

According to his memories from his past life, it was this invention that led to her promotion to theRoyal Guard.

Which meant she was very likely to be promotedearly!

That would leave the captain seat of the 12th Division open.

Nanatsuki was tempted.

Urahara Kisuke hadn’t reached captain level yet. In fact, it was entirely possible that even after Nanatsuki reached captain-level, Urahara still wouldn’t be there.

If Nanatsuki made a move now, he had a real shot at becoming the 12th Division’s next captain before Urahara Kisuke.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com