Death: Captain Millennium

Chapter 122 Urahara Kisuke’s Suspicion

Inside Urahara's shop, Urahara Kisuke, Hirako Mako, and the rest of the group are absorbed in the shocking news brought by Kurosaki Isshin, trying to comprehend its meaning.

"You mean... Lin Yu is still alive?" Kurosaki Isshin's words were like thunder, causing everyone present to stare with wide eyes and astonishment. Although Urahara Kisuke and the others had speculated that Lin Yu might not be dead, that was only a possibility. Now that they knew he was indeed still alive, it was simply unbelievable.

"How is he doing now?" Mako Hirako asked impatiently, her voice full of anxiety and anticipation.

Isshin touched his chin with a puzzled expression: "He seems to have become an ordinary person now. I didn't detect any fluctuations in spiritual pressure from him."

Urahara Kisuke raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where did you meet him?"

Isshin recalled, "He's now the Dean of Studies at Karakura Town's First High School. He and Ichigo had some friction a while ago, and Ichigo even said he felt strangely familiar with him. Later, I went to the school to find out who the Dean of Studies was, and I discovered he was Lin Yu. However, he said he's now called Ling Yu."

Urahara Kisuke frowned and fell into deep thought: "Lingyu... is there any difference in this name?"

Isshin shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe it's just nonsense. He also denied that he had met Ichigo before, and he also refused to admit that it was those two masked men who saved him. He insisted that he was the only one who woke up, and there was no one else."

Urahara Kisuke frowned, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Hmm... This is a bit strange. Does he have some unspeakable secret? Or does he have other motives?"

Yixin shook his head helplessly: "I don't know, but he doesn't seem to want to talk about this topic. We can't get any more information from him."

Urahara Kisuke nodded: "Okay, let's put this matter aside for now. Do you find anything else suspicious?"

Isshin rubbed his chin, "Oh, that's right! Masaki is now a Shinigami."

Hearing this, Urahara Kisuke and the others showed surprised expressions.

"What? Masaki turned into a Shinigami? How is that possible? Isn't she just a normal person now?"

"That's right. My house was attacked by a Hollow a few days ago, and Masaki was almost swallowed by the Hollow. But at the critical moment, she suddenly turned into the Grim Reaper and killed the Hollow." Isshin explained.

Kenshi Muguruma widened his eyes and looked at Isshin Kurosaki in disbelief: "Isshin, are you kidding? How could an ordinary person who has lost the power of a Quincy suddenly become a Shinigami?" He thought this was simply a fairy tale.

"I'm not kidding. This is what Masaki told me herself. She said that after she lost the power of the Quincy nine years ago, she suddenly became a Shinigami. As for the reason, she herself doesn't know. Perhaps, it was the power of the Shinigami that I infused into her body that played a role." Kurosaki Isshin explained.

Everyone fell silent, their hearts filled with confusion and bewilderment. Urahara Kisuke excitedly exclaimed, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" As the originator of this method, he knew its effects all too well. Kurosaki Isshin's entire spiritual pressure had been used to negate Kyohaku's power; it was impossible for Masaki to become a Shinigami. There had to be something else going on here that they didn't know about.

"Isshin-san, could you please let Ms. Masaki come over for a moment? I have some questions to ask her." Urahara Kisuke said anxiously.

Kurosaki Isshin nodded, took out his phone and called Masaki. Not long after, Masaki arrived at Urahara's shop.

Urahara Kisuke got straight to the point: "Ms. Masaki, may I ask how you became a Shinigami?"

Masaki recalled for a moment and answered truthfully, "That year, I went to pick up Ichigo from school and was attacked by a Hollow. When I was in danger of death, I felt a powerful force surge in my heart, and then I inexplicably turned into a Shinigami."

After saying this, Masaki looked at Urahara Kisuke anxiously, trying to recall if there were any flaws in what she had just said. After all, it was Lin Yu who had truly turned her into a Shinigami, not the remaining Shinigami power that she had mentioned, Isshin.

Seeing Urahara Kisuke's frown, Masaki asked again with a guilty conscience: "Is there a problem, Mr. Kisuke?"

Urahara Kisuke fell into deep thought. He felt something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Then, he became acutely aware of the spiritual pressure emanating from Masaki, which seemed purer and more powerful than that of an average Shinigami. This only intensified his suspicions.

"You mean you were with Ichigo when you became a Shinigami? So, did Ichigo know about this?"

"Yes, Masaki, Ichigo never mentioned this to us."

Faced with Urahara Kisuke and Isshin's questions, Masaki's heartbeat quickened and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. But she quickly calmed down and made up a seemingly reasonable explanation: "Ichigo seemed to have fainted at that time, so he didn't see the moment I turned into a Shinigami."

The thoughtful Urahara Kisuke then thought of Ichigo Kurosaki saying that he seemed to have seen Lin Yu when he was a child, and suddenly had a bold hypothesis: "What do you think, could this be Lin Yu's doing? This would explain why Masaki became a Shinigami, and also explain Ichigo's familiarity with Lin Yu."

Kurosaki Isshin shook his head after hearing this: "But I didn't sense any fluctuations in spiritual pressure from Lin Yu."

Yoruichi licked his paws and said, "Isshin, you are just an ordinary person now. Can you confirm whether he used some method to hide his spiritual pressure?"

Kurosaki thought about it for a moment and didn't deny the possibility.

Masaki tried to calm herself down. Urahara Kisuke's suspicions were all true. It was all related to Lin Yu. She silently prayed that Captain Lin Yu would be saved. She could no longer offer any help, and saying more would only expose her.

"If that's the case, then things become complicated." Urahara Kisuke said solemnly, "What exactly is Lin Yu's purpose? Why did he want Masaki to become a Shinigami? And he deliberately concealed this matter..."

"No matter what, we must find Lin Yu first and find out the truth." Hei Qi Yixin clenched his fists.

At this moment, Masaki was in a state of deep conflict, not knowing whether she should continue to conceal the truth. On the one hand, she was worried about Lin Yu's safety; on the other hand, she was afraid that telling the truth would cause more trouble.

After a moment of silence, Masaki decided to remain silent for the time being, hoping to find a solution to the problem in her own way.