~ Next Bonus, 100!
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"Why are you following me?"
Shin looked irritably at the little girl trailing behind him. She had green hair, a broken skull mask on her head, a red line painted across her nose, and a scar on her face.
Shin recognized her immediately.
Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, or Nel for short. The former Tercera Espada. She had been ambushed by Nnoitra Gilga, who shattered her mask, causing her to sustain heavy injuries and lose her memory. Nnoitra had then cast her out.
Harribel had since taken her place as the Tercera Espada.
Shin had found this little girl in the desert of Hueco Mundo, and she had been following him ever since.
"I... I canât find Pesche and Dondochakka. C-Can you help me, mister?"
Nel asked, her voice choked with tears. They had been playing hide-and-seek in the desert, and she couldnât find her two "brothers."
Of course, Pesche and Dondochakka were actually her former FracciĂłn. They had deliberately hidden the truth to protect her.
Nel had once been a Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar with incredible combat power. Otherwise, she wouldnât have become the Tercera Espada.
After all, Aizen chose his Espada based on strength. If Nnoitra hadnât ambushed her with the help of Szayelaporro Grantz, he never would have been able to defeat her.
Of course, Nelâs personality had also played a part. She was too naive and kind. In a peaceful world, that would be a virtue. But in Hueco Mundo, where slaughter was the law of the land, it was a liability that brought her nothing but disaster.
"You want me to help you find them? You must be joking. I donât have time for that."
Shin waved his hand. Help Nel find her friends? Was he that kind of person?
He might not be a pure villain, but he certainly wasnât a hero.
As Shin turned to walk away, Nel scrambled forward and wrapped her arms around his leg. She looked up at him, her face crumpling as she burst into tears.
Shinâs face darkened. Anyone who didnât know better would think he had bullied her. He finally just picked her up.
Once she was in his arms, Nel stopped crying, perhaps too scared to continue.
"You can follow me for now." Shin didnât wait for her to agree and simply carried her away.
Long after they had gone, two figures emerged from the sand. They were Nelâs former FracciĂłn.
Pesche and Dondochakka looked at each other.
"Was this the right thing to do?" Pesche whispered, his voice laced with doubt. "Letting that Soul Reaper take Lady Nel... What if sheâs in danger?"
"Itâs more dangerous for her to stay in Hueco Mundo. Since he didnât harm her from the start, he probably wonât do anything to her. Donât forget who he is. If heâs willing to protect Lady Nel, no one will be able to hurt her."
"Sigh, I guess this is our only choice. Our strength isnât enough to protect Lady Nel."
Thatâs right. They wanted Shin to take Nel with him.
The dangers of Hueco Mundo were too great. They didnât have the ability to protect her forever. Who knew when some Hollow would appear and devour them? Sending Nel to a safe place was the best option for them.
They knew about Shin Uzumakiâa being even the great Lord Aizen was wary of. And according to the news, he had even killed Nnoitra, the one who had harmed Lady Nel.
Of course, they had also seen that Shin had no intention of harming Nel. Otherwise, they would have come out and fought him to the death.
âThose two guys... they saw me take Nel, but they didnât try to stop me. Whatâs their game?â
Shin was a bit puzzled.
He knew they were hiding there. There was no way they could have hidden from him. If they had that kind of power, they wouldnât be struggling to survive in Hueco Mundo.
"Youâre being quite obedient," Shin said, glancing at Nel.
Though Nel wasnât particularly afraid of Shin, she was still shy around strangers. But since she couldnât find her two brothers and didnât know where to go, she could only follow Shin.
"Well, I guess Iâll take you home and raise you."
Shin opened a Garganta, left Hueco Mundo, and returned directly to the 2nd Division barracks.
The moment he arrived, Soi Fon and Yoruichi knew. They immediately rushed over and saw Nel beside Shin.
"Why did you bring a Hollow back?" Yoruichi asked, looking at Nel with confusion.
"Canât I?"
"Of course not. If that stubborn old man Yamamoto finds out, youâll be in real trouble. He probably wonât let you off the hook," Yoruichi said.
"Actually, old man Yamamoto might not be as stubborn as you think," Shin said with a smile. He doubted Yamamoto would declare him an enemy over something like this. Of course, heâd definitely be furious.
While Yamamoto could be stubborn at times, he wasnât incapable of bending the rules. In the original story, he had cooperated with Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, hadnât he? That was a clear violation of the rules.
"Still, itâs best to keep it from him if you can."
Though Shin felt Yamamoto would eventually compromise, he would undoubtedly cause him trouble first. To avoid that, Shin thought it was better if Yamamoto didnât know.
"Sheâs actually really cute. You didnât bring her back just because sheâs cute, did you?" Yoruichi asked, looking at Nel.
Indeed, the child-form Nel was very cute. Shin had brought her back partly because of that. If it had been some obnoxious brat, Shin wouldnât have bothered. Heâd be lucky if Shin didnât eliminate him.
"Iâm surprised you admitted it. I thought you wouldnât," Yoruichi said, a sly glint in her eyes as she looked at Shin.
"Why canât I admit it? What does it matter if I do?" Shin said, pinching Nelâs little cheek.
And Nel, after her initial shyness, had grown quite fond of him. It seemed Shin was quite popular with children.
"So what were you really doing in Hueco Mundo?" Yoruichiâs curiosity was piqued. She looked at Shin, desperate to know.
"Nothing much. I was just bored, so I took a trip to Hueco Mundo. Thatâs all," Shin said with a shrug.
Yoruichi pouted, clearly not believing him. In her eyes, Shin was so lazy he wouldnât even leave his room. Would he really go to Hueco Mundo for no reason?
Believe it or not, that was the truth. Shin really had gone to Hueco Mundo out of boredom.
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