Chapter 4: West Branch Unveiled

"Here they come."

Bangnyfe wanted to say something more, but from a distance, he saw the convoy approaching.

Soon after, the convoy stopped in front of the West Branch, and the two of them went forward to greet it.

The car doors opened, but the expected person did not step out; instead, some strange sounds emerged.

"Come on, Little Niihashi, open your mouth, ah…"

"Mr. Mikami, please have some decorum. I'm your tour guide. Please don't do anything odd."

"Hm? Is eating ice cream also strange?"

"No, eating ice cream isn't strange, but having Little Niihashi sit this close and feeding her is quite strange." Nini, sitting on the other side, glared at him, her teeth gritted.

"Nini Spangle?"

Suddenly hearing a voice from outside, Nini noticed the door had opened, her face reddening as she hurriedly exited the car.

Niihashi, who was beside her, also jumped out of the vehicle in a hurry.

Bangnyfe watched both of them with his eyelids twitching. "Are you both from the Piper Squad? Where are the East Branch's envoys?"

"Are you looking for me?" A voice came from the car again, and Yu Mikami emerged, somewhat displeased.

As Yu Mikami stepped out, many people began to pour out of the convoy behind him, many of them with shiny bald heads that stood out.

"Captain Yu Mikami, welcome to West Branch! I am Sullivan Squire, the captain of the Personnel Punishment Team of West Branch."

The woman in military attire stepped forward, her expression cold but very polite as she greeted him.

Yu Mikami's basic information had already been sent back to the headquarters by Uncle Plumber while they were on the road.

Upon seeing Sullivan, Yu Mikami was momentarily taken aback, his eyes brightening.

Not just him, but the group of bald heads following him had begun to exclaim.

"Is that Suì-Fēng, the captain?"

"So similar! The aura, the figure—it's almost identical!"

"It seems Big Brother is really about to initiate his plan in West Branch. What to do? Should we make the first move?"

"Fools, just follow Big Brother's orders; he is always thoughtful, and everything is under control!"

Listening to these absurd remarks, Sullivan frowned slightly, his gaze discreetly flicking toward the group of bald heads, his expression freezing cold.

"Ah, here it comes. This is the kind of look."

"Could she really be Suì-Fēng's half-sister?"

"What should I do? Just seeing her gaze reminds me of Suì-Fēng; I'm afraid I won't be able to make a move."

"Don't panic; Big Brother's wisdom is astonishing; everything is under control."

Bangnyfe looked at the group of bald heads with a furrowed brow and said in a deep voice, "Captain Mikami, are the people from the East Branch this unruly?"

Yu Mikami turned to him and asked, "And you are?"

Bangnyfe huffed lightly, "I'm Bruno Bangnyfe, Captain of the Magical Array Team in the West Branch Council."

Yu Mikami casually nodded, "Bangnyfe, nice to meet you."

Before coming here, Yama-ji had provided a brief introduction to the West Branch. There were eight departments, including the Magical Array Team, Piper Squad, Tactical Team, Punishment Team, among others. He hadn't been able to remember all the names.

But he understood that the other party's status was equivalent to that of a captain in Gotei 13.

"Damn, it's Bangnyfe."

Yu Mikami didn't take it to heart; he turned to the people beside him and said with a smile, "Little Niihashi, Nini, let's go! Show me around the West Branch—I know nothing about this place."

Nini replied indignantly, "I'm not your tour guide."

Now completely ignored, Bangnyfe became furious and suddenly stepped in front of Yu Mikami.

"Hm?" Yu Mikami tilted his head and looked at him, asking, "What's the matter?"

Bangnyfe gritted his teeth: "The East Branch needs to have some limits; it seems necessary for me to explain the rules of the West Branch to you."

"Ha." Yu Mikami glanced at him for a moment, then unexpectedly broke into a smile and remained silent, simply stepping back a little.

Bangnyfe was taken aback; was he backing down?

This is what East Branch people are like.

As he was still mulling this over, a grinning face suddenly appeared before him.

"Shoot him, Divine Gun!"

The sudden release command caught Bangnyfe off guard. Sensing a great danger approaching, he reacted without hesitation, swiftly dodging.

A white light zipped past him, the sharp residual force cutting through his shoulder, while the blade of the Divine Gun instantly penetrated the West Branch's plaque, leaving a tiny but clear hole in it.

Everything happened too quickly, all within a tenth of a second. By the time the onlookers regained their senses, Gin Ichimaru had already sheathed the Divine Gun, as if everything that just occurred had been an illusion.

Bangnyfe turned around, seeing the small hole in the plaque and feeling a mix of fear and rising anger.

Did these guys really intend to kill me at the entrance of West Branch?

Nearby, Sullivan's gaze sharpened as she looked deeply at Gin Ichimaru.

If she wasn't mistaken, the recent attack was likely the unique ability of the East Branch's Zanpakutō.

Unfortunately, the other party's movement had been too fast; even she had only seen a fleeting shadow.

As Yu Mikami approached to smooth things over, he laughed, saying, "Bangnyfe, it's all a misunderstanding. My brother thought you wanted to spar with me, which is why he acted suddenly. This is a custom in our East Branch; it's a common occurrence. You're not hurt, are you?"

Seeing Yu Mikami's cheerful demeanor, Bangnyfe had no place to vent his frustration. Additionally, while Gin Ichimaru's sudden thrust had been just a flash, it left him feeling uneasy, preventing him from escalating further.

At this moment, Sullivan stepped forward to provide a way out for both sides: "I see. There's bound to be a significant cultural gap after a thousand years without contact. In that case, the headquarters has prepared a welcome banquet for everyone. Captain Mikami, please."

Yu Mikami nodded with a smile, pulling Niihashi and Nini along as they entered the West Branch.

Along the way, he displayed great curiosity, asking questions about any novel items he saw.

Niihashi fulfilled her role exceptionally well, patiently explaining in response to Yu Mikami's inquiries.

Throughout the journey, Bangnyfe and Sullivan were also remarkably patient and did not rush him.

As for the welcome banquet that evening, it was nothing special—just a table laden with food and drink, allowing both sides to bond over their meals.

This approach suited the bald members of the 11th Division perfectly; they immediately began drinking with the West Branch officials.

After a few drinks, the two sides started to babble incoherently, and their superficial relationship considerably improved.

However, Nini and Niihashi felt extremely uncomfortable at the banquet. They had never dined with so many high-ranking members of the West Branch and felt out of place.

Yu Mikami was equally dissatisfied with the banquet.

The reason was simple: he hadn't been able to enjoy the food.

The banquet had a high standard, but the dishes were a disaster. It was either fried potatoes or braised potatoes, or roasted fish and steak—everything was extremely bland, testing his taste buds.

As the drinking progressed, Yu Mikami found an excuse to leave the table and discreetly signaled to Kisuke Urahara, who had also only taken a few bites.

Kisuke Urahara understood the cue and quietly followed him outside.

Once outside, Yu Mikami said to him, "Starting tomorrow, the task of leading the group is yours. Remember what Sōsuke asked you to do; find a way to obtain their magic system."

Kisuke Urahara felt something was off as he listened, his eyes blank. "And what about Mr. Mikami?"

Yu Mikami laughed and said, "Of course, I'm going to tour Inner London with my two lovely guides. This is a rare opportunity… Ahem, I mean, Sōsuke wanted me to find a dragon and bring it back, so I need to explore a bit to make that happen."

Kisuke Urahara looked at him, remaining silent.

Yu Mikami raised an eyebrow, "What? Do you think this job is too easy for you?"

Kisuke Urahara's expression changed dramatically, and he quickly replied, "Captain Mikami, don't worry; I won't let you down."

Yu Mikami was quite pleased with his cooperation, smiling as he patted Kisuke on the shoulder in encouragement.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned to rest.

The West Branch had prepared decent accommodations for them.

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