— — — — — —
In the East Area's lower levels of Little Garden, back at the [No Name] base...
Ryo let out a sigh the moment he returned.
"Ah... now this is what I call a comfortable energy level."
Compared to the reishi density in the Soul Society, the ambient energy down here in Little Garden was much more in tune with Ryo's body.
"Well then... time to check what I brought back."
He adjusted his breathing and got used to the gravity again before starting to sort through everything he'd gained during his time in the Bleach world.
Just then, the Dimensional Forum in his soul buzzed.
[Ding——]
[Little Garden Central Core is currently observing the forum holder. Would you like to block the observation?]
[Yes / No]
"Huh, I can actually block it?"
Ryo raised an eyebrow and focused on the Forum, digging around a bit until he found the detailed explanation under his profile icon.
Turns out that once the Dimensional Forum allowed observation from the Little Garden Core, it granted limited administrative access. That meant Ryo could hide certain personal data—and even block observation to some extent.
This notification wouldn't normally pop up, but since he'd just returned from another world, the Core had resumed its observation automatically.
"So the two of you—Forum and Central Core—basically signed some kind of mutual benefits agreement, huh? Dumb and dumber..."
Muttering under his breath, Ryo skimmed the info and eventually chose "No"—meaning he allowed the Core to observe him again.
And sure enough, almost immediately afterward—The white Gift Card inside his mind started to tremble.
Then, four lines of text began to surface, each describing a new Gift: [Gift: Hōgyoku], [Gift: Zanpakutō], [Gift: Reishi Control] & [Gift: Domain–Sonido]
---
— [Gift: Hōgyoku] —
◉ A manifestation of the soul.
◉ A Gift that guides latent potential.
◉ Draws out one's inner power according to the user's will.
◉ Possesses near-immortality on par with gods.
◉ Rating: Four-Digit (Exceptional Tier)
— [Gift: Zanpakutō] —
◉ A Gift forged from the soul, shaped by one's deepest wish.
◉ Rating: Five-Digit (Growth Type)
— [Gift: Reishi Control] —
◉ A Gift granting manipulation over microscopic reishi, the Spirit Particles.
◉ Rating: Five-Digit
— [Gift: Domain–Sonido] —
◉ A spatial displacement Gift, rooted in the manipulation of space.
◉ Rating: Five-Digit
— — —
— — —
Four new Gifts, now permanently etched onto his Gift Card.
Ryo gave a soft whistle. "A four-digit rank for a boosted Hōgyoku, huh? Not a surprise, considering how overpowered it is."
"The Zanpakutō being five-digit makes sense, too—it grows as I grow."
"But seriously... I picked up all those spells and techniques—Kido, Bakudo, Cero—and they're all just lumped together as 'Reishi Control'?"
"And Sonido? That's just a Hollow's movement trick—how'd that end up rated five-digit on its own."
Ryo stared at the list, mulling over the deeper implications.
"I had a feeling when I read the Forum's descriptions earlier... and now it's confirmed."
He let out a half-laugh, half-groan. "So the Little Garden Core is basically a glorified appraisal machine now, huh? Guess I can just drag anything weird I find back home and let it ID it for me."
Honestly, if the Core hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have realized that Sonido—a technique used by Hollows—had merged with his Domain Divinity, turning into a legit space-shifting Gift rated at five-digit level.
In Little Garden terms, a Gift's rating meant its maximum potential output. If Ryo fully mastered Sonido, then just that technique alone would qualify him as a quasi-god. Way beyond any normal Hollow speed technique.
"Still, the most valuable thing I brought back wasn't any of this," he muttered with a smirk, rolling his neck.
"It's the experience."
The battles with Unohana... the clash with Yamamoto...
Ryo, who used to be hopeless in a fight, had now crossed swords with two of the strongest people in the entire Bleach world—and lived to tell the tale.
He could even pass for a decent swordsman now. That was all thanks to the Hōgyoku unlocking his potential and fast-tracking his combat growth.
"Now then, the last thing..."
He opened the Dimensional Forum and checked his points balance.
[Points: 1,020]
A message flashed:
[You answered Aizen's invitation question and received a 5-star rating. +1,000 points.]
"…Aizen gave me five stars? Yeah, right. That's probably just the Forum making stuff up."
Ryo scoffed, then clicked into the points tab again—only to see a new option pop up:
[Would you like to spend 1,000 points to search for redeemable items?]
"…What?"
He blinked. "I only have 1,020 points. You're telling me I gotta spend 1,000 just to search—and then only have 20 left to actually buy something?"
"That's straight-up robbery!"
His eye twitched. Holding back the urge to curse, he stood up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen.
His mood needed serious repair—and food was the fix.
As he walked into the dining room, he ran straight into Black Rabbit, who was carrying a steaming bowl of ramen.
They locked eyes in the doorway.
"…Thanks."
Before she could even respond, Ryo snatched the bowl from her hands and immediately dug in.
"HEY! That was my midnight snack!!"
Black Rabbit shrieked, her face contorting in disbelief.
"Forget that you stole my ramen—didn't you say this morning that you were going to be gone for a few days?"
"You left at 10 a.m. and now you're back at midnight? How is that even 'a few days'!?"
"…It's only been fourteen hours?" Ryo said mid-slurp, raising an eyebrow.
That meant one day in the Bleach world was about one hour in Little Garden. The time ratio actually lined up pretty well.
"Forget the time difference! You finished all the noodles—and drank most of the soup!!" Black Rabbit looked like she was about to cry.
She'd worked hard to make that food, and she was starving. Watching someone else eat it in front of her was pure torture.
Seeing her so upset actually cheered Ryo up a little.
He chuckled. "Eating your ramen is a sign of respect. Be honored."
"You absolute jerk!!"
She rolled up her sleeves, fire in her eyes. "Looks like someone needs to learn what it means to respect your elders!"
But before she could unleash her wrath, she paused and pulled a small card from her pocket.
Palm-sized, white with blue edges and intricate symbols stitched across its surface—it started glowing softly.
A familiar voice came through the light:
"Yo, Black Rabbit? Tell that Ryo kid to swing by my place tomorrow morning. I'm off to watch the love goddess's fashion show. Bye~"
Shiroyasha's voice faded with a twinkle.
Ryo placed the now-empty bowl on the tray Black Rabbit was holding.
"Tomorrow morning, huh? Guess I better get to bed early."
He turned to leave—but didn't get far before Black Rabbit grabbed his arm, eyes blazing, hair turning pink in anger.
"I don't care what you're doing tomorrow! You're making me another bowl of ramen—yourself!"
"…."
Ryo was about to refuse, but seeing her determined expression, he paused.
Then sighed. "…Alright, alright, you win."
As he headed toward the kitchen, he scratched his head.
Was she just mad about the ramen… or was this her way of being affectionate?
Hard to tell with this bunny. She was a complete mystery.
.
.
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{+50 Advanced chapter at patreon.com/_Coreal}