>>44302006
"This is where you'll be deployed, Ryouta-kun. As you can see, there are three other areas of deployment very close to yours. Meeting those specific individuals won't jeopardize your assigned area for long, and since they'll be following their patrol routes, you don't need to do much more than wait for them to pass by you. Of course, the map will be uploaded to your cellphone." Urahara smiles a bit. "All of the Shinigami have been outfitted with the Denreishinki, so communications should be quick and easy... if they want them to be that way. They'll be aware of any active Hollow in the area near their own, specifically meaning yours, but they're still not obligated to help you even if you ask them very nicely, so if you can't make sure that they can be relied on, don't bother calling them and focus on survival instead."

You nod. The Captain continues.

"You'll also have the locations of where our radars last picked up the missing Shinigami. Well, I'm still using the word 'missing', but it's fairly safe to assume that they're dead - all that was found in those locations was their blood. The persistent lack of any bodies or traces of such is a likely indication that they were eaten by a Hollow. Whether it's a lone predator having learned a few fancy tricks or just a series of unfortunate coincidences... well, that's for you to find out." Urahara explains, and then goes silent for a while.

"...Make sure to exercise caution. Stay hidden, and try not to take any risks. Even though the Hollow seems capable of hiding itself, it's still very unlikely that it can detect you. Do you have any questions, Ryouta-kun?"

...

>He's been making it sound like this mission isn't important. Ask him about it.
>"I'm ready."
>Ask Urahara a different question. (Write-in).

>>44302027
>Ask Urahara a different question. (Write-in).
Any additional equipments or new experimental I can use?

Sup mush

>>44302027
>He's been making it sound like this mission isn't important. Ask him about it.

>He's been making it sound like this mission isn't important. Ask him about it.

>>44302027
Voting over, writing!

Current Character Sheet: http://pastebin.com/NZhLhCY5

>>44302094
>>44302216
>>44302313
"Is there any additional equipment I'll be using on this mission?" You ask. Urahara shakes his head.

"There's no need for that. If you happen to need a gigai or something more specific for one reason or another, just contact us and I'll have someone deliver it. But I doubt that'll be necessary." The Captain says. The room goes quiet, the silence disturbed only by the constant hum of the machinery. You decide to speak up after you think something over.

"You seem to be emphasizing caution for this mission, Captain." You say.

"That's true. It's not that it'll be much more dangerous than going in completely blind on some other unusual occasion. The difference is that we're not about to do this of our own initiative. I think an additional investigation into this case is redundant and only places you at risk. All evidence points towards a Hollow, but perhaps our recent findings resulted in a spike of paranoia amongst the higher-ups, leading to unnecessary expenditure of our resources." He must be referring to your first mission, where you discovered potential traces of a human capable of using Kido, and utilizing those abilities against Shinigami.

"Your success or failure here isn't really a concern of mine; but your well-being is. Do you understand, Ryouta-kun?"

You think you do. But investigating unusual occurrences is your supposed job; it feels strange that this one is somehow unimportant, even if its explanation might seem obvious. Even so, it's still unusual, isn't it? So is there something more to this that the Captain isn't willing to talk about? It might be inappropriate to ask him if that is so.

...

>"Is there something specific that you're hoping to find using me?"
>"I'm ready to head out."
>Ask Urahara something else. (Write-in).

>>44302906
>"Allow me to be blunt...is there something specific that you're hoping to find using me?"

>>44302906
>"Is there something specific that you're hoping to find using me?"

>>44302906
>>"Is there something specific that you're hoping to find using me?"

>>44302906
Voting over, writing!

>>44303019
>>44303182
>>44303215
"Is there something specific that you're hoping to find using me?" You ask. Perhaps that was a bit blunt, but you hope for the best.

Urahara lets out a small smile and shrugs. After a slight pause, he speaks. "It's convenient to have you around with your special skill, and it's convenient for everyone involved to have you investigate occurrences that are hard to explain. But the world is a big place, Ryouta-kun, and you're just one person. Obviously, you can't physically inspect every single anomaly that happens in the world. So, out of all the reports the 12th receives, I prefer to filter out the mundane ones in favor of more interesting ones. Do you understand?"

He's not giving a clear-cut answer, but if he really is checking through all the reports manually and picking them out based on his personal interests, then there is probably something specific that guides his reasoning. There must something about those particular cases that catches the attention of the Head of the Research Center.

Urahara stays quiet as he looks at the screens, still smiling.

...

>"I don't have any further questions. I'll head out now."
>Ask Urahara something. (Write-in).

>>44303564
>>"I don't have any further questions. I'll head out now."

>>44303564
>"I don't have any further questions. I'll head out now."

>>44303564
>"I don't have any further questions. I'll head out now."

sorry mush, gotta snooze

>>44303564
Voting over, writing!

>>44303858
Thanks for reading!

>>44303619
>>44303799
>>44303858
"Then I'll be heading out." You say. Urahara nods, still looking up at the displays as you take your leave.

Before you step into the Senkaimon, you check up on your equipment. The Denreishinki is functioning properly, and shouldn't be subject to accidental malfunctions any longer. Your uniform is in stellar order, and the sheath of your Zanpakuto is firmly tied to your belt. Your sword is sharp as ever, though still mute. The standard meditation rituals you've been taught in the Academy didn't bring any notable results in conversing with your weapon, so perhaps you're doing something wrong. Asking someone who can release their sword for tips might be helpful and hopefully not too inconvenient for them.

With everything ready, you step into the gate.

...

The city is bustling with people and cars. From the high top of one of the many gray buildings the numerous crowds below seem like ants, each one of them hurrying on with their business. The skies here match the architecture in their dark and dull tone, and an occasional rumble erupts from them, heralding the approach of a storm. The trees are bare, their orange and yellow leaves scattered thinly along the cemented ground.

It's surprising. The streets have far more trees than you were expecting to see, all of them neatly arranged along the sidewalks. It's much easier to spot the traits of autumn here than you thought it would be. There's no smog to obstruct your vision and breathing, either. The air here can't be called clean, but it's plenty bearable.

The city doesn't look quite like those happy and colorful American posters that you recall Hikari showing you some time ago, but it doesn't adhere to the worst rumors you've heard about this type of place, either.

(1/2)

>>44304441
You should get to work.

...

>Try to contact one of the Shinigami in the vicinity right away.
>Investigate the last known locations of the missing Shinigami.
>Make a round around the city following the standard patrol route.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44304456
>Investigate the last known locations of the missing Shinigami.

>>44304441
>Investigate the last known locations of the missing Shinigami.
Straight to work.

>>44304456
>Investigate the last known locations of the missing Shinigami.

>>44304456
Voting over, writing!

just decided to pick this up and give it a try. What era does it take place in? Turn Back the Pendulum? Old Gotai? Normal Bleach timeline? Future?

>>44304486
>>44304533
>>44304571
There have been three disappearances so far, meaning that there are three places worth looking into. You'll look into them in the order that the disappearances had occurred.

The first location is inside a mall. It's not particularly strange for a Hollow to appear in a public place, though it might be unusual for a Shinigami to be inside a shop, unless it's aware of the Hollow's presence there. Depending on the circumstances, the normal people might not have noticed anything out of place at all.

All that remains here is a pool of dried blood on the smooth floor, right in the middle of the mall, in front of the entrance, most likely from the missing Shinigami.

The second location is an intersection not too far from the mall, somewhere between one and two kilometers away. You spot more blood along with a few cuts and cracks on the asphalt and some lamp posts, but you're fairly certain that they were caused by something sharp and strong, probably the remains of a struggle between a Shinigami and Hollow. The blood is more spread out here than in the mall, where it's just a single dry puddle. You find torn pieces of black fabric littering the ground; nobody else notices them, so they're clearly of spiritual origin; no doubt part of the traditional Shinigami uniform.

The third location is a local park, another kilometer or less away from the previous scene. There's the usual pool of blood there, but no signs of a struggle. You don't recall finding any traces of a battle within the supermarket. That might be something worth noting - the agents aren't reliably putting up a fight before they die, meaning that they get caught off-guard. It's particularly strange here in this park. It's a very open area. With the leaves on the trees gone, they can hardly serve as a reliable hiding spot, especially for a Hollow. In other words, it's hard to hide here.

(1/2)

>>44305380
The Hollow isn't straying far from this vicinity, but it must realize the dangers of staying in the same area for too long. Most Hollows constantly change locations out of instinct - too much success might attract attention. But this one isn't doing that. Figuring out why might be important.

Where should you go from here? It's not clear whether time is of the essence, but it might be best to keep track of it and make best use of it nevertheless.

...

>Look through the mall's security camera footage.
>Make contact with one of the active Shinigami nearby. Find out if they know anything.
>Inspect the local news; see if anything stands out at the relevant dates.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44305057
Hello! The quest is currently taking place in the 1990s.

>>44305426
>Inspect the local news; see if anything stands out at the relevant dates.

>>44305426
>Inspect the local news; see if anything stands out at the relevant dates

>>44305426
>>Inspect the local news; see if anything stands out at the relevant dates
If any locals knew anything this wouldn't have become a problem in the first place.

>>44305426
Voting over, writing!

>>44305467
>>44305477
>>44305597
Old papers are easy enough to find in the homes of regular people, which you can access trivially as a spirit, without disturbing the owners in the slightest. The same can't be said about televised news, but you don't think you'll need those.

There was a traffic accident on that intersection on the relevant date. Apparently, someone wandered onto the road during a red light, though luckily, nobody had died; surprisingly, it was the driver and his car that were harmed. His injuries were severe enough to warrant hospitalization, meaning it's possible to find him if you have a need for that. Of course, asking questions would be tricky... but not impossible.

You can't seem to find anything else related to the other two occurrences. Tracing the papers a couple of months back, you stumble onto a series of crimes targeting the Kelsey family that soon resulted in the death of its every single member. The criminal still hasn't been found.

The earliest death was unrelated to crimes - a Hannah Kelsey passed out from a disease. Some apparently believe that it ultimately led to her mother's - Stella Kelsey's - suicide a month after that. A few days later and over the course of about a week, their relatives became the victims of murder. Police protection couldn't prevent their deaths.

Hollows target their family members and loved ones first and foremost. After that, they stop discriminating and are satisfied with every soul they can consume. The identity of this Hollow isn't clear, but it might be irrelevant to begin with, and it might not be this Hollow who's responsible for the deaths of those three Shinigami.

You're not sure where you can go with this information. The whole family is dead, and it isn't broadcasted in the news who their friends were, so you can't find out if they know something. It's probably too late to inspect the bodies; if they weren't buried already, you don't know where they are kept.

(1/2)

>>44306270
Checking the addresses, you find that the murders have actually occurred outside of the area you are currently deployed to. So could it be unrelated, or is it a sign of a very similar type of behavior that you're currently witnessing, where the Hollow is favoring a specific area, and it's simply that it has changed recently? Is it because the Hollow's family has been killed and it lost interest in that part of town?

So why haunt this specific area after that instead of somewhere else? It's targeting Shinigami now, not humans. But why here?

You'll need to think it over. In the meantime, there's probably something else that you can check.

...

>Contact the Shinigami in charge of the area where the Kelsey murders have taken place.
>Check the mall's security camera footage. Human devices can't pick up the spiritual, but you might still be able to spot something.
>Try to find the driver who got caught up in the recent car crash. You might be unable to ask him questions, but it's still possible to determine if the damage to his car was caused by a Hollow.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44306308
>Check the mall's security camera footage. Human devices can't pick up the spiritual, but you might still be able to spot something.

>>44306308
>Contact the Shinigami in charge of the area where the Kelsey murders have taken place.

>>44306308
>Check the mall's security camera footage. Human devices can't pick up the spiritual, but you might still be able to spot something

>>44306308
If possible could we contact the Shinigami in charge of the area the Kelsey murders on that cellphone we got from Kisuke while still doing the camera check?

>>44306308
Voting over, writing!

>>44306435
Ryouta doesn't have their number, and the other guys don't know who Ryouta is at all. Communicating efficiently like that would be problematic!

>>44306689
Okay then that makes sense.

>>44306392
>>44306408
You dart back towards the nearby mall, hopping along air or the rooftops of tall buildings. You've spent a little more than an hour with your investigation so far, and only a few minutes of that were taken up by travel. You agility makes for a very efficient method of moving around.

As you enter the supermarket again, you take a look at the placement of the cameras - one of them is pointing directly at the dried blood. You inspect the mall in its entirety, visiting areas which the ordinary never visits. You eventually come across the security room, currently open and in use by a guard.

That's actually problematic. He obviously won't let you mess around with the screens and tapes freely. He can't see or touch you, but he can still shut the equipment down or something. Knocking him out might seem like an obvious solution, but if someone happens to come in while he's out cold, things might get even more troublesome.

...

>Knock him out; continue on with your plan.
>Leave him be; wait until nightfall, when you'll be able to access the footage undisturbed. Investigate another angle in the meantime. (Write-in).
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44306878
>Leave him be; wait until nightfall, when you'll be able to access the footage undisturbed. Investigate another angle in the meantime. (Write-in).

See the other shinigami.

>>44306939
Voting for this

>>44306878
>Leave him be; wait until nightfall, when you'll be able to access the footage undisturbed. Investigate another angle in the meantime. (Write-in).
Investigate the driver

>>44306878
Voting over, writing!

>>44306939
>>44307016
You'll have to check on it later. It's not worth the potential trouble now.

Instead, you move out of your designated area, checking your phone's radar to make sure that you are headed into the right direction. The readings are clear, indicating an absence of Hollows or other spiritual beings of note. Pluses don't normally show up on this radar, but it's not your duty to seek them out and send them to Soul Society even if they are around here somewhere.

You enter the path of the Shinigami's patrol route and sit down on a rooftop, waiting for them to pass. Their location isn't showing up on your phone, as the agent must be hiding his spiritual pressure. It's most likely better to wait than try to chase them down, so you do that.

In about half an hour, you spot a figure hopping to and fro along the rooftops, covering impressive distance with each jump. You stand up, waving at them, but it seems that they've noticed you long before you did.

The man in black robes stops in midair, keeping at a slightly higher altitude than your rooftop. His left hand is on his side, clutching the sheath of his sword. The man is taller than you by about half a foot, about 30 years of age in outward appearance, with black hair, dark brown eyes and a cleanly shaved face.

"Who are you?" He asks, his expression cold and the tone of his voice clearly suspicious and in no rush to be polite. He's probably in the right to act like so - you're a stranger intruding on his territory, after all.

...

>Tell him as little as you can get away with. "I'm Tsukuda Ryouta, 12th Division. Do you know of the Kelsey incidents? We'd like to know more about them."
>Explain your purpose here clearly and in full. Don't try to hide anything.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44307714
>Explain your purpose here clearly and in full. Don't try to hide anything.

>>44307714
>Other
"I'm Tskuda Ryouta, I've been sent by Seireitei to investigate Shingami disappearances in the area and I wanted to ask you about the Kelsey family deaths"

>>44307714
>Tell him as little as you can get away with. "I'm Tsukuda Ryouta, 12th Division. Do you know of the Kelsey incidents? We'd like to know more about them."

>>44307792
Should probably clarify that the only thing I really want to avoid is saying that we're from 12th Division. People still have twisted opinions about it iirc

>>44307868
At the end of our story at least we'll know that we where the bomb

>>44307714
Voting over, writing!

>>44307760
>>44307792
You tell him about what you're doing here, having been sent by the Seireitei to investigate the recent disappearances of several Shinigami.

"I've noticed that the neighbours have been changing pretty frequently lately. I guess a Hollow is why." He says, crossing his arms over his chest as he listens on.

You tell him a little bit about your findings and why the Kelsey family is relevant right now.

"Kelsey family? I remember that... I didn't start keeping an eye on them until it was too late. I don't speak English too well, so it's hard to keep up with the local news. You think the same Hollow responsible for them is also responsible for the three other Shinigami? I guess that would make sense..." The man takes out his cellphone, flipping it open and showing you the display. "This thing's been ringing like crazy when those murders were going on. But never for long, just a few seconds every time. I checked the places it showed me, but I never stumbled into any bodies - they were actually in the houses, and I was looking for souls outside. So I didn't manage to piece it together that the thing was targeting living people. Thought the phone broke, but I didn't bother to contact HQ about it. These newly fangled things... I didn't need them to do my job before, so I don't need them now, either..."

He seems to want to say more about that, but shakes his head instead. "...I'm getting sidetracked. Well, Ryouta. Whatever is responsible for this, it's not getting picked up by the Denreishinki, so you might as well throw that thing in the trash."

(1/2)

>>44308658
The Denreishinki is actually flawless. It's not the device's fault.

"Do you think it's just good at hiding itself, in the same way that Shinigami are?" You ask. He shrugs.

"I guess it's natural for it to have happened one day. Seems like evolution at its finest. Hollows who poke their heads out get killed, so they've learned not to do that. That thing is really vicious if that's the case. Much worse than any other nasty underhanded ability it could have had." He says, sighing. "How else could a Hollow hide its spiritual pressure other than naturally? The Shinigami can do it by shoving themselves into a gigai even if they're unskilled at concealment, but Hollows don't have that option. But the bastard's behaving abnormally to begin with, so maybe there's something more to it than I'd like to think."

...

>Ask the Shinigami for help with the investigation. If the Hollow decides to move, he might end up in danger, too.
>Ask the Shinigami's contact data; try to get him to agree to help you if you happen to need it.
>Ask the Shinigami a question. (Write-in).
>Other. (Write-in).

>>44308689
>>Ask the Shinigami for help with the investigation. If the Hollow decides to move, he might end up in danger, too.

>>44308689
>Write in
>Get his contact data and stay in touch. Cover more ground and if possible the other will lure them to the other. This way more ground is covered and in the event of an engagement additional support is feasible.

>>44308689
>Ask the Shinigami for help with the investigation. If the Hollow decides to move, he might end up in danger, too.

>>44308742
I'll back this one

>>44308742
That works.

File: back in the good old days(...).png (595 KB, 1000x1000)

595 KB PNG

>>44308689
I'd like to end the thread for tonight, it's getting really late for me!

I want to run the next thread tomorrow, but I'd like to figure something out before I do that:

Is it problematic for people to make it to threads on weekdays? I don't mind low player counts or low amounts of votes, but only as long they're not the result of people simply missing out on everything they could potentially want to vote for.

But if things are actually just boring, please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll step it up! I won't feel bad or anything, and the most important thing is for you guys to be having fun!

Please respond in the thread or on twitter and let me know.
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

If you have any other feedback or questions, please shoot them my way!

Thanks for reading!

>>44309167
>But if things are actually just boring, please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll step it up! I won't feel bad or anything, and the most important thing is for you guys to be having fun!
It seems like most people are waiting for the plot to kick off, the quest still seems like it's in a 'prologue' to me. it would be nice if there was more action but if all of this is leading to a big reveal then I don't mind.

>>44309167
Seconding
>>44309264

>>44309167
>Is it problematic for people to make it to threads on weekdays?
Nope. At least not for me

>>44309167
Eh I like the slow burn, but quests during the week are kind of tricky.

>>44309264
>>44309305
>>44309329
>>44309357
It seems that both changes might be in order? I'll get it done! Trying to compensate for my abysmal update speed with more threads might not be the solution after all.

Thanks for the feedback!

>>44309167
been reading through your first three threads and I have to say that your writing appears very emotionless. it lacks a sense of energy and personality. I don't know if things have changed since then, but that's just my two cents.

I would recommend checking out some other quests or books to improve your writing style if possible.

>>44309706
I'll try to fix it! Thanks for the feedback!

So, how much longer until lewd yoruichis?

>>44309518
No worries. Just finished the other chapters and I've got to say that you have my attention. I like a good mystery and the fact that this is quite different from the usual fair of anime quests has me intrigued.