Returns!
“Daddy…
do you hate Nemu?”
Although she was still very young, Nemu was surprisingly perceptive.
She immediately sensed that Lorde seemed a little unhappy.
“How could I?” Lorde crouched down, gently ruffling the little girl’s hair.
“But Nemu, you shouldn’t call me Daddy.
From now on, you should call me Brother instead.”
“Hmm…”
Nemu bit her finger thoughtfully.
Although confusion filled her large eyes, she still nodded obediently.
“Nemu doesn’t really understand, but since it’s Brother’s order, Nemu will definitely obey!”
“That’s a good girl.”
Lorde smiled as he ruffled her hair once more.
“Tell me, Nemu.
Do you still remember everything from the Research and Development Bureau?”
“Of course I do!”
She puffed out her chest proudly.
“Brother, don’t underestimate Nemu!
All the Research and Development Bureau’s data is stored inside Nemu’s head!”
Excellent.
Lorde’s eyes lit up.
It seemed he had made the right gamble.
Although Nemu’s body had reverted to that of a child, her mind still retained all of the Research and Development Bureau’s knowledge.
That was exactly what he had hoped for.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi—the Captain of the Twelfth Division and Director of the Research and Development Bureau—was the second greatest mad scientist in Bleach, possessing countless pieces of groundbreaking technology.
Body modification.
Soul modification.
Gigai technology.
Combat Soul technology.
Zanpakutō modification.
The Shadow Invading Drug.
The Superhuman Drug.
And countless other inventions.
All of these incredible technologies had been created by that one man.
Under normal circumstances, obtaining any of them would require spending an enormous number of Souls in the System Shop or relying on luck through the gacha system.
But now everything was different.
With Nemu by his side, it was as though he had inherited over a thousand years’ worth of scientific knowledge accumulated by every Director of the Research and Development Bureau.
This wasn’t merely knowledge.
It was the very foundation of Soul Society.
And now…
It would become his foundation.
Lorde couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed that Nemu wasn’t an older-sister type.
Still, compared to everything he had gained, that hardly mattered.
“Nemu, you’re amazing!”
Unable to contain his excitement, Lorde picked her up and kissed her gently on the forehead.
“Hehe~”
Nemu giggled happily, her crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with joy.
Still in a wonderful mood, Lorde took Nemu to an amusement park before stopping by a hot spring to relax.
Since she was still in her larval stage, Nemu looked no older than six or seven years old.
Before long, exhaustion caught up with her, and she quickly fell asleep in Lorde’s arms.
While she slept, Lorde carefully examined her soul.
Deep within Nemu’s tiny body was a hidden Spiritual Pressure that was nearly at Third-Class level—the equivalent of a lieutenant-class Soul Reaper.
That meant this little Nemu was most likely Nemu No.
8—the Nemu who had died during the Thousand-Year Blood War before being recreated by Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Because she was Nemu No.
8, the Spiritual Pressure hidden within her was most likely the residual power left over from her previous life.
“…Have I become the weakest one?”
Lorde’s expression turned rather awkward.
Did that mean his little sister was actually stronger than her big brother?
The next morning…
After preparing breakfast, Lorde went to wake up Nemu, who was still buried beneath her blankets.
“Good morning…
Brother…”
Wrapped tightly in her quilt, Nemu curled into a little ball and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
She clearly hadn’t fully woken up yet.
“Good morning, Nemu.”
Lorde smiled and gently patted her head.
“Today, I’m taking you shopping.
Would you like that?”
The moment she heard the word shopping, every trace of sleep disappeared.
Her round eyes instantly lit up.
As expected…
No matter the age, every girl loved shopping.
“Thank you, Brother!”
Nemu leaped out of bed and hugged Lorde like a little koala.
Counting on her fingers, she happily listed everything she wanted.
“Nemu wants new clothes…”
“New shoes…”
“And lots of delicious food!”
“Alright.”
Lorde couldn’t help laughing.
“But before that, Nemu needs to make herself a Gigai.”
“No problem!”
She confidently patted her chest.
“Making a Gigai is easy!
Nemu can finish it very quickly.”
“Then let’s have breakfast first.”
“Okay, Brother!”
After breakfast…
Nemu perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be a genius scientist.
Although Gigai technology wasn’t especially complicated, creating one capable of housing a Soul Reaper’s soul without interfering with its abilities required incredible skill.
Yet Nemu completed it in no time.
Soon, she had created a Gigai identical to her soul form.
“Let’s go.”
Lorde held Nemu’s tiny hand after she entered her Gigai, and together they left the Seireitei Department Store.
They drove to a nearby shopping mall.
“Wow!”
Nemu’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“So many people…”
“So many pretty clothes…”
“Brother!”
Lorde smiled warmly.
“Mhm!”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“I love it!
Brother is the best!”
The two spent the next several hours wandering through the mall.
Before long, Nemu had changed into an adorable new outfit and was happily carrying fried chicken, a hamburger, and an enormous bucket of ice cream.
A bright smile never left her face.
Eventually, they sat down at a café.
Nemu’s short legs swung happily beneath her chair as she launched an all-out assault on the mountain of food before her.
Lorde simply ordered a cup of coffee and quietly watched her eat.
Every now and then, he reached over and gently wiped away a bit of sauce or ice cream from the corner of her mouth.
It was a peaceful moment.
Unfortunately…
It didn’t last.
“Hello.”
A pleasant female voice interrupted them.
“May I sit here?”
Lorde slowly looked up.
Standing before him was a beautiful woman with long, wavy red hair.
Her tight black outfit perfectly accentuated her elegant yet athletic figure.
Finally…
The corners of Lorde’s lips curved into a faint smile.
The person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
As expected of the “Vice Boss of the Beginner’s Village.”
Black Widow’s appearance rate really was second only to Coulson’s.
The beautiful redhead standing before him was none other than the legendary Black Widow herself—
Natasha Romanoff.
You certainly took your time…
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Lorde wasn’t surprised that S.H.I.E.L.D.
had found him.
Everything had gone exactly as he expected.
Coulson had seen his face.
Naturally, S.H.I.E.L.D.
would create a facial sketch and use its vast intelligence network to search every corner of the United States.
As long as he showed himself in public…
They were bound to find him.
And that was exactly what happened.
Using the Heaven’s Eye System, S.H.I.E.L.D.
monitored countless surveillance cameras across the country around the clock, constantly searching for Lorde’s face.
The instant he appeared…
Natasha Romanoff was dispatched to establish contact.
“Hello, sir.”
Fully aware of how dangerous this mission could be, Natasha maintained the utmost respect.
“Excuse me…
may I have a seat?”
“No.”
Lorde calmly set down his coffee cup.
His voice was cold.
“Leave.”
“And don’t make me say it twice.”