3-1 -

I'm familiar with those symptoms she's exhibiting. I've been researching them for almost a hundred years.

A hundred?!

Hey, you mind telling us who you are?

I'm Kisuke Urahara... An exile from the Soul Society.

Kisuke Urahara? So that's you?

I don't give a damn who or what you are! Just make Masaki normal again!

I never said I could make her normal again.

I'll give it to you straight. Your lady friend... She's never going back to the way she used to be.

She's undergone what's known as Hollowfication.

Hollowfication occurs when a Hollow's soul is infused into another being's soul, destroying the boundaries between the two. It's an experimental effort to translate a soul to a higher level, creating a whole new type of being.

The original purpose was to create stronger Soul Reapers. The problem is, souls that undergo Hollowfication eventually become mindless monsters...

...and ultimately self-destruct in a process known as Soul Suicide. The end result has always been inevitable.

How can it be inevitable? What do you mean? Are you really saying there's no way we can save her?

I can't return her to what she once was. But I'm not saying I can't save her life.

During my research over the last hundred years, I've discovered a means of preventing this Soul Suicide from happening.

It involves injecting a counteractive agent into the victim's soul to offset the Hollowfication.

This creates a balance between souls, so that one doesn't overpower the other, thereby preventing a Soul Suicide.

*gasp*

If, for example, we inject a Hollowfied Soul Reaper with a vaccine made from a Quincy's light arrow and a human soul...

... the imbalance will be corrected and they'll remain in whatever state they were in when vaccinated.

However, Quincies have no natural resistance against Hollows, so the vaccine by itself is not enough.

I'm not following.

To put it another way, in order to halt the progression, we need to hit it with a counteractive force.

But to save this Quincy girl's life, prevent her Hollowfication, and allow her to retain her existence as a human, we're talking an extremely powerful counteractive force.

Something enduring enough to stay at her side as long as she lives. Strong enough to continually suppress her Hollowfication. Something like...

No, you're wrong! It's madness! There has got to be some other way!

Well, look at you. You figured it out. But I'm afraid it's not your call to make.

............

The one who has to choose is you, Isshin Shiba.

............

Soul Reapers are the opposites of Quincies. Humans are the opposites of Hollows.

Right now, Masaki is a hybrid of Quincy and Hollow.

So, in order to counteract that, we need a hybrid of Soul Reaper and human.

This Gigai is a special creation of mine. It was created from a human soul. It subsumes any soul that enters it, making it completely human.

You get it now, don't you? If you use this Gigai, you'll become a hybrid of Soul Reaper and human.

Which means you'll become Masaki's opposite.

That is, if you choose to go that way. But before you do, you should know there's nothing but downsides in it for you.

For starters, I'll have to bind your soul to both Masaki's soul and the Hollow within her with a string of Reishi.

And this bond will have to last for as long as Masaki lives. No, longer. It will be passed down to all her descendants forever.

And once you've entered this Gigai, not only will you be unable to use your Soul Reaper powers, but you won't even be able to see Hollows.

And if you should choose to get in, it's more than likely you'll never return to being a Soul Reaper again.

(It's true. There's nothing but downsides in it for him. It's no choice at all!)

(He'll never do it. Who in their right mind would?!)

All right then! I'll do it!

What?!

You heard me, I said I'll do it. So c'mon, let's do it! Enough explanations, I get it!

I just have to quit being a Soul Reaper and I can protect her, right? Hell yeah, I'll do it!

And you're really okay with it?

Am I "okay" with it? No, of course I'm not! But how I feel about it doesn't matter...

If I were to hold back and not try to save her when I could, my future self would never forgive me!

............

All right, then. Let's begin the procedure.