Bleach: I Love Making Friends

In truth, Haruki didn't need anything from Szayelaporro—he just needed his favorability.

However, he had to ask for something.

This was to put Szayelaporro at ease.

People like Szayelaporro didn't believe in gifts. They only believed in give-and-take, in transactions.

Dealing with these heartless Hollows was exhausting. Their thought processes were completely different from those of Shinigami or humans. They were extremely obsessive and extreme creatures.

Haruki had initially thought it would be easy to raise Starrk's favorability above 80, given how desperately Starrk wanted friends.

But after actually spending time with him, Haruki realized that while the favorability did increase relatively quickly, it was far slower than he had imagined.

Moreover, like with Kyōraku Shunsui, the higher the favorability, the slower it became to raise it further.

Haruki guessed that this might be because Starrk had lost many "companions" in the past. Those friends had all perished due to his overwhelming spiritual pressure.

So, while he desperately longed for friends, he also feared the loss of the next one.

This contradictory mindset was actually considered good among Hollows.

According to Aizen's later classification of the Espada based on "forms of death," Starrk's form of death was loneliness.

And Starrk was already striving to combat loneliness. Perhaps it was this very effort that made him the most unique Hollow—a self-made Arrancar.

The other Espada perfectly embodied their respective forms of death.

Baraggan was obsessed with aging, Harribel revered sacrifice, Nnoitra reveled in despair, Grimmjow was fixated on destruction…

Thus, it was Starrk, who sought friendship rather than embracing loneliness, who could achieve self-Arrancarization. Similarly, Ulquiorra, who sought meaning beyond emptiness, could achieve Segunda Etapa.

If even Starrk was this complicated, the other Hollows were even more so.

Raising the favorability of Hollows was a long and arduous journey.

If it weren't for the fact that Szayelaporro and Starrk's soul abilities were so enticing, Haruki wouldn't bother playing these games with Hollows.

"Well? Have you made up your mind?"

Haruki looked at Szayelaporro.

"…" Szayelaporro gave an exaggerated smile. "You're quite an interesting person."

"Loly is still somewhat useful to me, but compared to the Perfect Life, she's nothing."

"I'm just curious, how did you know about me? Did you investigate me beforehand?"

"I've always thought of myself as the type who avoids the spotlight. Even normally, I stay in Baraggan's shadow, quietly conducting my research."

Szayelaporro's strength was definitely not inferior to Baraggan's—in fact, he was stronger. Yet, he willingly served under Baraggan as a scientist, which was quite unusual for a Hollow.

Hollows adhered to the law of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak. For two powerful beings to coexist without conflict was rare, let alone for one to serve under the other.

This was why Szayelaporro was curious. How had Haruki discovered him?

Even during occasional attacks on the Soul Society, Szayelaporro always sent his experimental subjects or subordinates. His true form had never been discovered.

"Well…"

Haruki paused, then placed a finger to his lips and whispered, "It's a secret."

"You little brat." Szayelaporro's body radiated a killing intent, but it quickly dissipated.

"Never mind. I wasn't that interested in the first place."

He turned around and said, "You want Loly, right? Then follow me."

"It's not that I want Loly. It's that you want the Perfect Life, so you need to give up Loly. Don't get the order wrong." Haruki followed Szayelaporro.

He knew that Szayelaporro had a pathological obsession with the concept of the Perfect Life.

And since Szayelaporro said Loly was still useful, it meant he hadn't yet completed "Gabriel." That made things simpler.

Loly was one of Szayelaporro's experimental subjects. Originally an Adjuchas-class Menos, Szayelaporro became interested in her after witnessing the battle between the 7th Kenpachi, Kuruyashiki, and the 8th Kenpachi, Azashiro Kenpachi. He began modifying Loly to replicate Azashiro's abilities.

Loly's ability was called "Negación Threads." This ability allowed her to release invisible "threads" that could infiltrate an object, analyze its composition and information, and then retract the data back into her body.

By analyzing objects in this way, she could use the Negación Threads to recreate and replicate them.

Szayelaporro's initial idea was to have Loly create a backup of himself. If Szayelaporro died, Loly could recreate him.

However, this recreation wasn't true resurrection. What she created was merely another entity with his memories.

Thus, Szayelaporro deemed it imperfect. Once he completed "Gabriel," Loly would naturally become useless.

However, sometimes the byproducts that scientists overlook turn out to be the most valuable.

Loly's ability was incredibly powerful. Extracting information from objects and replicating them—this ability was practically divine.

Haruki couldn't say he was completely indifferent to this ability. By taking this opportunity to exchange for Loly, he could not only reassure Szayelaporro but also gain a powerful subordinate.

So, he followed Szayelaporro to his laboratory in Las Noches.

Haruki was quite confident. He had many trump cards. Even if Szayelaporro tried to harm him, he was confident he could escape.

Thus, he boldly entered to take a look.

"You should feel honored." Szayelaporro said proudly. "Even Baraggan isn't allowed into my laboratory without permission."

Clearly, Szayelaporro had no respect for Baraggan, the former King of Hueco Mundo—especially since Baraggan was no longer the king.

"From what I can see…"

Haruki glanced around the laboratory and offered a brief assessment.

"It's quite crude."

"What did you say?" Szayelaporro was annoyed. He could accept being called weak, but he couldn't tolerate anyone criticizing histechnical skills.

"Want me to help you renovate it?" Haruki said slowly. "And by the way, fix your deeply ingrained flawed thinking caused by the corrupting factors of being a Hollow."

"You brat!" Szayelaporro instantly turned around, his eyes filled with a hint of madness as he glared at Haruki.

"Don't think that just because you're Aizen's envoy, you can spout nonsense at me!"

...

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