Asuka looked at this face that had barely changed at all... or perhaps had become even more punchable, feeling a complex mix of emotions.
He stepped forward without a word, silently raising his fist.
Kisuke Urahara braced himself, fully expecting to take a punch.
But Asuka's fist did not fall; it simply hovered lightly in front of him.
"I'm back, shady shopkeeper."
"Even though it's a bit late."
Urahara froze for a moment before breaking into a laugh.
He bent down, picked up his folding fan, and used it to lightly tap Asuka's fist.
"Yes, a bit late."
Urahara snapped his folding fan open again, covering the lower half of his face as he quickly suppressed the heat welling up in his eyes.
"My, my... this really... gave me quite a scare."
"I originally thought I'd have to bear the guilt of losing an excellent employee for the rest of my life... Mr. Asuka, your departure caused our humble shop to miss out on hundreds of millions in profit."
He then glanced at Kaien, who was still standing in a daze behind Asuka, and the light in his eyes grew even brighter.
"Oh, isn't this Lord Kaien Shiba?!"
"Just as I thought... you fell into the spacetime crevice together."
"Now, those old fogeys in the Soul Society will probably be so scared their dentures fall out."
Kaien shot him an annoyed glare, having already mentally deducted ten impression points for this unfamiliar shady merchant. "...I'm exhausted. I want tea, the best kind you have."
"Alright, alright, I'll arrange it right away."
Urahara shouted, his voice carrying a lightness it hadn't held in a long time. "Jinta! Ururu! Hurry up and boil some water! Bring out that jar of premium Gyokuro from the back room!"
"And go get Mr. Tessai! Even if he's in the bath, tell him to wrap a towel around himself and hurry out! Our VIP clients have returned!"
Ten minutes later, in the underground space of the Urahara Shop.
The fragrance of tea curled upward with the rising steam.
Asuka and Kaien held their cups of hot tea and downed them in a single gulp.
The warm sensation flowed down their throats and spread throughout their bodies, finally dispelling the lingering chill from their spacetime travel and journey through Hueco Mundo.
Kisuke Urahara sat cross-legged opposite them, gently tapping his palm with his folding fan as his gaze swept back and forth between the two. "Although good things come to those who wait..."
"Asuka, you've returned at quite the opportune time."
"What do you mean by that?"
Urahara dropped his smile, his expression turning serious.
"Well... it's a long story..."
Another five minutes later...
"The Sokyoku?! Execution?!"
Kaien Shiba practically roared those two words.
He rushed up to Urahara, the veins on his forehead throbbing. "Are you kidding me? What crime did that little girl Rukia commit to warrant that kind of punishment?!"
"She merely shared a bit of her Reiryoku with a human, and it was to save a life! How could that result in such a severe sentence? Have those old fools in Central 46 gone mad?"
"Calm down, Mr. Kaien," Kisuke Urahara said without flinching, patiently pulling a photograph from his robes and handing it to them.
It was a family portrait from the Kurosaki Clinic.
In the photo, a stubbled man smiling foolishly was holding an orange-haired baby boy, with Masaki Kurosaki leaning against him, wearing a gentle smile.
"This... this is Uncle Isshin?!" Kaien's eyes widened in shock.
It was one thing for that old geezer to pull a disappearing act, but how did he end up with a kid? The revelation left him momentarily speechless.
Asuka, who had been silent all along, also leaned in, his gaze falling on the orange-haired baby in the photo before shifting to Masaki beside him.
"...If we're going to talk about this, we have to start from over two months ago."
Kisuke Urahara briefly recounted to the two of them how Ichigo Kurosaki met Rukia Kuchiki and how he became a Substitute Soul Reaper.
Although it sounded somewhat unbelievable, the two of them had both experienced adventures in other worlds, so it wasn't too hard to accept.
"What a surprise..." Asuka murmured softly. "Those two actually ended up together and even had three kids..."
"Then according to what you said, Ichigo is going to save Rukia. Do his parents know about this?"
"First, I need to correct you, Asuka..." Urahara's voice grew somewhat dry. "The woman in the photo, Miss Masaki Kurosaki, passed away nine years ago."
"What?!"
That Quincy girl who had wielded a spirit bow in the rainy night with such resolute eyes, was actually dead?
"How did she die?" Asuka asked, unable to comprehend it. In his view, Masaki had been perfectly healthy, and with her Quincy powers, she shouldn't have fallen victim to any accidents.
"Killed by a Hollow," Urahara answered briefly. "On that day, her powers drained away... We can discuss the details later."
Asuka frowned, remaining silent.
"And what about Rukia?" Kaien still couldn't accept the verdict. "To use the Sokyoku for such a minor offense? This completely goes against the rules!"
"It's very strange, isn't it?" Kisuke Urahara said, his expression turning grave.
"As for the specific details... please forgive me for not speaking plainly, but I can guess who is pulling the strings."
He looked at Asuka, their eyes meeting.
In that instant, Asuka read his gaze and asked directly, "Aizen?"
Surprised by Asuka's bluntness, Urahara glanced at Kaien, but Asuka signaled that it was fine to speak freely.
"...Since it's that guy's handiwork again, there's nothing more to say."
"But shady shopkeeper, can those kids handle it?"
"It all depends on human effort." Urahara pulled down the brim of his hat. "Besides, Ichigo is much stronger than you imagine..."
"Anyway, the Soul Society is currently in complete chaos. I was wondering if letting you return now is a..."
"Is that even a question!"
Asuka and Kaien spoke in unison, startling Kisuke Urahara.
The two of them stood up abruptly.
"There's no time to sit here drinking tea."
Asuka tightened Kakudatsu at his waist, while Kaien straightened his tattered collar.
"Manager Urahara, please open the Senkaimon."
"Eh?" Urahara paused. "So urgently? In your current condition, especially Mr. Kaien... I think it's best if you rest for another two days."
"It doesn't matter," Asuka interrupted him, two balls of fire burning in his eyes.
"I have to go back, and not to stop whatever conspiracy involves the Sokyoku."
Asuka's fists cracked as he clenched them. "My enemy is stirring up trouble there, yet Shinobu is still right in the center of the storm."
"If the Soul Society is truly on the verge of chaos like you said, then I absolutely cannot let her stay in such a dangerous place."
Kaien also had reasons he couldn't back down. "That girl Rukia is actually going to be executed by the Sokyoku... I was once her Vice Captain, how can I just turn a blind eye!"
"And Isshin's idiot son... As his older cousin, I have to go wipe his ass for him, don't I!"
Looking at the two highly spirited men before him, Kisuke Urahara fell silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly stood up.
The folding fan in his hand snapped open, concealing the meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Tessai! Prepare the Tenkai Ketsuchu!"
'...It seems Captain Aizen's meticulously prepared script is about to be altered beyond recognition.'