What he didn't know was that his overly heavy thoughts had led him and Kenryu to the exact same conclusion.
For entirely different reasons, neither of them dared to seek help from the Gotei 13.
The situation was completely deadlocked.
Kumoi's breathing grew heavy, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead, making the incense-filled room feel unbearably stifling.
"Lord Kumoi? Lord Kumoi?"
A noble beside him nudged him gently with an elbow, interrupting Kumoi's train of thought.
"Ah? What?" Kumoi snapped back to reality, hastily putting on his usual experienced and composed smile.
"The meeting has ended. Lord Tsunayashiro has retired to rest, so we should be going."
The noble looked at him rather strangely. "You seem a bit distracted today, Lord Kumoi. Could there be an issue at the Kasumioji Family's weaponry workshop?"
"Oh... no, not at all." Kumoi forced a dry chuckle, standing up to smooth out the hem of his kimono. "It's just my old age. I stayed up a bit late handling the family accounts last night, so I'm lacking some energy... Thank you for your concern, my lord."
As the crowd respectfully filed out of the reception hall, Kumoi blended in, walking out absentmindedly.
The Tsunayashiro Family estate was massive, its corridors intricately woven like a giant labyrinth.
Kumoi broke away from the group, walking alone down a secluded corridor.
He looked at the meticulously pruned dry landscape gardens on either side, gazing at the cold picturesque scenes formed by white gravel and strange black stones, feeling a chill run through his body.
'...If I can't find that little brat, I'm afraid...'
His mind raced, constantly pondering how to dispatch more men to the World of the Living to search for Rurichiyo, his footsteps growing hurried.
Just as he turned a corner.
Thud!
Because he wasn't watching where he was going at all, Kumoi slammed hard into someone walking toward him.
"Oof!"
The person's body was incredibly solid; Kumoi felt as though he had crashed headfirst into a brick wall.
The massive recoil caused the elderly man to instantly lose his balance. He stumbled backward a few steps and fell hard onto his rear on the cold wooden floor.
"Hiss... Just who walks around without eyes..."
Kumoi looked up in irritation, just about to lash out.
But when he clearly saw the attire of the person he had bumped into, the curses in his throat were abruptly choked off.
The man wore an exceptionally luxurious deep purple silk kimono, its lapels and cuffs embroidered with intricate water ripple patterns in gold thread.
Embroidered prominently on his left chest was the family crest representing the supreme authority of the Soul Society—Tsunayashiro!
Kumoi's heart gave a violent lurch, the blood in his veins seemingly flowing backward in that instant.
He had bumped into a member of the Tsunayashiro Family!
Never mind that he was merely the chief retainer of an upper-class noble family.
Even the true head of the Kasumioji Family had to maintain utmost respect and humility when facing the Tsunayashiro Family, the head of the Five Great Noble Families.
This was only because the strictly hierarchical Soul Society had loosened up slightly over the past millennium.
Under the old rules, a noble offending the Tsunayashiro Family committed a capital offense punishable by immediate execution on the spot!
"M-My lord, please forgive me! I deserve death! I deserve death!"
Immense terror instantly swallowed him whole.
He couldn't even spare a moment to register the pain in his tailbone from the fall. Practically scrambling over himself, he flipped into an incredibly subservient kneeling posture, pressing his forehead firmly against the wooden floorboards.
"I was momentarily lost in thought over complex family matters and wasn't watching the road ahead! I deeply apologize for colliding with you, my lord!"
"Please, my lord, for the sake of the Kasumioji Family's generations of dedicated service to the Seireitei, spare my life!"
Kumoi trembled like a leaf, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks onto the wooden floor.
Seconds ticked by.
Yet no sounds of reprimand or punishment came from above.
There was only the sound of light, almost lazy footsteps slowly approaching him.
A slender, pale hand with distinct knuckles rested gently on Kumoi's continuously trembling shoulder.
"My, my, Lord Kumoi, whatever are you doing? Please, get up. Get up."
"If outsiders were to see this, they would think a junior like me is bullying a highly respected elder like yourself."
A soft voice, tinged with a hint of frivolity, drifted down from above Kumoi's head.
The voice sounded like a spring breeze brushing across the surface of a lake, bringing an inexplicable sense of comfort and relaxation.
Kumoi froze for a moment.
He cautiously lifted his head, following the arm upward.
It belonged to an exceptionally handsome young man with a somewhat sickly pale complexion.
He had somewhat messy dark green hair, with a few strands falling casually over his forehead, obscuring his narrow eyes.
Those eyes were filled with an unfathomable chill and gloominess; just a single glance was enough to make one's skin crawl.
The moment he clearly saw this face, Kumoi's slightly relaxed heart didn't just drop—it leaped straight into his throat!
He was even more terrified than when he hadn't known the person's identity!
He recognized this man.
The man was indeed a member of the Tsunayashiro Family, and exactly the kind of person he absolutely never wanted to cross.
The lowest-ranking member of a Tsunayashiro branch family, an infamous and notorious existence within the noble circles of the Soul Society!
"Lord... Lord Tokinada?!"
Kumoi stammered out the man's name, his voice trembling so much that even he found it pathetic.
Tokinada Tsunayashiro was a man who terrified even him.
This man was temperamental, having been perverse and violent since childhood.
Not only did he murder his fellow Soul Reapers without reason, but he also relied on the Tsunayashiro Family's power to wantonly trample upon the laws of the Soul Society.
Even a century ago, to satisfy his twisted desires, he brutally tortured and murdered the wife the Tsunayashiro family head had found for him to improve his bloodline...
And after committing such an appalling crime, the Gotei 13 did not punish Tokinada. They simply allowed his family to place him under symbolic house arrest.
In reality, he continued to live a life of extravagance and reckless abandon.
A psychopath who treated human life like dirt and could slaughter his own wife without a shred of guilt...
How could Kumoi dare to relax even the slightest bit in front of him?
Seeing Kumoi's terrified state, a mocking glint flashed in Tokinada Tsunayashiro's eyes, though he maintained his gentle and refined smile on the surface.
Applying a little force, he personally helped the old man up from the floor. "Don't be such a stranger, Lord Kumoi."
"We've been cooperating quite pleasantly lately, so why are you still so nervous when speaking to me?"
Tokinada dusted off the hem of Kumoi's kimono, his tone as intimate as if they were old friends despite their age difference.
That phrase—'cooperating quite pleasantly'—made Kumoi's heart clench once more.
It was true. He had indeed been in secret contact with Tokinada Tsunayashiro recently.
In order to legitimately seize control of the Kasumioji Family and suppress the retainers who opposed him, Kumoi had secretly initiated an experiment strictly forbidden within the Kasumioji Family.
The development of the [Bakkoto].
It was an evil weapon that granted power far beyond one's limits by devouring the user's Spiritual Energy and even their soul.
But conducting this experiment required not only astronomical funds and many strictly regulated, rare Reishi materials...
...but also a covert location, access privileges, and a massive, reliable umbrella of protection.
And Tokinada Tsunayashiro...
...was the partner Kumoi had sought out in a moment of desperation...