"Lord Naraku, I bear the great mission of revitalizing my family's glory. Until I achieve this goal, I will absolutely not waste my time on romance."
Without hesitating for even a second, Kuchiki Byakuya gave his firm answer.
When he was very young, Kuchiki Ginrei had told him that he was the man who would carry the future of the Kuchiki clan, one of the Five Great Noble Families of the Soul Society.
Although others might see it as cruel to place the future of such a massive family on a child's shoulders, Kuchiki Byakuya did not think so.
He had seen the hard work of his elders. His grandfather, Kuchiki Ginrei, was advanced in age but still bore the heavy burden of being the Captain of Squad 6 to protect the family. He often fought on the front lines against rogue Soul Reapers, returning covered in wounds more than once.
As for his father, Kuchiki Sōjun, his health had been terrible in his early years, making him appear much weaker than other Soul Reapers. If not for Lord Naraku, he might have died in battle long ago.
Even though Sōjun had fully recovered, Byakuya understood him well and did not want his father to do things that went against his kind nature.
Moreover, Byakuya's talent far exceeded that of his elders.
With great power comes great responsibility.
This was something Lord Naraku had once said, and Byakuya kept it firmly in his heart.
As the only outstanding male heir of the Kuchiki family, he had to become a pillar capable of standing on his own as soon as possible.
Compared to his peers, he had no time to waste on dating games.
At most, when he reached the appropriate age, he would pick a pleasing woman from the noble families hoping to cling to the Kuchiki clan and complete a political marriage.
Looking at the resolute young man before him, Naraku Sora shook his head somewhat helplessly.
"That's really a pity. I originally wanted to introduce you to someone."
"Since that's the case, then just keep working hard."
"Hisana, let's go."
He stood up from the giant training boulder and waved to the woman beside him, preparing to leave.
Only then did Kuchiki Byakuya notice the exquisitely beautiful young woman in a simple cotton yukata standing beside Naraku Sora.
Hisana looked at Kuchiki Byakuya with some curiosity, completely unaware that the matter they had just discussed involved her.
She was grateful from the bottom of her heart to Lord Naraku, who had changed her fate.
Since he had helped her find her sister, she would take full responsibility for her previous promise.
No matter how harsh the demands, Hisana would firmly carry them out.
However, judging from this short time together, Lord Naraku did not seem to be a bad person.
As for the young man in front of her...
Although he seemed a bit silly, his serious demeanor was quite cute.
Hisana gave Kuchiki Byakuya a polite smile, then prepared to follow Naraku Sora away.
Seeing the young woman's sweet smile, Kuchiki Byakuya's breath hitched, and his heart suddenly began to beat wildly out of control.
*This feeling was like fighting Gin head-on for a hundred rounds.*
*No, her smile...*
*Wait!*
Seeing Hisana walking away, Kuchiki Byakuya suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing an unlikely possibility.
*The person Lord Naraku just mentioned... couldn't be Lady Hisana, could it?*
Kuchiki Byakuya stood rooted to the spot, conflicted for a few seconds. Finally, he gritted his teeth and used Flash Step to chase after them.
"Hisa—Lord Naraku!"
Naraku Sora turned his head curiously.
"What is it? I have other things to do today and no time to train you. If you can't wait, you can go to Squad 11 and find Zaraki."
"No, it's not about training."
Kuchiki Byakuya took a few deep breaths, his peripheral vision uncontrollably drifting toward the equally curious Hisana.
"Lord Naraku, please, let's speak over here."
The two walked to a spot out of Hisana's sight.
Kuchiki Byakuya gathered his courage and spoke with some difficulty.
"Lord Naraku, the person you mentioned just now... is it Lady Hisana?"
Hearing this, Naraku Sora's eyes lit up, and he grinned.
"Doesn't that have nothing to do with you anymore?"
"You just said you wanted to revitalize the Kuchiki family and had no time to waste on romance."
A trace of conflict flashed through Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes. If he had known, he wouldn't have spoken so absolutely.
He had seen many girls of appropriate age in the Seireitei, but none had ever appeared so gentle and reserved, just like a crimson sky.
Realizing that missing this opportunity might make him regret it for the rest of his life, Kuchiki Byakuya gritted his teeth and finally mustered the courage to ask.
"Then, does Lady Hisana have someone she likes?"
Naraku Sora stroked his chin.
"I'm really not sure about that, but wouldn't you know if you just asked?"
Kuchiki Byakuya's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly looked up to stop the man's wicked teasing, but what he saw was Naraku Sora's half-smiling, mocking expression.
He immediately realized he had been thoroughly played.
Upon realizing this, Byakuya's face turned bright red. He opened his mouth but couldn't find any words to retort.
"You were just swearing up and down about revitalizing your family, and in the blink of an eye, you've changed your tune, huh."
Naraku Sora sighed and glanced at Byakuya, who had his head lowered.
"Say, you don't just lose your ability to walk when you see a pretty face, do you?"
"Lady Hisana is different."
"How is she different?"
"S-she just is."
Byakuya stiffened his neck, looking like he was ready to double down on his stubbornness.
Seeing this, Naraku Sora couldn't help but laugh.
The current Byakuya was truly completely different from the unsmiling, stoic Byakuya in his memories.
But this was good too.
The Byakuya in his memories carried too many burdens; it was far too heavy.
Young people should be a bit more vibrant.
"Kid, I can tell you very responsibly that Hisana doesn't have anyone she likes. But there is one thing you need to be aware of. She is not a noble, not even a resident of the Seireitei."
Naraku Sora said seriously.
"And you are the sole heir of the Kuchiki family. The massive disparity in status might bring about some negative consequences. You must learn to overcome them yourself."
Kuchiki Byakuya thought for a few seconds, then nodded solemnly.
Naraku Sora continued.
"Also, when you meet someone you like, you have to pursue them yourself. As your master, I can teach you a few secrets: be bold, be attentive, and be thick-skinned."
"Most importantly, be sincere."
After saying that, he waved his hand and walked toward Hisana.
Next, he had to arrange for this ill-fated young woman to go to the Department of Research and Development to improve her constitution. As for whether Byakuya could win her over, that would depend on his own abilities.
Byakuya watched their retreating figures, his expression gradually firming.
After everyone had left, a head of orange hair poked out from the shadows, a thoughtful look flashing across delicate features.
"Bold, attentive, and thick-skinned?"
"Maybe I should give it a try too?"
Aizen disappeared again.
Hirako Shinji searched the entire barracks but couldn't find a single trace of him.
Whenever he thought of the scene he had witnessed during the Reigai rebellion, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
Because of his humble, gentle, and helpful personality, Aizen was extremely popular within the squad. The squad members were all very happy to interact with this lieutenant.
Even members of other squads treated Aizen with great respect.
But the more this was the case, the less at ease Shinji felt.
He knew better than anyone how severe a threat a powerful person skilled in disguise could pose to the Soul Society.
Over the years, the Soul Society had experienced countless disasters and could no longer withstand any more turmoil.
To prevent anything bad from happening, he had issued an order within the squad: any Soul Reaper of seated officer rank or higher must report to him before leaving on a mission.
The goal was to keep track of Aizen's movements.
At first, everything was fine, but as time passed, Aizen seemed to grow tired of this troublesome method and began to ignore the order.
In the beginning, he would have other squad members report for him.
Citing things like emergency missions.
But later on, the guy couldn't even be bothered to put on an act.
He would disappear at the drop of a hat, and no one knew what he was off doing.
He didn't take Shinji, his Captain, seriously at all.
Just as Hirako Shinji was secretly gritting his teeth, Aizen finally returned from outside the barracks.
He went up to meet him, but just as he was about to speak, Aizen beat him to it.
"Captain, I was just looking for you."
"I'll have to trouble you with today's squad duties. I need to go out again tonight; the research project at the Department of Research and Development has just reached a critical juncture."
Looking at the undisguised apology on the other party's face, Hirako Shinji swallowed the words that had reached the tip of his tongue.
After a moment of silence, the corners of his mouth curled up into an eerie smile.
"It's just one day of squad duties, no big deal. Leave it to me."
"Thank you, Captain."
"It's a small matter."
Aizen turned and left, looking satisfied.
Watching his retreating back, Hirako Shinji narrowed his eyes.
His intuition told him that things were not that simple.
This would be an opportunity—a chance to catch Aizen by the tail!
Shinji watched Aizen's back until it disappeared from sight before raising his hand and softly chanting a Kidō incantation.
A layer of hazy light covered his body, blending him into the surrounding environment.
Bakudō #26: Kyokkō.
Because his Zanpakutō, Sakanade, belonged to the illusion type, he had an extremely high affinity for illusion-related Kidō.
In terms of mastery over the Kyokkō Kidō alone, no one in the Soul Society could surpass him.
This was the confidence of a veteran Captain.
Cloaked in the light of the Kidō, Hirako Shinji carefully trailed behind Aizen.
Soon, the two of them, one after the other, arrived at the Shino Prison.
As soon as he entered the barracks, Hirako Shinji's eyes widened.
Within the range of his Reiatsu perception, the Reiatsu of a Hollow had actually appeared.
Tyrannical, cruel, and carrying a hint of familiarity.
Under the cover of Kyokkō, Hirako Shinji grinned, secretly excited to have discovered Aizen's slip-up.
*Researching taboo subjects?*
*Or perhaps, colluding with Hueco Mundo?*
*Either one would be enough to tear off your fake disguise!*
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Hirako Shinji followed the residual Reishi in the air.