A brief silence fell over the courtyard.
The wind blew through the leaves, making a soft rustling sound.
Hiroki looked at the young Clan Head and Captain before him, seeing the unquestionable determination in his eyes and the hidden heat beneath the ice.
Love... truly is a complex and troublesome thing.
For the sake of one person, one can abandon everything; and because of love for one person, one would rather endure the pain of separation than have the other sacrifice themselves.
After a long while, the seriousness on Hiroki's face dissolved. He let out a soft chuckle, filled with a bit of self-deprecation and emotion: "Heh, as you wish."
He relaxed his body, leaning back against the corridor pillar. His tone returned to its previous casualness, yet held a rare touch of solemnity.
"I don't understand your convoluted romantic love. I've lived... cough, experienced so much, seen too many people turn to hate because of love, or turn against each other for profit. But—" He paused, looking directly at Byakuya.
"I respect all sincere and pure choices. Especially the determination to be together even if it means accepting a brief companionship without asking for anything in return."
He raised the teacup from the small table beside him in a mock toast: "My blessings to you both, Byakuya. On the fifteenth of next month, I will attend your wedding on time."
"Thank you."
Byakuya's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted. He bowed deeply again, this time with a voice carrying unmistakable gratitude and a hint of relief.
Those two simple words contained so much.
He knew how much pressure he had faced from the conservatives within the clan to marry Hisana, and how much gossip he had endured behind his back.
As the Head of the Shihoin Clan, Captain of the 6th Division, and Grand Kido Master—and more importantly, one of the most influential figures in the Seireitei today—Hiroki's stance and blessing carried immeasurable weight.
This wasn't just attending a wedding; it was a public endorsement and show of support.
Watching Byakuya's noticeably lighter figure disappear through the courtyard gate, Hiroki's thoughts drifted away.
Kuchiki Hisana... Rukia's sister... Byakuya's romantic path has ultimately followed its established trajectory.
Immediately, another thought popped up: Is it time to return the Sixth Division to Byakuya?
Over the past few years, his initial purpose for taking over the Sixth Division was simple—to help Yoruichi look after it, and incidentally to plant a stable pivot point within the Seireitei high command to facilitate his actions (and make money).
Now, under Kuchiki Byakuya's 'free-range + moderate guidance,' his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Though he hadn't mastered Bankai yet (Hiroki estimated it was coming soon), his spiritual pressure was pure and refined. His Hand-to-hand combat, Shunpo, and Zanjutsu had all reached extremely high levels. Coupled with his increasingly mature leadership aura and administrative abilities, he was no longer the green youth who needed protection.
In a sense, he had more than fulfilled Yoruichi's request—he hadn't just looked after him, he had cultivated him to be even more excellent.
"It's time," Hiroki murmured to himself.
Continuing to occupy this Captain's position held little meaning for him.
The Kidō Corps was where he had invested the most effort and where his greatest potential base lay.
Returning the Sixth Division Captaincy to Kuchiki Byakuya was only logical, and it would give Byakuya a more stable position and a greater voice within both his family and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
As for Shisui... well, he could stay on as the Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division. He could assist Byakuya while also serving as the eyes and link for the Shihōin Clan within the Sixth Division.
One month later, at the Kuchiki Clan estate.
The wedding was held as scheduled.
The location was set in a relatively quiet and elegant garden of the Kuchiki estate, rather than the main hall that symbolized the center of the clan's power.
This also seemed to hint that this wedding was not without its resistance within the Kuchiki Clan.
Just as Hiroki had predicted, the wedding scene appeared... somewhat deserted.
There weren't many people in the guest seats, mostly noble members closely related to the Kuchiki line or those who were impressed by Byakuya's personal prestige.
Most of their expressions carried blessings, but deep in their eyes, a hint of worry was hard to hide—worry for the future.
Other Great Nobles of the Seireitei, such as the Tsunayashiro and shiba (Kukaku refused to come no matter what, while Kaien came but with a complex expression), as well as many small and medium nobles, mostly just sent people with beautifully packaged and expensive gifts, but none showed up in person.
Those gifts were less a celebration and more a polite distance and silent protest.
In their view, Kuchiki Byakuya's move was practically lowering his status and tainting the honor of the nobility, causing the entire noble class of the Seireitei to share in the'shame'.
A subtle awkwardness and reserved indifference permeated the air.
"This is what happens when strength is insufficient," Hiroki thought to himself as he sat alone in a front-row seat—yet not quite at the center—wearing formal attire representing the Head of the Shihoin Clan (though he found it a bit restrictive), slowly sipping the Kuchiki family's special sake while coldly observing everything.
Although Byakuya now held the title of Head of the Kuchiki Clan, his actual position in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was only the fourth seat of the Sixth Division.
The Captain of the Sixth Division was Hiroki, and the Vice-Captain was Uchiha Shisui.
In the Soul Society, which worshipped power—and especially in the noble circles, a marketplace of vanity and snobbery—a clan head whose personal strength had not yet reached Captain-level (where rank and strength didn't match) and who was 'rebellious' in matters of marriage naturally had his influence greatly discounted.
The decline of the Kuchiki Clan over the past century was fully apparent at this moment.
The wedding ceremony was solemn and dignified, following the oldest traditions of the Kuchiki Clan.
When Kuchiki Hisana, dressed in a pure white Shiromuku kimono (clearly an unprecedented exception made by the Kuchiki family for Hisana), slowly walked into the garden with her head lowered, supported by two female elders of the Kuchiki family, all eyes in the venue focused on her.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Doubt, scrutiny, curiosity, indifference... various complex gazes intertwined.
Hisana's body was noticeably stiff and trembling, her pale fingers tightly clutching the edge of her sleeve.
She was just an ordinary Soul from the Rukongai, never having seen such a spectacle, let alone imagining she would stand at the center of this thousand-year-old Kuchiki estate.
The immense pressure almost suffocated her.
Just then, standing at the front of the ceremonial platform, also wearing solemn ancient wedding attire, Byakuya turned around without hesitation.
He didn't look at the faces of the surrounding nobles; his gaze went straight past everyone, locking firmly onto Hisana as she walked towards him step by step.
On his face, which was usually like an eternal iceberg, there was none of the reserve or arrogance a noble should have; there was only a tenderness and determination in his eyes that almost overflowed.
That gaze, like the sturdiest rock and the warmest sun, instantly dispelled the unease surrounding Hisana.
She looked up, meeting Byakuya's eyes. A shy blush crept onto her pale cheeks, and her nervous emotions miraculously calmed down, leaving only a heart full of reliance and happiness.
This scene fell clearly into Hiroki's eyes.
His hand holding the sake cup paused slightly, and the bit of mockery and disdain for noble rules in his heart quietly dissipated a little.
Only true love can melt an iceberg.
Byakuya's choice might not be accepted by the world, but that sincerity was beyond reproach.
"Interesting," Hiroki's lips curled into a very faint arc as he drained the sake in his cup.
The ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.
When Byakuya and Hisana, under the presiding priest, exchanged the "Chiyo-no-En" sake cups symbolizing eternal union, Hiroki's gaze finally landed on Hisana's face.
This was the first time he had clearly seen this woman who, in the original story, died young yet deeply influenced the fates of several main characters.
She looks quite like Rukia.
Hiroki concluded in his heart.
It wasn't that their features were identical, but rather that delicate and soft contour, especially those eyes—clear with a sense of fragile vulnerability that invited pity, yet with a hidden resilience within.
Rukia's gaze was more stubborn and persistent, while Hisana appeared more gentle as water, like glass that would shatter at a touch.
Hiroki could even foresee why, when Rukia appeared, Byakuya would project that affection onto her—they were too alike, both in appearance and the underlying color of their souls.
The ceremony ended, and the bride and groom withdrew.
The guests began to talk in low voices, but the atmosphere remained lukewarm.
Hiroki put down his sake cup and was about to get up to leave when the Kuchiki family butler respectfully stepped forward and whispered Byakuya's invitation, hoping that Lord Shihoin could move to the inner room for a short stay.
Hiroki raised an eyebrow, knowing this was likely Byakuya's way of offering a private thanks.
He nodded noncommittally and, under the complex and awe-filled gazes of the Kuchiki clansmen, followed the butler inward.
Before stepping out of the garden, he paused slightly, looked back at the wedding scene once more, and the decision in his heart regarding returning the Sixth Division Captaincy became even firmer.
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