Five days later, Kōe Shihouin finally returned to the familiar Seireitei under a different identity.
No one could possibly associate him with the elderly Shinigami standing before them—a man named Ao, wearing a white mask and a coarse cabbage-green robe. The contrast was simply too vast; one was an old friend of Lord Kuchiki Ginrei, while the other was a notorious wanted criminal.
"Being severely ill for over a hundred years without raising suspicion," Kōe, who had fully slipped into the persona of Ao, said with a hearty voice in the Kuchiki clan's grand hall. "That pretty boy face of yours is still good for something, isn't it!"
Yamamoto had truly racked his brains and gone to great lengths to craft this "Ao" identity. During Kōe's six years at the Shin'ō Academy, he had spent most of his time memorizing every little detail to familiarize himself with Ao's persona.
For instance, because Kuchiki Ginrei paid great attention to his appearance and was quite handsome in his youth, others had forcefully pinned the nickname "Pretty Boy" on him. Nowadays, not many people were even aware of that moniker.
Hearing a nickname he hadn't heard in ages, the wrinkles on Kuchiki Ginrei's face seemed to deepen a fraction. "Sukegumo? Or is it Nobuyuki? Since you're already here, there's no need to hide anymore, is there?"
Quite a few of his old friends had chosen to live in seclusion or wander the world back in the day, so Ginrei couldn't immediately deduce which one the "Ao" standing before him actually was.
"The past is like fleeting clouds, so why bring it up again?" Kōe replied mildly. Pointing at his mask, he continued, "If it really bothers you, you can take it off yourself. I'd also like to see if you've truly become too old to lift your blade over these past years."
This was exactly what Old Man Yama had told him: the Kuchiki clan was the proudest family and the one that cared most about noble honor. They considered fighting without reason to be crude and ugly, so they would choose to ignore ordinary provocations, only drawing their swords for the sake of honor and rules.
Just as Old Man Yama had predicted, Kuchiki Ginrei didn't even entertain the thought of replying. Giving a gesture that essentially meant "suit yourself," he knelt before the tea table and began drinking tea in solitude.
At that moment, Kōe cheekily leaned in, cupping his hands like a megaphone, and whispered into Ginrei's ear, "Hey, you actually really want to know who I am, don't you? Beg me, and I'll show you. How about it?"
Before the mouthful of tea could even go down, Ginrei choked and spat it out. Watching Ginrei cover his mouth and cough, Kōe burst into roaring laughter. *'These old men usually act like robots, but they're actually pretty cute when you see right through them!'*
After that, Ginrei directly used his spiritual power to seal off his own hearing and completely ignored Kōe. The two remained in silence until a half-moon rose into the sky and night fully descended.
There were quite a few guests visiting the Kuchiki estate today. Kōe was among the early arrivals; this was the proper time for the others to make their appearance.
Yamamoto was the first to arrive. After nodding to the two men in the room, he didn't stand on ceremony, walking straight to the seat of honor at the very back and closing his eyes to rest.
Next was Shihōin Dōzō. Unlike five days ago at the Huaixiang Pavilion, he arrived wearing his captain's haori. This meant that his current identity was not the reigning head of the Shihōin clan, but the Captain of Squad 2 of the Gotei 13.
"Looks like I'm quite early," Dōzō said with a smile. Seeing Kōe to the side, he knew this was the "Ao" that Yamamoto had mentioned. He was just about to exchange a few pleasantries when a gentle voice rang out from behind him, making him drop the idea.
"Following Lord Dōzō, it seems I am not late."
The newcomer was a woman. Her beautiful, jet-black hair was braided into two thick plaits resting over her chest. She had delicate features on her petite face, and her smiling eyes, which often curved into crescent moons, easily evoked a sense of tender affection.
However, the captain's haori draped over her shoulders proved she was no ordinary, fragile woman. The character for "Four" on the back of her haori represented the squad she commanded—Captain of Squad 4 of the Gotei 13, Unohana Retsu.
From the moment she appeared, Kōe hadn't blinked once. *'It's been so many years, but Sister Hana is as beautiful as ever!'*
From the seat of honor, Yamamoto gave a dry cough. Hearing the sound, Unohana and Dōzō immediately ceased their idle chatter. With Dōzō in front and Unohana behind, they stood side by side to the lower left of Yamamoto.
In truth, the person Yamamoto actually wanted to warn was the dumbstruck Kōe. The boy had loved running off to Squad 4 ever since he was little; how could Yamamoto not understand what was going through his head? *'The boy is all grown up now. Should I start considering his marriage prospects?'* Yamamoto pondered to himself.
Right at that moment, four captains arrived together. They were the Captain of Squad 7 with his round afro, Aikawa Love; the Captain of Squad 9 with his sharp, short white hair, Muguruma Kensai; the newly appointed Captain of Squad 3 with his long, wavy blonde hair, looking like a beautiful woman from behind but a handsome god from the front, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō; and the Captain of Squad 5, who was currently yawning, his forehead completely hidden by thick bangs, Hirako Shinji.
These four were considered to be of the same generation and shared a good relationship in private. Recently, when Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō took over the duties of Squad 3 Captain, the four of them had even been dubbed the "Strongest Quartet." Excellent people naturally attracted one another, which perfectly described their situation.
"First it's secret authorizations, now it's clandestine meetings. I can already see the days of exhausting labor waving at me once again! Sigh." Hirako Shinji complained with a heavy breath.
"What a coincidence, I see the exact same thing!" Captain of Squad 8, Kyōraku Shunsui, had just arrived and heard Hirako voicing his exact thoughts. Draping an arm over Hirako's shoulder, he quietly suggested, "So, how about we take advantage of our free time and go grab a few drinks later?"
Captain of Squad 13, Ukitake Jūshirō, who had arrived alongside Kyōraku, was just about to interject when another person joined the huddle. It was the Captain of Squad 10, wearing a haori with the character for "Ten" on the back—Shiba Isshin.
"Count me in! And while we're at it, let's call Hiyori and Lisa over to pour our drinks! Heh heh!"
"You two go ahead. Staying up late makes your hair fall out." Hirako broke free from their grasp and listlessly stood opposite Unohana, muttering to himself, "If I actually go bald, Hiyori would laugh me to death."
"Apologies, am I late?"
"Kirio? Don't worry, there's still one more who hasn't arrived yet, so you're not the last!" Seeing the purple-haired woman who had just walked in, Shiba Isshin formed a circle with his thumb and index finger, mimicking the motion of drinking. "Want to grab a drink together after this is over?"
The newcomer was the Captain of Squad 12, Hikifune Kirio, who was also the only female captain in the Gotei 13 aside from Unohana.
At this moment, twelve captains had gathered in the room. With the exception of Captain of Squad 11, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, the absolute pinnacle of the Seireitei's combat power was now assembled within the grand hall of the Kuchiki estate.
They were still missing one captain, but it seemed Yamamoto had no intention of waiting. Opening his closed eyes slightly, he tapped his walking stick lightly against the floor and announced in a booming voice, "Everyone, take your positions!"
The somewhat rowdy hall instantly fell silent. However, if anyone had been standing outside, they would have realized that from beginning to end, not a single sound had leaked from the hall.
At this moment, the eleven captains aside from Yamamoto stood face-to-face in two rows—even numbers on the left, odd numbers on the right. As for Kōe, he was shamelessly standing right in front of Hirako, staring straight ahead at Unohana without averting his gaze.
From the seat of honor, Yamamoto temporarily ignored Kōe. Slowly rising from his chair, he declared, "The emergency captain's meeting will now begin!"
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