"Stop right there! Shihouin! Yoruichi!!!"
The young boy's still slightly immature roar pierced through the air, raising the curtain on a new day in the Seireitei.
"Talk about an excess of energy!"
"Are you referring to the young master of the Kuchiki clan? This age is indeed when they are at their most lively."
"I'm talking about the princess of the Shihouin clan. No, wait, she should be the clan head now." Hirako Shinji lowered the hand shielding his brow, turning to look at the person behind him as he continued, "She hasn't been free for long, shouldn't she take a good rest? Wouldn't you agree, Sōsuke?"
Behind Shinji, the refined man with short brown hair and glasses heard this. The corners of his mouth curled up, his eyes narrowing into a polite smile in response.
'That's a yes, probably?' Shinji silently guessed at his lieutenant's thoughts. Hearing a string of footsteps approaching from his left, he turned his head and drawled lazily, "Morning."
"Morning, Mr. Hirako!" Urahara Kisuke, who was hurrying toward Squad 12, responded with a smile.
"Didn't I tell you to just call me Shinji? You're such a pain." Shinji looked displeased, then turned toward the bizarrely dressed man beside Urahara and continued, "Morning, Mayuri."
Kōe's appearance might have changed a few things, but some events seemed destined by fate.
Take the currently disgruntled Kurotsuchi Mayuri, for example. He had been locked up in the Maggot's Nest because of Kōe, but he had also regained his freedom thanks to Urahara's invitation. He currently served as the 3rd Seat of Squad 12, though he much preferred the title of Vice President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
"Why are you addressing me so intimately? Didn't I tell you to call me Kurotsuchi? You really are an obnoxious guy..."
"You're a pain too," Shinji muttered in disgust, turning his head away. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked back at Urahara. "By the way, have you heard about that incident?"
"Which incident?"
Urahara's curious expression left Shinji highly satisfied. He loosely balled his fist and cleared his throat, but just as he was about to speak, someone viciously kicked him in the rear, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.
"Hiyori, why the hell did you kick me out of nowhere?!"
He twisted around to demand an answer, only for the culprit—Squad 12 Lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori—to pounce on him. Grabbing him by the collar, she stated matter-of-factly, "You haven't greeted me yet."
"Why do I have to greet you?!"
"According to standard procedure, you just have to!"
"Is that really so important?! I'm a Captain and you're a Lieutenant! What gives you the right to be dissatisfied with a Captain's behavior?!"
"..."
Urahara watched awkwardly as the two wrestled on the ground. It was hard to imagine that these two were the Captain of Squad 5 and the Lieutenant of Squad 12—at least, in this current moment.
"Morning, Captain Urahara."
"Oh, morning, Mr. Aizen."
As the Lieutenant of Squad 5, Aizen Sōsuke seemed long accustomed to his Captain's disgraceful displays. He stepped up beside Urahara and asked casually, "I just saw Lady Yoruichi. Is there still no news of her fiancé?"
"Still nothing. Why do you ask?"
"I just get the feeling that someone definitely hopes her fiancé will return soon. Very much so." Aizen smiled as he delivered this cryptic remark.
However, Urahara naturally understood the underlying meaning. He asked probingly, "Is Byakuya chasing her down with murderous intent again?" Seeing Aizen nod, he continued, "What did she take this time? His hair tie again?"
"It was also a tie of some sort, but it looked a bit long, so I think..." Aizen scratched his hair, sounding uncertain. "It was probably his sash..."
"..."
"Women. What a terrifying instinct, tsk tsk!" Having temporarily subdued Hiyori, Shinji wandered over. After delivering his conclusive remark, he continued, "But that's not important. Let's get back to our previous topic. Have you heard about that incident?"
"..."
Yoruichi, who had already left the area, naturally had no idea about the conversation concerning her, nor Shinji's 'insightful' summary. If she had, she certainly wouldn't have to worry about finding something to do.
Of course, playing with the brat behind her was also quite a good way to relieve boredom.
"Why are you slower than last time, Byakuya?!" Yoruichi turned her head and shouted loudly. "Put your back into it! If you catch me, I'll let you hehehe!"
"Don't say things I don't understand, you bastard!"
As the grandson of Kuchiki Ginrei—the current head of one of the Four Great Noble Clans and Captain of Squad 6—Kuchiki Byakuya carried his grandfather's high hopes and the heavy responsibility of the Kuchiki clan's future. He had never displayed such a loss of composure before.
Having studied various noble etiquettes since childhood, let alone swearing, he had never even spoken loudly. Back then, he truly believed he could become the very paragon of nobility.
But with Yoruichi's appearance, all of that was ruined. From shouting in anger to recklessly chasing someone down with a blade, all of these behaviors had a clear origin, and Yoruichi was involved in every single one of them.
And today, he had finally cursed because of this woman. What a historic moment!
Holding up his pants, Byakuya landed and immediately launched a flying kick straight at Yoruichi's face.
Perhaps Byakuya was considered outstanding among his peers, but compared to Yoruichi, he was still far too green. She simply leaned back, effortlessly dodging Byakuya's seemingly inevitable kick.
"You should understand by now, right? 'Hehehe' just means sparring."
"What kind of weird phrasing is that?!" Byakuya yelled. With a single Shunpo, he appeared right in front of Yoruichi, swinging a wooden sword so rapidly it formed an airtight defense as he relentlessly attacked her.
"That's Kōe's phrasing. Shihouin Kōe, you should know him." As Yoruichi dodged, she recounted tales of the past to Byakuya.
Back then, she and Kōe hadn't even entered the Shin'ō Academy yet. Whenever she wanted to spar, Kōe was always a million times unwilling. That was until one time when she simply attacked him directly. Naturally, Kōe still didn't fight back; he just kept running away.
However, when it came to Shunpo, that was Yoruichi's specialty. After dodging for a while, Kōe was caught, pinned to the ground, and given a sound beating.
"Could this be the legendary 'if you catch me, I'll let you hehehe'?"
That was what Kōe had subconsciously blurted out at the time. Yoruichi had asked him about it afterward, and according to his explanation, it was because she always laughed 'hehehe' right before beating him up...
"Then it should be called 'getting beaten up'! So why are you still dodging? Strictly follow the words he left behind!"
Byakuya was going crazy. Although he had never met this Shihouin Kōe, he heard stories about the man from Yoruichi's mouth every single time. By now, he actually felt a strange sense of familiarity with this 'brother-in-law' he had never even met.
"He couldn't even bear to hit me, and you dare?" Yoruichi suddenly reached out and grabbed Byakuya's wooden sword. Raising an eyebrow, she teased, "Aren't you afraid he'll come back and spank you? He is the Ninth Generation Kenpachi, you know."
"The former Ninth Generation Kenpachi!"
"You little brat! Watch me teach you a lesson!"
Yes, the person who hoped Kōe would hurry back the most was Kuchiki Byakuya. To some extent, his desperation even surpassed Yoruichi's!
According to his grandfather, once a wife was restrained by her husband, she would settle down considerably. And when that time came, he would no longer have to suffer at Yoruichi's venomous hands.
Shihouin Kōe! It's been twenty years! Hurry back and save this child!!!
However, looking at the situation, that Shihouin Kōe probably couldn't take it anymore and ran away from the marriage! Although Yoruichi claimed he was taken away by his old bastard of a master, Byakuya felt he had fled the marriage. He definitely fled the marriage!
'Let this be a lesson. In the future, I must follow my heart when finding a wife. Otherwise, if I run into someone like Yoruichi, my only option will be to run away. I wouldn't even be able to divorce her!'
And so, a strange idea was born in the heart of the young Kuchiki Byakuya. This persistence would cause Kuchiki Ginrei quite a few headaches in the future, but that was a story for another time.
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