"Whether you return to the Seireitei or not, and whether you return early or late, you will inevitably be tied to Yoruichi and me. It's unavoidable." On this statement alone, Kōe and Urahara had reached a consensus back in the World of the Living.
Whether as Urahara's close friend or Yoruichi's fiancé, unless Kōe had been physically present in the Seireitei during the soul disappearance incident, it was absolutely impossible to wash away the suspicion on him.
Returning too early would make it seem like he had been secretly observing everything from the shadows. In the eyes of Central 46, his departure could very well be seen as cooperating with Urahara's Hollowfication experiments, and returning to the Seireitei would merely be a delusional attempt to continue them.
On the other hand, if he returned late, given the relationship between the three of them, the likelihood that Kōe had made contact with Urahara and the others would be much higher. At that point, regardless of his motives for returning to the Seireitei, it would be a given that they would try to use him to track down the fugitive Urahara and Yoruichi.
An investigation by Central 46 was an unavoidable certainty; the only question was how to handle this foreseeable interrogation.
From this, there were two basic approaches. The first was to proactively reveal the whereabouts of Urahara and the others. To achieve this, the three of them could have caused a 'little commotion' in the World of the Living, ending with Urahara and Yoruichi temporarily retreating after proving no match for Kōe.
However, setting aside how convincing this dramatic severing of ties would actually be, just explaining how they ran into each other was an unavoidable problem. He couldn't exactly claim they accidentally bumped into each other on some random street in the World of the Living.
Of course, he could claim that Urahara initiated contact, but that would raise even more questions. Why was Urahara able to contact Kōe? What was the purpose of contacting him? To launch a counterattack on the Seireitei?
Therefore, this first approach was quickly discarded by the trio. The only remaining option was to absolutely never reveal the fact that the three of them had met. Kōe had simply finished his training and coincidentally returned to the Seireitei.
Urahara and Kōe had no disagreements on this point either. However, on how to execute this, the two had a rare difference of opinion.
Urahara advocated for simply putting on a good act—memorize every piece of intelligence obtained in the Seireitei, stay calm, and as long as he wasn't careless enough to let Central 46 catch him in a slip of the tongue, it would be nothing more than a routine investigation.
As for Kōe...
"Your attitude alone is enough to convict you!" After the sage hidden behind the number twenty-seven wooden placard uttered these words, he suddenly felt the air around him begin to flow.
*Is the wind blowing? Inside the sealed chambers of Central 46?*
He wasn't the only one; at this moment, all forty-six sages on the high platform felt the same way. Yet, the hair at their temples wasn't fluttering. How could there be wind in this enclosed hall?!
"Attitude? Have you always handed down convictions based on attitude?!"
Kōe's icy voice rang out from below, though at this moment, his figure was incredibly blurry, as if shrouded in a hazy layer of mist.
"The misjudgment of the Azashiro clan, the expulsion of the Shiba clan... you all have certainly done quite a lot, haven't you!"
These words were like a vicious slap across the faces of the sages of Central 46. However, what truly terrified them was the scene that followed.
With a crisp clink, the white spiritual restraints on Kōe's wrists fell to the ground without warning, a sound that violently pierced the hearts of the sages on the platform.
*These special tools designed to restrict Reiatsu... someone can actually undo them on their own?*
When the rules were ruthlessly shattered, it meant that those who had always been protected by those rules—and used them to stand at the apex—were about to face an imminent disaster.
Except, for these sages right now, the only thing protecting them was the restraints on the prisoner awaiting their judgment—and that was exactly what Kōe had just broken.
"G-Guards!"
The words they wanted to say could only be screamed in their hearts. At this moment, the hall was as dead and silent as a pool of stagnant water, yet it felt as though an invisible vortex was spinning, devouring everything within its reach, with the young man in the center as its eye.
"I was just wondering if my friends, Urahara Kisuke and Shihōin Yoruichi, were also convicted in such a baffling manner before they defected." Kōe rolled his wrists as he spoke. Although his tone was calm, anyone could hear the fury hidden within it. "I need an explanation. A reasonable explanation."
"If a Captain and a Lieutenant were forced to leave because of you, then I will use your lives to appease their humiliation! You may represent Central 46, but Central 46 does not have to be represented by you!"
Unconcealed killing intent permeated the entire hall. What was even more terrifying was that the master of this killing intent was entirely capable of turning it into a bloody reality at this very moment.
When dealing with the stubbornly ossified Central 46, one could only use an even tougher attitude. At least regarding this matter, this was Kōe's stance.
Of course, this wasn't the only way to dispel Central 46's suspicions, but it was the only path to shatter all their logical deductions.
*Bang.* The door at the top of the stairs behind Kōe suddenly swung open, breaking the suffocating silence in the hall.
"Control your emotions, Kōe!" A familiar voice rang out from beyond the door. Without even turning his head, Kōe knew it was his master, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Unlike Central 46, who could only make blind conjectures, Yamamoto understood him far more deeply. In fact, aside from Kōe himself, Yamamoto was the person who knew him best—a point that not even Urahara and Yoruichi could match.
He had once acted on a whim because Yoruichi was insulted, forcing Yamamoto to change his plans at the last minute. He had even gotten into a massive argument with Yamamoto over the Shiba clan's affairs, not to mention his attempts to rescue Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Every single one of these actions had fallen squarely into Yamamoto's eyes.
Furthermore, in Yamamoto's eyes, this disciple of his harbored a considerable disgust for Central 46.
Kōe knew this very well, which was why he had to be as forceful as possible in this matter, displaying a maximum state of lost control. Because when it came to issues concerning Urahara and Yoruichi—or rather, the people close to him—this was exactly the state he *should* be in.
Maintaining a calm response could certainly shake off Central 46's suspicions, but in Yamamoto's view, that would actually be the best proof that Kōe had been in contact with Urahara.
If it were just that, it would be fine. But if Yamamoto consequently linked him to the Hollowfication experiments because of it, that would be an absolute disaster for him.
After all, in the Seireitei, the 'truth' was that Urahara Kisuke had spearheaded the inhumane Hollowfication experiments. The evidence was conclusive, leaving no room for rebuttal.
Being investigated upon returning to the Seireitei was a given, but the executors wouldn't necessarily just be Central 46. It could also include Yamamoto. Or rather, Yamamoto was the one who most wanted to know if Kōe was involved in this mess.
The moment Kōe entered the Seireitei, he had headed straight for the Squad 1 barracks specifically to see Yamamoto before Central 46 could get to him. That way, he could have put on a show for Yamamoto first, sparing him the need to take such a massive risk in front of Central 46.
Unfortunately, in order to make his return look as natural as possible, he had been ruthlessly intercepted right at the gate. Having failed to see Yamamoto, his only option was to cause a massive uproar in Central 46 to dispel the doubts in Yamamoto's heart.
Perhaps Yamamoto would 'audit' the hearing from within Central 46, or perhaps he would just wait for the results at the Squad 1 barracks. Naturally, he would pay close attention to the process either way.
Because of this, Kōe had deliberately released his Reiatsu first, followed by a 'leisurely' negotiation, all to stall for time as much as possible so that Yamamoto, the main target, could arrive.
After all, he couldn't *actually* annihilate Central 46. No matter the reason, if he did that, the only thing waiting for him would be getting burned alive.
And now, Yamamoto had appeared just as he had hoped. Judging by the timing, he had been inside Central 46 all along, which made his suspicions plainly evident.
Furthermore, from his words, Kōe understood that the old man's suspicions had already been mostly dispelled.
"I should have been the one to visit you first. Forgive my rudeness in making you come to see me personally, Master Genryūsai!" A faint smile quietly crept onto the corners of Kōe's mouth, quickly vanishing without a trace.
*It seems that this time, I'm one step ahead, Master.*
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