"Execution in twenty-five days, huh?" Rukia summarized Byakuya's cold proclamation. Just as she had expected, the man couldn't even be bothered to look her in the eye. He simply didn't care whether she lived or died.
*'People who look cold on the outside are actually gentle on the inside'—Big Bro Chōzuka's words are absolutely untrustworthy.*
"Captain, Captain Kuchiki..."
Renji watched Byakuya's back disappear from the temporary holding cell. Facing his own sister's death with such indifference... Renji truly couldn't understand what was going through Kuchiki Byakuya's mind. With his status as a high noble, saving Rukia wouldn't be that difficult, right?
*'This is the last time you will speak to me. The next time we meet will be at the execution stand.'* Renji recalled Byakuya's final words. Looking at Rukia's somewhat desolate back, he figured she must be devastated. No one could easily accept hearing something like that.
"Hey! Don't lose hope too early, there might still be a turning point!"
Renji's booming voice of encouragement snapped Rukia out of her daze. Why were all the men she knew so weird? They were either loud-mouthed and dense, or they couldn't even be considered human. Couldn't they balance it out a little?!
"I'm not losing hope. I was just thinking about Big Bro Chōzuka. His words have truly never been accurate!"
This was an answer Renji had absolutely not expected. At a time like this, you're actually still thinking about that unreliable Teacher Chōzuka? And you're still thinking about him even though you know he's not serious?!
"Hey! Has the fear messed up your brain, Kuchiki Rukia?!" Renji yelled, gripping the bars. "Or do you actually think Teacher Chōzuka has a way to save you? Turn around and let me look at you, your expression must be incredibly stupid right now."
Kōe was very strong, perhaps even stronger than Kuchiki Byakuya. Renji was certain of this. But no matter how strong he was, he could only stay in the Shin'ō Academy right now. He couldn't possibly break into a prison just to save Rukia.
So rather than placing his hopes on him, Renji felt it would be better to figure out a way to move Kuchiki Byakuya. Like acting spoiled, for instance? Then again, did Rukia even know how to act spoiled? He highly doubted it.
Meanwhile, Byakuya, who had just left the temporary holding cell, found his path blocked by two people.
"The Captain of Squad 6 is truly composed. I'm in awe, truly in awe!" A slightly frivolous voice sounded from behind. "To be so cold when your own sister is about to die... As expected of the Squad 6 Captain, a true model for all Shinigami!"
Another somewhat hoarse voice immediately responded, "What a joke. The only Shinigami who fear death are you and the Squad 9 Captain, right?"
Although these words weren't directed at him, they sounded even more grating to Byakuya's ears. Fearing death? This guy actually wanted to mock him for being able to face all death with indifference, didn't he?
"Do you two captains have some business with me, coming here without your lieutenants?" Byakuya turned his head, looking expressionlessly at Ichimaru Gin and Zaraki Kenpachi, who had suddenly appeared in the corridor, acting as if he hadn't heard their previous remarks.
"And you." Byakuya glanced up at the eaves above, seemingly speaking to thin air. "An instructor from the Shin'ō Academy shouldn't be allowed to enter the Gotei 13 barracks without permission."
"I just followed these two in. You can temporarily treat me as the lieutenant of Squad 3 and Squad 11." Kōe sat cross-legged on the roof, resting his chin on his right hand as he spoke listlessly. "But my purpose for coming here is completely different from theirs."
"Actually, all three of us have different purposes." Gin sat on the handrail, pointing at himself with a smile as he spoke to Byakuya. "Knowing that your sister is about to be executed, I was really worried that the Squad 6 Captain would be heartbroken and depressed over it. You should know I'm very considerate of others!"
"I told you earlier not to worry over nothing. Anyone who violates the law doesn't deserve forgiveness, let alone grief or depression. Captain Kuchiki isn't someone who would be swayed by personal feelings," Kōe chimed in from above, casually letting out a massive yawn.
He and Gin had come here today to coordinate a distraction, shifting Byakuya's attention away from Rukia and forcing him into an internal struggle.
It couldn't be helped. Although they had brought Rukia back to the Seireitei and used Central 46 to sentence her to death, putting the extraction of the Hōgyoku on the agenda, the Sōkyoku used for the execution was a massive loophole in itself.
One had to realize that, in theory, the Sōkyoku was an execution device reserved exclusively for captain-class Shinigami, and such an execution served more as a deterrent. Even Urahara hadn't been sentenced to the Sōkyoku back then. What right did Rukia, an ordinary Shinigami, have to be sent to Sōkyoku Hill?
There were certainly captains who realized something was amiss, but those with the power to change it could be counted on one hand. This change didn't necessarily mean saving Rukia; even if she were to be executed, for the current Aizen, it had to be done using the Sōkyoku.
As the current head of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya was one of the few who had the power to change things. In fact, as long as he willed it, having Rukia exiled or imprisoned wouldn't be a problem at all.
He could even have Rukia pardoned if he just dealt with Kurosaki Ichigo in time. The severity of transferring Reiryoku to a human could never compare to conducting Hollowfication experiments.
Therefore, Byakuya absolutely had to be kept in check. Whether it was forcing him into a conflict between law and emotion, or making him direct his frustration at Gin and Kōe, the goal was simply to prevent him from thinking calmly and comprehensively.
What a classic shit-stirrer. In the original history, Gin had played this exact role. Kōe hadn't expected that now, he and Gin would form a shit-stirring duo. Of course, he was just the handle of the stick, but as far as Byakuya was concerned, Kōe preferred to call himself a master of psychology!
Or, from the perspective of an old prophet, such actions were a bit overly cautious. With Byakuya being such a bottled-up person, even if you didn't pump air into him, he would suffocate himself anyway...
"But grief and depression are still hard to avoid. However, I completely agree with not being swayed." Kenpachi responded to Kōe's words, leaning against the wall as he continued looking at Byakuya. "He's a high noble, after all. How could he tolerate a sinner?"
*Great, here's another veteran pawn.* Listening to Kenpachi's mocking words, Kōe genuinely felt that it would be a crime against nature if Aizen didn't succeed in the original history. Shouldn't the heavens reward hard work?!
Kenpachi's words might not have been as harsh as Kōe's or Gin's, but he successfully managed to spark a trace of anger in Byakuya, who immediately retorted, "To think a commoner like you could understand the feelings of a noble!"
"You can't really say that. Who told me to be so clever?" Kenpachi proudly praised himself, asking with a grin, "In honor of my cleverness, let me kill that sinner before she dies!"
"And then, Chōzuka, you'd be so furious you couldn't stand it, right? When that time comes, we can fight without holding back. Or even right now—if you don't stop me, I'll definitely kill her." Kenpachi suddenly looked up and shouted at Kōe, "You wouldn't be able to take it, right? She's the pitiful little sister who's always followed you around, and you're not a high noble either, are you?"
"Try it and find out," Kōe said, stretching lazily. "It's just that the consequences for you might not be as light as lying in the Squad 4 barracks."
*He really is a smartass—so smart he's practically a dead man!*