At the edge of Rukongai, the Shiba Family Residence—
The night was deep. After dealing with the mess at the Eighth Division, Rosse returned to this hidden base in a relaxed mood.
The moment he pushed the door open, Shiba Kukaku's mature, alluring figure came up to greet him.
Rosse did not respond right away. He merely closed his eyes slightly, and a vast surge of spiritual awareness swept through the entire estate like a tide. Then he opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting into an amused smile.
"Looks like that disobedient little wildcat slipped out again?"
"Heh! She was messed with pretty badly this afternoon. She's probably got some trauma now and is hiding somewhere, shaking in fear."
Shiba Kukaku crossed her arms. Not only was there no trace of sympathy on her face, there was instead a sense of satisfaction after revenge.
Just thinking about that game earlier made her feel refreshed.
The closer she and Yoruichi Shihoin had once been, the more deeply she now hated her.
That afternoon, after finally catching such a once-in-a-lifetime chance, she had shown absolutely no restraint in venting all the resentment she had bottled up for years.
If not for the fact that there were still matters involving Yoruichi Shihoin tonight, she would definitely have tormented her until dawn the next day before stopping.
But it did not matter. Once there was a first time, there would be a second.
She had plenty of time ahead to vent her dissatisfaction on Yoruichi Shihoin.
"Let her be."
Rosse chuckled softly and waved his hand dismissively.
"Let her move freely for the next few days. After all, she's a wildcat. In a few days she'll come back on her own."
To him, Yoruichi Shihoin's role in this great drama sweeping across Soul Society was nothing more than an NPC who showed the way.
Ever since she brought Kurosaki Ichigo through the gates of Soul Society, her mission had already been mostly completed.
Now that she had no more value to use, letting her out for some air once in a while was no big deal.
"Then what about the one she brought back just now?", Shiba Kukaku leaned against the doorframe in a more suggestive pose, her eyes filled with playful curiosity.
"I've already arranged for her to stay in the master bedroom. She's got delicate skin and a great figure too. When are you planning to go enjoy her?"
Rosse had specifically instructed Yoruichi to bring that girl, Inoue Orihime, over. There was no way it was just to invite her for tea and small talk.
If they were really going to detain her based on her alleged crimes, she should have been thrown into the Twelfth Division instead.
Since the wolf had already dragged the lamb into its den, how could it not eat her clean?
"Now."
Rosse casually rolled his wrist. His knuckles let out a few crisp cracking sounds, and his eyes carried that lazy yet dangerous look of a beast before the hunt.
"I warmed up a bit earlier playing with those Shinigami. I'm still not satisfied, feeling a little itchy."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of walls, looking toward the depths of Rukongai.
"My little pet is still wandering outside and has no intention of returning to her cage. Since the real one isn't here, I'll just let this substitute help me vent a bit."
In his perception, Kurosaki Masaki was like a lost wandering soul. After leaving Kurosaki Ichigo behind, she had not departed, but instead aimlessly circled around nearby.
That fit her personality perfectly. Without an order from her master, she neither dared to run nor wanted to return, only able to torment herself in the cracks between choices.
"Oh? That's interesting," Hearing Rosse's metaphor, Shiba Kukaku raised an eyebrow, wearing the expression of a true villain.
"Want me to join in? I didn't have enough fun this afternoon."
Ever since that reunion "gift" with Yoruichi Shihoin, she seemed to have awakened some rather disturbing new tastes, showing strong interest in destroying beautiful things.
"No need."
Rosse smiled as he refused, a meaningful glint flashing through his eyes.
"It's just casual fun. That girl's only a human. If you join in, I'm afraid she won't be able to take it, and I won't be able to really let loose either."
"Got it. Go ahead."
Shiba Kukaku understood instantly. She did not press further, shrugged, and stepped aside to clear the way for Rosse.
Watching Rosse's tall figure walk toward the bedroom, the smile in Shiba Kukaku's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a clear-eyed detachment, as if she had seen through everything.
She knew very well that Rosse was no saint.
To be crowned king in Hueco Mundo and rule over those monsters who lived by the instinct to devour, the purest evil must have been flowing in that man's bones.
But... so what?
No matter how evil Rosse was, from beginning to end he had never targeted her, nor had he harmed the fallen Shiba family in the slightest.
On the contrary, look at those so-called good people.
Kyoraku Shunsui, Ukitake Jushiro, even Yoruichi Shihoin and Urahara Kisuke. These people were always talking about benevolence and morality. Every one of them looked kinder and more righteous than Rosse.
But what was the result?
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, whether for some grand cause or personal reasons, it was ultimately this very group of good people who pushed the Shiba family into the abyss.
It was these good people who caused her brother's tragic death and forced her to seek shelter elsewhere.
Good people always find excuses, saying it could not be helped, as they hurt you in different ways.
And the worst of the villains instead sheltered you beneath his wings.
Shiba Kukaku lit her pipe, took a deep draw, and exhaled a ring of dark, ashen smoke.
'Since this world is so absurd, why should I still cling to that ridiculous moral bottom line?'
'Following the worst of them, at least I lived freely.'
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