Seireitei – Guanting Street.
This was the street where Central 46's official residence stood, an area of utmost importance, surrounded by districts housing many noble families.
However, the usual peace here was suddenly shattered by a desperate shout. A voice echoed with the intensity of someone who had wagered his life upon this single moment.
"Please… please let me see Central 46! Please!"
A young man cried out, his path blocked by guards wielding six-foot steel staffs. Despite their menacing presence, he continued to shout, his voice trembling yet resolute.
The young man's eyes were clouded with milky whiteness, devoid of pupils – he was blind. Yet from his posture and orientation, it was clear he relied solely on sound to perceive his surroundings. He could feel the hostility emanating from the guards.
Still, there was no fear in his expression. Only sorrow. Only desperate resolve.
He shouted not for his own life, but to plead for justice – a pure, untainted plea. However, the guards remained unmoved. One raised his staff high, the whistling of air mixing with the youth's ragged breathing.
He felt the shift in wind pressure, anticipating the blow. But he did not flinch. Despair and sadness filled his features, yet not a trace of fear appeared.
When he came to Seireitei, he had already gambled everything. Ordinary souls could not pass the gate. But he had fought the guards and forced his way inside. He never expected to leave alive. All he sought was justice for Ge Kuang.
He could not allow her killer to go unpunished.
But reality was cruel. No matter how he cried, the guards would not relay his plea to Central 46, nor let him pass.
The staff struck down.
Pain exploded through his body. Already covered in wounds from breaching Seireitei's gate, the additional blow made his knees buckle. He felt death creeping closer.
At that moment, a voice cut through the scene.
"Enough."
The guards froze. The staff stopped mid-swing. A man approached, his presence halting the violence. He turned to the young man and spoke calmly, leading him away from the gate.
In a quieter place, the man asked for his story.
"My name… is Tōsen Kaname," the blind youth began. "I was an ordinary soul in Rukongai."
Because of his blindness, few had ever approached him – except for one person: Ge Kuang.
She was his childhood friend and only companion. Later, Ge Kuang entered the Spiritual Arts Academy. After six years, she became a Shinigami. Tōsen had been genuinely happy for her.
Even after her graduation, Ge Kuang often visited Rukongai to see him. One day, she told him she was getting married – married to a nobleman.
That news unsettled him, but he chose to bless her nonetheless.
But he never imagined that the next time he saw Ge Kuang… she would be dead.
Her husband had killed her. In Rukongai. Right in front of him.
Although blind, Tōsen could feel the man's gaze. The murderer had looked down at him with utter disdain – a smug arrogance that burned into Tōsen's soul.
That was why he had come to Seireitei. To bring justice to Ge Kuang. To ensure her murderer did not walk free.
"…What an interesting story," the man listening to him finally said.
Then he introduced himself. "I am Tsunayashiro Tokinada. The last remaining member of a branch house of the Tsunayashiro family. An insignificant person, really."
At first, Tōsen Kaname did not react to the name. But as the syllables registered, a shiver ran through him.
This was the name of Ge Kuang's husband.
The murderer now stood before him.
Realisation dawned – the man had not saved him out of kindness. He merely wanted to drag him deeper into despair.
At Tokinada's command, the guards reappeared, brandishing their staffs. Blows rained down on Tōsen, striking his thin frame with merciless force. Tokinada watched with disinterest as they beat the blind youth near to death.
In the end, it wasn't until a man known as the "Captain of the North Division" appeared that the beating stopped and Tōsen's life was spared.
⸻
In a quiet tavern, Gosuke Shigure sat listening to Kyoraku Shunsui recount the tale.
"So even you could do nothing against this Tsunayashiro Tokinada?" Gosuke asked, swirling the sake in his cup.
Kyoraku Shunsui sighed deeply. "Even though he's just a branch family member, he carries the Tsunayashiro name. The Jūshirō family is a high-ranking noble house, but even they are beneath the Tsunayashiro. In Soul Society, it is forbidden for lower nobles to prosecute higher ones."
"According to Tōsen Kaname, Tsunayashiro Tokinada murdered his own wife – a Shinigami. That is a serious crime. But with no solid evidence, not even I can do anything. All I could do was relay Tōsen's plea to Central 46."
Gosuke Shigure's gaze flickered. "In your opinion, how will Central 46 judge this matter?"
Kyoraku Shunsui's voice was heavy with resignation. "What else can they do? At most, order Tokinada to reflect behind closed doors… perhaps strip him of his Shinigami status and confiscate his Zanpakutō. The same punishment Kuchiki Hibiki received."
"In other words," Gosuke murmured softly, "even if a great noble kills his Shinigami wife… as long as there is no irrefutable evidence, he can walk free."
His words hung in the air, cold and bitter.
"No wonder," Gosuke whispered to himself.
Kyoraku Shunsui tilted his head. "No wonder?"
But Gosuke did not answer. His mind drifted to the original timeline, to what Tōsen Kaname would become.