{🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please support me.🥰 You can access upto 70+ advance chapter through Patreon by using the link: https://patreon.com/Oreski}
Matsumoto Rangiku's serious expression made Moyu realize she wasn't here for games. When he didn't respond, she continued.
"At the time, the soul burial site was thoroughly surveyed, rechecked by three seated officers, and confirmed safe multiple times before being finalized. Yet the Menos Grande appeared as if from nothing. No warning, no ripples—Technology Development Bureau didn't even register a black cavity's Reiatsu spike."
Moyu's heart stirred. The Bureau's Lingbo Measurement Division was designed to detect such spatial disturbances. With their tech, missing an event like that wasn't just improbable—it was impossible. And yet, the lack of any signal pointed directly to sabotage. The official verdict condemned the 10th Division for negligence, blaming them for the deaths of dozens of Spirit Arts Academy students. But many of those students weren't just nobodies—they were heirs of Seireitei nobles, including some from the Five Great Families.
The backlash had been immediate. Pressure mounted on the Academy, on the Gotei 13. When no culprit could be found, blame fell on the attending Shinigami. Several officers and soldiers were exiled to the Land of Death. It hadn't satisfied anyone, but under Yamamoto Genryūsai's will, the matter was closed. Officially. Unofficially, those who had lost kin—and the surviving members of Squad 10—never let it go.
Matsumoto Rangiku was one of them. As vice-captain, she'd overseen the burial exercise, yet thanks to her strength, Shiba Isshin's intervention, and her value to Seireitei, she'd escaped punishment.
"But strictly speaking," Moyu said evenly, lowering his eyes, "I was just another victim. If I hadn't borrowed that artifact from Yushiro in advance, you might've ended up in the Land of Death too."
The sharpness of his words left Matsumoto silent. Her chest tightened, not from guilt—but from the bitterness of truth. Was he protecting himself, or... her?
Of course, Moyu wasn't entirely clean either. His soul burial record was already marked with anomalies. If he'd died that day, the Kuchiki Clan would've demanded a reckoning that might have fractured Soul Society itself.
Sensing the seriousness in her gaze, Moyu exhaled.
"You've been probing me for days. Anyone could tell. So let me put your suspicions to rest."
Her brows arched, cautious. "What do you mean?"
"You've clearly suspected me all along."
Matsumoto froze.
"But don't misunderstand. I don't blame you. Frankly, from the outside, I was the most likely suspect. I wasn't injured. I borrowed an artifact from the Shihouin family before the incident. And I walked out of that battlefield intact. That's suspicious enough."
Matsumoto opened her mouth, but no words came.
"Only you missed one crucial thing," he added, setting down his teacup. "Motive. I had none. But without knowing what Aizen was really after, you'd never guess what that day truly was—just one of his experiments."
Her eyes narrowed. "Then answer me this."
She stood, looming over him. "What do you really know about the soul burial practice, Kuchiki Moyu?"
Her tone wasn't aggressive, but the pressure behind it was crushing. She was close—far too close. Her breath brushed his cheek. Her gaze pinned him to the sofa.
Moyu's brow twitched. Why did every woman he meet turn out more troublesome than the last?
She was testing him. Pushing him. Risking herself. He could tell. One wrong move, and it'd blow up in her face.
He leaned back instinctively. "Rangiku, I'm a victim. Don't—"
She didn't budge. He backed off; she advanced. Step by step.
Then the door flew open with a bang, and Sui-Feng's voice sliced into the room: "Kuchiki Moyu!" She paused half a step inside, starting to say, "I came to ask about Yoruichi-sama—" but froze at the sight before her: Moyu half-sprawled on the sofa, Rangiku hovering inches above him, their bodies overlapping.
A crimson flush erupted across Sui-Feng's face, leaping from her ears to her cheeks like wildfire. Her jaw dropped, words failed her, and her breath caught. "You... you two..." she stammered, stumbling backward. Were they avoiding her because of this? Was she going to be silenced? No—she hadn't found any trace of Yoruichi-sama yet, and she couldn't die here. "Excuse me!" she blurted before slamming the door and fleeing like a frightened sparrow.
Another thud shook the room. Moyu and Rangiku blinked at each other. Clearing his throat, Moyu said, "I think you should get off me first..." Rangiku, surprisingly calm, rose with grace, though her pale neck had turned scarlet. She might've had the reputation of a flirt, but even she had her boundaries, and this certainly hadn't been planned. "I believe you now," she said softly, recovering her poise. "You weren't behind the burial disaster. But I still believe you know something no one else does. When the time comes... I hope you'll tell me." Before he could reply, she turned and left.
Moyu watched her go, brow furrowed. Women's intuition was terrifying—Rangiku had sniffed out the truth, or at least part of it, without evidence. And Sui-Feng... that idiot cat had clearly been spotted. Did she forget how to conceal her presence in the human world? Shihouin Yoruichi, former Commander of Covert Ops, reduced to this? Moyu groaned, lying back with a sigh. "Why does everything fall on me?"
His moment of rest lasted less than a second before he bolted upright, vanishing in a flash as the already-ruined door collapsed behind him. In that split second he remembered—Nilu was still in the warehouse, and Sui-Feng, furious and humiliated, had just run out. If the two met... no, he didn't dare imagine it. Nilu wasn't in danger; Sui-Feng was. Even at captain-level she ranked near the bottom, and Nilu, weakened or not, was still a former Espada—Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar. If she interpreted Sui-Feng's aggression as life-threatening...
The warehouse shook before Moyu even arrived. A pillar of emerald Reiatsu tore through the ceiling and shot into the sky like a lance of energy. He was too late. The signature was unmistakable—it was Nilu. Sui-Feng must've assumed she was a disguised Hollow, as she always did: assume first, assassinate second.
Moyu blurred through flash step, arriving as debris filled the air. The ground trembled, walls crumbled, and dust rolled out like a stormcloud. In the middle stood Sui-Feng, frozen—her Zanpakutō glinting on her fingertip, Shikai released, but her body rigid, mouth parted, pupils shrunk to pinpricks. That adorable girl had become something else—not a lure, not a trick, but the real thing. Her spiritual pressure towered over Sui-Feng's like a sky over a pebble.
Moyu appeared between them, Reiatsu flaring from his body to cancel out Nilu's with practiced precision. He stood like a wall, and in that moment Sui-Feng felt something she hadn't in years: safety. That broad, still, unshaken back made her believe she'd live through the storm. Since taking up her captaincy, she hadn't known what that felt like. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze, her pride keeping her silent.
Moyu didn't notice, his focus locked on Nilu. She hadn't transformed fully, but her Reiatsu had responded instinctively to danger, and if more captains came, things would spiral quickly. He began to suppress both energies, smothering the battlefield in calm. As if sensing his approach, the beam of light dimmed and the dust cleared.
"Moyu!" a joyful voice rang out as a green blur leapt into him, throwing her arms around his waist. In a blink, they vanished together, leaving only a stunned Sui-Feng standing in the ruins.
{ Enjoying the chapters? Please Support me on Patreon and unlock 70+ advanced chapters, with 3 new chapters released every two days!
The fanfic is also available for one-time purchase on Patreon – unlock lifetime access to the full collection, no membership needed! Don't miss out –support and own it forever!
patreon.com/Oreski}