On a nameless clearing in Hell, an ancient Hollow that had just revived was done with living so stifled. It decided to launch a counterattack on that hateful Soul Reaper who wasn't even a tenth its height.
"Noisy."
The Soul Reaper, clearly in a foul mood, threw a single punch. The air shattered.
The body that had only just reformed under Hell's power disintegrated in an instant.
Captain, I want to learn that move!
Even though the moment didn't fit such a mood, Higashino Shuuichi's eyes were shining as he watched the punch Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had thrown in irritation.
He was one step away from kneeling to Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
"You said you work for the Kabuma clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses?"
This time Kuruyashiki Kenpachi didn't hold back his reiatsu (spiritual pressure) when facing Higashino Shuuichi.
That dense, almost tangible reiatsu settled in front of Shuuichi; the slightest touch—
—a thin bloody groove opened across his forehead.
"Yes, Captain Kuruyashiki. I work for the Kabuma clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses!"
Shuuichi answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"I'll ask you one last time—do you still claim you serve the Kabuma clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses?"
Now that terrifying reiatsu wrapped Shuuichi's entire body.
With just a thought from Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, Shuuichi would be crushed to dust by that pressure.
"Yes, Captain Kuruyashiki. No matter how many times you ask, my answer is the same, because it's an indisputable fact. I won't argue it."
Shuuichi raised his head to meet Kuruyashiki's gaze, eyes firm.
In an instant, the suffocating pressure vanished, leaving Shuuichi standing there, shihakushō (Soul Reaper uniform) soaked through with sweat, gasping for breath.
"Ha ha ha ha! Higashino Shuuichi, you brat—you're just my type! As expected of the man who became a Soul Reaper because he longed to be like me!"
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi laughed heartily, like a different person altogether.
But Shuuichi knew—this was how Kuruyashiki was meant to be.
In fact, Shuuichi had always thought that when Aizen was playing his role in the Seireitei, the template he modeled himself on was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi.
Because whether in personality, strength, or the way he treated his subordinates and other Soul Reapers, this was a man whose conduct approached flawless.
He would gladly die for the name Kenpachi;
he would charge alone into Hueco Mundo to avenge a squadmate;
and he would lay bare all his craft and insight, to the point of personally training a "problem disciple" like Azashiro Sōya.
Perhaps, in pure intellect and combat power, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi fell just a fraction short of the absolute ceilings of those fields.
A Soul Reaper like that—would he really, just because some nobles imprisoned Azashiro Kenpachi, fly into a rage at Shuuichi? Even with the debuff of having survived alone in Hell for more than two hundred years, Shuuichi didn't buy it.
So he was certain this was merely Kuruyashiki's test.
Which was only natural. Except for those whose heads held nothing but fighting, any Soul Reaper with a bit of sense wouldn't wholly trust a stranger so easily—
—even if that stranger was, in theory, a colleague.
Shuuichi had guessed right. Kuruyashiki Kenpachi fully dropped his guard toward him.
"Come to think of it, I should thank the Kabuma clan. If not for them, I wouldn't have known there was a Soul Reaper in the Seireitei like you, Shuuichi—someone who became a Soul Reaper because he admired me."
Kuruyashiki's hearty laugh didn't sway the feelings Shuuichi kept masked.
"I just didn't expect that by the time I became a Soul Reaper, Captain Kuruyashiki you were already… And before coming here, I asked the noble lords of the Kabuma clan. They told me I can guide the sins and the Togabito (Sinners) in Hell to disperse into reishi and return to the Seireitei—but there's no way to bring back those of you who bear Hell's brand intact."
There was endless sorrow in Shuuichi's tone.
But Kuruyashiki had long since made peace with life and death. For him, Hell might even be a fitting resting place.
Moreover, looking at Shuuichi—who had, one could say, perfectly inherited his will—
—not only was his mindset excellent, but the fact he'd been entrusted, as a mere lieutenant, by the Kabuma clan—one of the Five Great Noble Houses—to come here already proved he had the qualifications.
Even if Kuruyashiki's eyes were mistaken, would the Kabuma clan, a great house, be wrong?
He'd seen how exacting the nobles were while he was in the Seireitei.
Shihōin, Kuchiki, Shiba—these renowned noble houses all picked their retainers with the utmost care.
All the more for someone sent into Hell to carry out a task this dangerous; the choice had to be made with extreme caution.
(Maki Kurando: I've got one line—don't know if I should say it.)
Add to that Shuuichi's earlier dissatisfaction about what happened to Azashiro Sōya—
—in Kuruyashiki's eyes, Shuuichi was no longer some ordinary lieutenant. He was Kuruyashiki's perfect "spiritual jinchūriki."
"It's all right, Shuuichi. As a Soul Reaper who already died, you don't need to feel sad that you can't bring me back to the Seireitei. I'm sure the other Soul Reapers feel the same."
Kuruyashiki stepped forward, set his right hand on Shuuichi's shoulder, and comforted him.
Do the other Soul Reapers in Hell truly not wish to return?
Kuruyashiki knew—that was impossible. Otherwise the Seireitei wouldn't lump the Soul Reapers and Hollows who fell into Hell together as Sinners.
But if he said they didn't want to go back, then they didn't. If someone had a problem, they could come try him.
On that small point, Kuruyashiki felt he had enough confidence.
"But Captain Kuruyashiki, about Captain Sōya…"
Shuuichi looked helpless on the surface, but in truth he fed a potent hook.
"That kid Azashiro Sōya, huh…"
Kuruyashiki rubbed his chin out of habit.
From Hell, there was little he could do to interfere with the Seireitei.
Earlier, part of his anger was an act, but part of it was genuine. He really didn't understand why Azashiro Kenpachi would willingly suffer persecution by the nobles.
But what could he do?
He was second to none here in Hell, but he wasn't so strong he could break Hell's rules.
At most, he could give Shuuichi a little special treatment down here—let him take a shortcut, help him bag an ancient Hollow enhanced by Hell's power to bring back as proof of mission…
Wait—special treatment?
It suddenly hit Kuruyashiki that Shuuichi had never said how long he needed to stay in Hell.
Subduing an ancient Hollow reinforced by Hell's power—taking a little longer was only natural, wasn't it?
Watching Kuruyashiki's gaze grow more and more "twisted," Shuuichi kept a look of curiosity on the surface, but inside he was already popping champagne.
He knew Kuruyashiki had definitely thought of that good idea.
Because the apex predator often appears in the form of prey.
In this game, Shuuichi was the hunter—and also the prey that deliberately exposed a weakness.
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