Leaving the 4th Division barracks, Shuuichi realized that having his Zanpakutō sealed wasn't entirely a bad thing.
At the very least, Retsu hadn't forced him to stay.
Neither asked; neither said. The two of them reached an unspoken understanding.
Through the rest of the day, Shuuichi went one by one to see Kisaragi Shūsuke, Soi Fon, Mayuri, and Gin.
Shūsuke's reaction was the biggest—tears and snot, swearing he'd train hard and never let Shuuichi go off alone to do something so dangerous again.
He didn't even know what Shuuichi had actually done—he just assumed Shuuichi had run into something terrible.
Shuuichi couldn't be bothered to explain. He offered a few quiet words, corrected Shūsuke's current Kidō (Demon Arts) practice, and passed along the fresh insights he'd brought back from Kenpachi Kuruyashiki in Hell. Then he left.
Soi Fon and Gin were far more restrained. Soi Fon's eyes shone when she saw him; the pearls gathered there never fell, and all she asked was a promise: if he had to leave again, tell her first.
Gin was cool to the point of cold, though Shuuichi could feel that wasn't his true heart. Gin had already thrown in with Sōsuke, so he was keeping his distance—just as he'd all but stopped meeting Rangiku in private.
Shuuichi wondered what face Gin would make if he learned Shuuichi was the one who'd been with Sōsuke the longest. Then he shrugged it off. Even if that chance ever came, it wouldn't be soon.
By the plan he and Sōsuke set today, Shuuichi wouldn't be making any unnecessary contact with him for a while anyway.
Last on the list was Mayuri. They'd only met a handful of times; their relationship was one of mutual utility. Shuuichi had asked him to research something a while back, and after this much time—and with Mayuri now the deputy director of the Technology Development Bureau—there ought to be results.
Yes, deputy director.
Hearing it from Sōsuke in the morning had surprised Shuuichi. Even with all the history he'd bent, that institute still came to be.
The director, of course, was Kisuke—currently the Captain of the 12th Division. He'd taken over Kirio's post two years ago, when she was recruited into the Royal Guard (Zero Division).
Was that the inertia of history…or the Soul King's will?
Shuuichi couldn't say. Either way, it worked in his favor.
With Kisuke wearing a captain's haori, he couldn't hide in the shadows like before. That finally pushed Sōsuke to start the string of plans aimed at Kisuke.
Otherwise, who knew how long he would have stalled.
By the time Shuuichi finished those visits, night had fallen. He didn't go home, nor did he seek out the 9th Division's captain, Kensei, as he'd once planned.
Thanks to the tacit understanding with Retsu, there was no rush to pin a vice-captain badge on himself. He could take his time and choose the short-term post that suited his next steps.
But before that, he needed to visit one of the Five Great Noble Clans: the Kabuma clan.
In the familiar underground room, he saw the frail girl.
"I'm back, Head of the Kabuma clan—Lady Kabuma."
He stood behind her and spoke with formal respect.
He hadn't known before that Kabuma Sayako was the current head. It should have been obvious, but he'd kept dodging that truth in his heart.
Maybe because he didn't want this pure girl—already ground down by suffering—to carry a burden that heavy.
"I'm glad you're back~ But, Shuuichi-kun, I still hope you'll call me Sayako~"
This time, Sayako turned to face him head-on.
The joy in her voice was clear enough.
Shuuichi looked at her. Without powder or paint, her face was pale; her fine features seemed drawn thin by long illness.
But in those sapphire eyes there was no sorrow for her state, no complaint—only hope for what might come.
A clear lotus that never should have been born into a noble house like this.
"Mm. Sayako."
Even he couldn't help but be carried by her mood for a moment.
It was hard to believe that someone who lived with pain that would break most people could still wear a smile like this.
"First, I owe you an apology. I took it upon myself to contact the Sōtaichō the instant you returned."
Sayako was having a good day. Shuuichi noticed—and also saw that the ghostly shadows that usually clung to her were gone.
"It's fine. I was in Hell for five years. No one could know what state I'd be in. Telling the Sōtaichō was the right call."
He didn't blame her. In her condition, the fastest way to reach him was through the Sōtaichō. And even if she hadn't, Shuuichi would have reported it himself; otherwise the strength he'd ripped out of Hell would have been for nothing.
He just hadn't expected Genryūsai to take this Hell-power so seriously.
"But your Zanpakutō…"
As head of the Kabuma clan, Sayako naturally knew the Shihōin family's artifact. Given the timing, she would assume she'd caused it.
"It's all right—just a safety measure."
He shook his head. For now, sealing his own Zanpakutō didn't hinder him much.
On one other condition.
"Sayako, I have a request."
"Of course, Shuuichi-kun~"
She nodded carefully. The shadows were gone, but their long damage wouldn't vanish overnight.
"I want to keep Seyabasa, and I'd like your permission to release it when I need to."
That was why he'd come.
In the end, the right to use Seyabasa lay with Sayako. Even if it was only his stopgap tool, he had to set this with her in advance.
She didn't seem surprised. Her long lashes flickered.
"But Shuuichi-kun, with Seyabasa in your hands, you can only use Shikai (Initial Release). And Seyabasa's Shikai consumes lifespan."
"I know. I'm ready for that, Sayako."
He nodded.
Seeing his resolve, Sayako answered just as seriously. "Then use it as you see fit. But one more thing—if you use Seyabasa to enter Hell, you can't do it again in a short span."
She'd misunderstood his intention.
"I understand. I'll be careful."
He didn't correct her.
He was about to take his leave when he noticed the look in her eyes—the same look he'd seen in Shūsuke, Rangiku, and Soi Fon.
A simple wish: stay a little longer.
Faced with this poor girl, Shuuichi found he wasn't cold enough to walk away.
So that night, he kept Sayako company for a long while. He told stories: from his days in Rukongai before he ever became a shinigami, to a few funny episodes from the 4th.
He knew Sayako's past held nothing worth retelling; speaking it aloud would only drag up more hurt.
She'd never once stepped beyond the Kabuma manor since birth.
He knew what she wanted from him.
So most of the time, Shuuichi spoke. Now and then he even dredged up old fairy tales he'd heard in his previous life.
Too long ago—he often trailed off midway, unable to remember the rest.
But Sayako listened with full attention, asking small questions here and there.
What happened to Snow White in the end?
Did the prince find Cinderella?
Did the young woodcutter ever claim the gold axe and the silver one?
That night, because she'd found a shinigami who could shoulder her clan's fate, Sayako forgot her load for a while.
Because she believed the promise Shuuichi had made that day, she finally drifted to sleep, head nestled in his lap.
She felt almost weightless.
Looking down at her, Shuuichi's gaze softened.
"How can you trust someone you've only met twice, Sayako…"
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