In the Dangai, watching that Reigai being torn to pieces little by little by the chaotic reiatsu, Higashino Shuuichi stepped out from the Hanmaku he had created and walked into Yushima Ōko's space.
The facts had proven it: even his Infinite Rebirth ability could be restrained—so what chance did these artificially made Reigai have?
With the soul's control gone, and with their ability to regulate those chaotic reishi completely lost, the turbulence of the Dangai kept forcing that disorderly reiatsu into their ripped-open wounds. No matter how much pure reishi they possessed, it could not repair them; they could only be ground away bit by bit.
"Higashino-sama, the trouble's been dealt with, but… this seems to be a tiny bit off from our original plan. That guy died without handing over how to contact the other side. All we have is the token they gave us to verify identity—if we can't find the person, it's basically useless, isn't it?"
Inside another space Yushima Ōko had specially created, Kisaragi Shūsuke came before Higashino Shuuichi after seeing Kobe Shiya's death and spoke.
"There's nothing we can do. The plan was to wait until he contacted them in the Human World, then make our move—but plans can't keep up with change. Kobe Shiya's loyalty to the Tsunayashiro house, and his hostility toward me, were both far too strong. Settling him in the Dangai was the safest option.
As for the contact method—if there isn't one, then there isn't one. The person who needs to be contacted… I already know where he is~"
Higashino Shuuichi said it as if it didn't matter.
Good thing, long before this, he had already left himself a backup plan—having his Quincy clone keep a constant leash on Miyazaki Sakai Masato in the Human World. So, when it came to how to find Miyazaki Sakai Masato, Higashino Shuuichi had never truly been worried.
From the very beginning, when Higashino Shuuichi started plotting this plan, he had considered the possibility that Tsunayashiro Kamihara might not fully trust a "wild-road" Shinigami like him. In the end, Tsunayashiro Kamihara might not leave everything to Higashino Shuuichi alone—he might even avoid letting Higashino Shuuichi's hands touch the matter at all when contacting the West Administration.
That was precisely why Higashino Shuuichi had stayed in Soul Society all this time, instead of going straight to the Human World.
It was so that, in the worst-case scenario, he could intercept and assassinate Tsunayashiro Kamihara's messenger in advance at the entrances that led from Soul Society to the Human World.
The good news was that, because of the series of moves Higashino Shuuichi had made earlier, Tsunayashiro Kamihara had developed a certain degree of trust in him.
Of course, judging by the final outcome, it was also possible that Tsunayashiro Kamihara never trusted Kobe Shiya all that much to begin with. It was just that he needed to contact the West Administration, and he also needed enough strength to intimidate the other side—and at present, Tsunayashiro Kamihara only had two cards to play: Higashino Shuuichi and Kobe Shiya.
So Tsunayashiro Kamihara split the mission into two, intending for Higashino Shuuichi and Kobe Shiya to keep each other in check.
Unfortunately for him, Tsunayashiro Kamihara could calculate ten thousand things and still never calculate the one thing that mattered: Higashino Shuuichi had already found that former captain of the 12th Division—Miyazaki Sakai Masato.
And Tsunayashiro Kamihara had even handed the very token that could earn Miyazaki Sakai Masato's trust over to Higashino Shuuichi—meaning Higashino Shuuichi never had to act according to Kobe Shiya's mood in the first place.
"It's just a shame…"
Higashino Shuuichi glanced back at the Reigai that was already almost impossible to make out, sighing faintly.
Truthfully, judging by Kobe Shiya's experiences alone, if Kobe Shiya hadn't been so fanatically loyal to Tsunayashiro Kamihara, Higashino Shuuichi could have considered taking him in. But who could've guessed Kobe Shiya's loyalty to Tsunayashiro Kamihara would be that stupidly absolute?
Even knowing Tsunayashiro Kamihara had sent him down a road of near-certain death, he still went without hesitation.
Higashino Shuuichi wasn't a butcher. If he could show mercy, he wouldn't spill blood for no reason.
But if there was no possibility, then he would never go soft.
"Let's go to the Human World."
Only after that Reigai was completely ravaged into nothing within the Dangai's turbulence did Higashino Shuuichi finally turn to Kisaragi Shūsuke, Matsumoto Rangiku, and the others.
And just as Higashino Shuuichi and his group set foot on the road to the Human World, within the Seireitei of Soul Society, the Shiba clan received an unexpected visitor.
"Kūkaku-nee-san! I told you I'm not going! I'm in Rukongai helping commoners get justice back—life's comfortable! Why do you have to make me join the 10th Division?!"
Shiba Ganju was talking on his knees.
Because just a moment ago, his older sister, Shiba KūKaku, had hauled him in a spectacularly undignified way—by twisting his ear and dragging him all the way from West Rukongai District 1 back to the Shiba residence inside the Seireitei.
Whether his ear would still function in the future, he didn't know.
But he did know that from this day onward, Shiba Ganju would become a punchline in countless Shinigami's mouths.
Well… fine. He'd always been a joke anyway. Adding one more glorious achievement probably didn't matter.
After all, the title "the most useless member of the Five Great Noble Houses"—he, Shiba Ganju, was destined to carry it.
"You've got the nerve to say that?
Do you have any idea how much effort I spent pulling strings to get you into the 10th Division?
Otherwise, with your background—never even set foot in Shin'ō Academy—do you think you can enter the Gotei 13?
Dream on!"
Shiba KūKaku snapped, the kind of tone that was half fury and half disappointment.
"Then why the 10th Division? Can't I go to Big Brother's 13th Division?
I don't want to work under Isshin-oji-san…"
Shiba Ganju puffed his cheeks, looking utterly aggrieved.
Then a big fist dropped onto his head.
"You're still trying to pick and choose? You think the Gotei 13 is run by the Shiba clan?
You go wherever you want just because you want it?
Shiba Ganju, I'm telling you—if you don't report to the 10th Division to see your Isshin-oji-san tomorrow, then don't even think about going back to Rukongai ever again!"
"Don't, nee-san! I'll go, I'll go—okay?!"
Shiba Ganju clutched his head with both hands and pleaded up at Shiba KūKaku, looking like he'd been wronged by the universe.
Banning him from Rukongai… wasn't that worse than killing him?
In Rukongai, at least he could be a Shinigami with some ability. With his status as one of the Five Great Noble Houses, he could help those kind commoners reclaim a little justice. But here in the Seireitei… Shiba Ganju was nothing at all.
And right then, Shiba KūKaku suddenly noticed a black cat land with perfect accuracy from the outer eaves onto the windowsill. The cat gracefully licked the fur on its front paw, calmly enjoying the scene of her scolding her little brother.
"Go back to your room and reflect properly!"
Seeing that, Shiba KūKaku immediately chased Shiba Ganju back into his room. Then she shut the door, returned to her own room, took out a set of clothes, and sat back down in her seat, speaking with calm composure.
"As expected of the Shihōin clan head, famed as 'Shunshin'… you really are bold~"
"That's not quite fair. In the Seireitei, there are only a few people I'd dare show myself to. Besides—aren't we good sisters?"
The black cat leapt down from the windowsill. The moment it landed, it became a brown-skinned beauty, completely naked—none other than the former captain of the 2nd Division, Yoruichi Shihōin.
Unfortunately, there was no one else present to witness this scene.
"So, after being gone for so long, you choose now to come back, and you even came specifically to see me—what do you want?"
Shiba KūKaku tossed the clothes in her hands to Yoruichi Shihōin. Clearly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened between them.
At the very least, Shiba KūKaku handled it with practiced familiarity.
"I mainly wanted to confirm a few things with you. You know how it is—I've heard some things from commoners in Rukongai, but what they can learn is limited, and there are always misunderstandings mixed in. Only what comes from your mouth is worth trusting."
Yoruichi Shihōin didn't particularly care about her current state, but she still dressed with remarkable speed.
Only… Shiba KūKaku's clothing was a bit too big for her. The slightly loose fit around her upper body proved it best.
"So what is it you want to learn from me?"
Shiba KūKaku asked, curiosity rising.
She naturally believed Yoruichi Shihōin hadn't truly wanted to "betray" back then. If Higashino Shuuichi had been framed, then Urahara Kisuke and the others must have been as well—it was a very simple chain of logic.
Even if Higashino Shuuichi had now been dragged into a new whirlpool, Shiba KūKaku believed she wouldn't misjudge him. Someone as kind to others, someone as gentle as Higashino Shuuichi, couldn't possibly do something like genuinely betray Soul Society.
Still, in Shiba KūKaku's view, the first thing Yoruichi Shihōin should do upon returning would be to prove Urahara Kisuke and the others' innocence—or investigate the truth of what happened back then.
And for those, coming to Shiba KūKaku was pointless. No matter which of the two it was, asking her—or asking the Shiba clan—wouldn't change anything.
The Shiba clan had no voice in matters like that.
And Yoruichi Shihōin should know that, too.
"First, of course, it's about the current Gotei 13—specifically, the captain of the 5th Division, Aizen Sōsuke. After he took the position, has he done anything out of the ordinary?"
Yoruichi Shihōin asked directly.
"You're still suspecting Aizen Sōsuke?" Shiba KūKaku only frowned. "He can't possibly be the one who framed you. A plain, ordinary Shinigami like him could only have been deliberately selected as a scapegoat back then!"
Shiba KūKaku didn't answer Yoruichi Shihōin head-on, but in truth, she had already answered.
The reason Shiba KūKaku trusted Aizen Sōsuke so much was because, in her time spending with Higashino Shuuichi, she had once asked him what he thought of Aizen Sōsuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tōsen Kaname—the three Shinigami who had stirred the most controversy back then.
Aside from Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname, on whom Higashino Shuuichi kept a reserved stance, when it came to Aizen Sōsuke—whose name had only been mentioned by Urahara Kisuke and the others—Higashino Shuuichi didn't state his opinion directly. Instead, he said that Aizen Sōsuke gave him a feeling very similar to his own.
To Shiba KūKaku, Higashino Shuuichi's words were basically equivalent to saying: in Higashino Shuuichi's eyes, Aizen Sōsuke was a good person.
Even though Shiba KūKaku didn't think Aizen Sōsuke resembled Higashino Shuuichi at all.
In Shiba KūKaku's view, aside from both being gentle, there was nothing similar about them.
For example, because of his past, Higashino Shuuichi was strict with other Shinigami—except those he was close to, like Shiba KūKaku. But Aizen Sōsuke treated every Shinigami with the same kindness. Even toward a clearly guarded Shinigami like Higashino Shuuichi, Aizen showed no caution at all.
Or for another example: Higashino Shuuichi's strength was overwhelming—he had easily taken down the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, a name that gave countless Shinigami headaches. But Aizen Sōsuke was a "weakling" captain. Shiba KūKaku even suspected that if another Shinigami who had mastered Bankai appeared in Soul Society right now, Aizen Sōsuke would immediately lose his captaincy.
And then there was this: Higashino Shuuichi was overflowing with masculine charm… while Aizen Sōsuke was just like a plain neighborhood uncle, with nothing that stood out at all.
Even so, if Higashino Shuuichi said it, Shiba KūKaku was willing to believe he had his reasons—so she'd believe it too~
And for Yoruichi Shihōin, after hearing her friend say this, she understood there was no way she would get anything useful from Shiba KūKaku about Aizen Sōsuke.
"Alright. Then we'll leave Aizen Sōsuke for now. I have one more question for you: during this period in Soul Society—aside from that Zanpakutō Rebellion that's basically known by everyone—has anything else major happened?"
"Something else major?"
Shiba KūKaku was confused. Why did Yoruichi Shihōin feel nothing like a Shinigami forced into exile after being falsely accused for so long?
But no matter how many doubts she had, Shiba KūKaku wouldn't hide anything from this friend of hers.
"That depends on how long you mean by 'this period.'
If you push back ten years or so, then yes—there was a huge event: the former ruler of Hueco Mundo, Baraggan, led a host of Hollows and Menos in an invasion of the Seireitei. But before his plan could succeed, he was killed by Higashino Shuuichi—who was the Grand Blade-Hunting Chief at the time~"
When Shiba KūKaku said this, the first half of her tone was noticeably subdued. But by the end, you could clearly hear the nostalgia in it.
"And if you push the timeline forward—if you mean Soul Society within the past year—then there's another thing. I don't know if it counts as 'major,' but… Higashino Shuuichi discovered someone in the Dangai who seemed to be a first-generation 13th Division captain, and Higashino Shuuichi captured him and brought him back from within the Dangai."
As Shiba KūKaku spoke, she didn't notice the brief change that flashed across Yoruichi Shihōin's expression as she heard it.
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