"Mr. Prim-and-Proper? Are you talking about me?"
Kenma stopped and turned to his fiancée who had hurried after him, his expression immediately becoming serious.
He wondered what kind of trouble she was stirring up now.
"You are Mr. Prim-and-Proper!"
Yoruichi's figure turned into an afterimage, flashing in front of Kenma with a swoosh.
Having spent some time with her, Kenma had basically adapted to Yoruichi's mischievous nature and could handle it with ease most of the time.
"If you say so, then I am. I won't argue with you."
Kenma put on a deadpan expression and said perfunctorily, "I have important matters to attend to. What was so urgent that you had to stop me?"
Yoruichi's gaze fell on the two books Kenma was holding. Her brow furrowed slightly, and her expression soured.
"The important matter you speak of is your eagerness to take control of my Shihoin clan's assets and connections?"
Once her fiancé controlled the family's finances, if she wanted to have fun in the future, she would have to depend on his mood.
How could Yoruichi, who had always been accustomed to freedom, be happy about that!
She couldn't blame her father, the source of the problem, so she could only direct her resentment at the fiancé who was actually reining her in.
Kenma saw through Yoruichi's thoughts with a single glance and said faintly, "This was the old lord's wish. If you were a bit more reliable, he wouldn't have entrusted such an important matter to me."
"In fact, if that were the case, I wouldn't even be in this vast Shihoin mansion, and you, Yoruichi, wouldn't have to face a partner you dislike every day for the rest of your life."
"You..."
Yoruichi froze, subconsciously wanting to retort, but for a moment, she couldn't find the words.
After all, she knew herself that her personality was somewhat lax.
Unable to find a way to break through, Yoruichi changed the subject.
"Tell me, what are your plans after we get married?"
"Plans?"
Kenma's heart skipped a beat. He then looked puzzled and asked her in return.
"What plans could I have? The old lord has shown me immense kindness. Naturally, I will do as he wishes, assisting you, the clan head, in ensuring the status and power of the Shihoin clan."
"I'm not talking about those grand matters, but about our private affairs."
Yoruichi glanced left and right. There were a few attendants not far away in the courtyard. She pointed and said, "Come on, let's find a place where no one is around, and we can talk in detail."
"Then let's go to the tea room. It's quiet enough there."
At Kenma's suggestion, the two came to a courtyard with a dry landscape garden.
Kenma performed a rather standard tea ceremony, brewing a cup and pushing it in front of Yoruichi.
Watching Kenma's fluid movements, Yoruichi was a little surprised. "You even know how to do this? Weren't you from the Rukongai?"
She, the great head of the Shihoin clan, barely knew how to perform the ceremony.
Kenma replied, "It's true I'm from the Rukongai, but the grandfather who adopted me was a noble in his life, and the nephew of a lord at that. He taught me these things."
"The old man who was there on our engagement day?"
Yoruichi remembered that Kenma's only relative at the time was an old man who looked to be in his fifties, had a rather straightforward personality, and spoke with a thick accent.
"He had the air of a brave warrior. I never would have thought he was a noble in his life."
"That's not so strange. He was a noble, yes, but he was also a military commander, so of course he had to go to the battlefield... but his end was quite tragic. I heard he died in battle while covering his uncle's retreat."
At the mention of the old man who adopted him, a hint of softness flashed in Kenma's eyes, and his gaze fell on the Zanpakuto lying by his side.
"It wasn't just the tea ceremony. He taught me my swordsmanship as well. In addition to that, he taught me many other things."
"So when you practice your swordsmanship every morning, you let out a series of strange cries. Did he teach you that too?" Yoruichi's expression changed, her tone becoming a little impatient.
"That is called 'Enshō,' the monkey screech. It's a characteristic of this particular school," Kenma said, looking at Yoruichi. "What, you don't like my swordsmanship?"
"Yes, it is the thing I hate most right now, bar none!" Yoruichi nodded emphatically, her face gradually turning grim. "Every day before dawn, when I'm sound asleep, I hear you letting out those ghostly cries. How am I supposed to sleep through that? For those few days, I was severely sleep-deprived, listless every day. I even got dark circles under my eyes."
Kenma gave Yoruichi a strange look. With your skin tone, are you sure you can even see dark circles?
"Then you should just go to bed earlier."
"If you don't stay up late, what's the fun in life!" Yoruichi said with a look of utter conviction.
Kenma was in no mood to argue with her about this. If they continued, the debate could go on for three days and three nights without end, so he put a stop to the topic.
"Tell me, what are your thoughts on our private affairs?"
"It's simple. We maintain a harmonious facade, but in private, we do not interfere with each other."
When it came to serious matters, Yoruichi's expression became more solemn.
"I'm not incapable of understanding why Father brought you into the family. Since that's the case, let's be like other noble families. On the surface, I can treat you with respect, but behind the scenes, you go your way, and I'll go mine. We won't bother each other, keeping our lives completely separate."
"As long as it doesn't get back to Father, or become public knowledge and tarnish the Shihoin name, anything else is fine!"
"What do you think?"
Kenma considered Yoruichi's request and finally shook his head.
"No!"
"The old lord's intention was for me to restrain you. If we do as you say, allowing you to act as you please, that would be going against his will... I cannot betray his trust."
Hearing Kenma's answer, Yoruichi's hopes were dashed, and her face quickly fell.
"Are you really so stubborn?" she asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope. "Can't you be a little flexible?"
'Flexible about what? Flexible about you getting together with that blond kid and putting a bright green hat on my head?'
Kenma shook his head again. "I cannot."
"But if things get too tense between us, it will be even further from what Father wants."
Yoruichi's face instantly turned ugly, and her words carried a hint of a threat.
"My dear Mr. Son-in-law, you wouldn't want to disappoint your father-in-law, would you?"
Hearing this, Kenma was stunned. A look of helplessness and astonishment appeared in his eyes as he looked at Yoruichi.
"Putting aside your twisted tone for a moment, my father-in-law is your, Shihoin Yoruichi's, biological father. Isn't using him to threaten me a bit too... filial?"
"You're forcing me to do this," Yoruichi demanded sharply. "Just tell me, can you be flexible or not?"
"..."
'You, his own daughter, are saying this. What can I, an adopted son-in-law, say?'
After a moment of silence, Kenma slowly nodded his head, much to Yoruichi's delight.
"Alright, but I have conditions."
"Speak."
"You must absolutely not cross the bottom line and my principles."
Kenma had no desire to wear a bright green hat after marriage.
Yoruichi immediately patted her chest and made a guarantee. "Don't worry, I'm not a child. I know what's important."
'That's not a given. Your defection in the original story, was any part of that an adult decision? You did as you pleased, leaving this entire family at the mercy of others.'
Kenma's face was expressionless. He sighed inwardly. He would have to rely on himself.
From now on, he would have to keep his eyes wide open and watch Yoruichi even more carefully to prevent her from acting recklessly.
"Since that's the case, let's continue to maintain our relationship according to today's agreement," Yoruichi's mood had clearly improved a lot.
Since they had reached an agreement, Kenma left first. He had important matters to attend to.
Watching Kenma's departing figure, a dark thought rose in Yoruichi's mind.
'Just you wait. When the time is right, I'll divorce you!'
Even if it was just so she could sleep in peacefully every day, she was determined to drive Kenma out.
Meanwhile, gaining control of the Shihoin family's finances was a godsend for Kenma.
He was in urgent need of a batch of weapons and supplies.
With the records Shun'gen had given him, Kenma had taken control of the Shihoin family's assets in just ten days.
The Shihoin clan was truly a great noble family. The assets they controlled were countless, far exceeding Kenma's imagination.
He didn't hold back, directly drawing a batch from the family's inventory and giving it to the Uchiha clan.
After these ten days of exploration, the Uchiha clan had also gradually come to understand the general situation in the Soul Society.