Chapter 50: Let's Make a Big Scene Together
Almost the very next day, news from Soul Society reached the World of the Living.
Inside the Urahara Shop.
Swish.
A blade sliced through the air.
The orange haired Shinigami girl held a massive sword, its tip aimed straight at the man kneeling on both knees before her. He bowed his head, hat pressed to his chest in apology.
"Urahara, I understand the situation. Right now I only want to ask you one thing."
Orihime's voice trembled with barely controlled anger.
"Why did you put the Hogyoku into Miss Kuchiki's body?"
"Even if you say someone framed you, that someone in Soul Society is brewing a huge conspiracy, that someone wants to seize the Hogyoku by using Miss Kuchiki's execution as an excuse and pretending they are destroying it... I can accept all of that."
"But this one thing I cannot accept."
"Miss Kuchiki trusted you so much. She even introduced me to your shop, told me that if I was unsure about anything, I should ask you. She believed in you that much. And you... you are the reason she is suffering such a terrible fate. I...!"
"I apologize."
Kisuke bowed even lower, as if he could not bear to look directly at her tearful, furious face.
"What I want to hear is not an apology, but a reason!"
Orihime bit down hard on her lip.
"Why? Why did you do it? And why did you tell me all of this now? Do you want me to take revenge on you in Miss Kuchiki's place?!"
She tried with all her might not to lose control of her emotions, but her entire body was shaking. Her sword hand trembled, unable to hold the blade steady.
In that state, there was no way she could swing cleanly and behead him while he knelt there, apologizing.
She could not do it.
And he, more than anyone, knew that.
"How despicable... Urahara."
"Hmm. I agree. I am despicable, so you can insult me as much as you like."
Kisuke's voice was low but unwavering.
"As long as you can calm down enough to listen to what I have to say next, I will even accept it if you decide to cut me."
"That is exactly what I mean... you are too despicable!"
Orihime's strength seemed to drain out of her. The huge sword sagged and slipped from her grip.
Yoruichi, who had been silent until now, walked over and helped her sit down.
Tsukabishi Tessai arrived just in time with a cold drink, which he silently placed in front of her. The chilled glass helped cool the heat in her chest a little.
Kisuke put his hat back on, then rose to his feet. He faced Orihime, who was now seated at the low table, and spoke with uncharacteristic solemnity.
"Miss Inoue, you asked me why I implanted the Hogyoku into Miss Kuchiki's body. I know that if I do not answer this question, you will not believe anything I say afterward."
"That is right."
Orihime glared at him, eyes still shining with anger.
"On this point, everyone is actually misunderstanding something."
Kisuke sat down cross legged, letting out a long sigh.
"People think the Hogyoku inside Miss Kuchiki was implanted by me after she came to the World of the Living."
"That is not the case."
"At that time, I was worried that the ones who framed me would come after me for the Hogyoku. I had to admit their power was unfathomable, and I had no confidence I could protect it."
"So, on the very day I was expelled from Soul Society, I made a special trip out into Rukongai."
"I went there to find a suitable person and hide the Hogyoku deep within their soul."
"In order not to be discovered, I deliberately went to a more remote and chaotic district."
"There, I happened to encounter a very young girl. She was incredibly resilient, clung to life with a fierce will, and possessed astonishing tenacity."
"She had spiritual power and the potential to become a Shinigami."
"But in that place, that was not a blessing. Having spiritual power meant she needed food, yet resources were scarce. She could not even feed herself properly."
"I could not bear to watch her fall into despair and die on the street, so I found the local Shinigami on duty. I used a mix of threats and persuasion, and after paying a large sum, they agreed to look after her daily needs for as long as they were stationed there. At the same time, I implanted the Hogyoku into her soul."
"In this way, she could survive, and she could also help me safeguard the Hogyoku."
"I know it was impulsive and crude. At that time, I did not have the luxury of constructing a perfect plan. All I could do was improvise, one step at a time. Besides, sometimes the more casual an action looks, the less suspicion it attracts."
"..."
Orihime was stunned by the secret past he revealed.
"That girl... was Miss Kuchiki?"
"Yes."
"So you saved Miss Kuchiki when she was a child, then had her guard the Hogyoku for you without even knowing it?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you not take the Hogyoku out when she came to the World of the Living?"
"I originally intended to." Kisuke's gaze turned distant.
"Unfortunately, she became very weak after sacrificing half her Shinigami power to save you. She urgently needed a Gigai. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to let her remain in the World of the Living and become an ordinary human."
He answered all of Orihime's questions without dodging, his tone calm, but there was a trace of ruthless resolve beneath it.
"In that scenario, no one would be able to discover the Hogyoku. That is far better than letting it wander around Soul Society right under the mastermind's nose."
"At the same time, it would ensure the mastermind would never target her. She could live a stable life, even if only as a human."
"Did you never think Soul Society would come after Miss Kuchiki?"
Orihime felt she had finally grasped a contradiction.
"Of course I considered that."
Kisuke nodded.
"But at the time, I believed Miss Kuchiki was just an ordinary Shinigami, not highly valued within the Kuchiki Clan. Once she completely lost her spiritual power, I planned to persuade her to give up being a Shinigami, give up returning to Soul Society, and then cooperate with my arrangements to deceive the inspectors who would come afterward."
"I have a lot of experience with that sort of thing."
Click.
Kisuke flicked open his fan. His tone at first was light and joking, but by the end even he could not help letting out another sigh.
"But I did not foresee so many changes afterward. I thought that when Miss Kuchiki was taken back to Soul Society, she would only be judged as an ordinary Shinigami. I never expected it would escalate to an execution. Yet the mastermind still set their sights on her."
"As for which part of the plan was exposed... that no longer matters."
"Right now, the reason I am telling you all of this, Miss Inoue, is because there is still a chance to fix things."
"Could it be..."
Light returned to Orihime's eyes.
"Yes. We cannot let her die unjustly like this."
Kisuke folded his fan and shut it with a soft snap.
"But I know your current strength is not enough. So before the execution, I will find a way to give you special training and help you grow stronger. Then all of you will go to Soul Society together and rescue Miss Kuchiki."
"...Eh? All of us?"
"Yes."
Kisuke's fan vanished back into his sleeve. The upper half of his face was hidden beneath the brim of his hat, a shadow covering his eyes, but then a sharp gleam flickered from within that darkness.
"Both I and Miss Yoruichi will go with you. After all, this injustice is not only directed at Miss Kuchiki. It is also directed at Miss Yoruichi and myself."
"What about the Urahara Shop?"
"Do not worry. Tessai will stay and watch the place."
Kisuke waved a hand casually.
"I still want to keep doing business in the World of the Living. I have no intention of going off to die, and no intention of never coming back. More importantly, Miss Inoue, now that you know everything... what do you want to do?"
"...I am going home to pack my clothes right now."
Orihime stood abruptly, chair clattering behind her.
"Urahara, wait for me. I will be back for special training!"
She rushed outside, leaving only the sound of her hurried footsteps behind. There was not a trace of fear in her back as she disappeared through the sliding door.
Watching her go, Kisuke lowered the brim of his hat, his voice soft and almost fond.
"What a kind girl..."
"Do you really feel nothing about manipulating such a kind girl?"
Yoruichi snorted.
"In what way did I manipulate her, Miss Yoruichi? Please do not slander me."
"Heh. Funny, I do not remember ever hearing that touching backstory you just told."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes.
"Back when I was making Gigai for Hirako and the others, I did leave for a bit, but it was not nearly enough time for you to run all the way to Rukongai, especially to some remote district. What, are you going to tell me you can use forbidden spatial transfer techniques now?"
"And why does Miss Yoruichi think I cannot?"
Kisuke's gentle counter question made Yoruichi freeze for a moment.
"...Tch."
She clicked her tongue but did not push further.
"In any case, those details do not matter anymore." Kisuke exhaled.
"What matters now is using this opportunity to find proof of Aizen's crimes. Even though Ichimaru Gin is the one being reported this time, I am certain he is acting under Aizen's orders."
"If I just sit here and do nothing, I will never be able to stand against him. So this time... I am going to step onto the board myself."
"Kisuke... you have changed."
"It is not as dramatic as Miss Yoruichi makes it sound."
Kisuke waved his fan lazily.
"I am just choosing the countermeasure with the highest chance of success from among all the plans I have prepared. Whether we win or not is still unknown. All we can do is give it our best. I do not believe luck will always favor Aizen. We have our own trump card too."
"A trump card, huh?"
Yoruichi's lips curled into a smile, and a hint of nostalgia flashed in her golden eyes.
"Then I want to see for myself what kind of power the person you are willing to bet your life on possesses."
Soul Society... It has been a long time since I went back.
I wonder if those old acquaintances still remember the name Flash Goddess.
"Yes. Let us make a big scene together."
Kisuke's smile deepened.
"Just as Aizen... is expecting."
His lips curved lightly beneath the shadow of his hat, his expression firm and resolved.
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