Toshiro pondered for a moment before agreeing. "Alright, I won't tell Rukia about this."
If he suddenly told Rukia now that Hisana was her sister and that she had abandoned her, who knew if she could accept it? It was better to let things develop naturally.
"Thank you. I owe you a favor."
Byakuya expressed his gratitude.
"Well, although I had my suspicions, you were the one who revealed the relationship between Rukia and Hisana after all. It's not really a favor."
Toshiro said casually.
But then he added meaningfully, "However, if you truly feel indebted, I hope that one day, if someone tries to harm Rukia, you will stand up and protect her."
Byakuya said solemnly, "That goes without saying. I will absolutely protect Rukia."
Watching Byakuya make this earnest promise, Toshiro couldn't help but think to himself, 'If only you could still say that after you learn that the one wanting to harm Rukia is the very system you've always upheld.'
Toshiro knew that in the original work, after Aizen killed the Central 46 and issued orders in their name to arrest and execute Rukia, Byakuya, though heartbroken, chose to obey Soul Society's laws.
He remained impassive towards Rukia's impending execution and even obstructed Ichigo and the others who went to rescue her, all to uphold the rules.
Fortunately, he was later persuaded by Ichigo's words and ultimately became an incurable, terminal case of a doting older brother.
"I hope you truly can keep your word. I'll take my leave now."
Toshiro tapped his foot lightly and used Shunpo to depart.
After Toshiro left, the old steward and the two bodyguards who had been observing from a distance hurried over.
They found Byakuya standing in place, seemingly deep in thought.
Worried that Byakuya, who had always been successful, might be demoralized by his defeat, the old steward quickly tried to console him. "Master, although you happened to lose one move in this battle, there's no need to dwell on it. After all, your opponent has defeated the so-called [Strongest Shinigami], a Kenpachi, and is the most talented Shinigami in Soul Society."
Well, it was indeed losing one move. After Toshiro went all out, he defeated Byakuya in one move. Summarized as 'lost one move'.
"Hmph, no need to console me. Do I look like someone who is easily demoralized? I was just thinking about something."
Byakuya snorted coldly.
"By the way, Kumao, how does one make someone feel 'the warmth of a family'?"
Byakuya asked the old steward.
When saying 'the warmth of a family', Byakuya even gestured with his hands.
"The warmth of a family?"
The old steward looked utterly bewildered.
'Kumao' was indeed his name. Although the old steward appeared frail now, he was reportedly born as strong as a bear, hence his parents named him Kumao. (T/N: Kuma means Bear.
Full name: Kuchiki Kumao.
"Kumao, I'm giving you a task. Before Rukia officially enters the Kuchiki Clan, figure out how to make her feel the warmth of a family."
With that, Byakuya strode away, leaving the old steward, Kuchiki Kumao, standing there.
Rukongai, 1st District, a certain izakaya.
Renji was sitting at a table, drinking.
And he wasn't drinking cup by cup… he was chugging directly from the bottle.
The table was already covered with empty bottles.
"Cough! Cough!"
Suddenly, Renji drank too fast and choked, coughing uncontrollably.
After coughing, Renji picked up the bottle again and tipped it into his mouth.
This time, only two drops came out before nothing more happened.
Renji shook the bottle. No movement. It was empty.
Renji shook his woozy head and slurred, "Boss! Where's the booze? Hic Bring me more!"
The izakaya owner, named Nagano Taka, was middle-aged and somewhat portly.
Hearing Renji, he walked over with a frown. "Sir, you've had far too much. Perhaps it's time to call it a night."
It wasn't that the owner was worried about Renji's health from drinking too much… he was worried Renji couldn't pay.
For the owner, as long as you had money, you could drink as much as you wanted. If you drank yourself to death, that was your own business.
But Renji had ordered so much, and the table was covered with empty bottles. The total bill was definitely not small, and Renji didn't look like someone with much money.
"No! I want more! Keep 'em coming!"
Renji waved his hand forcefully, almost hitting Nagano.
Nagano looked at Renji with a displeased expression. "You can keep drinking, but do you have money? If you want more, pay for what you've already had first."
"Money? That's a good thing, yeah. Heh heh ha ha..."
Renji laughed drunkenly. "If I had stuff like that, maybe I could've given Rukia a good life, huh? Could've stopped her from joining the Kuchiki Clan just by watching? Could've stopped all those friends from dying one by one?"
Hearing Renji's words, Nagano's face grew even uglier. He glared at Renji. "So, you're saying you don't have money, is that it?"
He didn't care one bit about Rukia or the Kuchiki Clan. All he knew was this guy who had ordered so much alcohol had no money to pay. He was about to take a huge loss.
Nagano glared fiercely at Renji. "You think just because you're a Shin'o Academy's student, you can eat and drink for free here?"
Renji was wearing the Shin'o Academy uniform, so Nagano recognized his identity at a glance.
Generally, although Shin'o Academy's students weren't Shinigami yet, ordinary people in Rukongai wouldn't easily provoke them. But he didn't care.
"Hmph, let me tell you, my friend isn't just a Shinigami, he's a seated officer. And you? You're still just a student, not even a Shinigami yet."
Nagano snorted coldly.
This was his greatest trump card, and because of it, people around didn't dare offend him.
Nagano turned to two of his staff. "Komori, Yusuke, teach this guy a lesson."
"Heh heh, got it, boss! Leave it to us!"
The tall, skinny, and somewhat sleazy-looking Komori said obsequiously.
Normally, he wouldn't be so eager. Although he had the boss's Shinigami friend backing him up and wasn't afraid of the other party's status, he also knew he couldn't beat a properly trained Shin'o Academy's student.
But right now, Renji was dead drunk, barely able to stand. There was nothing to fear.
Komori stepped forward and kicked Renji, knocking him to the floor.
Thud!
His head hit the ground. The sharp pain jolted Renji's consciousness back to clarity.
Komori walked up, ready to beat Renji severely to please the boss. Yusuke also eagerly closed in, not wanting to be left out.
Though Renji wanted to resist, his body wouldn't obey.