Time passed, and the day of my wedding finally arrived.
Unohana's guests consisted of seven people in total: members of Squad 4, Furufushi, and Batsunsai. My own guests had yet to arrive.
Looking at the number of guests gathered so far, the ceremony felt even humbler than Furufushi's wedding.
No, 'humble' didn't quite cover it; it felt like it was bordering on a total disaster.
If the head of the Kuchiki family—the one I had lectured for making his daughter's wedding too modest—were to see this, his stomach would probably churn with indignation. He'd be thinking, 'He threw his own wedding like this, so why the hell did he give me such a hard time?'
Lost in those thoughts, I slowly scanned the landscape of the shrine, which bore the clear marks of the passing ages.
By 'marks of passing ages,' I didn't mean it looked old or dilapidated. It had the aesthetic of a well-maintained ancient shrine, which was quite pleasing to the eye.
Of course, outside of the shrine itself, the landscape consisted of nothing but gravel, jagged rocks, bubbling hot springs, and a distant acidic pond.
No matter how much time passes, this place never changes.
"Are you really intending to have the wedding here? With your power, you could have picked a much better place."
Hearing a familiar, flippant voice, I turned around. Furufushi was walking toward me with a sluggish stride, her hands clasped behind her head.
As I've said before, Osorezan is not a traditional place for a wedding.
It carries several ominous titles: a land haunted by spirits, the place connected to Hell, the very edge of the afterlife. Its scenery is far removed from anything one would call bright or beautiful.
"Desolate, isn't it?"
"You know that, yet you still chose this place for a wedding? Unohana might not be saying anything, but God knows what she's thinking on the inside. And why did you prepare so many seats when there are only seven people here?"
"I have my reasons for everything. I chose this place for the wedding because this land holds deep personal significance for me."
"Even so, choosing a dead land like this is just..."
"Do you not trust me?"
"It's not about trust. It's the vibe, you know? A wedding should usually have everyone's blessing... Sigh. Whatever. I'm sure you have a plan."
Seeing Furufushi let out a long sigh, I could only manage a bitter smile.
At least Furufushi is close to me and acts as my adopted daughter, so she can come up and complain. I wondered what the others were thinking.
I glanced back at the hollow wedding venue. Batsunsai seemed indifferent, simply wandering around with her hands behind her back. However, the members of Squad 4 were whispering among themselves, only to flinch and avert their eyes the moment they made eye contact with me.
"So, did you not invite any guests?"
To Furufushi's question, I simply gave a serene smile and looked up at the sky.
*
When the members of Squad 4 first received their invitations to Unohana's wedding, they were genuinely overjoyed.
They found it a bit strange that she was having the ceremony only after living together as a couple for a long time and even having a child, but it didn't matter. It was the wedding of the legendary Captain Shimon and the esteemed Captain Unohana!
Of course, the fact that it meant a legally sanctioned vacation was also a factor.
Regardless, the fact that they were here to celebrate Unohana's wedding was undeniable.
"The wedding of Captain Unohana and Captain Shimon... Is it really okay for someone like me to attend? I-I'm just a rookie who recently reached the 5th Seat..."
"What are you so scared for? You're so tall, yet your heart is so tiny!"
Sakurano gave a firm slap to the back of Kotetsu Isane, who was trembling while clutching her invitation to her chest with both hands.
Shocked by the sudden blow, Isane let out a yelp and nearly jumped out of her skin. "Eeeek!?"
"V-Vice-Captain Sakurano!"
"Just stay confident. Captain Shimon told me to handle the guest list personally. Does it matter if you're the 5th Seat, the 7th, or just a regular grunt? If you do your job well and you respect Captain Unohana, you get an invite. Right?"
"Well, that's..."
Isane couldn't find a retort.
It wasn't that she agreed with Sakurano; it was just that Isane's nerves were too weak to refuse a wedding invitation for a former Captain, especially one hand-delivered by her current Vice-Captain who had been entrusted with the task.
'I'm happy to have been chosen, but...! I'm so happy, but...!!'
Isane nodded, desperately using Kaido to soothe her stomach as the sheer pressure of the situation made her feel nauseous.
Sakurano chuckled and gave Isane another light pat on the back.
"You can't deny it, right? Then just enjoy yourself. It's fine. When else would you get to experience something like this?"
"A-Ah... haha... Yes..."
"Alright then! Let's head to the venue!"
As the members of Squad 4 made their way toward the wedding venue, their excitement slowly turned into confusion. They felt a sense of oddity as they left the Seireitei, confusion as they passed through the Rukongai, and utter shock when they finally arrived. They were aghast.
Isn't a wedding supposed to be the flower of one's life? Isn't it meant to be bright, grand, joyful, and beautiful?
While some cynical souls might call it the entry ceremony for a life's coffin, ignoring such outliers, isn't that how it usually goes?
So, what was this? What was this place?
"Is this really... the venue for Captain Shimon and Captain Unohana's wedding?"
"Uh... well... the Captain did say it was here..."
Upon arriving at Osorezan, the site of the wedding, the primary emotion they felt was desolation.
Despite the sunlight, a chilling gloom crept up their spines. Even though green mountains were visible in the distance, this particular area was nothing but barren gravel and stones—it felt like a forgotten wasteland or a remote exile, even if it was technically on the same land.
"Mmm, I knew he was an eccentric man, but if he's having his wedding in a place like this, he's not eccentric... he's just plain crazy, isn't heee?"
At the comment from Batsunsai, who had joined them along the way, the Squad 4 members either nodded or remained silent in silent agreement.
Vice-Captain Sakurano, who almost caught herself nodding, gave a sharp flinch and tried to lighten the mood.
"I-I'm sure he has his reasons! Let's just head inside! Maybe it looks different further in?"
"Mmm... well, I don't know what his reasons are... but I suspect they aren't exactly sane thoughts..."
Batsunsai was speaking with her usual sluggish drawl, but her eyes were remarkably sharp.
The medical officers of Squad 4 could sense that 'she's in a bad mood,' but they didn't quite understand the weight behind it.
"Relax your eyes, you crazy woman. If you dare go on a rampage at this wedding, I'll kill you."
Knowing Batsunsai better than anyone, Furufushi immediately assessed the situation and jammed a fist into Batsunsai's ribs.
It wasn't a poke; it was a firm jab.
Batsunsai rubbed her stinging side and pouted.
"Boo... Fu-chan, that's mean. I'm just feeling bad for Chi-chan..."
"Then keep your mouth shut. We came here to celebrate, not to wreck the place. And if you really want to rampage, wait until the ceremony is over."
"Heh... I didn't think you were capable of thinking ahead, Fu-chan. Marriage really does change people, huh?"
"Stop calling me that, you crazy bitch!"
"Hehe, alright, alright. Only a husband gets to call Fushi-chan by her nickname anyway~"
"Ugh, damn this woman with flowers for brains!! You smell like pollen, get away from me!!"
Bickering as they passed through the temple gate, they suddenly fell silent.
Dozens of seats had been arranged, yet there wasn't a soul sitting in them.
Considering they themselves were souls, it was a funny thought, but this looked less like a wedding and more like a ghost's banquet.
"See? I told you he was crazy~"
"..."
At this point, even Furufushi had no rebuttal and kept her mouth shut.
Sakurano, who had insisted that things would be different inside, was also at a loss for words.
And then, we return to the present.
"I wonder where Chi-chan is... I want to tell her to just quit this wedding already..."
Muttering to herself, Batsunsai stared intently at the man speaking with Furufushi.
Judging by the fact that he was wearing ceremonial wedding robes, he had to be that Shimon Captain or whatever.
'He's tall and looks decent enough, so why is he doing this? Chi-chan said her husband was such a wonderful person. But...'
Is he really? Is she being deceived? Domestic violence...? Could it be something like that?
'It's hard to believe Chi-chan could be tricked by anyone... but seeing this, I have to wonder.'
Infuriated by the absence of guests no matter how long they waited, Batsunsai's hand drifted toward her waist.
But since she had left her Zanpakuto at home for the wedding, her hand only grasped at empty air.
'What a waste. I should have brought it if I knew it would be like this.'
With those thoughts, she continued to glare at the man called Captain Shimon.
Shortly after finishing his conversation with Furufushi, the man turned toward them and then suddenly looked up at the sky.
'Why is he looking at the sky?'
The Squad 4 members, startled by the sudden eye contact, averted their gaze. Batsunsai, however, kept her glare fixed on him until his odd behavior prompted her to look up as well.
"Ah?"
Something massive—a gigantic pillar—was falling from the heavens toward this location.
The others followed Batsunsai's exclamation and looked up, freezing like stone statues the moment they saw the pillar.
A moment later, the massive pillar crashed into the earth, shaking the very foundation of the mountain. From within it, legendary figures stepped forth.
Those who witnessed the group could only stare in utter shock—especially the members of Squad 4.
"Hmm... I'll need to adjust the landing mechanisms of this Tenchuren later."
The creator of Kido and the progenitor of the Four Great Noble Houses who built the Soul King Palace—Tsunayashiro Jomon.
"What use is there in adjusting it? We rarely have cause to descend to the Soul Society. Regardless... this place seems to be quite the desolate wasteland for a wedding. Are you certain this is where the Forerunner is being wed?"
The great weaver of the Shihakusho and the grand designer of the Royal Guard robes—Shutara Senjumaru.
"Hahat! What are you even ASKING, GU? Senjumaru! Today's protagonist is standing right over there!"
The legendary blacksmith who invented the Zanpakuto—the God of the Sword, Nimaiya Oetsu.
"This place... Keh. I had a feeling, but I didn't think he'd actually pull off a wedding at Osorezan."
And finally, the founder of Kaido, often called the God of Medicine.
Tenjiro Kirinji, the Master of the Hot Spring Palace.