Lisa raised an eyebrow skeptically, her expression cautious to the extreme. "How is that even possible?"
If he had said a year or two, she might have believed him. But to go from being utterly crushed by Tōsen to defeating him in a single day—even someone with blind faith like Izumi would doubt his claim.
Kazuya glanced meaningfully toward the Hollow hovering silently in the distance. "I'll help your Hollow evolve. Reaching Adjuchas level immediately is impossible, but it'll still grant you enough strength to match Tōsen. With my immortality domain, you can focus on offense and kill him."
Lisa's lips curled into a smirk. "What's the catch?"
She refused to believe such power wouldn't come at a cost. Even her Hollowfication power came at the cost of harboring a monster inside her.
He chuckled at her wariness. "Your Hollow's ego will be strengthened. If your willpower is lacking, you know what will happen."
"Tch. Don't doubt my resolve. I'd rather die than let that thing wreak havoc through me."
"Wreaking havoc is a Hollow's nature, so let it rampage every once in a while. It'll benefit both of you."
Lisa frowned. She understood the hidden message behind his words, yet she couldn't grasp the purpose behind it. What benefit could possibly come from giving her Hollow more freedom? What could she gain from becoming closer to the monster within her?
Despite her uncertainty, she decided to follow his advice. He was the type to never keep his mouth shut than offer advice he wasn't confident in.
"Alright, let's do it. I'll owe you another one if I can survive." She gazed at him softly. A gaze that carried gratitude and longing. She let out a heavy sigh. "There is no way for me to ever repay you… Hmm, I shall become your lowly maid and devote my body and soul to you for the rest of my life."
Kazuya stared blankly at her, momentarily taken aback. Her expression feigned reluctance, as though circumstances forced her hand, yet the subtle anticipation in her gaze betrayed her true feelings. She wasn't simply offering to become his maid—she was confessing her feelings in a roundabout way.
He recalled his previous rejection when she'd asked him out on a date during his first day at Izumi's place. That rejection may have hurt her confidence, leading her to settle for a submissive position if it meant being close to him. This was either her submissive fetish or her way to find a place in his heart; he felt like it was a mix of both.
What baffled him was that her timing couldn't be more appropriate. At home, his women never left him. Where could Lisa possibly find the guts to peel him off of his other lovers, take him somewhere isolated, and confess her feelings? But here they were alone. No outside distractions.
A faint smile spread across his lips. He decided to tease her gently. "Lisa, you should continue serving Izumi as her maid. I already have Apacci as my maid."
He delivered the line so calmly that Lisa felt as if the world had been ripped from beneath her feet. She just stood there, staring at him with wide eyes, as though she couldn't process the rejection. For as long as she remembered, Kazuya had an insatiable lust—more than a dozen men combined. She couldn't comprehend how he could reject her so mercilessly, especially when she wasn't even asking to be his official wife—just a maid.
'This is to be expected…' she thought bitterly.
The sky darkened once more, tiny raindrops beginning to fall gently around her. Lisa lowered her head, extending a trembling hand. Each raindrop striking her palm felt like a sharp blade slicing a part of her heart.
'Why does it hurt so much?'
Her vision blurred as tears welled up unexpectedly, streaming silently down her cheeks. The rain concealed her tears, yet it couldn't cover the redness of her eyes. She had never experienced love before, and now that she finally had, it was for someone who already had numerous lovers—each more outstanding than the last.
A sense of helplessness filled her heart. 'I, am I fated to be single in this life?'
As warm tears streamed down her face, the gentle drizzle intensified into a heavy downpour. She clenched her fists so tightly that, had she been in the real world, her palms would have bled profusely.
'It is what it is.'
Taking a deep breath, she forcibly regained her composure, unwilling to show her weak side to Kazuya. She cleaned away her tears with a surge of Reiatsu. When she finally lifted her head, her expression was completely still.
But when she looked around, Kazuya was nowhere to be seen.
"Kazuya…?" she murmured, panic gripping her chest—until his voice whispered playfully in her ear.
"I don't need a maid but the position of concubine is empty." A warm, gentle hand rested lightly on her shoulder. "Are you interested?"
Lisa froze, her entire body trembling as though an electric current had surged through her veins. Slowly, she turned her head. When she saw his mischievous smile, she realized she had been played like a fool. He had never intended to reject her; he had been teasing her like he always did, deliberately tormenting her. He was almost at the level of Sung-Sun's sadism.
The turn of events left her speechless for a minute. Relief flooded her chest.
"You… you heartless jerk!" She shouted indignantly, her turquoise eyes glistening with unshed tears. "How could you toy with my feelings like that?!"
He shook his head helplessly. "How could I know you were asking to be my lewd maid? I only figured out your confession when I saw you cry. Honestly, it's your fault for being so vague about it!"
His clueless expression was so convincing that Lisa almost believed him. Almost. She gritted her teeth. If looks could kill, Kazuya would have died a thousand painful deaths right then and there. A woman's wrath couldn't be underestimated.
"You bastard, I'll kill you!"
She growled and lunged at him, pounding his chest with her small fists. Every blow was equivalent to a full-powered strike from a non-Shikai Vice-Captain. Yet, to Kazuya, her furious blows felt no stronger than playful taps, ticklish rather than painful. His defense became more and more absurd as his Reiatsu grew to unprecedented heights.
At this point he could just stand there and tank a billion attacks from a Vice-Captain without so much as a scratch.
He raised his arms in surrender and let her anger run its course. Truth be told, his joke had gone a bit too far. In his defense, he couldn't have expected Lisa to react in this manner. He thought she'd brush it off lightly as a joke, perhaps make a sarcastic comment. Instead, she broke down crying, her inner world being flooded with rain like no tomorrow. At the very least, his teasing helped him grasp the depths of her feelings. Her love was no less intense than Apacci, which greatly confused him. He couldn't recall doing anything crazy to earn this level of affection. Had he unknowingly acquired some passive ability that increased women's affection toward him?
'It's a good thing nevertheless.'
After all, everyone knew a harem protagonist's strength was directly proportional to the number of women by his side. As someone with ambitions to surpass the Soul King, he certainly wouldn't complain about gaining more women, especially Lisa whom he got along exceptionally fine with. With Lisa living under the same roof, it was only a matter of time they ended up together.
'I'm truly blessed by the heavens.'
After a full minute of Lisa's relentless yet harmless punches and him feeling good about gaining a new lover, Kazuya's brows suddenly furrowed slightly. First Isane and then Lisa—too many good things had happened to him recently. Could it be a sign for upcoming misfortune?
'I need to deal with Aizen as soon as possible.'
He saw Lisa suddenly raise her knee and smash it into his stomach. Acrobatic, flashy, and agile kicks and punches rained down on him. At some point, Lisa had gone from an embarrassed maiden expressing adorable rage to a fierce amazoness trying every technique to put down her archrival.
'She is enjoying beating her husband. What the hell?'
After what felt like an eternity of ticklish attacks, Lisa finally drew back, breathing heavily. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, sweat mingling with the lingering raindrops on her flushed skin. She stared at Kazuya, as though she was looking at a monster. Despite her exhaustion, venting her grievances on his punchable yet handsome face and steel-like body left her surprisingly refreshed. Her mood was exceptionally bright. The clear sky and vague rainbows in the distance painted an accurate picture of her mind.
A look of mockery flashed in his eyes. "Are you done?"
Lisa huffed indignantly, brushing damp strands of raven-black hair away from her face. "What the hell is his body made of?" she muttered irritably. After a brief pause, she hesitated, her voice softening slightly. "Um… were you serious earlier?"
He was once again reminded of how fickle these creatures called women could be. "About taking you as my concubine?"
She bashfully nodded, her brows knitted in a solemn frown. She had resolved herself to beat him up if he dared to lie to her. Although she was weak, she could call upon Izumi, Sung-Sun, Cirucci, Harribel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and even Shinji. Even Harribel would take her side on this matter.
"Of course," Kazuya agreed with an honest-to-goodness smile. "You wanted to be my maid, but I crowned you my concubine. I'm such a thoughtful man."
Lisa sneered playfully, rolling her eyes at his shamelessness. "I'll be your only concubine."
"Hmm?" He pretended not to hear her clearly.
She pinched both sides of his waist as hard as she could. "I said I'll be only your concubine."
She emphasized each word in a threatening voice that left no room for argument.
"It's not like any woman would choose to be concubine over wife," he whispered to himself before flashing a smile. "Alright, I promise you'll be my only concubine."
Lisa's expression softened. She felt strangely satisfied with her new title. Concubine—she would be the only person in his family with this honored title. Although a concubine's status was lower than that of an official wife, who would dare bully her?
'Doesn't it mean we're officially together?'
As the thought sank in, she gazed at him, her thoughts a mystery to Kazuya. Gradually, her cheeks began to glow with warmth, yet she refused to avert her gaze.
"So," she finally said, voice just above a whisper, "it's settled, then? You'll be my husband… and I'll be your concubine?"
The moment felt quite surreal to her. She had imagined all types of scenarios that led to him accepting her—some warm and passionate, some despair-inducing and some downright lewd. However, none matched the peaceful reality before her. 'Everything sort of happened' — she could hear herself telling it to her children in response to how she got together with their father.
Finding her adorable, he pulled her into arms. "Do you want a marriage certificate as proof of my sincerity?"
Lisa pushed him away instantly and furrowed her brows, looking momentarily thoughtful. "Well, it wouldn't hurt once all this is over. Heh. I can't wait to tell Sung-chan about it."
"You mean to brag about it," he said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe such a silly woman would become his concubine.
She licked her lips, a hint of desire in her eyes. "You know me well. Then you should also know how much of a horny woman I am."
He stepped back with a look of fear. "Stay away from me! I'm not giving you my body before marriage!"
"You don't have a choice with that," Lisa said, bursting into a vulgar laughter. Brimming with happiness, she threw away her glasses and suddenly grabbed his collar, yanking him to her. "Come here, charming. Let me taste you."
He barely had time to react before her lips pressed fervently against his, igniting a heat that surged through them both. As a man with honor and pride, Kazuya absolutely wouldn't let himself be bested by his concubine. He gave her the taste of his heavenly skills.
Lisa's mind immediately went blank. This electric thrill of pleasure wasn't something her fantasies could have taught her about.
When she pulled back, her breathing was uneven. Eyes misty with emotions, she whispered, "That was… amazing…"
It was amazing to the point she wanted to kiss him again and do even more lewd things with him. She finally realized why Sung-Sun continuously boasted about her intimate activities. As Lisa's true friend, Sung-Sun genuinely wished for Lisa to taste this pleasure.
Kazuya gently placed a hand on her cheek. "We'll pick this up later."
Seeing her nod eagerly, he smiled and glanced at her Hollow. It was still standing there without a care in the world. He flew up to the floating mask and pressed his palm against it. Finding no opposition, he channeled his Reiryoku and transferred it to the mask according to his instincts. The instincts that had been carved on his soul the very first day he descended into his world. The Crumbling Heart skill that had been strengthening his Hollow allies was activated in full power without the aid of his System. The System he had long stopped relying on. There were too many anomalies involved with the System.
He perfectly controlled the Crumbing Hollow. The ability belonged to him to begin with.
The tiny flame-like eyes floating behind the mask flickered and slowly grew bigger. Its presence also grew. The black spiritual power that was its body became clearer.
Lisa watched the process with an awed expression. She could feel the changes in her Hollow much better than Kazuya. After all, it was born from her soul and had an innate connection with her.
"A miracle… just what is this ability?"
A chill suddenly went down her spine. With her vast experience, she realized just how extraordinary it was for Kazuya to strengthen a Hollow in this way. She felt like it wouldn't be wrong to call him the God of all Hollows. It'll be a calamity for the Soul Society if they became his enemy. Even the Royal Guards wouldn't be able to stop him. After all, there were only five of them. How could they stop thousands of Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde from destroying the Soul Society?
'It's a blessing he has deep ties with the Soul Society,' she thought, relieved.
She knew Harribel would never allow him to start a war without reason. And he loved Harribel to death. As his concubine, she'd also naturally do everything in her power to stop him from going berserk.
Even with all these measures, one possibility remained—someone hurting his lovers in the Soul Society.
'I hope nobody touches his women. If not rivers of blood will flow.'