A magnificent Heian noble mansion where beautiful red plum trees bloomed. In the main building of that large sleeping hall, three cushions had been laid out.
On the cushion at the head seat sat a female death god in a dress-style white death god uniform, acting suspiciously. Next to her sat a long-haired girl in a furisode hakama with a feathered robe draped over her shoulders, looking displeased.
And on the cushion facing them, a small peach-colored jewel sat alone, glowing weakly.
"We will now hold the First Hinamori Court-Martial."
That's right—this is my inner world. A scene from the middle of judging the screw-up committed by Momo-chan Home's new resident.
"I, Tobai, will serve as both judge and legal officer. Neither party objects, correct?"
"Hinamori Momo has no objection."
"I-I object—"
"You. Have. No. Objection. Correct?"
"Eek! N-no, none at all!"
The Holy Body is smiling with a vein throbbing on her forehead. I'm also furious as a victim, but when there's someone about to explode in rage next to you, it makes you shrink back instead. It's scary, so let's curl up small to avoid catching any stray fire.
"Very well. Then we will proceed with the hearing for defendant Momo-dama regarding obstruction of operations due to massive spiritual pressure rampage during the Third Karakura Town Assault Operation, as well as attempted murder of master Hinamori Momo."
"O-objection! Our right to request counsel is being obstructed! I exercise my complete right to silence! There's zero consideration for defendant's right of defense! This is a clear violation of criminal law! Judge change!"
"The defendant's statement is rejected. A defense attorney for you? There are limits to shamelessness, you pebble..."
"?!"
Seriously angry Tobai-chan approached the defendant while clicking the mouth guard of Tobai (sword). The Momo-dama trembled pitifully on the cushion as if trying to escape—wait, that jewel can move...
"Absurd. If you're an inanimate object, behave like one and stay quiet."
"S-stop it! F-fine, kill me!"
Though it could only vibrate in place like a smartphone, so it was normally just picked up and immediately over.
And while toying with Momo-dama in her palm, Tobai-chan, having grown bored of the court-martial game, began lecturing in poison tongue mode.
"Hey, Hogyoku. You're an existence created to be master's power. And now that you've fused, you're part of master's soul just like me, understand?"
"Yes... you're absolutely right."
Huh, really?
According to the two of them, apparently so.
"Yet despite being a newbie, you slack off on the job based on your mood, and on top of that, you get so excited you explode master's soul with spiritual pressure super-growth. You're not just incompetent—you're worse. Aren't you ashamed to be alive?"
"Yes... I'm sorry."
"A tool that capriciously destroys its master is worse than garbage. I'd be more inclined to believe you were an assassin or trap sent by Aizen Sosuke. Don't you think?"
"Yes... I have no excuse."
"You're apologizing to the wrong person. The fact that you're apologizing to me shows you're just trying to escape this interrogation. Know shame, you stone dust."
"Waaah, Big Sister! Tobai is bullying me!"
I want to believe it's a hallucination that I can see countless prostrating Hinamori Momos—me—inside the Momo-dama. Maybe because I'm the original and can understand the feelings, I somehow feel a bit sorry for these guys.
...No, still guilty for obstructing my chance to savor clouded Shiro-chan. Court adjourned.
"Really, master, you say something to them too!"
"Huh?! M-me?!"
While doing so, Tobai-chan suddenly threw the conversation to me. Geez, stop clicking that guard. It's too scary and made me act all flustered.
But seriously, what should I do?
Personally, I'm frustrated and angry that I couldn't enjoy precious Shiro-chan time because I was distracted by the spiritual pressure growth. The self-destruction was also the most painful of all my past ryona moves, and I genuinely thought I might die.
However, if I overlook those things, defendant Momo-dama's explosion screw-up is actually a huge success with results that justify the means.
First—perhaps because my survival instinct went wild from that spectacular self-destruction, my soul strength increased significantly. I feel like my format as a spiritual body has somehow changed, and unless something really extreme happens, self-destruction like earlier shouldn't occur again.
Second—the operation to set up foreshadowing for Hinamori Momo's Hogyoku fusion went better than expected. After all, it's naturally more realistic when you're genuinely cornered and suffering seriously. Even though I'm confident in my acting skills, it would have been difficult to direct a better scene than that.
Momo-dama, who screwed up despite being warned to "control your emotions" before starting, is being scolded by Tobai-chan now, but I somehow had a feeling this would happen, so I don't intend to blame that jewel any further.
We're going to have a long relationship going forward. Here, as their master, let me show them my magnanimous side.
"Thank you, Tobai. That lecture is enough now."
"M-master?!"
"B-Big Sister! As expected of our original! Saint! Angel!"
I gently receive Momo-dama from Tobai-chan's hand and pat her head.
I'm glad I got to see anime Bleach version Tobai-chan's veteran character for the first time, but my Tobai-chan definitely suits smiling better and is cuter that way.
When I smiled like that, she opened and closed her mouth and looked down with a red face.
"I was... quite scared, but thanks to that I was able to evolve as a spiritual body, so I have to consider those results too. We're comrades in one body and mind, so let's forgive them for that, okay?"
"If you say so..."
"...Easy... classic easy heroine... Big Sister is seducing a beautiful girl... this is a villainess... were those saint and angel comments earlier an illusion?"
Defendant Momo-dama immediately gets cocky when the flow becomes convenient for her. Really, who does she take after? I want her to have a bit more self-awareness as my clone.
Seeing no signs of reflection, I bring my face close and glare at Momo-dama.
"The next one is the final real thing with Shiro-chan, but will you be okay? You won't get excited and increase spiritual pressure too much?"
"I-I'll be fine, fine! Big Sister's soul just became ★6, so even if spiritual pressure increases, the vessel won't break! P-probably."
"Are you sure about that...?"
Being told by defendant Momo-dama, the source of screw-ups, makes me involuntarily sound like Gol D. Roger.
But it's true that as they say, my soul probably won't explode like that anymore. Apparently my spiritual pressure had already increased to an undetectable level when I dominated in the living world, so now that I've adjusted to it... that's my honest feeling.
Besides, if I grow any more, I'll surpass the original Hogyoku Yonsama. That's, how should I put it, really unpleasant as a Bleach fan.
The strongest in BLEACH can be Mugetsu Ichigo or His Majesty, but the most stylish should still be Yonsama, and the most pitiful should be Shiro-chan.
"So everyone, show some restraint, okay? You guys are classified as Hogyoku, rotten as you may be, so I won't gain power I don't wish for, right?"
But the residents of Momo-dama's reaction was noncommittal.
"Sorry... honestly don't know. When we exploded, no one wished to get stronger or anything. Oh, but maybe the wish to make Shiro-chan suffer combined with the Hogyoku fusion direction and became that? Ah, that seems likely."
"Wait, what do you mean 'seems likely?' You're the will of the Hogyoku, aren't you?"
Nice comeback, Tobai-chan. Seriously, what are these guys doing getting anxious themselves?
"W-well, we're not a normal Hogyoku! R-right, right! Um, it's like, we don't know what to tell you... right?"
""Then who should we ask?!""
"Eeek! W-who knows?"
Waaah, it's already so full of holes that anything could happen...
In the end, even after beating them multiple times, they just pathetically cried "We don't knoooow," so defendant Momo-dama's verdict and punishment ended with just a normal stern warning. Or rather, that's all I could do.
W-well, there are still three days until the Karakura Town decisive battle, so let's consult with Szayelaporro about whether we can transfer the spiritual power that's accumulated too much in my soul to a closed dimension. He might be busy moving to the living world hideout, but genius that he is, he should be able to figure something out in three days.
Phew, I'm glad I secured a time buffer.
After confirming with everyone that we'd continue striving for the best "HINAMORIIIII!" going forward in our new three-person (?) system, I finally left Tobai-chan's inner world.
Now, my long-awaited second "purpose in life" in this reincarnated life.
Though time is limited, there's still lots to do.
Preparing countermeasures for screw-ups, secretly visiting Shiro-chan, brushing up the plan, checking on Ichigo's White, setting the stage for recreating canon events, commanding the Arrancar, letting Uru-Ori mature, preparing to hide after the Yonsama arc ends—I need all hands on deck.
Somehow finish the final adjustments in the remaining three days. Momo-chan will work hard today, tomorrow, and the day after!
And my consciousness awakens to reality—
"Ah! Sh-she's awake!"
...Huh? (confused)
"Th-thank goodness. Even though Ayame and the others kept working hard, you'd been asleep for three whole days, so I was worried..."
...What? (intimidating)
"Ah! U-um, uh, nice to meet you...? Or rather, long time no see...? It's—
—Inoue Orihime... here..."
...
That damn jewelllll! This time I'm really donating it to the Karakura Town Neighborhood Association! Noooooo, not agaaaain!! (high-speed flag recovery)
***
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