The reason people feel unease, the reason they feel shame, is because they still have a moral bottom line!
The moment Nimaiya Ōetsu decided to righteously dissociate himself from the situation, he instantly felt relieved.
Hey! Isn't it your own fault for making such a big scene? You failed, so shouldn't you reflect on how you were too forward and scared the guest away? What does this have to do with me, Nimaiya Ōetsu? Did I rush in with you? Nope. Not only did I not, but I also fulfilled my duty as a host by giving our guest a tour of the Hōōden. Now all of you, get over here and write me a self-reflection report, chop-chop!
From guilt to bravado, all it took was a peculiar psychological shift.
What Nimaiya Ōetsu didn't know, however, was that Ling Qing was also undergoing a peculiar psychological shift. Kirinji Tenjirō had successfully obliterated all of Ling Qing's expectations for the Zero Squad, but Ling Qing never imagined that the bottom line could be broken again and again in such a short time.
Ling Qing had thought Kirinji Tenjirō was the lowest the Zero Squad could sink. Who knew that he might have actually been the one holding onto the last shred of decency? While Kirinji's every detail screamed of the Zero Squad's lack of principles, he still had a bit of an 'idol's burden' to carry, giving off a rather arrogant air. Ling Qing had assumed, at the very least, all Zero Squad members were like that.
Until he saw Nimaiya Ōetsu's ridiculously flashy Hōōden...
To put it simply, if Kirinji Tenjirō kept his mouth shut and didn't engage in theatrics, the Kirinden still looked somewhat prestigious, fitting the popular imagination of the Soul King's Palace and the Zero Squad.
But the Hōōden? If you dropped this thing in the Seireitei, it would be condemned as high treason! What was this gaudy nonsense?!
The entire Hōōden was styled like a nightclub, with a chaotic mess of flashing neon lights. Ling Qing had no idea how, in the 1800s of the Human World, Nimaiya Ōetsu had managed to come up with such a transcendent, avant-garde aesthetic. For the current Soul Society, this style—where neon lights flash and a DJ drops a beat, ready for a dance party—was far too ahead of its time.
The moment he saw the Hōōden, Ling Qing understood everything.
This Nimaiya Ōetsu… was probably no good either.
Just as he was feeling righteous, Nimaiya Ōetsu suddenly felt the peculiar shift in Ling Qing's gaze upon him and instantly lost his bravado. As the Zero Squad's number one trendsetter who did whatever he pleased, Nimaiya Ōetsu never hid his trendy identity. He would even proudly declare: "In the Zero Squad, I've always been the one to lead the trends."
But today, and only today, things were different.
First, he had encouraged the girls of the Hōōden to watch Ling Qing make a fool of himself, only for the plan to backfire. Then, because he was standing on the sidelines, Ling Qing had mistaken him for a random bystander, unconsciously labeling him as a "decent person," a role which Ōetsu had opportunistically accepted.
But before his "honest guy" persona could even solidify, his cover was blown. Wasn't this just bloody awkward?
In that instant, Nimaiya Ōetsu felt like this was the worst day of his life. He didn't reflect at all on how this was the karmic result of his own malicious scheming.
"Ahem, cough cough. All in all, this place is pretty stylish, isn't it?"
With a couple of forced coughs, Nimaiya Ōetsu tried to save face. He pointed around with a strained expression. "Look at this avant-garde style! I predict that it won't be long before the Human World looks like this, and then the whole world will be partying together!"
"...A world like that should probably just be destroyed."
"..."
In an instant, Nimaiya Ōetsu felt as if his heart had been pierced by a two-meter-long tachi.
So ruthless, so sharp-tongued! This was the first time he had been left speechless.
Nimaiya Ōetsu silently clutched his heart. The pain was immense, truly immense. He felt that the damage he suffered today would take the rest of his life to heal.
"..."
While Ōetsu was suffocating in his silent agony, Ling Qing sighed, feeling exasperated. The Seireitei had plenty of eccentric characters, including his own cheap old dad, but they were all prominent figures who exercised some restraint in public. He never expected the big shots of the Zero Squad to be so uninhibited, completely letting themselves go.
Thinking of Captain Kuruyashiki and Captain Hikifune, whom Kirinji had mentioned, Ling Qing suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for them. He finally understood why the Zero Squad rarely showed themselves before the Shinigami of the Seireitei. You might be a respectable person as a captain in the Seireitei, but once you ascend to the Zero Squad, you completely abandon your humanity. Appearing before your former subordinates would probably shatter their faith.
Just as Ling Qing was about to say more, his expression suddenly changed. He looked serious, as if observing or listening to something, and glanced to the side.
And then—
From the entrance of the Hōōden, a noise like a thousand ducks quacking together erupted. Like a Zerg swarm, a crowd of people—all beautiful women—poured through the doorway. They were complaining about something with disgruntled looks, but because everyone was talking at once, it was impossible to hear clearly.
Then, their eyes met Ling Qing's, and the world fell silent.
The sudden quiet was so unusual that even Nimaiya Ōetsu looked up to see what was happening.
The next second—
"Waaah! Ling Qing-kun is here!"
"Everyone, grab him! Don't let him run away!"
"He's so handsome!"
"And he's in a yukata, so sexy! It's too much!"
"Lord Kirinji really knows what he's doing!!"
In the blink of an eye, the beautiful women—and even Ling Qing had to admit they were all long-legged, slim-waisted, and well-endowed beauties—pounced on him again, with a hunger as if they hadn't seen a man in centuries!
Round Two.jpg
Nimaiya Ōetsu, standing next to Ling Qing, was shoved around like unwanted, non-recyclable trash until he was pushed to who-knows-where.
Ling Qing's eyes widened slightly. In that instant, he felt he had broken through his own limits; his footwork had leveled up. Before, he controlled the rhythm of battle in large spaces. Now, he felt he could move freely even in the most cramped environments.
Gritting his teeth, Ling Qing navigated the tight spaces between arms, waists, and bodies, finding gaps in the crowded environment. He dodged hands reaching for him from every conceivable and inconceivable direction, trying to grab him or at least pull at his clothes.
It was only a distance of a few steps, yet Ling Qing felt as if he had crossed an insurmountable chasm. His entire being, from mind to spirit, had undergone a sublimation!
Ling Qing had seen his fair share of pretty women, but he had never encountered such a large and thirsty group. Nimaiya Ōetsu's choice of decor for the Hōōden really wasn't for nothing. Ling Qing didn't consider himself impotent or asexual, but he truly couldn't handle this scene.
After finally squeezing out of the flock of women, even though he had managed to pass through the sea of flowers without a petal touching him, he couldn't avoid picking up a hint of their perfume.
Unlike the first time, the women were prepared now. They immediately noticed that Ling Qing had escaped their encirclement. Just as they were about to go for a third round, they saw Ling Qing raise his hand to the side.
In an instant, a flash of white light shone, and a shockingly long tachi, easily over two and a half meters, was in his hand.
In this not-so-spacious, densely packed environment, it was hard to imagine how Ling Qing could wield the blade without hurting anyone. But the fact was, with a seemingly casual and sweeping motion, he thrust the sword into the crowd of women without injuring a single one. It was as if he had calculated a precise path from the very beginning that would allow him to strike without touching anyone.
However, just because Ling Qing didn't stab a woman didn't mean he...
With one arm, he lifted the long tachi he had thrust into the crowd. Only when the sword was completely clear did they see that the blade had pierced through a grass-green shirt and a long, sleeveless haori, hoisting a certain man up by his clothes.
The frenzied atmosphere came to an abrupt halt.
Ling Qing looked at the forcefully extracted Nimaiya Ōetsu and said in a calm tone, "Nimaiya-san, isn't it time we got down to business?"
-------
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