"Rukia-chan… why are you blushing so hard?"
With a teasing smile, Yoruichi Shihōin lifted Rukia's chin with one finger.
"I-I… um…"
Rukia's face burned red all the way to the tips of her ears. Words tangled on her tongue, leaving her stammering and helpless.
Off to the side, Shimo looked on with great amusement, enjoying every moment.
"Alright, enough. Can't let Shimo keep having all the fun."
Seeing Rukia about to boil over like a steamed dumpling, Yoruichi finally relented, withdrawing her teasing. Once she had slipped into clothes again, Rukia slowly regained her composure.
"J-just… what exactly is going on here?"
The three sat around a crimson-lacquered tea table. Rukia's voice was hesitant, still shaken by everything she had just witnessed.
"Should I explain, or will you?" Yoruichi asked lazily, resting her cheek on her hand, still carrying the languor of her cat form.
"I'll do it."
Shimo tapped the table lightly, gathering his words.
"It begins… over two hundred years ago."
Under Rukia's bewildered gaze, he told her the essentials: how Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi had been exiled from Soul Society due to Central 46's corruption. As for Shimo, his noble lineage had tied him to Yoruichi long before that.
Rukia didn't doubt a word. In truth, no matter what Shimo said now, she would choose to believe him without reservation.
And Shimo wasn't lying—just careful. Aizen's schemes were meticulous. Even Shimo, who had honed his acting for decades, had to keep himself guarded. The less Rukia knew, the safer she would be. For now, all she needed was one truth: Yoruichi and Urahara were allies.
"…I see."
Rukia lowered her head, chin resting on her hand as she tried to process it all. Today's revelations had overturned her worldview, leaving her dazed.
Shimo and Yoruichi exchanged a glance, both smiling faintly. In this state, Rukia seemed almost adorably airheaded.
Beep-beep-beep!
Her communicator suddenly chimed, breaking the silence. Rukia's eyes widened as she read the urgent message.
"Reiryoku density in Shiba City has spiked! Multiple Gillians appearing above the city!"
Shimo stretched lazily and stood.
"Then we'd better head there. Order must be upheld."
A glint shone in Yoruichi's golden eyes. She smiled.
"Perfect timing. Sitting around here was starting to rust my body—I'll come too."
Shimo nodded. The thought of Soul Society's patrols spotting Yoruichi didn't bother him. She was once the Captain of the Second Division—the Flash Goddess herself. No ordinary Shinigami could ever track her.
The three blurred away in shunpo.
---
On the Way to Shiba City.
Shimo glanced at Rukia's steps. Her shunpo had improved noticeably, her spiritual pressure more stable. As Fifth Seat of the Thirteenth, her strength matched her title.
"Rukia, you've grown stronger," Shimo praised.
Her violet eyes lit up like a cat being stroked. She grinned brightly.
"Of course! I've been training every day—just to catch up to you!"
Suddenly, a system prompt rang in Shimo's mind:
[New check-in task issued. Host must check in at Shiba City and confront Baraggan Louisenbairn.]
[Reward: Peak Hakuda Mastery.]
Shimo's expression twisted.
"…Baraggan? Here, in the World of the Living?"
Was this his own mission system—or Aizen's hand at play?
For once, the check-in task didn't excite him. Instead, it deepened his unease.
"Shimo, what's wrong?" Rukia asked, noticing his look.
"Nothing," he said smoothly. "Just remembering something."
But inside, he decided: if Baraggan truly appeared, he'd be ready. If necessary, he'd keep the former king of Hueco Mundo here forever.
Suddenly—
Shimo swept Rukia into his arms.
"Wha—!" Rukia gasped, dazed.
"Time to speed up," he whispered near her ear—then unleashed his full shunpo.
His figure vanished like a blur, leaving even Yoruichi blinking in surprise.
"…Shimo's shunpo has always been this refined? Just how much has he been hiding?"
In mere minutes, they reached Shiba City.
Between skyscrapers loomed towering black figures. Long cloaked bodies drifted in the air, clownish masks twisted with long noses, hollow holes gaping in their chests.
Gillian-class Menos Grande.
Below them, ordinary Shinigami struggled desperately, blades clashing against impossible odds.
The moment Rukia touched down, she began an incantation.
"Ye lord, mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man…"
Red flames swirled in her palm before roaring outward.
BOOM!
A Gillian screeched, charred marks scoring its massive form. A fully incanted Hadō #31: Shakkahō—powerful enough to wound even a giant.
The Hollows turned toward her, lumbering forward.
Shimo folded his arms. "They're yours, Rukia. Show me what you've got."
Confidence curved her lips.
"No problem."
She tapped her communicator. "Thirteenth Division Fifth Seat Kuchiki Rukia. Requesting permission to release."
Permission granted.
She drew her zanpakutō, focusing her reiatsu.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
The blade transformed into a pure-white katana, oval guard with six hollow notches, a long white ribbon streaming from its hilt. Its beauty was breathtaking—the most elegant zanpakutō in Soul Society.
"First Dance: Tsukishiro!"
Her voice was steady, her movements graceful. The blade traced a circle on the ground. A Gillian lumbered forward—and in the instant it stepped inside, a towering pillar of white light erupted skyward, freezing it solid.
CRACK!
The hundred-meter ice block shattered, scattering into glittering snow.
Even Yoruichi couldn't help but admire it.
"As expected of the most beautiful zanpakutō. Even its combat is art."
Shimo nodded. "Not bad. Powerful, too."
"Second Dance: Hakuren!"
Rukia drove her blade into the earth. Layers of ice surged forward like an avalanche, engulfing another Gillian. It froze and collapsed, snow scattering across the city.
The remaining two Hollows reared back, red light charging in their mouths.
Cero!
But Rukia's eyes flashed cold.
"Third Dance: Shirafune!"
Moisture in the air froze, forming a massive hundred-meter ice blade. Her face paled from the exertion, but she thrust it forward.
SLASH!
The colossal blade cleaved through both Hollows, extinguishing their ceros. Their hulking forms split and froze, crumbling into snowflakes.
Breathing out a frosty sigh, Rukia lowered her blade.
"It's done."
Excitement lit her eyes as she turned toward Shimo—only to notice Yoruichi's expression tighten.
"This reiatsu…" Yoruichi muttered.
Rukia looked up.
The clear blue sky above cracked like glass.
CRUNCH!
Gigantic pale claws tore through reality itself. A yawning black garganta split open, spilling forth suffocating pressure.
The Second Espada had arrived.
Baraggan Louisenbairn descended upon the Human World.
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