Chapter 35: Future and Tragedy
Two days had passed since the Seireitei Academy.
Gilgamesh, Abarai Renji, and Rukia all successfully passed the Seireitei Academy and were assigned dormitories.
The Central Spiritual Arts Academy dormitories were mostly double rooms.
Gilgamesh naturally shared a room with Abarai Renji.
Although Rukia wanted to share a room with Gilgamesh, the male and female dormitories were separate, so she couldn't, even if she wanted to.
In these two days, apart from Shiba Isshin and Shiba Kaien, who had appeared earlier, no other Captains had approached him.
Logically, with his outstanding performance, he should have attracted the attention of other Captains.
At the very least, Shiba Isshin would surely continue to approach him, as he had already expressed his intentions.
But there was nothing.
Gilgamesh knew that someone must have given an order for those Captains not to seek him out.
So, who could command a group of Captains?
The answer was already obvious: the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!
As for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's reason for doing so, Gilgamesh roughly knew.
Late at night, Central Spiritual Arts Academy, student dormitory.
Abarai Renji was already fast asleep.
Gilgamesh, however, was not sleeping; he stood by the window, holding Yoruichi Shihouin in her black cat form, silently gazing at the sparse night stars outside.
Yoruichi Shihouin yawned lazily and said, "Not sleeping yet? Tomorrow is the entrance ceremony."
Gilgamesh did not answer the question but instead uttered a strange remark: "He should be here soon."
Yoruichi Shihouin was puzzled and was about to ask when she heard a serious voice by the window: "Gilgamesh, can we talk?"
Following the sound, Yoruichi Shihouin's cat eyes unconsciously narrowed, and she thought to herself, 'Kaien, what is he doing here?'
Yoruichi Shihouin was good friends with Shiba Kaien's sister, Shiba Kūkaku, so she naturally knew Shiba Kaien.
She just didn't know why Shiba Kaien would come to find Gilgamesh late at night.
Suddenly, Yoruichi Shihouin remembered Gilgamesh's strange words from earlier, and connecting them with his not sleeping late at night and standing by the window gazing out, her expression couldn't help but freeze.
'Did he already know Kaien was coming?'
'But how could he know?'
Yoruichi Shihouin had been with Gilgamesh these past two days and was very clear that the two had had no contact whatsoever.
The only contact they had was during the Kido talent test two days ago.
At that time, Gilgamesh had whispered something into Shiba Kaien's ear.
Although Yoruichi Shihouin hadn't heard it, she knew that what was said then wasn't about arranging a meeting.
Otherwise, Shiba Kaien wouldn't have said what he did when he appeared just now.
While Yoruichi Shihouin's thoughts were in disarray, Gilgamesh had already carried her out of the dormitory and arrived at a large tree in the corner outside the dormitory building.
Shiba Kaien appeared directly in front of Gilgamesh using Shunpo.
Gilgamesh looked at the somber Shiba Kaien and said, "It seems you must believe my words now."
Shiba Kaien replied, "Not entirely yet."
'I can see the future.'
These six words had been lingering in Shiba Kaien's mind, unable to dissipate.
If it were anyone else saying such a thing, Shiba Kaien would probably have taken it as a joke and just laughed it off.
But Gilgamesh seemed to possess some kind of magic, making Shiba Kaien unable to resist believing him.
What truly swayed Shiba Kaien was Gilgamesh's battle with Kano Miho.
In that battle, Gilgamesh was actually able to foresee Kano Miho's sword strikes.
This was also why Shiba Kaien had reacted that way at the time.
These past two days, Gilgamesh's sympathetic gaze kept appearing in his mind, making Shiba Kaien restless and unable to focus on his work.
Tonight, Shiba Kaien finally couldn't hold back and took the initiative to find Gilgamesh.
Actually, if it weren't for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's order, Shiba Kaien would have sought out Gilgamesh on the very day the Seireitei Academy ended.
The talent Gilgamesh displayed during the Seireitei Academy was too terrifying, and Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni also wanted to protect Gilgamesh and prevent external factors from interfering with his growth.
After all, in the Seireitei, besides the Gotei 13, there was also the uncontrollable factor of the noble families.
As for the squads wanting to recruit Gilgamesh, they would have to wait until the day he graduated, and then the Captains of each squad would compete based on their own abilities.
Even Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni himself had the intention to try and recruit Gilgamesh on that day.
Facing a genius like Gilgamesh, it would be a lie for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni to say he wasn't tempted.
In Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's view, Gilgamesh's future should be able to reach the height of the first Gotei 13 Captains, or even the Zero Squad.
Such talent was simply like the Soul King chasing after him to feed him.
At this moment, Shiba Kaien couldn't help but ask, "Did you already know I would come to find you tonight?"
Shiba Kaien had this question when he saw Gilgamesh not sleeping so late and showing no surprise at his arrival.
In fact, in Shiba Kaien's heart, he already knew the answer, but he couldn't convince himself to believe it.
Yoruichi Shihouin was also very concerned about this question and couldn't help but look at Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh gently stroked Yoruichi Shihouin, his beautiful wine-red eyes looking at Shiba Kaien, and he smiled, "That's right, I already knew you would come tonight, so I was specifically waiting for you."
At these words, Yoruichi Shihouin became even more puzzled.
But Shiba Kaien's heart was directly shaken.
Shiba Kaien took a deep breath and asked again, "Then, did you see my future?"
Yoruichi Shihouin froze, not reacting for a moment.
Gilgamesh gently nodded and replied, "That's right, I did see your future."
Shiba Kaien couldn't help but ask, "Then what kind of future did you see? Why did you look at me with such eyes back then?"
Gilgamesh did not answer immediately but instead countered, "Are you sure you want to know?"
Shiba Kaien's heart was now extremely anxious and uneasy.
He had already guessed that in the future Gilgamesh saw, he must have encountered something bad, perhaps even something he couldn't bear.
He didn't dare to face such a future, yet he had no choice but to know it.
Only by knowing would he have the possibility of changing the future.
Unbeknownst to him, Shiba Kaien had already completely believed Gilgamesh.
Taking a deep breath, Shiba Kaien nodded forcefully and replied, "I'm sure I want to know."
Gilgamesh nodded gently and slowly began, "In the future I saw, your wife was tragically devoured by a Hollow, and you, in seeking revenge for your wife, were possessed by the Hollow, ultimately suffering a tragic death as well."
Boom!
Gilgamesh's words were like a thunderbolt, simultaneously exploding in the minds of Yoruichi Shihouin, Shiba Kaien, and Shiba Isshin, who was hidden in the shadows!