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After the two opened the door to a new world, Aozaki Reiji rested for a moment and returned to human form, putting on his clothes and leaving the Second Division.
As the Third Seat of the Second Division, he could leave the Squad Barracks at any time, and no one would stop him.
But to maintain the image of a tall and mighty Captain, Aozaki Reiji believed he shouldn't let the Squad members see him neglecting his duties, so he decided to climb over the wall and head straight to West Rukongai.
The rain was falling lightly.
After Tsunayashiro Tenma passed through a forest of magnificent pavilions, the towering council hall came into view.
Pushing the door open, the various family elders had already been waiting for a long time.
"What's going on? Why is Takasugi Hirofumi imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest?" Tsunayashiro Tenma's first words were a question.
Tsunayashiro Tamae's lips curled slightly, with a hint of mockery.
"Lord Tsunayashiro Tenma, this is a Tsunayashiro Family elder meeting. What kind of decorum is it to shout and yell?"
"Don't forget your status; you are also an elder, representing the family's face."
Tsunayashiro Tenma's face was ashen, and he was powerless to retort against Tsunayashiro Tamae's ridicule.
Her power within the Main family was incomparable to his.
His influence was mainly among the branch families.
Moreover, what she said was well-founded, and he indeed had no reason to refute her.
"But Takasugi Hirofumi is, after all, a Third-Class Spiritual Power, and the Maggot's Nest is within the Shihōin Family's sphere of influence."
Tsunayashiro Tenma sat in the elder's seat, which symbolized his status and position, and said in a deep voice.
Tsunayashiro Tamae glanced at him.
Tsunayashiro Tokukan raised his hand, and the eyes of the other elders shifted slightly.
"Lord Tsunayashiro Tenma, it's not that we don't want to save Takasugi Hirofumi, but that we are powerless."
"Our Tsunayashiro Family is indeed the most powerful family today, but with the Kuchiki and Shihōin Family allied, even we can only barely contend."
"I hope you can recognize reality. The Tsunayashiro Family is not omnipotent; otherwise, there would be no need for the rebels, right?"
The elders nodded in agreement.
The purpose of the rebels' existence was for the Tsunayashiro Family to strike at hostile nobles and expand their influence.
If the Tsunayashiro Family could truly do whatever they wanted, why would they go through such a long detour? They could just directly order the hostile families to submit or disband, couldn't they?
"So, we'll just let Takasugi Hirofumi die in the Maggot's Nest?" Tsunayashiro Tenma clenched his fists and sneered.
"The Central 46's verdict is imprisonment, not execution."
"But a three-thousand-year sentence, what's the difference from a death sentence? What's more, Aozaki Reiji is currently managing the Maggot's Nest, and we don't even know how long he can live."
"That's not something we can decide."
Tsunayashiro Tokukan waved his hand.
"To save his life, we did our best, and the family's reputation was even shaken because of it."
Tsunayashiro Tokukan narrowed his eyes.
"Perhaps the branch family should think of another way."
He knew very well that Tsunayashiro Tenma had some small cleverness, but he wasn't clever enough.
This was why the branch family chose him as their spokesperson.
People who were too clever were difficult to control, and people who were too foolish, even with support, couldn't climb to the position of elder.
They could only choose an ordinary person with a bit of small cleverness.
Tsunayashiro Tenma's face was cold, and he nodded unwillingly.
Closing his eyes and listening, he seemed to feel the rain outside the window growing louder, more urgent, and more fierce.
On the other side, Relying on his superb Shunpo technique, Aozaki Reiji easily snuck out of Seireitei.
He greeted Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, the guardian of the Hakutōmon, and once again stepped onto the land of Junrinan in West Rukongai District 1.
Arriving at the Shiba located in the suburbs, Aozaki Reiji cautiously hid not far away, peeking and glancing towards the main gate.
He saw two burly, muscular men guarding the gate, but he didn't see the figure who regarded him as an enemy.
"Kinehiko, Ginhiko, is my brother-in-law not here?"
"Zhen... Lord Kaiba?" The two burly men were slightly surprised, "Yes, the family head is not home."
They were Shiba's retainers and also Kukaku and Kaien's teachers.
Kukaku and Kaien were educated and raised by them when they were young.
Their sturdy muscles immediately showed that they were two masters of physical combat.
"Is Kukaku home?"
"Lady Kukaku is in the tearoom."
Having received the answer he wanted, Aozaki Reiji put his hands on his hips and strode inside.
With his brother-in-law not here, wasn't Kukaku in charge of this house?
Given his relationship with Kukaku, he should also be considered half the owner of this house.
Refusing Kinehiko's request to accompany him, Aozaki Reiji entered alone.
After going down the stairs, he walked through a long corridor and arrived at a paper door.
"Is that Kinehiko? Has a distinguished guest arrived?"
Perhaps hearing the sound, a voice filled with laughter came from inside the door.
Aozaki Reiji didn't answer but instead asked, "Am I considered a distinguished guest?"
On the other side, a look of delight flashed in Shiba Kūkaku's eyes.
"Reiji, come in."
Upon hearing this, Aozaki Reiji pushed the door open and entered.
"What brings you to me?" Shiba Kūkaku teased, "Is Yoruichi willing to let you come back?"
"What kind of talk is that? It sounds as if Yoruichi restricted my personal freedom," Aozaki Reiji waved his hand.
"She might really want to do that!" Shiba Kūkaku said.
She knew her little best friend all too well.
Coming in the middle of the night to ask for that strange secret technique, wasn't it precisely for this man in front of her?
Unfortunately, although the Shiba family had many inherited spells, they truly didn't have anything that could change one's figure.
What did her best friend take her for? She was all-natural, thank you very much.
Her figure was due to natural talent, completely untouched by any artificial modification.
Thinking of this, Shiba Kūkaku couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She really didn't understand why her little best friend would think she had a secret technique to change her figure.
Instead of looking for such a secret technique, it would be better to study the art of cat transformation more.
Since she could turn into a cat, if she researched it further, wouldn't modifying the Spirit Body be simple?
"Never mind Yoruichi for now. I came to see you for this," Aozaki Reiji said, taking out a set of clothes.
"Protective clothing?" Shiba Kūkaku asked.
Aozaki Reiji nodded.
"So ugly!" Shiba Kūkaku spread out the protective clothing and said with disdain.
The protective clothing was entirely black, complete with a mask, shoes, and socks. It somewhat resembled the Second Division's stealth uniform, but it looked more bulky and certainly wasn't attractive.
Aozaki Reiji said helplessly, "Who are you trying to look pretty for when doing experiments?"
Thinking of Kukaku's future appearance with a severed arm, although she would still look beautiful, Reiji still didn't want her to become like that, so he earnestly admonished her:
"You must wear it well when doing experiments, do you hear me?"
"Yes... yes..."
Shiba Kūkaku waved her hand, saying perfunctorily.
However, seeing Reiji's worried look still brought a smile to her eyes.
"You've given me such a precious gift, how should I thank you?"
Shiba Kūkaku grabbed Aozaki Reiji's collar, pressed against his neck, and took a deep breath.
"You smell like Yoruichi!"
You can smell that?
Aozaki Reiji was shocked, knowing they had been in cat form at the time.
He intended to find an excuse to muddle through, hesitantly saying, "This..."
Kukaku had no time to listen to his excuses and pushed him down beneath her.
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