"How did you know? Wait… no, you didn't know. You guessed, but you weren't sure. That's why you deliberately tested that idiot Ōmaeda just now."
Thinking back to the short exchange they'd had with Ōmaeda before he left, Kūkaku Shiba quickly pieced together the truth.
"Huh? What are you guys talking about? I'm totally lost here. Can you make it clearer? Who's in trouble?" Ichigo asked, utterly confused.
"The Shinigami in charge of maintaining order here," Akari replied instinctively. Then it hit her, and she drew in a sharp breath.
"I get it now!"
"No wonder the higher-ups from the Onmitsukidō came all the way out here to investigate. Before, when I heard bits and pieces from you guys, I thought it was about the missing Shin'ō Academy students. But now it seems a Shinigami got taken out—that's what made it serious enough to draw them in!"
"Otherwise, normally, it'd just be someone from the Gotei 13 showing up to poke around."
"Soma only made the connection after seeing Ōmaeda. He realized the nature of the case had shifted, so he tested him—basically hinting that Ōmaeda should go talk to the local Shinigami here. But judging by how Ōmaeda reacted, like we were all idiots, it means that option's already off the table."
And why would it be off the table? Obviously, because something had happened to them.
Ichigo wasn't as thickheaded as Naruto—he wasn't some hot-blooded fool. He just hadn't dealt with situations like this before, so his reaction lagged a little. But as he calmed down and listened, he quickly pieced the logic together.
Most of the residents of Rukongai didn't need food—water alone was enough. A small number of people with spiritual potential did need food, but food was scarce out here.
That's why the Seireitei sent Shinigami to set up farms and water sources in Rukongai to supply them.
And needless to say, the managers of those operations were Shinigami.
The reason the districts near the Seireitei had decent order was also thanks to those managers.
Now, the manager of Junrinan had run into trouble.
On its own, the incident wasn't big. But politically, it was sensitive.
Whether it was someone targeting the Seireitei's appointed overseers, or some problem from within their own ranks, either way it made the Seireitei look bad. That's why the Onmitsukidō was dispatched.
"So what exactly happened?"
The connections were clear now—but the situation only got messier.
"Hard to say. But the bigger this blows up, the worse it'll be for the elder," Soma said quietly.
"If it were just missing students, they'd only be looking for information. But if a Shinigami is involved, they might be here to arrest—or interrogate."
"That's why Miss Kūkaku showed up here right now—to use her influence and information as a distraction, to keep them from going after the elder directly."
That last line made Ichigo and the others realize that what had seemed like a comical one-sided verbal beatdown earlier had actually been hiding very real danger.
"You're a sharp one, kid. Makes me feel like all my organs are being laid bare just by letting you look at me."
Kūkaku tapped her temple with a finger, her meaning clear.
"But if you really are sharp, you ought to know better than to stick your nose in at a time like this."
"Ōmaeda may be a loudmouthed idiot, but what he said was right—students like you should just head back to bed."
Soma nodded. "True. The incident's fresh, so the investigation will be at full tilt right now. Running around is just asking for trouble. That's why we came—because we heard about students from Junrinan going missing and rushed to check on the elder."
"Good. Stick to that story. Keep it consistent, no slip-ups."
Kūkaku snapped her fingers, then shifted gears.
"Now, let me share some intel."
"Eh?" Ichigo and Akari froze.
Atae didn't say anything, but his wide eyes made it clear he hadn't expected this either.
"What's with that look? I know exactly what you kids are sneaking around for. Even if I told you to go home, you'd just double back and start poking around where I couldn't see you. Better to keep you right under my nose—at least then I'll know what to expect if things go bad."
Kūkaku rolled her eyes.
"Kūkaku! You're amazing! Can I call you Big Sis? Or maybe… Lady Big Sis?"
Akari was practically in tears, ready to throw herself into her arms, but Kūkaku coolly held her back with a hand on her forehead and went on, unfazed.
"There are two main points.
First, both the missing manager and the missing students—these incidents are connected to Hollows.
Second, that Hollow is almost certainly very strong."
"And one bonus tidbit."
"My only goal here is to nail the bastard before the Gotei 13 come stomping around on my turf. That way I get my payback, and my pride stays intact. So I'm looking for a few helpers who won't screw it up."
"If you don't want to be treated as expendable, you can still turn back now."
The mood instantly grew heavy.
Even Akari stopped fidgeting, her face stiff.
"Kūkaku."
Soma, who'd somehow become the de facto leader of the group, spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes.
"Say what you've got to say."
"You'd make a fine teacher, Miss Kūkaku."
"…Hah?"
"First you indulged our recklessness. Then you revealed the truth, satisfying our curiosity. Finally, you forced us to weigh the actual danger, undercutting the good impression we had of you. Even if we refuse you, we probably won't act on our own anymore—our curiosity isn't enough to push us that far."
Soma looked at her and sighed.
"You're too kind."
"Guwaaah!"
Just then, Ganju Shiba came stomping in. Hearing that last line, the whole world seemed to twist around him, and his face twisted even more.
"…?!"
Kūkaku was thrown off too. Seeing everyone's odd stares made her skin crawl. When she noticed Ganju's warped expression, her shame boiled over. She conjured a ball of Reiryoku in her palm and hurled it at him.
"AAARGH!"
The big man screamed as he went flying, hit square in the face.
"…Is that guy gonna be okay?" Ichigo asked, twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"Pfft, don't worry about him. That's my brother Ganju. Thick-skinned as they come. This'll just cost him his eyebrows for a week, tops. Anyway, let's get back to business."
Kūkaku waved a hand dismissively. Thanks to Ganju, she'd calmed back down—but the ruthless glimpse they'd just gotten of her left a deep impression. Their respect for her shot up.
"Honestly, I agree with Miss Kūkaku's view. But we also have our own stance."
"Stance? What kind of conviction could a bunch of brats have?" she scoffed.
"We don't have any conviction," Soma said matter-of-factly, patting Ichigo on the shoulder before he could get too worked up. "But hey—we're here already."
"…"
Kūkaku narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long moment.
"You're Soma Kiryu, right? If you survive, you'll be a big deal one day."
"Not as impressive as you make it sound. I just trust our little group. I wouldn't say this otherwise."
"That's exactly why. Meatheads who don't value their lives aren't worth relying on. But someone confident without making empty guarantees—that's the kind of person you can actually count on. That's how I see it, anyway."
"So, since we're agreed, when do we head out? You must've gotten the enemy's trail by now, after driving Ōmaeda off," Soma said, half-question, half-certainty.
"You bet. My knowledge of Rukongai runs way deeper than the Onmitsukidō's. They don't know how many secret bases I've got out here."
Kūkaku smirked proudly.
"Then let's move out already! The sooner we take care of this, the fewer people will get hurt!" Ichigo shot to his feet.
Soma gave him a sidelong glance, then told Kūkaku, "Hotheaded as he is, he's right. I'd also like to be back at the Academy before sunrise."
"Oh? Sounds like you've got a plan."
"Let me confirm first: do you think Vice Captain Ōmaeda can handle that Hollow?"
"Not a chance," Kūkaku said with a shake of her head.
"When I told him to go call for backup, that was at least half-serious."
"But he definitely won't listen."
"Which is why he's an idiot."
"Then just feed him the intel on the Hollow."
"…What?"
For a moment, everyone blanked.
"Tch. Of course someone destined to be a big shot would be this scheming." Kūkaku chuckled, having already caught on.
"I was only thinking of you, Miss Kūkaku," Soma said, feigning innocence.
"Let Ōmaeda be the scout. His pride won't let him call for help anyway. When he charges in and falls flat, we'll step in and finish the job right in front of him."
"That way, you get manpower, you get your payback, you keep your pride, and we students don't end up as cannon fodder. Our goal's met. Even if it's not very nice to Ōmaeda, his mission still gets done. Everyone wins."
"Heh."
Kūkaku rose, leaning on her knee, looking down at Soma as though he were harmless—but her tone told a different story.
"Now I'm certain you'll be a big deal. Because your heart's just as dirty as mine."
"Wait."
Soma stopped her just as she was heading out. "Better to let Ganju 'accidentally' let it slip in an alley while chatting with someone. More natural that way."
"…."
Kūkaku froze and turned back, staring at Soma alongside the others, as if he were something filthy.
"Ōmaeda already knows you've got intel. If Ganju comes back all rushed, and just so happens to let something slip, Ōmaeda won't doubt it for a second. He'll think he lucked out, rush off to beat you to the punch, and then brag about outdoing you after.
If you told him directly, he might overthink it, get paranoid, waste time."
"That's my idea."
"…What? Something wrong with it?" Soma frowned, genuinely baffled by their looks.
"…Nothing wrong. Just that I was underestimating you," Kūkaku muttered, taking a deep breath and walking away, unwilling to look at him any longer—for fear her heart might get tainted by such scheming.
It wasn't a complex plan. But factoring in Ōmaeda's particular kind of stupidity made it ruthless.
Who the hell did a kid this young learn that from?