Soi Fon: "Lord Kensei, this isn't a dog, it's a wolfman. A big wolfman!"
"I know that," Kensei wasn't blind. "But don't you think he looks a bit like an Akita dog from the Living World? Even the fur color is the same."
Soi Fon: "..."
Wolfman: "..."
Kensei's erratic statement plunged the air between them into silence. Even the wolfman's heart, long numbed by too much discrimination, couldn't help but twitch a few times.
This person seems... not quite right. Should I just leave?
"Ahem!" As if sensing the awkward atmosphere, Kensei cleared his throat and tried to be slightly more serious. "Just kidding. What's your name?"
"Komamura Sajin," the large dog-man answered in a low voice, his golden pupils full of confusion. "You... aren't afraid?"
Faced with the large dog's question, Kensei patted the Zanpakutō at his waist. "Are your claws harder than my sword?"
Komamura instinctively shook his head. If a Shinigami's Zanpakutō could be broken so easily, what would be the point of fighting?
"Is your spiritual pressure higher than mine?"
Komamura shook his head again. Although he couldn't sense the other's spiritual pressure, his biological instincts screamed that both individuals before him were dangerous.
"Then why should I be afraid of you?"
Komamura froze, thinking Kensei's words made perfect sense. Since the other was stronger in every aspect, why did he even ask if he was afraid?
Taking advantage of Komamura's daze, Kensei moved closer to inspect the fur on Komamura's arm, even reaching out to touch it.
"Hmm..." Kensei stroked his chin, acting like a scholar studying a specimen. "Your fur is a bit dry and tangled. You don't take good care of it, do you?"
Komamura's brain had completely short-circuited and couldn't process what this person was saying.
"Looks like I should have the Great Ōmaeda open a pet supplies store in the Seireitei later. I'll invest a bit myself, so I don't have to live off Yoruichi's wealth in the future."
Soi Fon watched Kensei seriously contemplating business ventures and rubbed her temples, whispering a reminder, "Lord Kensei, we came here for a picnic..."
Reminded, Kensei smacked his forehead, finally remembering his original purpose. He turned and led Soi Fon back to sit on the picnic blanket.
Komamura felt it was time for him to leave. This Shinigami's curiosity towards him had probably been satisfied. Staying longer might just annoy them.
"Don't leave. What are we going to eat if you leave?"
Hearing this, the fur all over Komamura's body stood on end. Did this lord want to eat dog... wolf meat?
"Sorry, sorry, bad habit. I meant, come join us."
Komamura stood still, his gaze suspiciously fixed on Kensei. After ensuring Kensei truly had no intention of eating him, he cautiously walked over. Considering the dust on his large frame might dirty the blanket, Komamura didn't sit on it but respectfully knelt on the grass at its edge.
Although Soi Fon held negative impressions of the wolfman race, the courtesy Komamura displayed made her nod slightly. This wolfman wasn't quite like the terrifying figures from rumors. Since Lord Kensei had invited him, she, as his guard, couldn't go against his wishes.
Silently, she pushed a food box containing snacks towards Komamura. Though she didn't speak, her meaning was clear.
"Thank you very much!"
Overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness, Komamura carefully used his large paws to pick up an onigiri. Compared to his frame, the food seemed tiny. He ate them almost in one bite each, making it obvious he had been hungry for a long time.
"Wolfmen usually live in seclusion, away from people. Did you leave your clan?"
Seeing Komamura's famished, ravenous eating, Soi Fon temporarily lowered her guard.
"I could not bear a life of constant hiding. That is why I left my clan to venture into the outside world alone. But then..."
Komamura's ears drooped, and the light in his eyes dimmed considerably.
The subsequent events didn't need to be explained; both Kensei and Soi Fon could guess. It was simply that because of his appearance, he was rejected and violently driven out wherever he went.
"These past years, I have been to many places, but people's reactions were always the same," Komamura looked down at his beast-like body, his tone carrying the resignation of someone who had accepted his fate. "Perhaps my clansmen were right. Beasts like us can only live in the shadows."
"Blah blah blah, what are you mumbling about?" Kensei interrupted Komamura's tragic reminiscing. "I'm not your therapist. I'll just ask: do you want to become a Shinigami?"
The air fell silent again.
The onigiri in Komamura's paw fell onto the grass. His originally narrow, wolf-like eyes were now wider than a dog's. He opened his mouth but couldn't produce a sound. This lord's words each hit him like a sledgehammer to the head, leaving him dizzy.
"Become a Shinigami? Me?"
It took a long moment before Komamura could utter the words with disbelief.
"Lord Kensei, there is no precedent in the Soul Society for a wolfman to become a Shinigami, and furthermore..."
Soi Fon tried anxiously to dissuade Kensei. It wasn't that non-human souls couldn't become Shinigami, but such a thing was still too fantastical. Moreover, if this wolfman were to cause trouble later, it would damage Lord Kensei's prestige.
Even Komamura nodded repeatedly in agreement with Soi Fon. His appearance alone would cause enough of a stir among Shinigami, let alone working alongside them. How could he trouble the first person who treated him as a normal being, his benefactor?
"What's the big deal? It's just a wolfman. There will even be a human who becomes a Shinigami later."
Kensei felt these two were making a mountain out of a molehill. Forget humans, even a Hollow could become a Shinigami, technically.
Soi Fon felt this was absurd. Lord Kensei was starting to talk nonsense again.
"But... how could the Seireitei allow someone like me to become a Shinigami?"
Komamura stammered in his excitement. Just minutes ago, he was a wolfman treated like a rat in the street. How was he now being recruited as a Shinigami? Was he dreaming?
"What's so difficult about that? I'll just send a letter to Old Man Yama," Kensei patted his chest confidently. Old Man Yama definitely wouldn't refuse a request from his beloved disciple. "Not just an ordinary Shinigami, you could even get a seated officer position."
Besides, he was just finding Old Man Yama another person with Captain-level potential. The old man should be overjoyed. Ah, even on my day off, I'm thinking about the development of the Soul Society. Unlike Old Man Yama...
No wonder they say a disciple is not necessarily inferior to his master, nor a master necessarily superior to his disciple.
"Alright, come with me."
Komamura looked at this Shinigami, who was much shorter than him, and felt as if a deep place in his chest had been cracked open. His massive paws unconsciously clenched, then relaxed. His chest heaved like a bellows, and his vision blurred slightly from the heat gathering at the corners of his eyes.
So, there really was someone in this world who would say such a thing to a humanoid beast.
The towering Komamura knelt on the ground like a mountain collapsing, his huge paws sinking into the earth. He lowered his body, his forehead pressing heavily against the grass.
"I swear upon my life, I dedicate my entire existence to you, my lord!"
Komamura's voice was as hoarse as a beast's, yet carried the finality and liberation of chains being severed. Raising his head, the meekness in his eyes had vanished, replaced only by a fervent, devout heat. Komamura felt like a loyal samurai who had finally found a lord worth serving for life.
And then he heard Kensei's voice, filled with confusion and a hint of disdain:
"Uh, you're not a beautiful girl. Why would I want your entire existence?"
The wind swept across the grassy field, rustling softly.
Soi Fon looked up at the sky. I should never expect a serious scene where Lord Kensei is present.
The fervent heat in Komamura's eyes solidified into a blank stare. His massive form visibly wilted, like a stray dog drenched by a downpour, shrinking on the ground, looking somewhat pitiful.
Kensei wrapped an arm around Soi Fon, moving a bit further away from Komamura as if to prove his heterosexuality.
"Lord Kensei, perhaps we should return and report to the Captain-Commander first," Soi Fon whispered, reminding him. She had originally wanted to spend the whole day being affectionate with Kensei, but it was interrupted by this wolfman.
"But..." Soi Fon glanced at Komamura, who was still in a daze. "Mr. Komamura, you should probably keep your hood on for now. Although Lord Kensei doesn't mind, he is... different from others."
Komamura silently stood up and pulled his hood back on, concealing his terrifying, non-human face, leaving only a slit for his eyes. He understood very well Kensei's uniqueness. This lord possessed a heart of pure innocence. Others would not see him so normally.
"Let's go." Kensei turned and started walking, his tone light. "Let's head back early to give Old Man Yama a surprise. Ah, I really have a hardworking fate."
Komamura stood in place for a few moments before slowly following. The eyes peeking from the slit in his hood were firmly locked on Kensei's retreating back, imprinting him into his heart.
Although this lord's thoughts are erratic, he is a noble person worthy of dedicating my life to.
Not long after Kensei and Soi Fon returned to the Seireitei with Komamura...
In the main hall of the Tsunayashiro estate, Tsunayashiro Jin sat leisurely by a floor-to-ceiling window, sipping tea.
Ever since Kensei had dealt with Kuchiki Kōga, Tsunayashiro Jin had dispatched a number of discreet operatives to secretly tail Kensei to prevent any unnecessary disruptions to his plans.
"A mere wolfman. Let him be."
After listening to his subordinate's report, Tsunayashiro Jin smiled scornfully.
Just as expected from Old Thief Yamamoto's disciple. Like his master, he's nothing but a brute who only knows how to use force, blind to the schemes of others.
Tsunayashiro Jin looked up towards the sky, his gaze piercing through layers of obstruction to settle on the highest point. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the warm teacup.
Once I retrieve that item, Old Thief Yamamoto's flames will be extinguished for good.
When that time comes, the entire Soul Society will know only the voice of Tsunayashiro.
***
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