Nozomi Kujō said, "You're right."
Ririn felt as though she were being humored like a child and planted her hands on her hips in annoyance.
Nozomi Kujō looked at her. "You're... a Modified Soul, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Come to think of it..." Ririn suddenly realized something. "You're the one who created me. Thanks!"
"Fundamentally, I'm also a Modified Soul. I simply have a Reigai body as well," Nozomi Kujō said calmly. "I may have memories of creating you, but I'm not much different from you. I'm more like your prototype."
Ririn gave a soft snort. "So I should greet you as my senpai?"
"No..." Nozomi Kujō shook her head. "I was only stating a fact. Whether as a fellow Modified Soul or as your creator, I have no right to accept your gratitude, much less expect you to show me respect."
"Hmm... What?" Ririn looked completely lost. "What do you mean?"
"As their creator, I failed to help the Modified Souls fulfill their original purpose, and now the Reigai are disrupting the order of Soul Society." The fingers gripping Nozomi Kujō's left arm tightened. "And as a Modified Soul, my only value is to be fused with Inaba, yet I'm running away from that purpose..."
"Your value?" Ririn pressed. "Who decided that?"
"Ōko Yushima, who created me, of course," Nozomi Kujō replied calmly. "Ōko Yushima created me so he could evade Central 46, further develop his Zanpakutō's ability by splitting himself, and gain even greater power after I fused with Inaba."
"But you don't want to fuse with him."
"I don't want him to keep doing this..." Nozomi Kujō lowered her eyes. "Neither Modified Souls nor Reigai were developed to create even more chaos."
"If Ōko Yushima gets to decide your value, then you get to decide mine." Ririn pointed at herself. "What do you think I should do?"
"You..." Nozomi Kujō was momentarily speechless. "You should..."
"I refuse!" Ririn planted her hands on her hips and flashed a huge smile. "No matter what you think I should do, I refuse!"
Nozomi Kujō stared at her blankly.
"If I can reject the value you assigned to me even though you created me, then you can reject the value Ōko Yushima assigned to you even though he created you." Ririn met her gaze. "Whether we're Modified Souls like you and me, or Shinigami, humans, or Hollows, none of us can change what we were given. But we can make our own choices."
Ririn turned toward the wounded. "We can choose to face endless pain..." Orihime Inoue's figure was reflected in her bright eyes. "Or we can choose to appreciate the beauty of life."
Nozomi Kujō remembered what she had seen at Muten Natsu's home.
Ririn had used her ability to create illusions to add a dazzling display to Muten Natsu's birthday.
Her illusions had originally been intended to confuse enemies, yet she had used them to create something beautiful.
"So, what do you choose?" Ririn tilted her head. "What are you going to do?"
"My choice?" Nozomi Kujō blinked in confusion. "You're asking me?"
Ririn felt as though she had seen this exact situation before. "Who else would I ask about your choice?"
Nozomi Kujō shook her head. "I... I don't know."
"Then start by studying hard. No matter what happens, learning is never a bad choice." Ririn smiled. "That's what Muten said."
"Aren't you worried about him?" Nozomi Kujō gave Ririn a puzzled look. Soul Society was essentially Kagerōza Inaba's stronghold now, and Muten Natsu and Rukia Kuchiki would face danger at every turn.
"He's hardly someone who needs me worrying about him." Ririn snorted, then smiled again. "The ones who should really be worried are the people who made an enemy of him."
...
"Thank you for nature's bounty!" Reigai Ikkaku Madarame immediately released his Zanpakutō. "Grow, Hōzukimaru!"
Spear in hand, Reigai Ikkaku Madarame leaped down from above and thrust straight at Muten Natsu's chest.
Muten Natsu had expected Kagerōza Inaba to notice his and Rukia Kuchiki's movements, but he had not anticipated such a swift response. They had barely arrived in Soul Society before they were forced into battle.
Muten Natsu charged directly at him. The deathly white skull mask closed over his face, igniting the fiercely blazing Hell Flames.
Clang!
Ink spread in ripples, blocking the tip of Hōzukimaru.
Myōki pierced through the rippling ink and surged forward even faster, slashing at Reigai Ikkaku Madarame.
"Come on!" Reigai Ikkaku Madarame twisted his wrist and swept the spearhead across Myōki, knocking it aside. Then his arm snapped forward, sending the spear darting toward Muten Natsu's throat like a venomous snake.
Muten Natsu released the hilt and let his hand follow the force of Reigai Ikkaku Madarame's deflection, shifting from a forward grip to a reverse one. Before the spear could strike him, he pulled the deflected Myōki back.
Spirit Ink surged across the blade, detached from its edge, and formed a pitch-black ink blade that struck Reigai Ikkaku Madarame in the chest. The force sent him staggering backward.
Muten Natsu's skull mask shifted slightly. Sparks burst from the tips of its teeth and ignited the Spirit Ink on Reigai Ikkaku Madarame's chest.
"Interesting..." Reigai Ikkaku Madarame grabbed the burning black Hell Flames and tore them from his chest, flinging them aside. "But that won't work anymore."
Rukia Kuchiki had seen Muten Natsu's Hell Flames overwhelm the Reigai with crushing ease before. For a moment, she could hardly believe her eyes. "Why...?"
"We made a few improvements." Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa raised his Zanpakutō. "Blossom, Fuji Kujaku!"
The blade split into four sickle-shaped sections as Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa attacked Rukia Kuchiki. "His greatest advantage is useless now."
Rukia Kuchiki raised Sode no Shirayuki to block. "You should... take a closer look."
"What?" Reigai Yumichika Ayasegawa turned toward Reigai Ikkaku Madarame, only to see him flying backward with blood spraying from his chest. "Ikkaku!"
"I don't know how you managed it." Muten Natsu flashed forward, closing in on Reigai Ikkaku Madarame. "But adapting only to the Hell Flames isn't enough. At the very least... don't forget about my katana-drawing technique."
Muten Natsu stamped heavily on the ground and twisted his body. Myōki, held at his left side, shone with a deep, blood-red light.
"Now this is more like it!" Blood poured from the wound across Reigai Ikkaku Madarame's chest as he raised the broken Hōzukimaru. His eyes widened with excitement, fixed firmly on Muten Natsu. "Bankai, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!!!"