Yoruichi walked, seemingly oblivious to the numerous gazes that instantly converged on her.
She came to a halt right in front of Mirai first, flashing a brilliant smile as she patted his shoulder.
"Yo, Mirai! You're here pretty early! I figured you'd drag your feet until the very last second before wandering in!"
Only after giving this overly familiar greeting did she act as if she had just noticed the other Captains nearby, nodding with a grin.
"Captain Shunsui, Captain Shinji, Captain Kensei... you guys are here too." Her attitude was natural and generous, without a hint of restraint.
Finally, her gaze turned toward the three nobles, who were looking on with expressions of uncertainty and alarm. The smile on her face faded slightly, her brow arching as she spoke with a casual yet invisible pressure.
"Do you gentlemen... have business here?"
The expressions of the three nobles shifted instantly. The short-bearded noble at the lead bowed hurriedly, his tone thick with panic.
"N-No! We wouldn't dare! Lady Shihōin has misunderstood! We simply... we saw that 5th Seat Mirai possessed an extraordinary aura and felt an impulse to make his acquaintance. Just a bit of small talk, nothing more! Please forgive the intrusion!"
With that, the three bowed once more in haste and beat a quick retreat toward the noble seating area, not daring to cast another glance back.
Yoruichi let out a smile and naturally pulled out the chair next to Mirai to sit down.
Shinji Hirako's eyes widened as his gaze darted back and forth between Yoruichi and Mirai, his mouth slightly agape.
"Captain Yoruichi, the way you said that... did I miss an important plot point? Since when did you and this kid Mirai 'get together'?"
"Pfft!"
Mirai had just taken a sip of the clear tea poured by a waiter. Hearing those words, he nearly lost control and sprayed the liquid everywhere.
He forced himself to swallow, but it caused him to choke and cough twice. His cold, aloof mask finally showed a crack as he shot a fierce glare at Shinji.
What kind of nonsense is this guy spewing!
"Hahaha!" Yoruichi laughed heartily, ignoring Mirai's reaction as she slapped him on the back again. The force was so great it made Mirai lurch forward.
"Don't be so tense, Captain Shinji. I just think this kid is pretty interesting. He's fun to be around."
She neither confirmed Shinji's exaggerated suspicion nor explicitly denied it. However, her natural familiarity and teasing attitude were clear enough that no one would mistake it for actual romance.
Kensei Muguruma also showed a look of surprise, glancing between Yoruichi and the slacking 5th Seat of his own division.
"This... I really had no idea Mirai actually knew Captain Yoruichi."
He had brought Mirai along to deflect noble socialites, but he never expected to uncover a connection like this.
Mirai kept his mouth shut, staring down at his teacup and deciding not to join the conversation.
At a time like this, explaining would only look like a cover-up. The more he said, the more likely he'd slip up. Maintaining his "Noble Son" persona and letting the topic pass naturally was the most efficient choice.
Yoruichi smiled and naturally picked up the thread of the conversation.
"We've known each other for a long time, back before I even became a Captain. But as for this guy," she pointed her chin toward Mirai, "he's incredibly slow. It wasn't until I put on this haori that he finally realized I was from the Shihōin family."
She omitted the second half of the thought: even after learning her identity, Mirai's attitude toward her had never become cautious or sycophantic.
He remained exactly as he was when they first met, a bit guarded, a bit helpless, and occasionally showing his true temper. That was what she found exceptionally interesting and relaxing.
"Oh my, oh my," Shunsui Kyōraku joined in at the right moment. He gently swirled the sake cup on the table, the corners of his eyes crinkling into a pleasant curve as he looked at Mirai.
"Seeing how protective Captain Yoruichi was just now, I thought you were here to 'snatch' him from those nobles too.
"After all, 5th Seat Mirai and 5th Seat Aizen were just a hair's breadth away from 'rising to the heavens' as someone's prize son-in-law."
"Captain Shunsui is joking." Aizen shook his head slightly. His tone was warm, carrying a hint of appropriate pride for his colleague mixed with a sigh of necessary distance.
"The gates of the nobility are not something we can easily reach. To be favored by the Kuchiki family is a massive blessing and a mark of recognition. Lord must be a paragon among men. As for me, I fear I don't have that kind of luck."
The corner of Mirai's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He quickly raised his teacup to hide it.
Aizen is really going all out with the acting.
His only strategy now was to stay silent and act as a proper background character. The less said, the better!
The Captains present Shinji, Kensei, and Shunsui—along with Yoruichi, all knew to some degree that Mirai's "Soul Society's Most Beautiful Noble" mask hid a very different nature. They could all guess he was currently struggling to maintain his persona.
Yoruichi added with a laugh, "Mirai is indeed interesting, but as for wanting to be Yoruichi Shihōin's man? He's still got a long way to go!"
She held up her fingers as if counting off a list, reciting them one by one.
"Appearance-wise, he's pretty handsome—I'll give him that. He can write a bit, so he's got some literary talent.
"Usually... well, let's just say he's working hard on his training. He has some ambition.
"Most of the time he knows his boundaries, and his heart... it's not bad."
With every point she made, the expressions of the three Captains grew weirder.
Shinji Hirako scoffed out loud, interrupting her.
"Kind? A heart that isn't bad? Captain Yoruichi, are you sure we're talking about the same person?"
Kensei didn't speak, but the contempt in his eyes was undisguised.
Ambition? Knowing his boundaries? Mirai? Do those words have anything to do with him?
Countless images flashed through Kensei's mind: Mirai using bizarre excuses to take leave and slack off, dumping squad duties on the 3rd Seat to sneak off to Junrinan, and coming back at midnight after drinking.
Shunsui Kyōraku, meanwhile, recalled the basic personnel files he had reviewed.
The sections regarding Mirai's "daily training records" were so thin and perfunctory they could practically serve as a textbook example of what not to do.
Only Aizen remained smiling throughout Yoruichi's speech, nodding along as if he completely agreed with her evaluation.
Once Yoruichi finished, Aizen spoke up softly, his tone tinged with a bit of sentiment.
"When even someone as... exceptional as Mirai admits it is difficult to adapt to noble life and has no destiny for it...
"Lord Kōga, who is about to become a member of the Kuchiki family and has received such recognition, must possess extraordinary talent and character that we simply cannot hope to match."
His words naturally steered the topic toward the star of today's banquet: Kōga Kuchiki.
A commoner Shinigami who had caught the eye of the Kuchiki family and was now leaping into the ranks of the top-tier nobility—it was a story that left countless commoner soldiers and even minor noble children in the Seireitei green with envy.
"That kid Kōga," Yoruichi curled her lip, looking entirely uninterested.
"He's stiff as a board. Boring. He's not nearly as fun to tease as that brat Byakuya."
She was referring to the young heir of the Kuchiki family, Byakuya Kuchiki.
Just then, Mirai noticed the four Captains beside him dropping their casual chatter. Their gazes shifted toward the head of the main hall.
Ginrei Kuchiki—Captain of the Sixth Division and current Head of the Kuchiki Clan—appeared at the front of the hall. He wore solemn formal robes, his face stern and his gait steady.
Beside him followed a young man in a white montsuki haori hakama. He had a tall, straight build and a cold, sharp face.
The man's eyes were keen, and his posture was respectful yet carried an undeniable air of haughty isolation.
The protagonist of today's banquet, Kōga Kuchiki, had officially made his entrance.
The atmosphere in the hall grew quiet.
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