During the daytime banquet, Kōe still hadn't voiced any objections. The intimidating presence of those two old men, Yamamoto and Dōzō, was one reason, but another was that Yoruichi didn't seem to be resisting the idea at all.
If he had actually said something to their faces like, "I won't marry her, I'd rather die," getting beaten to death was one thing, but Yoruichi was a girl after all—she would definitely lose face!
Fortunately, his behavior during the day had been acceptable enough that Yamamoto didn't order him to stay confined to the Squad 1 barracks, giving him a chance to find someone to consult.
The Urahara estate. This was arguably the only place in the Seireitei that didn't look like a noble's mansion. Aside from Urahara Kisuke, the direct descendant of the clan, there was absolutely no one else in the entire compound.
When it came to people with a lot of tricks up their sleeves, Kōe immediately thought of Urahara Kisuke. Even if he didn't have a plan good enough to persuade Yoruichi, Urahara would definitely be a huge help.
Kōe believed that as long as Yoruichi was on the same page as him, there was still a chance to turn things around. After all, unlike his own situation, Yoruichi was Dōzō's actual biological daughter. In these kinds of matters, if one party backed out, there really wasn't much the other side could do.
Kōe pulled the thin string beneath Urahara's nameplate. Since there were no servants, knocking on the door wouldn't necessarily get a response.
It didn't take long for the wooden door in front of him to open, revealing Urahara's head with its messy mop of hair.
"Do people about to get married always want to chat with me this much?"
Kōe was instantly shocked, blurting out, "You already know? How?!"
"First, you and Old Man Yama going to the Shihōin estate in casual clothes during the day was spotted by Kuna Mashiro, so..."
Kōe let out a helpless sigh. Kuna Mashiro was known as the first part-time reporter in the history of the Seireitei; her seeing something was practically equivalent to the entire Seireitei seeing it.
"Second, Yoruichi came by a little earlier than you did. Congratulations." Urahara smiled as he offered his congratulations, but seeing Kōe's rather strange expression, he continued, "But your reactions are a bit different?"
"Don't you think this whole thing is weird?"
"What's weird about it?" Urahara asked in return, then added, "You two were bound to reach this step eventually, though I suppose it is a bit earlier than I expected."
"That's the weirdest part! This is marriage! Decided just like that, with a single sentence and one meal?" Afraid that Urahara wouldn't understand what he meant, Kōe gestured with his hands as he spoke. "I know Yoruichi very well, but I've never entertained that kind of thought. Isn't this way too hasty?"
"Now that touches upon my blind spot of knowledge." Urahara rested his chin in his hand and thought for a moment before speaking in a somewhat uncertain tone. "Perhaps being husband and wife is just a step further from being friends? But anyway, you treat Yoruichi much better than I do. Maybe that is the kind of thought you mentioned, and you just don't realize it yet."
"Is that so?"
Urahara patted Kōe on the shoulder, his face taking on a rare seriousness as he spoke earnestly. "All the married couples in the Seireitei are like this, and you don't see them spending their days too awkward to speak a single word to each other. Besides, compared to them, you and Yoruichi know each other inside and out. I believe you'll be very happy."
Kōe forced a smile. "I just feel like with Yoruichi marrying me so vaguely, it's like I'm taking advantage of her. Of course, I don't mean it like that, it just feels like I'm tricking an ignorant little girl..."
"You definitely aren't taking advantage of her," Urahara said with absolute certainty. "After all, strictly speaking, Yoruichi is the one 'marrying' you, and you are the one marrying into her family."
That actually made a lot of sense. He really was the one marrying in! What an unprecedented experience!
Kōe clutched his head, looking so pained that he didn't know what to say. Urahara's voice reached his ears again. "What, you can't accept this arrangement? Don't worry, Yoruichi said this is just on the surface. In reality, she'll still respect your wishes and be a good wife."
Kōe shook his head and took a deep breath before saying to Urahara, "I don't really mind that, but if I say I don't want to marry Yoruichi, it's not because she's the bride, but because I can't accept this kind of formality..."
"Then you should know that, no matter the reason, the hurt this would cause Yoruichi is far worse than being smashed to pieces a thousand times over!" As Urahara spoke, his expression gradually darkened. "Even if it's you, if you do such a thing, I will never let you off!"
"Unless you're confident you can go in right now and persuade Yoruichi—the woman who is currently grinning like an idiot and asking me how to be a good wife."
Although Urahara said this, he blocked the doorway completely. Neither he nor Kōe could have ever imagined that their first real confrontation would be over such a 'trivial matter'.
Meanwhile, a fair distance away from the Urahara estate, inside the Royal Weaving Facility on the outskirts of the Seireitei, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was sitting at a console, staring at the screen in front of him.
"I'm exhausted, absolutely exhausted. I hope I can sleep a bit longer this time."
The assistant Kōe had met previously rubbed his neck as he walked into the monitoring room, immediately locking eyes with Mayuri, which gave him a start.
*'Why is Lord Mayuri here? Wasn't he just in Laboratory 3? No! It's impossible for Lord Mayuri to be here right now!'*
Just as he turned around, before he even had the chance to flee, the assistant's throat was pierced by a sharp blade. Blood gushed out, and he would never be able to make another sound again.
Having done this, Mayuri wiped the blade on the man's clothes with a look of disgust, sat back down at the console, and started tinkering once more.
Files disappeared from the screen one by one. If Kōe had been there, he would have realized that these were all the reports Mayuri had previously sent him.
"I'm just about done on my end. How are things on yours, Loyd?"
A man in a white cloak suddenly emerged from the shadows of the monitoring room. Even though he had called out to Loyd, the "Mayuri" at the console slowly replied, "Reports have been deleted. Today's spatial fluctuation records have been deleted. Spatial fluctuation detection has been halted. The security system has been disabled."
"So it's all finished?" Seeing Mayuri nod, the man licked his lips and said sinisterly, "Then I still have time to send that brat a little surprise, heh heh."
"Don't do anything unnecessary." Mayuri turned his head and said expressionlessly, "We still need to bide our time. It is not yet time for us to stand in the light. Therefore, you must control your emotions, Äs."
"I'll let that brat jump around a little longer, but when the time comes, I'll pay him back double for this grudge!" the man muttered viciously to himself, then changed the subject. "Then what do we do with this Kurotsuchi Mayuri? Just let him off?"
"He's not an ordinary researcher, so it's best not to touch him. But after this incident, the Seireitei won't trust him anymore." As Mayuri spoke, he slowly stood up.
"Trust? Has the Seireitei ever had such a thing?" the man sneered, turning around and vanishing into the shadows.
At that moment, the original Mayuri changed his appearance. With short black hair and faint stubble on his jaw that gave him a weathered look, it was none other than the Captain of Squad 10, Shiba Isshin.
"It is precisely because they don't that our ideals hold meaning."
Blazing flames instantly engulfed the entire monitoring room, spreading wildly toward every corner of the Royal Weaving Facility. Yet, whether it was Kurotsuchi Mayuri or Shiba Isshin, both had vanished without a trace.
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