"Hey, what was that weird move just now?"
"The Buddha's Palm. I can teach you if you want to learn."
"Just hearing the name gives me a headache. Why didn't you use that move to kill me? Do you think I'm not worthy of dying by your hands?"
"It's not that simple!"
In the open grounds of the Shin'ō Academy, Kōe and Zaraki were casually chatting back and forth. It was as if no unpleasantness had ever occurred between them, looking instead like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
The captains who had rushed over after sensing the Reiatsu could hardly believe their eyes at this bizarre scene. If not for the heavily damaged Shin'ō Academy nearby, they would have thought their senses were playing tricks on them.
"There are no casualties within the Shin'ō Academy. Some students simply fainted from the captain-level Reiatsu; a brief recuperation at Squad 4 will suffice," Unohana calmly reported to Yamamoto, before adding a seemingly unprompted remark at the end. "Fortunately, Captain Aizen was here, so no substantial losses were incurred."
Hearing this, Kōe immediately felt that things were going south. *Wasn't she just throwing me under the bus in front of Old Man Yama? I haven't provoked this two-faced sister of mine, have I?*
Sure enough, Yamamoto impassively shot a glance toward him and Zaraki. Kōe dipped his head slightly, letting out a dry cough as he explained, "Actually, I was keeping an eye on the Shin'ō Academy too, doing my best to prevent the Reiryoku shockwaves from hitting it."
"I can tell. It doesn't look too different from the Shin'ō Academy in my memories." Kyōraku Shunsui adjusted the bamboo hat on his head, his lips curving into a teasing smile. "It's just leaking a bit of rain now, but that's a minor issue."
*Wow, this old man is truly wicked!* Kōe was utterly defeated by his inherently lazy senior brother. The man's intentions were good—the fact that the Shin'ō Academy's overall structure survived a clash between two captain-level figures wasn't solely due to Aizen's presence; it would have been impossible without Kōe intentionally guiding the destruction away.
*But why did his words have to sound so aggravating?* Especially that last part about it 'leaking a bit of rain'—no matter how you listened to it, it sounded incredibly sarcastic.
*And thinking back to Unohana messing with me just a moment ago... Did these two make some sort of secret pact? Why didn't I know about this!*
Since there were no casualties and the Shin'ō Academy only needed minor renovations, the accidental clash between Kōe and Zaraki was ultimately all bark and no bite. Because of this, the current atmosphere wasn't particularly tense—at least, that was how Kyōraku Shunsui felt.
Of course, for captain-level figures to fight unauthorized within the Seireitei, even going so far as to release their Bankai without the lifting of the sword ban, punishment for the two of them was an absolute certainty.
However, given their respective statuses, the so-called punishment would likely just be a formality. As long as Zaraki learned of Kōe's existence, this farce was bound to happen. Central 46, having chosen not to suppress the information, likely wanted to see this exact scenario play out.
Since he was just here to watch the show anyway, he might as well participate with a relaxed mindset. Taking this opportunity to mess with Kōe a little was even better. Who asked this brat to pin all the blame on him when he was younger—whether it was faking illness to visit Squad 4 or getting his manners corrected by Old Man Yama!
"Take the unconscious students to the Comprehensive Relief Clinic. The Shin'ō Academy will temporarily suspend classes; repair the classrooms as quickly as possible." After instructing the Shin'ō Academy staff, Yamamoto continued to issue orders. "The rest of the captains, follow me to the Captains' Assembly Hall. Kōe Shihouin, you come as well."
*I'm still going to get scolded, aren't I?* Kōe couldn't help but draw a sharp breath at the thought. *Doesn't this count as catching a stray bullet?*
Having a similar reaction to Kōe were the little ones hiding and peeking from the surroundings. Upon hearing Head Captain Yamamoto say they were going to Squad 1 for a meeting, looks of disappointment washed over their faces. They really wanted to know what a meeting between captains was like.
Head Captain Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, Squad 4 Captain Unohana Retsu, Squad 5 Captain Aizen Sōsuke, and so on—the children of the Shin'ō Academy could name every single captain present, even if it was their first time seeing some of them in person.
And then, there was the Squad 6 Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya. Renji stared down at the long-haired man wearing silver-white kenseikan hairpieces. Even among the crowd of captains, he stood out as exceptionally unique.
He didn't speak to anyone, nor did he even glance at those around him. He simply walked with his gaze fixed straight ahead, even though the people walking alongside him were captains—the individuals at the very pinnacle of the Seireitei.
As the current head of the Kuchiki clan, one of the Four Great Noble Families, Kuchiki Byakuya had the right to be so haughty. To others, being a captain was a symbol of both strength and status, but to this man, it was not. His status was inherently noble from birth.
Silently lowering his head, Renji's heart was filled with unwillingness, yet unwillingness was all he could muster. Just what level did he have to reach to be looked at properly by that man? To be able to...
Beside him, Kira Izuru looked at Renji, unsure of how to comfort his friend. A year ago, Renji had been very cheerful. That was until recently, when Rukia was suddenly adopted as a sister by the head of the Kuchiki clan. Although he didn't show much on the surface, anyone familiar with him knew what was weighing on his mind.
Two partners who were supposed to support each other as they began their brand-new lives in the Seireitei were suddenly separated by a gap as vast as heaven and earth. It was as if one side had stolen all the luck from the other.
It wasn't that Renji was jealous of or hated Rukia. It was just... exactly how much effort would it take to bridge this gap? It was truly unimaginable.
After all, on the very day Rukia was taken in, Kuchiki Byakuya had her graduate from the Shin'ō Academy immediately, as if the name 'Kuchiki' appearing in the Shin'ō Academy was somehow an unacceptable notion.
Perhaps in the eyes of the great nobles, the two sides weren't even the same species.
Reaching out to pat Renji on the shoulder, Kira Izuru turned his head and said earnestly, "At the very least, you have to reach a point where you can walk alongside them first, right, Abarai?"
"I'm fine, Kira."
Looking at Renji, who still had his head lowered, Kira Izuru shook his head. This wasn't something that could be resolved with just a few words. If he were in Renji's shoes, he wouldn't handle it any better. Ultimately, it was up to Renji himself to decide what to do.
In truth, the two worry-laden youths didn't know that during their moment of dejection, Kuchiki Byakuya had actually turned his head to glance at Kōe. If they had seen this scene, who knows if it would have made any difference to them.
After all, in their earlier years, Yoruichi had tormented Byakuya endlessly over Kōe's matters—such as prying into his grandfather's knowledge about Ao's identity. Because of this, she had forcefully turned his childhood into an unbearable dark history that he refused to look back on. This matter had practically become a taboo subject within the Kuchiki clan.
This also gave Byakuya a sliver of curiosity toward Kōe. However, watching the man currently slinging an arm around Shunsui's shoulders as they debated over who should buy whom a drink, Byakuya suddenly understood why this guy and Yoruichi had become husband and wife. They were both completely unreliable people; pairing them up was a perfect match.
Impassively turning his head back, Byakuya had no desire to get involved with someone like that ever again. It was too troublesome, and it would only dredge up bad memories.
*It's best to keep Rukia away from this person too. If she ends up developing a personality like Yoruichi's because of him, it would be a massive headache. I absolutely cannot let that happen. Absolutely!*
'Besides, Hisana wouldn't want something like that to happen either.'