Kazuma and Batsu'unsai wandered aimlessly through the shopping mall until Batsu'unsai suddenly said.
"Don't you think this is boring?"
Kazuma smiled faintly.
"How is it boring? I successfully turned a Quincy into a Shinigami. Isn't that pretty damn cool?"
Hearing that, Batsu'unsai shook her head helplessly and sighed.
"I really don't know what to do with you."
After saying that, she ignored Kazuma and continued walking.
Kazuma was still lost in his own little world when Batsu'unsai suddenly stopped, turned around, and used a dragon-claw grip to pinch the flesh at Kazuma's waist.
"Hiss!"
Kazuma immediately felt a sharp sting and could not help crying out.
He looked at Batsu'unsai in surprise, not knowing why she had suddenly done that.
Batsu'unsai, however, smiled proudly, clearly very satisfied with herself.
"What are you doing?" Kazuma looked at her innocently.
"Who told you to act so full of yourself?" Batsu'unsai pouted and scolded him.
"When did I?" Kazuma did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Then hurry up and think about where we're going next." Batsu'unsai shook Kazuma's arm.
"All right, all right." Kazuma surrendered. "There's a dessert shop up ahead. Let's go eat something sweet."
"Yay!"
Batsu'unsai cheered and pulled Kazuma toward the dessert shop.
Kazuma leisurely ate his dessert and asked vaguely with his mouth full, "Wife, Isshin's family was attacked by a Hollow last night, and Masaki already exposed her identity as a Shinigami. Do you think she'll sell me out?"
Batsu'unsai frowned and thought for a moment before asking in return, "Do you think she will?"
Kazuma shook his head without hesitation and answered with absolute certainty, "I don't think Masaki would do that."
Batsu'unsai rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.
"Then why are you asking me?"
"True. Masaki is a kind girl," Kazuma said softly.
Batsu'unsai finished the last bite of her dessert, wiped her mouth, and looked at Kazuma.
"I'm still a little worried. What if Soul Society investigates this?"
"What's there to be afraid of?" Kazuma glanced at her. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"Heh, I've been giving Ichigo a bit of trouble at school these past few days. Isshin should realize very soon that I'm not actually dead. Hahaha, do you think he'll look completely stupid when he finds out I'm still alive?"
"Hmm… I don't know whether he'll look stupid, but I think there's a very real chance he'll beat you up."
"What? He dares hit me? Hmph, we'll see who beats who!"
"All right, all right, stop messing around." Kazuma laughed and cut Batsu'unsai off. "But seriously, if Isshin and the others know you're still alive, they'll definitely be happy."
The two spoke as they left the dessert shop.
"Ah, right!" Batsu'unsai seemed to suddenly remember something. "Since Masaki has already exposed her identity as a Shinigami, we should be careful too. Hollows or Aizen might come knocking."
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Kazuma patted his chest, full of confidence.
"Then I'll leave it to you, husband."
Batsu'unsai smiled, her eyes full of trust and dependence.
Kazuma and Batsu'unsai held hands and walked together into the bustling crowd.
...
Early the next morning, Isshin Kurosaki got up before anyone else and secretly followed Ichigo to school.
In his heart, he was determined to properly see just who this dean of discipline was—the man who had been bullying his son.
More than that, he was extremely curious about why this dean gave Ichigo a strange sense of familiarity.
But after entering the campus, Isshin discovered that he had no idea where the dean of discipline was.
So he began looking around carefully, searching for his target.
At that moment, a large figure suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his view.
Isshin was so startled that he abruptly took a step back. When he focused, he realized it was a tall man.
Then he raised his head and saw that familiar, infuriating smile.
His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost!
'A ghost?'
That was the first thought that flashed through his mind.
Because standing right in front of him was Kazuma, who had supposedly died more than ten years ago.
Isshin Kurosaki stammered, "C-Captain Kazuma?"
Kazuma flashed a mouthful of bright white teeth.
"Wrong answer! Captain Kazuma was stabbed to death by Aizen. My name is Kazuto now."
"Wait. Let me sort this out!"
Isshin felt dizzy.
Wasn't Captain Kazuma just ....Kazuma?
Kazuma corrected him.
"Wrong! Kazuma ja nai Kazuto da!"
"Isshin-kun, you look a little confused," Kazuma said with a smile.
Isshin rubbed his eyes, making sure he was not dreaming, then asked haltingly, "You… weren't you dead? How are you…"
"Heh, it's a long story. Back then, Aizen did stab me, but fortunately, I didn't die. However, that battle cost me my powers, and I only recovered recently."
Kazuma gave a simple explanation.
"So it really was like that. Kisuke and the rest of us reviewed everything afterward. You shouldn't have died that easily." Isshin was still somewhat confused. "But what are you doing now?"
"What am i doing? I'm this school's dean of discipline! Shouldn't I be here?" Kazuma said with a smile.
Hearing that, Isshin finally relaxed.
"That's good, that's good… Wait, you just said your name is Kazuto?"
"That's right. That's my current name. But if you want, you can still call me Captain Kazuma like before," Kazuma joked.
"Haha, what an interesting name."
Isshin laughed, and most of the doubts in his heart finally eased.
"By the way, Kazuma… no, Kazuto, why are you working here as a dean of discipline?"
"It's pretty nice staying in the World of the Living and working as a teacher," Kazuma said seriously.
"Besides, I like being around young people. It makes me feel younger too."
"Mm, that makes sense." Isshin nodded. "But since you're not dead, why don't you return to Soul Society? The people there miss you."
"Miss me? Don't forget, I'm a wanted criminal in Soul Society. A traitor who killed you and Kaname Tōsen. If they know I'm still alive, I'll be lucky if they don't hunt me down."
Kazuma smiled mysteriously.
"But when the time is right, I'll naturally go back."
"All right. Since you have your own plans, I won't ask too much."
Isshin patted Kazuma on the shoulder.
"But if you ever need help, just say the word. Don't stand on ceremony with me."
"Don't worry. I won't be polite with you."
Kazuma smiled.
"By the way, your son Ichigo Kurosaki is doing pretty well at school. He's just a little mischievous sometimes."
"That brat always gives me headaches."
Isshin shook his head helplessly.
"Kazuma, make sure you discipline him properly."
"No problem. Leave it to me." Kazuma spoke confidently. "But Ichigo is a child with great potential. As long as he's guided properly, he'll definitely grow into an outstanding kid."
"Captain Kazuma, who were the two masked people who carried away your corpse and Zanpakutō back then?"
Isshin suddenly asked with a serious expression.
Kazuma blinked, then put on an innocent look and began spouting nonsense with a straight face.
"Masked people? I dunno! What masked people? I woke up in an abandoned factory, all by myself."
He said it with such confidence that it was as though he truly knew nothing about the matter.
Isshin's cheek twitched.
He was clearly not satisfied with Kazuma's answer!
With a helpless frown, he said, "Captain Kazuma, you're still as unreliable as ever. How can you lie with your eyes wide open? That day, it wasn't just me. Urahara and the others saw those two masked people too."
Faced with Isshin's questioning, Kazuma stubbornly stuck to his story and shook his head.
"Isshin, why don't you believe me? I really never saw any masked people. Maybe you all saw wrong, or maybe there was some other reason. In any case, I truly don't know."
His expression looked extremely sincere, but in reality, he was deliberately playing dumb.
"All right, all right." Isshin waved his hand. "I wasn't expecting you to tell the truth anyway. But you disappeared for so long. Were you really in Karakura Town the entire time?"
Kazuma inwardly sighed.
'This little fox is not easy to deal with.'
He scratched his head and smiled.
"I already told you, I only woke up recently. If I wasn't in Karakura Town, where else would I be? Though I did encounter some strange fellows. They're somewhat similar to Shinji Hirako and the others, but their essence is Hollow."
"Oh? Like Shinji's group? But Hollows?"
Curiosity flashed through Isshin's eyes.
"If even you call them strange, they definitely aren't simple. When you fought them, did you notice anything?"
"Uh… I already said I'm an ordinary person now. How could I fight them?"
Kazuma pretended to think deeply.
"In any case, their aura was very strange. And like us Shinigami, they also seemed to possess weapons similar to Zanpakutō."
"Hollows? With Zanpakutō?"
Those two unusual points made Isshin frown.
"I can't be certain whether they were Zanpakutō," Kazuma said with a nod. "It's only my guess. As for the details, they'll need further investigation."
"All right." Isshin looked at Kazuma. "Since you're back, take some time to rest. Let me know if there's any news."
"No problem."
Kazuma smiled, then turned to leave.
He let out a breath of relief in his heart.
'Finally managed to fool him…'
"One more question."
Isshin suddenly called out to Kazuma again.
"There's more? Isshin, can't you ask all your questions at once? Seriously…"
Kazuma complained helplessly.
"Ichigo told me that he feels strangely familiar with you, as if he's met you before. What exactly is going on?"
Isshin looked at Kazuma seriously, waiting for his answer.
Hearing this question, Kazuma could not help scratching his head and inwardly groaning.
He knew very well that he had indeed met Ichigo when the boy was young.
But he absolutely could not tell Isshin about that.
He had to come up with a reasonable excuse to get through this.
So he racked his brain, trying to think of how to deal with this difficult question.
"Well…"
Kazuma rubbed the back of his head and put on a troubled expression.
"I don't know either. Maybe Ichigo ran into me while shopping before, so that's why he has that feeling."
He deliberately emphasized the word "shopping," hoping Isshin would stop asking.
Isshin did not seem to fully believe him, but he did not keep pressing. He only nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing this, Kazuma hurriedly seized the chance.
"Ah, maybe that's all it is. Isshin, don't think too much. It might just be his imagination. I'll be going now. Contact me if anything comes up."
After saying that, he hurried away, afraid Isshin might ask another question that was impossible to answer.
Isshin watched Kazuma leave in such a rush.
"He ran that fast.... There's definitely something wrong."
Isshin turned and walked out of the school, muttering to himself, "Captain Kazuma is definitely hiding something from me. Still, judging by his reaction, some of what he said should be true. But why does Ichigo feel that way about him? Did they really just meet by chance on the street, like he said? I'll have to find a chance to ask Ichigo properly."
...
On the other side, after fleeing the scene, Kazuma patted his chest and breathed heavily.
"That was close, that was close. I almost got exposed. Fortunately, I'm smart enough to muddle through for now. But Isshin still seems suspicious of me. I'll have to be more careful from now on."
He decided to reduce contact with the Kurosaki family for the time being, so as not to cause more trouble.
After all, the current situation was already complicated enough. If frequent contact with the Kurosaki family created even more problems, it would not be worth it.
In his heart, he silently prayed that Masaki Kurosaki would not reveal the matter.
As for Ichigo, Kazuma had placed a seal in his mind, so there was no need to worry about him.
As long as Kazuma did not personally undo the seal, Ichigo would not remember anything related to him.
...
After returning home, Isshin found Ichigo and asked with a serious expression, "Ichigo, I seem to remember that when you were little, you once met your school's dean of discipline on the street, right?"
Ichigo frowned and tried hard to recall the bits and pieces of his past.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember anything like that.
He shook his head helplessly and answered, "Dad, I really can't remember. Maybe it was too long ago, or maybe I was too young at the time and didn't remember those kinds of things."
Then Ichigo continued, "But for some reason, that dean gives me a really strange feeling. It's hard to describe, but he feels familiar. I don't know if we really met before, or if it's just my imagination."
Hearing this, Isshin's expression became even more grave.
He knew that Ichigo's instincts had always been sharp.
If Ichigo felt this way about Kazuma, then the two of them must have met before.
He simply did not know when or where that meeting had taken place.
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