As Rukia laughed along with everyone else, she suddenly realized that something seemed wrong.
With horror, she discovered that, just like Yoruichi, she now seemed to know most of the truth.
Which meant she probably could not leave either!
"Sensei! Can I leave…?"
Rukia's face twisted into a smile uglier than crying.
"Of course you can. As long as you want to leave, you can go anytime," Kazuma said calmly.
His words left Rukia stunned, shock appearing on her face.
She even wondered if she had misheard him.
"Sensei? Are you serious? I really can leave?" Rukia asked again in disbelief.
Her eyes widened as she stared closely at Kazuma, as though trying to find the slightest hint of joking or deception in his expression and tone.
However, Kazuma's expression remained serious and sincere, without any sign that he was joking.
"What? Don't tell me you don't want to leave anymore?"
Kazuma looked at her teasingly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly with a trace of amusement.
Rukia hurriedly shook her head, afraid that Kazuma would suddenly change his mind.
Her eyes were full of determination, clearly saying that she absolutely would not regret it.
Batsu'unsai and the others standing nearby were completely confused.
They had no idea what Kazuma was planning.
They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt and bewilderment, and could only look at Kazuma in confusion.
"However…"
The moment Rukia heard those two words, her heart jumped straight back into her throat, and she nervously waited for Kazuma to continue.
"After you go back, you cannot mention anything that happened during this period to anyone. Remember, anyone. That includes me, even if you see me again later."
Kazuma's voice was low and firm, as if every word had been carefully considered.
His gaze locked tightly onto Rukia, making her panic slightly.
Rukia blinked, confusion appearing on her face.
She tried to understand the true meaning behind Kazuma's words, but for a moment, she could not figure it out.
She did not understand why she could not even mention these things when she saw him again.
Among those present, only Yoruichi, Batsu'unsai, and the others understood the deeper meaning behind Kazuma's words.
The remaining captains looked puzzled and shook their heads, unable to understand.
Rukia felt deeply lost, but she still nodded lightly, indicating that she understood Kazuma's request.
Although her heart was full of questions, she decided to set them aside for now. She believed her teacher must have his reasons for saying this.
Seeing Rukia behave so obediently, Kazuma nodded in satisfaction.
He still needed to use Rukia to fish out that sneaky bastard Aizen.
If he kept Rukia by his side now, all the careful arrangements he had made earlier would be ruined.
"Why don't we all go out for a meal today? It'll be a good chance for Chika and the others to taste food from the World of the Living after a thousand years," Batsu'unsai suddenly suggested.
In truth, it was only because there were too many people and she did not want to cook.
The moment the suggestion was made, it immediately gained unanimous approval from the captains.
Everyone expressed their willingness to go together and experience the food of the World of the Living a thousand years later.
...
And so, the group left in a grand procession, heading toward the nearest food district.
Along the way, everyone chatted and laughed.
Rukia quietly followed at the back of the group, still thinking about what Kazuma had said earlier.
She secretly glanced at Kazuma, only to find him speaking softly with Batsu'unsai about something.
Both of their expressions looked very serious.
At last, they arrived at a mouthwatering food street.
The air was filled with all kinds of tempting aromas, like a feast for the senses.
The group enthusiastically moved between the stalls, their eyes shining with excitement as they eagerly searched for food that caught their interest.
Time had passed, and the world had changed.
These captains, who had spent nearly a thousand years in Hell, had faced nothing every day but barren land and wicked Togabito.
Now that they had returned to the World of the Living, they were like country bumpkins who had never seen the world before, full of curiosity and freshness toward everything around them.
As they walked down the street, they saw people holding small rectangular objects in their hands and constantly fiddling with them.
Furuoki Ōtogawa curiously leaned closer and asked, "What is that thing?"
If he had not been somewhat handsome, the passerby probably would not even have bothered with him.
His way of approaching girls was far too crude.
Yoruichi laughed so hard in Chika's arms that she nearly doubled over, then told him it was called a phone, something that could be used for communication, entertainment, and many other functions.
However, the captains still only half-understood and remained completely baffled.
Yoruichi's explanation of the phone's functions greatly interested Furuoki Ōtogawa.
Naturally, Kazuma was not stingy.
He generously led the captains into a nearby mall and bought each of them a phone. After all, for him now, this little bit of money was nothing.
Once they received their phones, the captains immediately began fiddling with them, trying to understand how this magical little object worked.
But no matter how hard they tried, they could not understand the principles behind it.
At that moment, Saitō and Hiyori nearby could not help but laugh.
The two of them patiently began teaching these antique captains how to properly use their phones.
Before long, the captains had already grasped the basic operations.
As time passed, they gradually discovered that there were many interesting applications hidden inside the phones, such as games, music, and videos.
These new things excited the captains greatly.
Furuoki Ōtogawa, who was especially interested in phones, became completely absorbed, enjoying this unprecedented fun.
"You're really impressive! You actually learned how to use a phone so quickly."
Seeing how fast Furuoki Ōtogawa had gotten the hang of it, the other captains all gathered around curiously to observe.
Then everyone began exchanging tips and exploring the endless charm brought by this strange new gadget.
People truly made plenty of jokes when they were cut off from the world for too long.
Just like earlier, when Chika saw a car speeding past, his eyes widened and he asked in surprise.
"What is that iron box? How does it run so fast?"
Yoruichi immediately mocked him again.
"You really are ignorant! That's called a car! Understand, country bumpkin?"
However, her laughter quickly came to an abrupt stop because Chika gave her another round of loving education, smacking her on the cat head until a series of meows rang out.
"Country bumpkin is it? Isn't it normal for your ancestor not to understand these things?"
After taking a beating, Yoruichi became much more obedient.
From then on, she answered every single one of Chika's questions, and even learned to answer before he asked.
Just as everyone was having a great time, a sudden phone ringtone rang out.
Everyone looked at one another, completely at a loss.
Furuoki Ōtogawa was the first to react. H
e pointed at the caller display on his phone screen and said, "Someone's calling."
The others immediately gathered around, staring curiously at the tiny screen.
Furuoki Ōtogawa gathered his courage and pressed the answer button.
In an instant, an unfamiliar voice came from the phone.
"Hello? Is this Mr. Furuoki Ōtogawa?"
He nervously looked at the companions around him, then stammered, "Yes… I am… Who are you?"
A mechanical voice came from the phone.
"Hello. Your phone account is out of credit. To continue using this service, please top up your balance."