"Kazuma-sensei… are you really sure Ishida-kun is all right?"
After hearing Ishida Uryū howl like a cornered animal, Orihime frowned and gave Kazuma a deeply suspicious look.
She found it hard to believe that Uryū could react like this with absolutely nothing wrong.
Could the seemingly gentle, refined Kazuma-sensei standing in front of her have once done something unspeakably cruel to poor Ishida-kun?
The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
"Am I… really that frightening?"
Seeing the doubt on Orihime's face, Kazuma hurriedly waved his hands.
To avoid setting off the already distressed Uryū again, he backed several steps away and did his best to look completely innocent.
"It really wasn't anything serious. About twenty years ago, because of certain circumstances, I had a tiny disagreement with Ishida's father. I also happened to be in a rather bad mood at the time."
"And then, well… I almost killed his father. Just barely, though! I showed mercy at the last moment. I suppose the incident left his father with a bit of trauma, and that fear somehow got passed down to Ishida. That's probably why he reacted this way after recognizing me."
Kazuma explained it so casually that he might as well have been describing a minor misunderstanding.
To Orihime and the others, though, the words landed like a thunderbolt.
How was that not serious?!
He'd nearly killed someone's father just because he was in a bad mood!
Was that even something a normal person would say?
Worse, he'd admitted it without the slightest concern.
The group traded stunned looks, the same question surfacing in all their minds.
Was this man actually sane?
After hearing Kazuma confirm the story himself, Uryū finally stopped shaking so violently.
Strangely, that wasn't an improvement.
His eyes had gone completely vacant, as though every trace of life had drained out of them.
He collapsed weakly onto the cold floor without a word, like an empty shell whose soul had already left.
The truth sounded absurd, but after the initial shock and a little thought, the others found it wasn't entirely impossible to believe.
"Ahem!"
Kazuma cleared his throat, trying to break the heavy silence.
"The real reason I came here is to announce the final decision about all of you."
He straightened his expression and addressed Orihime and the others with great seriousness.
At those words, Orihime, Chad, and Ganju all tensed.
Their hearts beat faster, and fine beads of sweat appeared across their foreheads.
"Are we going to die?"
Uryū, still sitting lifelessly on the ground, suddenly spoke in a hollow voice.
His words hit the already nervous trio like another lightning strike.
Orihime, Chad, and Ganju went pale, their bodies trembling.
"Your crimes are indeed extremely serious."
Seeing their faces, Kazuma's playful side surfaced. He decided to tease them properly.
"We're finished! I knew I never should've come to the Seireitei!"
Ganju could no longer sit still. He truly thought he was about to die here!
"However…"
Kazuma deliberately paused.
"Considering that you didn't understand Soul Society's laws, that you had a somewhat legitimate reason for breaking into the Seireitei, and that you voluntarily turned yourselves in to the Fourth Division, all charges against you have been dropped."
Whether they'd actually surrendered voluntarily was entirely up to Kazuma.
If he said they'd turned themselves in, who would dare argue otherwise?
"R-Really?"
Orihime's eyes widened in disbelief.
Her body, which had been trembling with tension, went slack all at once, and she slumped to the floor as though every bit of strength had left her.
The other three reacted much the same way.
Their hearts had felt like an invisible hand was crushing them, and only now did that grip finally let go.
"Kazuma, is frightening children really that entertaining?"
A sudden voice sounded beside Kazuma's ear, carrying unmistakable displeasure.
"I had nothing else to do, so I thought I'd have a little fun with them." Kazuma replied on reflex.
The moment the words left his mouth, though, he sensed something was wrong.
That voice was far too familiar.
A terrible feeling rose in his chest.
When he turned around, his expression froze.
Unohana Retsu stood behind him with a stern face, staring at him with cold eyes.
"U-Unohana… what brings you here?"
Kazuma started stammering, a thin layer of sweat forming across his forehead.
"This is the Fourth Division, is it not? Did I somehow walk into the wrong building, or do you believe I shouldn't be here?"
Unohana gave him a calm look.
Her voice was perfectly gentle, yet it made his scalp tingle.
"I actually spent quite a long time as their disciplinary dean in the World of the Living. So joking around with my students now and then is completely normal. Isn't that right, Inoue?"
Kazuma hurriedly shot Orihime a meaningful look.
"Captain Unohana, everything Kazuma-sensei said is true."
Orihime caught on at once and nodded, quickly backing him up.
"Oh? I never imagined you were living such a comfortable life in the World of the Living. You even had the free time to become a teacher?"
Unohana studied Kazuma with interest.
No wonder the bastard had refused to return to Soul Society, and had looked like his whole world was caving in when told to serve as captain again!
"How are Batsu'unsai and Saitō? I haven't seen either of them in a very long time."
"Those two are living far better than I am. Every day, they either wander around wherever they please or find some quiet spot to drink tea and chat. Their lives couldn't be more relaxed."
Kazuma couldn't hide the envy in his voice.
In the World of the Living, he'd still had to go to school and work every day.
Batsu'unsai and Saitō were the ones truly living the good life.
Then he remembered that becoming captain meant dealing with division work again, and his face fell at once.
His carefree days were gone forever.
"You certainly seem envious of their lives. But you must not forget your own responsibilities. Since you have chosen to return to Soul Society, you should properly fulfill your duties as captain."
"Yama-jii forced me into it. But could I at least take a few days off first and get myself settled?"
Kazuma sighed helplessly.
There would be plenty more suffering ahead.
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator