After leaving the Seireitei, Kazuma headed straight for the Shiba Clan's compound in the Rukongai.
Truthfully, he had absolutely no idea how he was going to talk Shiba Kūkaku into helping him.
He'd gotten carried away earlier and confidently claimed he could reach the Soul King Palace.
Now that the words were already out, he could only push forward and improvise as he went.
"May I ask what business you have here?"
Kazuma had barely arrived at the Shiba estate when one of the clan members guarding the entrance noticed him before he could knock.
"I am the captain of the Gotei 13's Seventh Division. I've come to visit Shiba Kūkaku."
The guard immediately straightened at those words and hurried into the compound to report his arrival.
"Boss! The captain of the Gotei 13's Seventh Division is here to see you!"
Inside the Shiba Clan's workshop, Kūkaku was completely absorbed in developing a new type of firework.
Although her missing arm had already been restored, she clearly hadn't learned anything from the accident.
She still spent her days obsessively experimenting with explosives, surrounded by tools and materials as she alternated between thoughtful frowns and delighted grins.
"The Seventh Division captain? Komamura Sajin?"
The guard's announcement interrupted her train of thought.
"What a pain."
Kūkaku reluctantly set down what she was holding. Out of basic courtesy, she decided to go greet the large canine captain.
"Huh? Who are you?"
When she saw the visitor, Kūkaku rubbed her eyes, wondering whether staring at fireworks all day had finally damaged her vision.
The man outside was clearly not Komamura Sajin.
Had the Seventh Division changed captains?
And why did that face seem vaguely familiar? Had she met him somewhere before?
"Kūkaku-chan, it's been so many years that you don't recognize me anymore?"
Kazuma immediately started acting familiar with her.
When asking someone for a favor, a good attitude was essential. Playing on an old connection first would naturally improve his chances.
"You're… Captain Kazuma!"
With that hint, Kūkaku finally remembered him.
"You've returned to Soul Society?"
She'd met him when she was still a child.
Back then, the Shiba Clan had yet to leave the Seireitei, and she'd occasionally seen veteran captains like Kazuma and Unohana.
"Why would you leave the Seireitei and come all the way to the Shiba Clan?"
Kūkaku was blunt and straightforward by nature.
She preferred getting straight to the point rather than wasting time on pleasantries.
"I want to borrow the Shiba Clan's power to reach the Soul King Palace."
Since Kūkaku was being direct, Kazuma saw no reason to circle around the matter.
"What did you just say?!"
Kūkaku's jaw nearly dropped.
She'd known Kazuma must want something from her, but she'd never expected a request this outrageous.
"And why should I help you?"
She laughed.
Kazuma might have some history with the Shiba Clan, but their relationship was nowhere near close enough for her to grant a favor of this scale without good reason.
Kazuma was secretly pleased she hadn't rejected him outright.
That meant there was still room to negotiate.
Now he only needed to offer something valuable enough to tempt her.
Unfortunately, after thinking long and hard, Kazuma realized with growing discomfort that he owned almost nothing Kūkaku genuinely wanted.
That made things rather awkward.
"What do you want, then?"
After a moment's thought, Kazuma decided to stop struggling alone and throw the question back at her.
If Kūkaku named her own price first, he could bargain according to the situation instead of staying completely passive.
His sudden counterquestion caught Kūkaku off guard.
In truth, the only thing she'd ever cared deeply about was creating spectacular fireworks.
Almost nothing else held much appeal for her.
Her earlier question had merely been a polite way of turning him down.
She hadn't expected Kazuma to flip it around so cleverly, forcing her into the position of naming terms when she'd never intended to negotiate.
Silence fell.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze as both of them stared at each other.
Somehow they'd managed to kill the conversation completely, leaving neither with any obvious way to continue.
"Forget it."
Kazuma finally broke the suffocating silence with a disappointed sigh.
"I suppose the Shiba Clan has already lost the technology needed to send someone to the Soul King Palace. Kūkaku, just pretend I never brought it up."
Though he sounded resigned, it was nothing more than a strategic retreat meant to provoke her.
"Nonsense!"
Kūkaku immediately jerked her head up and shouted back.
"Who said the Shiba Clan no longer has that ability? Our family may have declined, but our most important inherited techniques were never lost!"
"Captain Kazuma, aren't you looking down on us a little too much?"
She was clever enough to recognize his obvious provocation, but the honor of the Shiba Clan wouldn't allow her to stay silent.
"Why do you want to go to the Soul King Palace?"
Now that Kazuma had challenged her pride, Kūkaku was determined to push back.
She still hadn't agreed to help, but she at least wanted to know his purpose.
"Believe me, I wouldn't go there unless I had no other choice."
Kazuma sighed and produced Renji's nearly shattered Zanpakutō.
"Abarai Renji's sword suffered a minor accident."
He held up the blade covered in dense fractures.
"It was severely damaged while in Bankai. Under these circumstances, the only person capable of reforging it is a member of Squad Zero."
Kūkaku had assumed Kazuma wanted to reach the Soul King Palace for some grand, dangerous purpose.
Instead, he was doing it merely to repair a subordinate's sword.
She couldn't help admiring that kind of dedication.
Of course, admiration alone wasn't enough to convince her to help.
"If the sword is gone, then it's gone."
Kūkaku shrugged.
"Does a Shinigami truly need a Zanpakutō to function? The Kidō Corps exists outside the Gotei 13, doesn't it? Abarai Renji could simply change careers and join them."
Although the Shiba Clan lived in the Rukongai, Kūkaku remained well informed about the Seireitei's internal organizations.
Losing his Zanpakutō didn't necessarily mean Renji could no longer work as a Shinigami.
Her casual suggestion immediately made Kazuma burst out laughing.
With Renji's catastrophically poor Kidō skills, even the Kidō Corps would probably reject him as a janitor.
His talent in that field was so dreadful that switching careers would be next to impossible.
"Is that not an option?"
Seeing Kazuma laugh until tears nearly came out, Kūkaku wondered whether she'd misunderstood something.
"No, it's just that Abarai Renji's Kidō ability is practically below zero."
Kazuma finally caught his breath, showing no intention of protecting Renji's dignity.
"The Kidō Corps is far too specialized a concept for him."
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