With a little pressure, Kūgo Ginjō's efficiency noticeably improved.
In less than three days, a young girl with short blue hair passed through the Aozaki family's private Senkaimon and appeared before Masatsuki Aozaki.
When she entered Soul Society, she was still human. Possessing the Soul King's Saketsu meant that, as a Fullbringer, her talent for manipulating souls and Reishi was undeniably exceptional. For her, moving freely between the Human World and Soul Society was hardly a challenge. Even without relying on Kisuke Urahara's Reishi Converter, she could easily shift her Reishi state.
That said, Aura Michibane was, without a doubt, someone who lived her life governed by "inertia."
When Masatsuki Aozaki first met her, he expressed his wish to adopt her, nurture her strength, and help her reach her full potential. She accepted without hesitation.
Her mother had been killed in a Hollow attack. To protect her, her father had raised her in a basement, isolating her from the outside world. She had no clear goals in life, no attachments to this world. She saw Masatsuki's offer as an opportunity to indulge in her only passion—Fullbring. And so, she gladly agreed.
At first, she had no idea what Masatsuki Aozaki was aiming for. But even though his goals were unclear, she felt no reason to resist his commands. There was no justification for disobedience, so she simply followed his lead.
"I want you to stay by my side forever."
Masatsuki Aozaki's voice was calm, almost like a promise.
Aura blinked, a flicker of doubt crossing her gaze before she asked softly, "Are you saying you want to claim me as your personal possession?"
Her tone was flat, as if it didn't matter to her either way.
Masatsuki met her indifferent question with a small smile, crouching slightly in front of her as he gently shook his head.
"Why would I!? Do I look like the kind of guy who'd lay a hand on a kid?"
There was a warmth in his smile—one that was oddly reassuring.
Then, he continued, "That said, I'll at least wait until you grow up."
"But if you want to think of yourself as my future wife, I wouldn't mind."
"Though, even if you do, you've already got plenty of good sisters now."
Masatsuki abruptly shifted the topic with a sigh.
After saying something so shameless, his gaze softened, and he spoke with genuine admiration for his lovers.
"They're all amazing people. Every single one of them has shaped me into who I am now."
"Not that I mind the change."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips—he seemed rather pleased with his current self, content with the transformation.
"After all, if the me who first arrived in this world had this kind of power, I probably would've done something terrible."
"And I know I'd regret it now."
Hearing those words, Aura Michibane realized something.
This man—Masatsuki Aozaki—needed others.
It wasn't anything complicated. He just didn't want to be alone.
For reasons unknown, he needed her in his life. That was why he had that strange man send her to this unfamiliar place.
So, in front of the smirking man, she reached out and ran her hand through his long hair.
Masatsuki's eye twitched as he glared at her. "Oi, you little brat—are you treating me like a kid?"
…
A few days later, as dawn broke, Masatsuki Aozaki and Retsu Unohana woke up in the same bed.
Masatsuki wrapped his arms around the woman beside him. The two were completely honest with each other.
Unohana wore a smile, but within it was a hint of helplessness.
She had lived for centuries, yet she had never taken on the role of raising a child. Only now did she realize just how clingy children could be.
But the clingy one wasn't one of the children.
It was the man beside her, who clearly had less-than-honorable intentions.
"It's about time… those kids are coming for you again," Unohana reminded him.
"Ah… it is about that time."
Masatsuki, still lost in the warmth of the moment, finally snapped back to reality.
As enjoyable as these days of raising the children had been, they had undeniably eaten into his personal time.
He sensed three Reiatsu of varying strength slowly approaching from not far away.
With a resigned sigh, he muttered, "I really need to find someone to help."
Unohana chuckled. "Who? Would you like us to help?"
She lazily leaned against his chest, much like a cat basking in comfort, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Those three kids were all quite talented. If Masatsuki wanted her to help train them, she wouldn't refuse.
"Yoruichi and the others could do it too. They're practically idle as your personal guards and have plenty of free time."
"You guys? Yeah, no thanks."
Masatsuki dismissed the idea immediately, his tone making it clear that he had zero faith in his lovers.
Letting Unohana and Yoruichi train the children? There were only two possible outcomes: they'd either become murderers or lunatics—there was no third option.
And he wasn't about to let his three little lolis turn into either of those.
They were already a handful as it was. Adding more chaos would just be asking for trouble.
Under Unohana's sharp gaze, Masatsuki leaned down and kissed her, a small attempt at appeasement.
The moment their lips touched, a thought struck him.
He was a noble now, wasn't he?
And in the noble districts, none of the high-ranking families raised their children personally—they had servants for that.
The noble ladies in his estate weren't exactly the nurturing type either.
Hell, they could barely take care of themselves. Every time he had a moment of free time, they always had something for him to do.
Fixing a water pipe somehow ended with them drenched from head to toe. Who had the patience for that?
And if he told them to call someone from the noble district to fix it? They flat-out refused.
Yeah, best not to count on them for childcare.
"I've lived as a noble for so long, but I've never really indulged in it, have I?" Masatsuki mused to himself. "Yoruichi has worn a maid outfit before, sure, but I've never actually had a real maid… Maybe it's time to fix that."
As he thought this, he busied himself helping Unohana get dressed.
"Retsu, I'm going to prepare breakfast with the kids. Make sure you come and eat," he said gently.
Unohana smiled warmly, her delicate hands smoothing out his collar with practiced ease. "You really do like them, don't you?"
Masatsuki smirked. "Jealous?"
"Hm… maybe just a little."
Unohana's smile was subtle yet teasing as she gazed at him.
"I suppose I'm feeling a bit upset. What should I do about it?"
Masatsuki didn't hesitate. He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against hers.
Unohana closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, as if she wanted to pull him entirely into her.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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