Hearing the noise inside the building, Omaeda involuntarily turned his head toward the office.
A second later, Kaito burst through the doors with his clothes completely disheveled, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Hey! How can you be so unreasonable? You're the one who backed into me, so why are you attacking me?!"
"Hado #4, Byakurai!"
A sharp streak of white lightning shot out from the room. Kaito tilted his head slightly to dodge it, letting the bolt of compressed spiritual energy blast directly into the courtyard pavement.
Watching from the sidelines, Omaeda's mind instantly exploded with wild theories.
What on earth?! Is our Captain actually into Kaito Shiba? Is their flirting always this aggressive? Are they literally using Kido as a form of lovers' play?! Wait a minute... if you control your spiritual pressure perfectly, using Kido like that could actually be a lot of fun...
Neither of them had any idea that Omaeda's brain was practically melting with juicy gossip. Kaito, lamenting the fact that he had run into a total psycho, didn't stick around. He used Shunpo to escape the compound immediately.
Soi Fon stormed out of the office just in time to see Kaito vanish into thin air, her blood still boiling.
"Omaeda! Get in here right now!"
After leaving the barracks, Kaito didn't head straight home. Instead, he made a detour to the Urahara Shop.
"My, my! Look who decided to drop by."
Kisuke Urahara, who was leisurely sipping tea, happily unfurled his striped paper fan the moment he saw his guest.
Kaito walked right in and sat down cross-legged on a cushion without standing on ceremony. He placed a large, premium assortment box of traditional Japanese sweets on the table.
"Big brother Kaito!"
"Big brother Kaito!"
Ururu Tsumugiya and Jinta Hanakari greeted him politely.
"Hey there, Ururu, Jinta. This box of sweets is for you guys," Kaito said with a warm smile. "Where's Tessai?"
"Tessai went out on an errand. He should be back shortly," Urahara replied, pouring Kaito a cup of tea. "By the way, what brings you here today?"
Kaito took a sip and grumbled, "Don't ask. I ran into a lunatic."
He quickly brushed the topic aside and leaned forward. "Anyway, Kisuke, did you finish researching that item I asked you about?"
Urahara closed his fan with a soft click. "I always give my full attention to anything you request, Kaito-kun. Don't worry, it's completely finished."
"Has it been tested?"
Kaito's eyes lit up. If the device was fully functional, his confidence in saving Masaki Kurosaki would shoot up significantly.
Ururu chimed in softly, "Mr. Tessai took it out for a field test just a little while ago."
So it's only being tested right now?
Kaito shot Urahara a flat look, but the shopkeeper remained entirely unabashed. "Now, now, Kaito-kun, don't sweat the small details. A final test is just a necessary safety precaution."
This guy is just as shameless as I am, Kaito thought dryly. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table to Urahara.
"Kisuke, when the time comes, please follow the instructions written on this paper exactly."
Urahara picked up the paper, scanned its contents briefly, and tucked it away into his green haori. He took a slow, elegant sip of his tea. "It seems you care a lot about that boy, Kaito-kun."
Kaito smiled faintly into his teacup. "Well, he's my only student right now. I don't want to see him devastated."
"Oh?" Urahara looked intrigued. "For someone to be accepted as a student by you, he must be quite special. I'm getting rather curious to meet him."
Of course he's special, Kaito thought. The kid practically has cheat codes enabled.
"No problem," Kaito chuckled. "I'll bring him around the shop when I get the chance."
"Ah, right. Since you're here, there's something else we need to discuss."
Urahara topped off their tea, then reached over to the third shelf of a cabinet behind him, pulling out a sealed letter and handing it over. "Yoruichi brought this back from the Soul Society for you. Take a look."
Kaito took the envelope, murmuring, "Why the sudden secrecy?"
As he opened the letter and read through the contents, his casual posture vanished, his expression turning deeply serious. After a long silence, Kaito neatly folded the letter and handed it back to Urahara.
"I understand. It looks like I'll have to return to the Seireitei once things are settled here."
"Oh?" Urahara waved his paper fan lazily. "But aren't you currently on an active deployment as a stationed Shinigami?"
Kaito laughed it off. "What's there to worry about? My brother Kaien is the Lieutenant of the 13th Division. Getting a temporary reassignment order processed through him won't be an issue at all."
As Kaien Shiba's brother, Kaito had plenty of leverage within his own squad, not to mention his cousin relationship to the Kurosaki family.
Urahara chuckled. "My my, what a terribly convenient use of nepotism."
Kaito raised his teacup in a mock toast. "Pulling strings is great for a quick fix, but it's even better when you can keep doing it."
After leaving the Urahara Shop, Kaito finally returned to the Kurosaki Clinic.
Neither Masaki nor Isshin had returned yet, but Ichigo and Karin were sitting in the living room, completely glued to the television screen.
The TV was broadcasting a historical period drama set in a bustling entertainment district. On screen, several beautiful women dressed in elegant, colorful traditional silk gowns were leaning over a second-floor balcony, smiling and playfully calling out to the passersby below, waving silk handkerchiefs to invite patrons inside for a drink.
"Wow, Ichigo, those traditional dresses are so pretty!" Karin exclaimed, fascinated by the colorful period clothing.
Passing by the living room, Kaito casually remarked, "Well, when you're running a professional business, presentation is everything."
Karin, being so young, blinked in confusion. "What kind of business?"
"They're hospitality merchants," Kaito answered smoothly.
"Huh?" Karin's eyes filled with confusion.
"Kaito!" Ichigo yelled, jumping to his feet and stamping his foot in frustration. His face was flushed with embarrassment. How could Kaito make that kind of joke in front of his little sister?
Kaito turned to look at him, completely amused. What's he so worked up about? Ah, right. Boys his age are maturing fast. Looks like he got the joke.
"By the way, where's Yuzu?" Kaito asked, noticing the youngest sister was missing.
"She's in the bathroom brushing her teeth," Ichigo grumbled, still glaring at him.
While they were talking, the front door opened, and Isshin and Masaki walked in, carrying several large shopping bags.
"Welcome back, Ms. Kurosaki, Uncle," Kaito greeted them.
"Mom!" "Dad!"
Ichigo and Karin instantly scrambled up like a pair of energetic chicks, running over to greet their parents.
"Ichigo, I have some wonderful news for you," Masaki said. She set her shopping bags down, squatted to eye level, and gently patted Ichigo's head. "Your dad and I just signed you up for that karate dojo down the street. Your classes start tomorrow."
Ichigo's eyes went wide. "Really?!"
A few days ago, Masaki had taken Ichigo out shopping, and as they passed a local dojo, Ichigo had stopped dead in his tracks, staring wistfully at the students training inside. Masaki had quietly kept that moment in mind.
Isshin laughed boisterously from the side. "Of course it's true, Ichigo! Consider it a token of your parents love for you!"
"Awesome!" Ichigo began bouncing around the living room in pure excitement.
Amid the warmth of the family room, only Kaito's expression turned solemn. The fateful day had finally arrived.
Tomorrow, then.
He had prepared everything down to the last detail. It was time to rewrite the script.