The night was already deep, like an inky curtain, shrouding the Shiba estate.
Feeling refreshed and clear headed, Rosse appeared at the Shiba family mansion amid the crisp chime of wind bells stirred by a light breeze.
However, when his Haki swept over the inside of the residence and sensed that unusual stillness, his brows could not help but lift slightly.
As usual, Shiba Kukaku came forward with that gentle smile meant only for Rosse.
She reached out with both hands, skillfully and attentively taking the haori from his shoulders, her movements soft and natural.
But what was different was that the other familiar figure who should have been there, Yoruichi Shihoin, was nowhere to be seen.
"She chose to break her promise and run?"
Rosse wrapped an arm around the apologetic Shiba Kukaku, chuckling as he patted her back, telling her not to mind it.
He had thought Yoruichi might run, but he did not expect her to leave without even a word, slipping away so quietly.
But in his impression, Yoruichi really did have that kind of mischievous personality.
"She was always like this before too. I do not know if she had already made up her mind, or if after watching twice she got scared and ran."
Shiba Kukaku shook her head helplessly, disappointment toward Yoruichi in her tone.
She and Yoruichi had been close friends since childhood, yet she never thought the other would even run away from something she had promised her.
Maybe in the other's eyes, what she had given really was not worth mentioning at all.
At most, when she one day died like Sui Feng, Yoruichi would come forward to seek justice for her.
But when she was alive, Yoruichi did not stand up for her, so what use would it be after she was dead.
This time she had not only broken her word to her, she had also lost her word with Rosse.
They had never been obligated to help Yoruichi. Did they really think they were after some consensus with the Shihoin family.
To put it bluntly, without Shihoin Yoruichi, with the current state of the Shihoin family, it was not even as good as her Shiba family.
And Yoruichi probably never even thought about what she would face once she lost Rosse's trust.
From the beginning, her relationship with Rosse had never been equal.
It was always Rosse helping her one sidedly, while she could not help him with anything, only offering herself as repayment.
Now something like this had happened again, which really left Shiba Kukaku feeling awkward.
"She can run this time, but next time I want to see how she runs. She has to come back to Soul Society eventually. But next time we meet, I will not care about your face," Rosse chuckled, his body sliding down smoothly until his head rested on Shiba Kukaku's soft thighs, enjoying his daily routine of facial cleaning.
"No need to care about me," Shiba Kukaku took off the somewhat cumbersome outerwear. She squeezed cleanser into her palms, cupped them gently, and began carefully wiping Rosse's cheeks, her movements so tender they could drown a person.
"From the moment she pleaded for Sui Feng, there is no friendship left between her and me," Not to mention Rosse, even if she herself met Yoruichi next time, she would not let her go.
'Just wait, there will come a day when she will come begging me.'
"Husband, what status do you have in the Palace of the Hollow King?"
As she gently applied it, Shiba Kukaku's curious voice broke the quiet of the tea room.
"Why are you interested in that?"
Rosse slightly opened his mouth. With the soft foam of the cleanser, his tongue unconsciously licked at it. In those wisps there seemed to be a fresh, vanilla like scent, just like Shiba Kukaku herself.
"I just feel that Soul Society is very boring, and I cannot feel any sense of belonging here at all," As Shiba Kukaku massaged Rosse, a trace of confusion showed in her eyes.
Right now, she truly did not know what she should be doing.
Aizen and the other enemies were right in front of her, appearing every day, yet she could do nothing about them.
Whether it was Kyoraku Shunsui or Aizen, neither was someone she could deal with, and even Rosse needed to plan things out carefully.
In a Soul Society full of enemies like this, how could she possibly have any sense of belonging.
Without a sense of belonging, she could not find any direction to work toward.
All her friends were drifting farther and farther away. Other than Rosse, there was not a single person she could talk to.
She was not a woman with much ambition to begin with. Becoming the head of the Shiba family and guarding this main business had always been because of the responsibilities placed on her by the dead.
Now, although that responsibility could not be said to be fully fulfilled, with Rosse's help she had at least managed to hold on to it.
"My status in the Palace of the Hollow King. If you go there, aside from a few people you need to watch out for, you can do whatever you want. You could even command the Espada to attack Soul Society," Rosse spoke vaguely, not because he was trying to be vague, but because he was literally speaking with something in his mouth.
"You actually are?"
Hearing Rosse's words, Shiba Kukaku ignored the stimulating sensation of breathing in and looked down at him in shock.
She was not a stupid woman.
With Rosse saying that much, how could she not understand that Rosse was at least king level in the Palace of the Hollow King.
Even if he was not the Hollow King himself, he was at least on the same level as Shutara.
Back then, Shutara faced Head Captain Yamamoto and the members of Squad Zero head on, in the end defeating Yamamoto and leaving gracefully, which had stunned everyone in Soul Society.
Now hearing that Rosse was on the same level as Shutara, Shiba Kukaku could not believe her ears.
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Do not let it slip out."
Rosse smiled slightly, his nose gently bumping against Shiba Kukaku's.
"I definitely will not tell, but the strength of your Palace of the Hollow King is already enough to destroy Soul Society, right?", Shiba Kukaku could not help saying.
"Do you really want me to destroy Soul Society that much?", Rosse asked back.
"Of course. If possible, I really look forward to that day," Shiba Kukaku answered almost without hesitation, as if she were stating something she was determined to accomplish.
"Then you will have a long wait. The Palace of the Hollow King's strength is still not enough to take down Soul Society," Rosse smiled.
With his current strength, he still did not have absolute confidence of beating that monk, let alone fighting in the Royal Palace, the other side's home field.
And although he had quite a few helpers around him, at most they could hold off the captains of Soul Society. They simply could not harm that monk or the Soul King himself.
Even if he won in the end, it would most likely be a pyrrhic victory.
He had plenty of time now, and there was no need to use such extreme methods.
"I can wait, even ten years or a hundred years. As long as there is this hope, it is enough," Shiba Kukaku could not help reaching out, grabbing Rosse and starting to stroke him. This was her way of expressing her love.
Knowing that her revenge was possible, and with a very high probability at that, was already enough for her.
"Aren't you afraid I am on the same side as Aizen and the others?", Rosse teased as he enjoyed it.
"No. He definitely knows you, but you are absolutely not on the same side. He uses petty tricks that cannot even be put on the table. Those are things you would not even bother to use."
"Tch! Looks like you really do understand me."
"Stop talking and let me bite you!"
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