Human World, Karakura Town.
The Senkaimon appeared in the sky above the old park near the outskirts of Karakura Town, glowing with pure white light. In the next moment, Ichigo, Ren, and Tatsuki tumbled out of it, plummeting toward the ground as if someone had kicked them out.
"Uwaaah!" – Inoue screamed, flailing her arms in the air, unaccustomed to such a rough landing.
"Grab onto me!" – Ichigo shouted before creating a temporary platform of Reishi beneath his feet to slow the fall, quickly catching Inoue before she could crash straight onto a rooftop.
Ren, on the other hand, landed calmly atop a metal utility pole, sitting there as if nothing had happened, then hopped down lightly.
"Are you alright?" – Ren asked as he looked at Tatsuki in his arms, having caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Are you all beginners at handling Reiryoku…?" – Suì-Fēng muttered disapprovingly as she caught both Ishida and Chad, landing smoothly beside Ren before unceremoniously dropping them onto the ground.
"I'm fine, I just need to process how I went from the sky to your arms!" – Tatsuki murmured quietly, her face slightly flushed as she slipped out of Ren's hold, trying hard to hide her embarrassment.
Ren smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow:
"I figured you were flying toward me, so I thought it polite to catch you."
Meanwhile, Ishida landed on the ground with a muffled thud, while Chad hit the ground with such force that dust scattered around him.
"Ah…" – Ishida muttered as he adjusted his glasses – "I was just a little surprised and didn't have time to form a Reishi platform."
He lied without hesitation, unwilling to admit that he had lost his power due to the forbidden technique he had used in his battle against Kurotsuchi.
"Unconvincing." – Suì-Fēng said coldly, her sharp gaze flashing at him. "That fall wasn't the way a trained Quincy would land."
"L-Like I said, I was just surprised!" – Ishida tried to justify himself again, standing stiffly, but Suì-Fēng's eyes remained fixed on him as though reading through his words.
As for Chad, he simply stood up in silence, brushed off the dust, and gave a quiet nod.
"Do you want a ride?" – Ren ignored the amusing spat between Ishida and Suì-Fēng, focusing instead on Tatsuki – "I can drop you off on my way home."
"N-no, it's fine. I'll head back with Orihime." – Tatsuki hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to return home with Inoue.
"Let's go home, Ren. I want to sleep." – Yoruichi said, patting Ren's cheek with her palm. She was tired and simply wanted to rest.
After revealing her true identity, Yoruichi no longer used the sharp masculine voice, but her real one—making her all the more captivating, both to the eyes and ears, with her beautiful, resonant tone.
"Yoruichi-sama…" – Suì-Fēng muttered, staring at Yoruichi with puppy-like eyes, longing to spend more time with her. She hadn't expected Yoruichi to ignore her and choose instead to head home with Ren.
But at that moment, Yoruichi's earlier words echoed in her mind.
'Even though I spent the first century hiding from Aizen, in the last decade I've grown fond of Ren and decided to raise him as my little husband. What do you think, Suì-Fēng? Would you like to join in as part of the wedding gift?'
Since Yoruichi had spoken those outrageous words, Suì-Fēng had become acutely aware of Ren's presence. She had begun to see him as her own future husband—it was impossible for her to let Yoruichi marry him while she remained on the sidelines.
Of course, neither Ren nor anyone else knew of her thoughts, save for Yoruichi—the instigator—who smiled playfully whenever she saw the look in Suì-Fēng's eyes. Clearly, her little scheme to make Ren catch Suì-Fēng's attention had succeeded, at least in part.
"Yeah, let's go." – Ren replied, reaching out his hand to Yoruichi and gently petting the cat's head before turning to Ichigo – "I'll head off first. I want to rest and enjoy what's left of summer vacation."
"Alright, I'll take a walk around the city before heading back." – Ichigo said, gazing into the distance, feeling nostalgic for his hometown. He had a lot on his mind and needed time to sort through his thoughts.
"Wait…" – Suì-Fēng suddenly said, pulling a simple key from her clothes and tossing it to Ren – "Since you're now part of the Gotei 13, a residence has been assigned to you. This is the key to your apartment. As for your salary, it will be deposited into your bank account in Soul Society."
After handing him the key, she produced a black bank card marked with the emblem of a flaming skull—the official Soul Society bank. The currency of the Shinigami and that of humans were entirely different, though they could be exchanged like dollars and euros in the human world. Now that the Shinigami had established a base in the Human World, they needed local currency more than ever.
"Oh~ I'll make sure to check it later." – Ren nodded lightly, pocketing the key and card without even glancing at them. Waving lazily, he began to walk away.
"…" – Suì-Fēng stared at his retreating back, her stern face already flushed as her mind spun with inappropriate thoughts. The apartment she had given him was right next to her own—deliberately chosen to make it easier to get closer to him. He was Yoruichi's man now, but he would be hers too, in time.
"Do I get something like that as well?" – Ichigo asked curiously. He didn't particularly care, but still felt left out when his twin received an apartment key and a bank card while he got nothing.
"Hmph. Here." – Suì-Fēng scoffed coldly, tossing him another key and bank card before vanishing with Shunpo, not bothering to speak to him further.
"The difference in treatment is outrageous…" – Ichigo muttered gloomily, feeling the urge to cry. His younger twin was always treated specially by women and girls, while he was feared because of his perpetually angry-looking face.
As he sulked, Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder—Chad's large palm patting him gently, as if to comfort the elder Kurosaki.
"Don't worry, at least you weren't thrown onto the ground like me." – Ishida muttered, brushing dust off his clothes, standing beside Ichigo while trying to maintain his composure despite his misery.
"…" – Ichigo stared at the two men beside him, then at Ren walking away with a cat-like woman, feeling even more wronged. Meanwhile, Tatsuki and Inoue had already left, leaving only three miserable bachelors behind together.
...
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