Osaka Prefecture, in the pocket dimension of a certain basement.
Kisaragi Shūsuke paced by the entrance. Each time he tried to step forward to push the door open, a voice rang out behind him.
"Shūsuke! Shuuichi-sama told you not to go out, remember!"
Hands on her hips, Nagasawa Satomi scolded him, displeasure plain on her face.
"But…"
Shūsuke tried to argue for himself, only for Matsumoto Rangiku to cut him off.
"But what? Shūsuke, did you forget your Zanpakutō was shattered during our escape from Soul Society?
A Zanpakutō broken in its Bankai (Final Release) state cannot be repaired!
Without a Zanpakutō, going out would only burden Shuuichi-sama!"
Kisaragi Shūsuke clenched his fists, chest rising and falling.
Of course he knew all that.
He'd just been numbing himself with the thought, "I'm still useful."
For more than two years he'd ground away at Kidō (Demon Arts) every day, hoping that one day he could still help Shuuichi-sama with Kidō alone.
But he had to admit his Kidō talent wasn't anything special. Right now, he'd barely reached Hadō 63 (Way of Destruction #63).
And now Shuuichi-sama had ordered him to stay in this pocket space.
With Muguruma Kensei and Matsumoto Rangiku's faces exposed, only he, Nagasawa Satomi, and Shuuichi-sama (in another gigai—artificial body) could move freely—and yet he didn't even qualify to go out and help?
"Damn it! Kisaragi Shūsuke, how dare you talk big about being the sharpest blade in Shuuichi-sama's hand like this?!"
He drove a fist into the wall.
He hated it—the uselessness, the arrogance.
Shuuichi-sama treated him like family. He'd sworn to sweep away every danger for him…
In his mind, Shūsuke couldn't help but recall the night he first met Shuuichi-sama.
His father, controlled by a Bakkōtō, had tried to kill him; Shuuichi-sama arrived in time and saved his life.
It was also Shuuichi-sama who gave his father release.
Memories piled up—and suddenly, Shūsuke remembered something he'd always overlooked.
Shuuichi-sama kept a Bakkōtō, always carrying it as a warning to himself.
And that blade… Rangiku had brought it with them to the Human World when they fled Soul Society.
If it's a Bakkōtō…
Kisaragi Shūsuke turned the idea over in his head.
He remembered Shuuichi-sama saying that, unlike Zanpakutō, a Bakkōtō already contains Shinigami power. Its wielder only needs to guide that power out.
The catch: a Bakkōtō corrodes the user's soul. If the user cannot resist—or if their reiryoku runs dry—the Bakkōtō will start devouring its master.
But is that really a "catch"?
He thought of Shuuichi-sama and the others achieving Hollowfication—far harsher than mere soul corrosion. If he couldn't even conquer a mere Bakkōtō, how could he keep pace with Shuuichi-sama?
"Hey, Rangiku—if I'm not mistaken, didn't you bring a Bakkōtō when we came to the Human World?"
Kisaragi Shūsuke turned to Matsumoto Rangiku, his tone solemn.
"Eh? Yeah… why are you asking?"
Rangiku blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.
"Give it to me."
He looked her straight in the eyes, voice steady.
"W-wait, wait—Bakkōtō? Rangiku, Shūsuke, you're serious?"
Off to the side, Muguruma Kensei—who had just finished warming up and was about to begin Hollowfication drills—snapped to attention at those three syllables. He hadn't planned to butt into the juniors' conversation, but no Shinigami who'd lived through that night could be unfamiliar with the name.
Especially a captain like him, who had seen half of Seireitei run red with blood.
"Yes, Captain Muguruma. When we escaped Soul Society, Shuuichi-sama did take a Bakkōtō with him, and once we arrived in the Human World, he handed it to me for safekeeping."
Rangiku hesitated, but answered Kensei first.
"Absurd! Doesn't Shuuichi know how dangerous Bakkōtō are?"
Kensei swore aloud.
"Precisely because Shuuichi-sama knows, he keeps it close as a constant warning."
Kisaragi Shūsuke defended Higashino Shuuichi at once.
"So what exactly makes a Bakkōtō dangerous?"
Nagasawa Satomi, still foggy on the topic, asked in a small voice.
"Simply put, those who wield a Bakkōtō can become beasts, driven by primal desire—and in the end, even have their souls devoured by the blade."
As one in the know, Kabuma Sayako explained.
She hadn't lived that tragedy herself, but as head of the Kabuma clan, she had heard enough.
"That won't do! Rangiku-san, you absolutely must not hand that Bakkōtō to Shūsuke! Why touch something so dangerous?!"
Nagasawa Satomi lost her composure and objected on the spot.
All eyes in the pocket space swung to Kisaragi Shūsuke—including Sugita Ranpo, caged in the distant room; stripped of his Fullbring medium, even he pricked up his ears.
"Because I want to be stronger! I want to help Shuuichi-sama! I don't want to be a burden!
If following him only drags him down, I'd rather have my soul devoured by a Bakkōtō!"
Shūsuke's gaze was unshakable.
"…I understand your feelings, Shūsuke. But we'll wait for Shuuichi-sama to return, tell him, and let him decide."
Rangiku could feel the resolve in his eyes. In his place, she might choose the same. No one wants to be dead weight—certainly not when Shuuichi-sama already shoulders so much alone.
"No. Even if Shuuichi returns, I won't allow you to handle a Bakkōtō."
Muguruma Kensei was first to state his opposition.
Once was enough for tragedy. No more.
"Captain Muguruma!"
Shūsuke had known there would be resistance, but also knew this was his only chance.
"I don't agree either!"
Nagasawa Satomi seconded Kensei with both hands. To her, Shūsuke was already good—better than good—and didn't need to take so reckless a risk.
With nearly everyone against him, Kisaragi Shūsuke still simmered with frustration—but he had no move to make.
Then Kabuma Sayako, who had spoken the least, finally opened her mouth.
"If we wait for Shuuichi-kun to return, given his nature, he likely won't support you, will he, Shūsuke-kun?"
Shūsuke fell silent.
True. With Shuuichi-sama's kindness, he would never approve something so dangerous.
He would rather go out alone than let Shūsuke or Satomi take even a sliver of risk.
How could someone that gentle permit him to touch a Bakkōtō?
Am I just going to keep being a burden?
The thought tasted bitter.
Kabuma Sayako spoke on: "But I also share Shūsuke-kun's view.
Shuuichi-kun always piles every responsibility on himself. He can't bear to see anyone hurt. I truly wish someone could stand at his side and shoulder even a little of the weight."
She closed her eyes; scenes from her time with Higashino Shuuichi rose behind them.
That day, he told her:
"I'll fulfill the Kabuma clan's dream."
That day, he fought half of Soul Society's elites single-handedly to defend the maligned captains.
That day, when she was about to burn her lifespan to release her Zanpakutō, he risked exposure, entered Hollowfication, and rushed to her side—becoming her shield.
Always like that. Bearing it alone. Never a word of complaint.
Sayako knew she'd given him almost nothing in return. It had always been Shuuichi paying the price.
"So, just this once—please allow me a little selfishness, Shuuichi-kun…"
In her heart she whispered an apology.
When she opened her eyes, sapphire-bright, she fixed them on Kisaragi Shūsuke.
"Then, Shūsuke—will you become Shuuichi-kun's shield?"
Shūsuke blinked, then comprehension hit—and joy.
"Of course!"
"In that case, Rangiku—hand the Bakkōtō to Shūsuke."
Sayako nodded and turned to Matsumoto Rangiku, her tone admitting no dissent.
For the first time in a long while, she revealed the authority of a Kabuma clan head.
Everyone froze. It took several seconds before Rangiku stammered, "B-but, Sayako-san…"
"I'll speak to Shuuichi-kun when he returns. I'll explain."
Sayako's answer was firm.
Rangiku glanced at Muguruma Kensei for help—only to find he had surrendered faster than she had, busily "polishing" his Zanpakutō with studious intensity.
Even Nagasawa Satomi, before such a Sayako, dared not object.
She'd lived among Shinigami nearly two years now; she had some idea what a Great Noble meant among them.
Rangiku knew she couldn't hold the line alone. She produced the Bakkōtō Shuuichi had deliberately brought from Soul Society.
The blade exuded a sinister charm—Bakkōtō, Raika (Thunderfire).
For some reason, the moment Kisaragi Shūsuke looked at Raika, a strange intimacy stirred in him.
Something in his gut whispered: this blade was made for him.
"Sayako-san, Rangiku, Captain Muguruma, and Satomi—if I fail to resist the Bakkōtō's corruption, don't hesitate. Kill me."
Before taking the hilt, Shūsuke looked around and voiced his request to everyone present.
"…Understood. But I believe in you, Shūsuke. You'll succeed."
Sayako nodded.
Kisaragi Shūsuke drew a deep breath and closed his fingers around Raika's hilt.
Darkness fell—instantly.
His hand went to his waist on reflex—
Nadegiri (Cleaving Stroke).
In that same darkness, Higashino Shuuichi cleaved forward once; a Fullbringer collapsed into a pool of blood.
Simple. Efficient.
Now that he'd scoped out their Fullbring abilities, he didn't even need to use Shikai, much less Bankai (Final Release).
Compared to the "young version" of himself he'd met before, these Fullbringers just had fussy, varied ability sets.
Only the one the others had run into—Sugita Ranpo—had been thorny. The rest he'd handled since were nothing special.
The only cost: Soul Society's investigation team had taken heavier losses than he liked.
Not his fault. The plan was to use his "Musashi Kojirō" identity and "sword training" as cover—driving Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika, two irregular assets, to draw the Fullbringers out.
Then, once he'd mapped their powers, strike each down with sudden, overwhelming force.
Everything had been perfect—until, step by step, while he advanced, the investigation squad ignored the warning he'd sent under the name Shihōin Yoruichi.
They blundered, one after another, into traps laid by the Fullbringers.
Even Shiba Kaien almost went down in one of them.
Thankfully, thanks to the 13th Division's lieutenant's self-sacrificing rescue, Kaien's life was spared.
He sheathed his blade.
Shuuichi walked over to the fallen Fullbringer, picked up the trinket serving as a medium, and tucked it into his pouch.
"You're no ordinary human! Who are you?!"
On the ground, the Fullbringer—more air going out than in—spat the question.
A moment ago he'd been toying with two Shinigami; the next, this "human" had steamrolled him with blunt, brutal inevitability.
Anyone would struggle to accept that turnabout.
The same question flickered across Ikkaku and Yumichika's faces where they leaned on each other a short distance away.
They hadn't imagined that the man who'd been calling himself their "master" these last two days could meddle in a fight on their level—and end it like snapping a twig.
"Me?"
Higashino Shuuichi smiled lightly, crouched, and lifted a hand to cast Kaidō (Healing Kidō) on the Fullbringer.
Kaidō wasn't much on human bodies, but it would keep him alive.
"You can call me Musashi Kojirō. Though my other name may ring a bell.
Former 11th Division lieutenant of Soul Society—Higashino Shuuichi."
"What?!"
At the same instant, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and the Fullbringer gaped in shock.
For the first pair, it was the brazen way he revealed himself. For the third, it was what it implied: if Higashino Shuuichi had been drawn into Osaka, then what about Urahara Kisuke? Hirako Shinji? The other captains and lieutenants who fled Soul Society?
If they were all here, the plan's scope would blow past any earlier projection.
He strained to warn the others—
—and Shuuichi dropped him with Bakudō: Hakufuku (Lull), a Kidō that induced unconsciousness.
At this point, the investigation team was mostly dead or dying. The three survivors were all "acquaintances," so Shuuichi had no reason to keep hiding.
"Let's go. Time to see how Shiba Kaien's recovery is going."
Shuuichi turned, beaming at Ikkaku and Yumichika.
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