"Lift the curse…"
Nanao swallowed, heart thumping. She looked up at the black-haired boy before her, eyes full of hope. "You can really lift it?"
For a million years, the Ise clan had borne this curse—men who married in… died. They had once been prosperous. Now they were down to a handful. If not for the Seven-Mirror Sword that only a shrine-priest could wield, the other three great clans might have erased the Ise long ago.
Cole rubbed his chin. "Should be doable. Your sword gives off a slippery, smug vibe. If I don't give it a proper beating, it won't behave."
For now, the Ruyi Jingu Bang—his "Fixed Sea Needle"—didn't suppress as absolutely as he wanted. If he strengthened it fully, then pressed the Seven-Mirror Sword down with it, that blade would submit.
"Alright! I understand!" Nanao clenched her fists, eyes burning. "Cole-san, please absorb the reiryoku. Take as much as you want from our estate—if it lifts our curse."
Cole's eyes lit up. The first shinigami to personally invite him to an all-you-can-eat.
He ruffled her hair. "Our Vice-Captain Nanao's a grown woman—already thinking of the future and her man. Commendable."
Nanao's face flushed; she swatted his hand. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm doing this for my clan's survival—not for some 'future man.'"
"Sure, sure—"
A black blur flicked past.
"Pa!"
Nanao's eyes rolled; she went limp and folded into Cole's arms.
Cole looked toward the shadow, helpless. "Soi fong, seriously?"
He was about to start the buffet. Why knock out the owner?
Soi fong gritted her teeth and put on a fierce face. "Do you lose control every time you see a woman? We're here to 'borrow'—not get caught."
He could take the blame. But she was the Second Division captain—if she were seen tearing down a noble manor, where would that leave her face?
Cole chuckled and quickly explained. "Relax. I'm not some skirt-chaser. If I were, Captain Rangiku would've been 'in danger' long ago."
Soi fong thought it over. True—she considered herself beautiful, but compared to Tenth Division's voluptuous "milk-cow"… still, she huffed, "Remember this: no flirting around. Got it?"
Cole blinked. This yandere lily… claiming him already? That could get messy.
He probed, "What about Unohana?"
Soi fong hesitated, then, after a long inner struggle, muttered, "Unohana… is different. She lives for battle. And she won't try to take you from me…"
"Feels more like you think you can't beat her," Cole murmured.
Soi fong shot him a glare. She definitely wasn't afraid… even if her gut did twist a little.
He coughed. "And Rukia?"
"Rukia…" More hesitation. Rukia was stubborn; she wouldn't give up. Her zanpakuto had already… gotten close with Cole, and she'd peeked more than once. Hard to stop now.
Getting more and more flustered, Soi fong hopped up, nipped Cole's neck, and grumbled, "And you say you're not a lech—how many girls is that?"
Cole yelped his innocence. He admitted he fancied Rukia and Orihime, but Unohana was an accident—he'd treated her like a healer at first. Who knew the healer was a berserker—half demon, half temptress?
Nanao blinked awake, dazed. "Co… le… Captain Soi fong… You two…"
Soi fong's face went crimson; she hopped off Cole and put her cold mask back on. "I saw this scoundrel knock you out, so I came to check on you."
"Cole… knocked me out?" Nanao stared, baffled. She remembered him before her—yet the pain came from behind, still faintly throbbing. And she'd clearly seen the two of them… close. Cole's hand under the Captain's… ahem.
Her cheeks blazed. "You two… you…"
The cold, ruthless commander—in love. And with Rukia's boyfriend, no less. Wasn't Rukia waiting for him to die and come to Seireitei?
Soi fong, realizing the jig was up, glared at Cole, then leveled a frigid gaze at Nanao. "Jinteki Shakusetsu (Sting All Enemies to Death), Suzumebachi."
Her zanpakuto became the queen-bee stinger. She raised the stinger on her right middle finger to Nanao's pale neck. "Speak of this, and I'll kill you."
Nanao broke into a sweat and nodded miserably. "Understood, Captain. I didn't see anything. I don't know anything."
Satisfied, Soi fong let the stinger fade.
Cole cleared his throat. "Soi fong, are we just going to hide… us… forever?"
"Of course," she hissed. "What if Yoruichi-sama finds out?"
She liked Cole. She also adored Yoruichi. If Yoruichi disliked her because of this… no thanks.
"Tsk. Shinigami are all weirdos," Cole muttered. In endless years, everyone grew quirks—even love could split two ways. Then again, compared to Mayuri, this wasn't much. A little yandere never killed anyone—unless they went full yandere.
With that settled, Cole demolished his buffet. An entire noble estate—gone. With Nanao's permission, he swept everything: not just streets and halls, even the altars.
Nanao stood in a sea of grass, stupefied. "Is his body connected to the Dangai?"
She'd heard he could absorb a lot. But this was outrageous. Like a starving ghost reborn.
Soi fong sniffed, eyeing Cole's back. "He's a bull. Big strength—bigger appetite." Remembering last night's humiliations, her cheeks warmed and she pressed her legs together without thinking.
Nanao watched, wide-eyed. First time seeing the cold commander this shy. Was that boy really this… irresistible?
When the final hall vanished, Cole strolled back, satisfied. "Thanks, Nanao. Best meal I've had. I'll give that sword a lesson soon."
"Don't call me 'little Nanao'…" she murmured, blushing. The address felt too intimate.
Cole tilted his head. "But Kyoraku always calls you that."
Nanao ground her teeth. She was definitely disciplining her scruffy uncle later. She was a vice-captain—and a noble.
A few seconds later, she glanced at the empty grounds. "Is that enough? Should I order reconstruction? We're few… it'll take half a month."
"No need for houses," Cole said. "If you want to feed me reiryoku, just compress it into bricks."
No matter how exquisite, buildings were reiryoku cast solid. Bricks were faster to absorb.
Nanao nodded, resolving to have servants compress reiryoku into ordinary stone bricks starting tomorrow.
Soi fong watched his face. "Well?"
Hollow Power… should hit a million, Cole thought. But he still wanted to push his zanpakuto—ideally to Bankai. Just stacking weight forever wasn't ideal.
Hearing he wasn't done, they set off—quiet as shadows—toward the Kuchiki estate.
As they ran, Soi fong frowned at Nanao. "Vice-Captain Nanao, why are you coming?"
"I'm just… watching. I might be useful," Nanao said, a little guilty.
"Really?"
"Really!"
She certainly wasn't admitting she was curious. In a million years of Soul Society, only Cole had dared target all four great clans. The spectacle would be… something.
They reached the Kuchiki grounds. As a top-ranked noble house, it was not only lavish but sprawling. With the ladies' "help" (one servant after another napping), Cole enjoyed another feast. Streets and palaces winked out; the newly raised walls flattened again.
At one corridor, Cole paused and smiled. "Rukia-chan, no patrol today?"
Rukia stepped out in a white haori, surprised. "Cole, what are you—"
She froze. From her doorway, she could see the clan's main gate. The walls, buildings, flowerbeds… all gone. Only Cole stood there, alone.
She tackled him, tiny fists thumping his chest. "You menace! My brother's going to explode. Last time I barely stopped him from using Bankai on you."
These manors—thousands, tens of thousands of years old—were the nobles' "glory." And Byakuya prized that glory above all. Last time, his face had literally turned purple. This time, after all that reconstruction—gone again. A trampling of everything nobles treasured.
Cole turned his head and snorted. "And if he comes? Even with one more Byakuya he can't beat me."
Byakuya was, at best, around Kyoraku's level—maybe less. Cole didn't even need the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Kido and hollowfication would be enough.
Rukia leaned in and bit his arm. "If you break my brother, he won't let me marry you!"
Why does everyone bite… Cole sighed, then hugged her up with one arm. "Ever heard it phrased like this? 'Keep the people, lose the land—both endure. Keep the land, lose the people—both are lost.'"
Rukia knew the saying, but her teeth still clenched. "What's that got to do with you sneaking reiryoku? You even took my house last time."
He ruffled her hair. "I want to be stronger. That's how I protect you."
He thought of the Invisible Empire. When they invaded, what would noble 'glory' do? Become rubble. Could 'glory' block an enemy? When that day came, those so-called honors wouldn't be worth ten rolls of bandages.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]