"Ugh, Cole, you always say such weird things. How could there possibly be enemies in Soul Society right now?"
Rukia muttered under her breath.
After witnessing the terror of Ryūjin Jakka before, she couldn't imagine anyone threatening Seireitei. Not even Aizen and his lot could manage that. Only this troublemaker Cole kept "snacking" on Seireitei's various buildings—now he didn't even spare the nobles' mansions.
"Rukia-chan, pleeease?"
Cole grinned, looping his arms around Rukia and dipping his head to peck her pale cheek.
Rukia went scarlet, dizziness buzzing through her skull, but still whispered, "No. If my brother finds out, he'll go berserk."
Cole blinked at the zanpakuto at her waist, then put on a wounded look. "If Sode no Shirayuki (Sleeve of White Snow) were here, she'd back me up. Shame she left."
At his words, the blade at Rukia's hip thrummed softly.
Rukia deflated, drew Sode no Shirayuki, and sighed, "Okay, okay—I'll help you, all right?"
Just now, in her inner world, Sode no Shirayuki had protested nonstop, insisting she help Cole go "taste-test" more buildings. Only when Rukia agreed did the blade's humming settle.
"Nice work, Shirayuki!"
Cole flashed a thumbs-up at Sode no Shirayuki.
With Rukia leading, Cole ate architecture like a fish back in water. They didn't even bump into a single servant along the way. During the raid, Rukia also ran into Soi fong and Nanao—instantly grinding her teeth.
"You two accomplices, just wait till my brother gets back. He won't just punish Cole—he'll give you both a lesson too."
Soi fong and Nanao coughed and, after a glance at each other, decided Rukia should probably join in anyway.
Soon after, only a solitary great hall remained of the Kuchiki estate. The three girls, feeling guilty, sheathed their blades. The ground was littered with unconscious Kuchiki retainers and servants.
As the buildings dwindled, anyone with half a brain would realize something was off, so they had no choice but to knock everyone out.
"Cole, leave one building. It's the Kuchiki clan's symbol. We need to hurry out of here…"
Rukia grabbed Cole's arm, tugging him toward the exit, terrified her brother would come back and fight Cole to the death. If Cole still won, her brother would just be even more furious.
Soi fong muttered, voice small, "Y-yeah, let's head back and find a place to hide. We can show up again once the nobles cool down."
Rukia: "…"
Nanao: "…"
Both shot Soi fong a dark look. "That's not right. Three of the Four Great Noble houses just got 'sampled.' Obviously our next stop is the Shihōin."
Soi fong turned pitiful eyes on Cole. Her Bee family had served the Shihōin for generations—how could she invite a wolf into the house?
Cole ruffled Soi fong's hair with a sunny smile. "The Four Great Houses share honor and hardship. Blessings together, burdens together, right?"
And so—despite Soi fong's desperate objections—Cole cheerfully arrived at the Shihōin estate.
The many freshly rebuilt buildings here were even grander than the Kuchiki's—an exhibition of the Shihōin's deep coffers and armory. Nanao stared, full of envy.
"No wonder the Shihōin are number one among the Four Great Houses. Rebuilt in half a month and already beyond the Tsunayashiro's."
If one ranked the Four, Shihōin sat at the top—plain from the strength of their vassals alone.
"Onmitsukidō (Stealth Force)! Keigun (Executive Militia)! The captaincy of Second Division!"
Unlike the other noble houses that usually held one hereditary office, the Shihōin controlled three. Their influence was enormous.
Soi fong swallowed, tense. "Cole, maybe we give up here. The Shihōin have too many sacred tools. Even I don't know how many."
Cole licked his lips and called a golden staff into his hand with a flick. "Give up? No way. Worst case, I fight them. Honestly, I've been wanting to teach those stuck-up types a lesson."
He still remembered how smug the Shihōin nobles had been last time—ordering Soi fong to hand over her post, as if they looked down on all creation. If not for Yoruichi adding a few points in their favor, he'd rate them below even the Tsunayashiro.
Soi fong flinched, about to argue, but Cole blurred—a streak of black—flitting through the Shihōin compound. Wherever he passed, buildings winked out of existence.
The three girls had just rushed after him when a clear bronze chime rang across the estate. The sound was long and pleasant, yet instantly set the Shihōin on alert.
"Not good—that's a scouting relic!"
Soi fong stared at the great bronze bell in the distance, anxiety spiking.
In moments, a wave of shinigami in black sprang across rooftops like swallows, encircling Cole. He casually absorbed a section of wall, then glanced their way, musing, "Paranoid bunch. Are these really servants? They feel sharper than the Keigun."
Soi fong hastily pulled on a black night-ops outfit and tossed matching sets to Rukia and Nanao to hide their noble identities. Only then did she slip to Cole's side and whisper, "Of course. The Shihōin are famed as Soul Society's armory and dagger—the only noble house that commands a true force."
Byakuya might hold a captaincy, yes, but his duty was protecting noble privilege. The Shihōin, by contrast, held real military power. If they wished, they could mobilize troops and crush resistance.
Because of that, both the Shihōin and their vassal families possessed considerable combat strength.
Cole's eyes brightened; he twirled his golden staff, eager. "So—how many seconds do you think they can hold me?"
Soi fong was near tears, tugging his sleeve. Was he actually doing this? Her father might be inside.
Just then, from among the black-clad ranks, a doubtful voice called, "Soi fong!?"
A middle-aged man in black stepped forward, bewildered as he peered at her. Something about the petite figure felt familiar—but that was impossible. The Bee line had served the Shihōin for generations. Why would she rebel and invade?
"Father…"
Cold sweat beaded down Soi fong's brow. She hadn't expected her father to actually be on site.
"Father!?"
Cole glanced over, curious. In the anime, Soi fong's father only ever appeared once, masked. He hadn't expected to see him here.
"Don't talk…"
Soi fong scolded Cole in a thin voice, cleared her throat, and rasped, "Who is Soi fong? Never heard the name."
Her father exhaled, deciding he'd imagined it. Of course—Soi fong would never betray Lady Yoruichi.
While both sides hesitated, the black-clad shinigami suddenly parted, forming a path. Down it came a delicate-looking youth with wheat-brown skin and long black hair—appearance strikingly similar to Yoruichi's.
Plainly frightened, he still mustered his courage. "Y-you're Cole, right? Why are you making trouble in our house? My sister isn't here. Please go back."
"???"
Cole stared at the dainty "boy-girl," then leaned toward Soi fong and whispered, "Who's the little boy-girl?"
Flushing, the youth stammered, "I—I'm a man…"
"Mind your manners," Soi fong hissed, gripping Cole's sleeve. "That's the current Shihōin head, Yoruichi's younger brother—Yushiro."
"Eh!?"
Cole blinked, incredulous. "Yoruichi's younger brother? She has a brother? And he's the head? Isn't she supposed to be the family head?"
The kid looked delicate and soft—not at all like the head of a great house.
Soi fong murmured, "A hundred years ago, Lady Yoruichi defected from Soul Society. The Shihōin had to choose a new head."
While they spoke, Yushiro—seeing Cole ignore him—again gathered his nerve. "Cole, if you don't leave now, then as head of the Shihōin, I'll have to punish you…"
A shadow flicked.
Cole appeared before Yushiro as if by teleportation, crouching to study him curiously. "Yoruichi's brother—you really a boy?"
Yushiro jolted back two steps, eyes wide with fear. "S-so fast… even faster than Sister…"
Being Yoruichi's brother, he'd learned the hoho technique Utsusemi (Cicada Shell). But in that instant, he hadn't just failed to react—he hadn't even seen Cole move.
Cole smiled modestly. "Not really. What I just showed still isn't at Yoruichi's level."
From his feel, the kid's strength wasn't great—maybe not even half of Yoruichi's. Otherwise he'd have sensed the gap.
Thinking this, Cole lifted both hands and prodded the youth's chest lightly, surprised. "Wow, really is a boy. I could feel it from your reiryoku, but I didn't expect you to look this pretty."
Put Yushiro and Yoruichi side by side—without sensing reiryoku, you'd swear they were two sisters.
Yushiro's face went crimson at the touch, tears welling as he trembled. "W-what do you think you're doing!?"
Seeing their head "defiled," the black-clad shinigami roared in fury. Blades hissed free as they charged.
"What are you doing to our lord!?"
"Don't be afraid, Lord Yushiro—I'll kill him!"
"How dare you insult the Shihōin!"
"A lowly human, offending noble honor…"
Cole stayed crouched. He flicked a glance at the oncoming squad, lips curving as blue reiryoku burst from him.
Boom.
The world cracked. A near-physical tide of blue spiritual pressure rolled out like a tsunami. The charging shinigami vanished beneath the raging flood, not even able to resist as they screamed away into walls and halls. Rumbles piled on rumbles. Streets became rubble; black forms lay strewn everywhere. In the center, the ground sank into a wide crater.
Yushiro stared, stupefied, then collapsed onto his rear, eyes locked on the terrifying black-haired youth.
Cole smiled and started to speak to the "boy-girl"—then hissed, sucking in a breath. "Ow—hey, easy, let go—that hurts! Don't bite—my arm's not a chew toy!"
Soi fong's teeth ground audibly. "My father is in there! Your spiritual pressure blasted him over three hundred meters!"
She'd looked away one second—and he'd nearly launched her father into the sky.
Cole coughed twice, remembering a beat too late, then soothed her in a low voice. Soi fong huffed, releasing him at last—though she warned, "Don't bully Yushiro. He's timid and cries easily. If you scare him to pieces, what then?"
"Relax…"
Cole rubbed his shoulder. "I shielded him on purpose. Otherwise you think he'd still be standing there talking to me?"
With the spiritual power he carried now—if he hadn't protected the kid—Yushiro might've flown eight hundred meters.
After calming Soi fong, Cole turned back, ruffled Yushiro's hair, and smiled. "Yushiro, right? I'm your sister Yoruichi's good friend—very close. Just treat me like your big brother."
Yushiro bit his lip, eyes watery. "I—I'm three hundred and twelve. Sister told me you're just a sixteen-year-old kid."
"Whoa. A three-hundred-and-twelve-year-old 'boy-girl'…"
Cole's eyes flicked to Yushiro's hair, then narrowed playfully. "Age isn't the best metric anyway. Height and strength count more, don't they?"
Yushiro flinched and nodded with teary earnestness. "Y-you're right…"
"So what should you call me now?" Cole asked, grinning.
"C-Cole… big brother Cole…"
"Good."
Cole nodded, satisfied. "Then big brother Cole is going to absorb a little of your household's reiryoku. You don't mind… right?"
Yushiro shook his head pitifully. "N-no… I don't mind."
(End of Chapter)
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