It was already late at night when a response from the Gotei 13 finally arrived, but that response was rather unexpected.
'Why did these two come?'
Keiji wondered as he watched the figures step through the Senkaimon with firm strides. The air seemed to grow heavier when they appeared, bringing a sense of authority with their reiatsu.
The first was the Captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Byakuya, known for his expressionless face and imposing presence. Walking beside him was Lieutenant Abarai Renji, with his reiatsu overflowing, unable to hide the fire in his eyes.
When Keiji received the order to wait for the arrival of a verification team, he had already suspected something was wrong. But seeing two heavy hitters sent just for a "verification"… was a little too obvious.
"Third Seat of the Fourth Division, Ayano Keiji."
Byakuya spoke in a cold, calculated voice, casting only a sidelong glance at Rukia's figure, which began to tremble.
"We received your report. Where is the man who received the powers of the prisoner Kuchiki Rukia?"
Keiji lifted his shoulders slightly, as if the question were a minor detail, ignoring the Captain's tone of superiority.
"I didn't detain him or anything like that. Was that necessary?"
Keiji did not remember any law that extended Rukia's punishment to the human who inherited her powers. But, to be fair, he had never been the most dedicated at memorizing the Soul Society's countless rules.
He was also the type to forget those rules when it was "convenient."
"It's a decision from the superiors that the powers acquired by the individual be removed."
This time it was Abarai Renji who answered, already taking a step forward.
"Give us his location."
'So that's how you want to act? Decrepit old men. All of them.'
Keiji was more convinced that the reason the Soul Society had been stagnant for so long was because of those backward mentalities.
"I believe my mission was fulfilled when I sent my report. Your search doesn't depend on me, Lieutenant-san."
The words were said in a relaxed way, without the weight of hierarchy affecting him.
"I'll wait for you to finish so we can go."
"You are… refusing an order, Third Seat of the Fourth Division?"
Renji's face tightened with frustration, and his reiatsu began to spread through the area aggressively.
Rukia might have felt the weight of the reiatsu and shrunk back, but it barely affected Keiji, who held back the urge to yawn.
"Don't get excited, Lieutenant-san. You can't give me orders. Even if you decide to flash that reiatsu of yours in front of me."
{Ridiculous.}
Sora's voice echoed with contempt.
Even at full force, Renji was far from impressive. And yet he wanted to show off, ignoring the fact that part of his power was sealed by regulation.
Renji, of course, did not take Keiji's words well and amped up his reiatsu even more, trying to crush him with sheer intensity.
{It seems he wants to show off… shall we help him a little with that~?}
Just as Keiji was considering going along with what Sora said, Renji's reiatsu was instantly crushed by a much greater force coming from Byakuya.
"Do not embarrass yourself, Renji. With the limiter imposed, you are not this man's opponent."
The words were spoken calmly, but they made it clear that Byakuya had no interest in wasting time on ego displays.
Even with Keiji's low activity, it was widely speculated among the Captains that Ayano Keiji had been at a power level comparable to a Lieutenant for a long time.
Some even whispered that he was wasting his strength by staying in the Fourth Division, though few dared say that near Captain Unohana.
"Not even when he's without the limiter would he be."
Keiji helpfully added on the side. After all, the limiter restricted a Shinigami's total amount of reiryoku, not its potency. As such, Renji's reiatsu was still only at that level.
"That is not important right now."
Byakuya did not bother to refute or confirm, turning his attention beyond Keiji and Rukia.
It was Gotei 13 protocol that when Captain- or Lieutenant-class individuals came to the Human World, a Spiritual Limiter was imposed on them, restricting their reiryoku by 80%. The measure existed to keep their mere presence from causing unnecessary harm.
Byakuya and Renji were under that Spiritual Limiter.
Keiji, as a Third Seat, was not subject to such limitations, even though his reiryoku was enough to cause trouble if used without control.
Except that control had never been a problem for him.
"Y-you…!! Why are you helping to hide a human?!"
But Renji could not hold back his frustration so easily. His voice came out more like a growl than a formal accusation.
Keiji could not tell whether it was just wounded pride, jealousy, or something personal toward Ichigo, but the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division seemed to have an immediate dislike for the boy.
"I am not hiding anyone. I am saying that if you want to find him, you should do it on your own."
The smile he threw at the scowling members of the Sixth Division was almost an invitation to irritation. Keiji had already heard about Byakuya's rigidity and pride, and teasing that seemed tempting.
Too bad the moment was not exactly appropriate.
"It will not be necessary."
Confirming the fact that Keiji had felt his reiatsu moments earlier, Ichigo appeared in front of the members of the Sixth Division wearing the standard Shinigami shihakushō and carrying a large sword.
"What is this about, Rukia? The talk about isolation was already bad enough… but execution? Was Urahara telling the truth?!"
"Ichigo…"
Rukia could barely respond, clearly surprised and worried by the fact that Ichigo had shown up and by the direction the situation was taking.
"Who do you think you are to question Rukia?! It is because of you that all of this is happening!"
As if he instinctively sensed his enemy, Renji switched his hostility from Keiji to Ichigo in an instant.
'What a volatile person.'
"My fault?! You are the ones who want to kill Rukia! And why?! She only helped me save my family!"
"You, who know nothing about Shinigami, should not be getting involved in this."
Renji spoke, taking a step forward and frowning.
"I am Abarai Renji, Lieutenant of the Sixth Division. I will remove the powers that Rukia gave you and, with that, wipe away the crime she committed."
With a quick motion, Renji drew his Zanpakutō, the blade gleaming under the faint light of the night.
"Ha, just you? Bring it on!"
Ichigo in response raised his own Zanpakutō in front of him in a sloppy guard, determination stamped on his face.
{I have noticed before, but Pumpkin Head is a disaster with his spiritual sense.}
Sora's voice sounded in Keiji's mind, almost amused.
'Probably with everything linked to reiryoku, actually.'
Keiji finished mentally.
The fact that Ichigo had not even looked in Byakuya's direction, who was not even trying to hide his presence, was clear proof of how little he understood the refined techniques that a true Shinigami should master.
{He is ignoring you as well.}
'It seems so.'
While he watched the potential confrontation between Ichigo and Renji, Keiji glanced away for an instant toward Rukia. She seemed uneasy, almost as if she were desperately searching for a way to keep this from advancing into something worse.
To become stronger, you need to be willing to take risks.
As a Shinigami, everyone should understand that. But it seemed some did not understand something so simple.
According to what was said by Urahara, Ichigo possessed immense potential and needed to become stronger in order to face the man who was orchestrating the fall of the Soul Society.
Since that was the complete, formulated answer from Urahara among the three questions, Keiji chose to believe it.
After all, the idea of someone with such great power appearing among humans was quite appealing.
"Kurosaki-san… now that you possess a power you could not have had as a human… what do you want to do with it?"
Before the exchange of blows could begin, Keiji threw out his question, cutting through the tension that was growing between Ichigo and Renji.
Byakuya, who had been silent until then, raised an eyebrow slightly. His gaze turned to Ichigo, also interested in the answer.
"Huh, Keiji? You were here too?"
Ichigo replied, scratching his head as if he had only now noticed his presence, making Keiji sigh.
"I never thought about any of that… I did not even want to do this Shinigami thing. But if I did not… a lot of people could have gotten hurt. And that could also happen to Karin and Yuzu… so I would not forgive myself for not doing something to help…"
Ichigo's voice trembled for a moment, but it steadied at the end.
"So… as long as I can keep protecting them… I think that is already enough for me."
"'Protect'? Is that your belief?"
"It is too much to call it a belief… it is just what I want to do."
{How simple.}
'It is simple, but it is not bad.'
It was not about the goal itself, but about how much he was willing to sacrifice to achieve it.
How far was Ichigo willing to go to protect?
The answer to that question would determine how strong he could become.
"If you want to keep 'protecting,' keep getting stronger and stronger, Kurosaki-san."
A small smile appeared on his face.
'I am looking forward to the future.'
With his curiosity satisfied, Keiji drew his attention away from the pair who were watching him with curiosity and walked until he stopped beside the silent Byakuya.
"Captain Kuchiki, keep in mind that the boy you are aiming at is the same one your adorable imouto broke the rules to save. And the same one who has been protecting and will continue risking himself to protect her, like now."
"Where are you going with this?"
Byakuya asked in a cold tone, the frown almost imperceptible on his serious face.
"Take it easy a little, okay~?"
"I will do what is expected of me as one of the Captains of the Gotei 13 and the Head of a Noble House."
"Is that so?"
Keiji turned, shrugging at Byakuya.
{He is going to kill him.}
'That is what it looks like. But does Sora not also have that feeling that it will all work out anyway?'
{And if it does not?}
'Well… I never counted on Pumpkin Head's help to defeat the man behind the scenes. Only we are enough.'
He could also formally challenge Byakuya to a fight with the excuse of avenging his 'long-lost brother' in the worst-case scenario.
{Kekeke~ correct answer.}
"I am going on ahead. I do not want to waste time watching something so pathetic."
Keiji had done enough to show goodwill. Now the rest would depend on Ichigo.
"Pumpkin Head-san, let us meet again when you become stronger!"
"Huhh?!! Who is Pumpkin Head?!!"
[——]
– – –
[1/2]
『Group Chat』
[Members]: Grayfia Lucifuge; Boa Hancock; Aizawa Shota; Zen'in Maki; Ayano Keiji.
『New Messages』
[Ayano Keiji: Yo, I thought of something curious. Do you all have Japan in your worlds?]
[Aizawa Shota: Yes, it's where I live.]
[Zen'in Maki: Obviously.]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: It exists in my world as well, although I do not visit it often. It overlaps with territories of other supernatural factions.]
[Boa Hancock: Hmph. In my world there is nothing like that.]
[Ayano Keiji: So, except for Hancock-san, we all have a Japan?]
[Aizawa Shota: Seems to be the case. Maybe we can treat Earth's structure as a general norm. The same map, but with many differences in the content.]
[Zen'in Maki: But still, the idiot and Grayfia do not live in Japan, right? They have those "other worlds" inside their own world.]
[Ayano Keiji: "Idiot"? I thought we were past the nickname phase.]
[Aizawa Shota: "Underworld," "Heaven," "Soul Society," "Hueco Mundo"… that is already a lot just to hear.]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: We also have other dimensions where Gods live with their factions.]
[Zen'in Maki: Yes, please. Keep reminding me that Gods are alive in your world…]
[Boa Hancock: … are you excluding me from this conversation?]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: "Shinigami" would also mean "God of Death," would it not?]
[Ayano Keiji: In my case, it is more like "Soul Reaper." We are not Gods, but a bunch of full-time workers.]
[Zen'in Maki: Yeah, and you became one after dying… which makes no sense at all! How does someone dead get more life than they had in life?]
[Ayano Keiji: Should the afterlife make sense? Logic ends right at that moment. Anyway, do people who die in your world go to "Heaven," Grayfia-san?]
[Zen'in Maki: You certainly would not.]
[Grayfia Lucifuge: It depends on the territory; Church believers may go to Heaven, but Japan is Shinto-faction territory, so they have their own cycle.]
[Aizawa Shota: That is a lot of information to take in…]
[Boa Hancock: … hmph!]
[Ayano Keiji: It seems the soul cycle in your world can be pretty complicated…]
– – –
Having fulfilled his daily dose of socializing in the chat, Keiji closed the holographic screen and walked through the corridors to the Fourth Division's main room.
As he walked, the light sound of his sandals echoed on the clean floor, mixed with the rustle of papers and the low murmur of quiet conversations from other members of the division.
Keiji also noticed the absence of Isane's reiatsu in the division complex, and, pleased with the favorable coincidence, Keiji found Captain Unohana sitting and having tea, as she always seemed to do.
"Ara, Keiji-kun?"
Unohana's sweet, motherly smile welcomed him. With a light motion of her hand, she invited him to sit and share the tea.
Keiji settled in without hurry and raised the cup, taking the first sip, and only then did she resume the conversation.
"I heard about a few snags in the last mission… is that what Keiji-kun would like to talk about?"
"That is part of it, yes. But there is something else too."
Keiji answered without the usual formality that Isane had tried to drill into him.
"Ara? What should we start with?"
As if she did not care for pointless displays of fake respect, Unohana urged Keiji to go straight to the point.
"Kuchiki-san's situation."
"Yes, that unfortunate child. She is being kept in the Sixth Division while she awaits her trial. Is Keiji-kun interested in her?"
"Not in the person, but in the situation itself. Who conducts the trial? The Gotei 13?"
"Kuchiki Rukia is still part of one of the Four Great Noble Clans. Only Central 46 has the authority to decide her punishment."
"Central 46…"
Keiji repeated, resting his elbow on the arm of the chair.
"The same ones who sent me on the previous mission. Do those old men have one person who dictates the orders, or is it a joint choice?"
"Why would Keiji-kun be interested in that?"
Unohana asked while glancing lightly at Keiji as she drank her tea. She stayed like that for a few moments and then spoke again, seeing no notable reaction from Keiji.
"Matters like Rukia-san's require a full vote. Each decision is put on the docket and the members choose between agreeing or disagreeing. The final decision only becomes valid when it reaches a majority."
"So that is how it is? Good to know."
'For that mysterious Captain to have more than half of Central 46's decrepit old men under his influence…'
{He is probably threatening them. Or controlling them.}
Sora gave the guess that Keiji was also imagining.
"It seems I have satisfied Keiji-kun's curiosity about Rukia-san…"
Unohana lifted her tea again, looking at him calmly.
"So, what else do we have?"
Focusing all his attention on Unohana to catch even her micro-movements, Keiji spoke.
"Urahara Kisuke, who is he?"