"How many times have I told you, don't just call me by my name!"
Hearing Kenma's form of address, Shihoin Yoruichi's brow furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of annoyance.
"I'm not married to you yet."
"And even if we were married, you shouldn't call me so casually. I'm not that familiar with you, or at least, not that close."
"Besides, if we're going to be formal about it, in private, I am the head of the Shihoin clan, and you are the son-in-law my father recruited. In public, I am the Captain of Squad 2, the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, and the Corps Commander of the Punishment Force, while you are merely one of my subordinates. Do you understand, Kenma, Fourth Seat!"
Kenma saw the look on his fiancée's face, a clear expression of her dislike for him. However, he seemed unaffected, his expression remaining as placid, almost wooden, as ever.
"I naturally understand what you mean."
"But you're wrong about one thing, Yoruichi."
"Strictly speaking, I am not only the son-in-law of the Shihoin clan and your fiancé, but also Lord Shun'gen's adopted son. In theory, I am your equal."
"In the human world, the term is usually 'mukoyōshi'."
Hearing this, the corners of Yoruichi's mouth turned down, and her gaze towards Kenma grew even more hostile.
"Tch, you really know how to talk, using my father to pressure me..."
"I told you not to call me by my name. It just disgusts me."
She shivered theatrically as if genuinely feeling a chill, then pulled down her eyelid with a finger and stuck out her tongue in a gesture of contempt, the resentment in her words barely concealed.
Kenma was already well aware of Yoruichi's dislike for him.
To be inexplicably ordered by one's father to marry a man one has never met would make anyone resistant.
What's more, this man was being used by her father to restrain her. With Yoruichi's wild, untamable, and audacious personality, how could she possibly accept it so easily?
The fact that she was only verbally sparring with him now, and not punching him on sight, was already the result of her holding back and exercising considerable restraint.
However, Kenma's view on this had always been one of indifference.
He had been chosen by Shihoin Shun'gen precisely because of his serious and earnest nature. After marriage, he would be the most suitable chess piece to rein in Yoruichi, to limit her from doing anything too absurd or out of line.
It was only natural that he would be resented, even hated, by her.
Kenma's agreement to marry into the Shihoin clan and wed Yoruichi had never been for the sake of some childish romance.
It was purely out of a desire to become a noble.
Although Yoruichi was always fooling around, she also knew when to stop.
Seeing Kenma so insistent on his form of address, Yoruichi recognized the stubbornness and inflexibility in his character. She knew that even if she persisted, nothing would change.
So, she decided not to get entangled in such a trivial matter and instead returned to her previous question.
"You still haven't told me what you were doing during the days you were away from the Seireitei. Father was looking for you and couldn't find you either."
"I went to the Rukongai."
There was nothing to hide. Kenma told her the truth.
"During the engagement, Vice-Captain Ōmaeda gave me some congratulatory gifts in a private capacity, including some land deeds and houses. I went to have a look at those places and, while I was at it, found some people to look after them."
As for where he had recruited those people, such a minor detail was not worth going into.
As expected, Yoruichi immediately lost interest upon hearing this.
Kenma asked, "I heard from the guards that you were looking for me. Is something the matter?"
"What, I can't look for you if there's nothing wrong?" A mischievous smile appeared on Yoruichi's face. "I'm not happy with you right now, and I want to fight. How about it?"
"No problem."
Kenma drew the Zanpakuto from his waist and held it in his hand.
He looked at Yoruichi and asked, "Where shall we fight? The Squad 2 barracks, or the training grounds at home?"
"No, I was just kidding! Why did you take it so seriously?"
Yoruichi's smile vanished. She quickly tried to dissuade the serious-looking Kenma.
Although she knew from their brief previous interactions that he had a serious personality, she didn't expect him to be so single-minded that he couldn't even take a joke.
They had just gotten engaged. If word got out that she had fought with her fiancé, the Shihoin clan's reputation would suffer.
If it reached her father's ears, he might just pass away from anger.
Yoruichi talked herself hoarse, using all her powers of persuasion to get Kenma to sheathe his Zanpakuto.
She sighed with a helpless look on her face. "I've discovered that you are a truly uninteresting person, and you take everything so seriously."
She didn't believe Kenma couldn't see she was joking, but he had latched onto her words and taken them seriously. This was clearly his way of expressing his displeasure with what she had said earlier.
"You're just cutting off your nose to spite your face. You only have the spiritual pressure of a lieutenant, while I am a captain. How could you possibly beat me?"
"That is precisely the reason why the old lord chose me to be your husband," Kenma's tone remained flat. He paused, then added, "At least I'm much stronger than a certain blond kid."
"Ooh~ what's that smell? It's so sour."
Looking at the stoic-faced Kenma, Yoruichi looked as if she had discovered a new continent, a strange light shining in her eyes.
"Could it be... you're jealous?"
Kenma acted as if he hadn't heard, his expression remaining calm.
Not seeing the reaction she wanted, a hint of regret appeared on Yoruichi's face.
"What a shame."
Her expression became overly dramatic. "At a time like this, shouldn't you be blushing and stammering out some tsundere line like, 'I-Idiot! Who would be jealous of you? It's not like I... like you or anything'?"
"..."
When a person is speechless, they are truly speechless.
Kenma knew his fiancée had a playful and boisterous nature, but he hadn't expected her to be such a drama queen.
At this point, anything he said would be mocked by Yoruichi. After a moment of silence, he could only grit his teeth and force out an incredibly dull sentence, "I am not a tsundere, nor am I in the mood to play along with you."
"A tsundere would never admit to being a tsundere."
Seeing Kenma unmoved, a look of disappointment appeared on Yoruichi's face.
"Tch, so prim and proper. Boring, no fun at all."
Every time they met, she couldn't help but tease him, just to see the expression on his face when his defenses were broken by her needling.
But Kenma just wouldn't cooperate.
After this had happened several times, she had almost gotten used to it.
Waving her hand, she told Kenma the purpose of her visit.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. To be honest, Father wants to see you. He has something to say to you."
"The old lord... what is it about? How is his health?" Kenma asked, a look of concern in his eyes.
Ever since he and Yoruichi had gotten engaged, Shihoin Shun'gen had handed over the position of clan head, as well as the captaincy of Squad 2, to Yoruichi.
And the old man, as if he had lost his will to live, had fallen ill overnight and was now kept alive only by medicine day after day.
"Why don't you go and see for yourself?"
At the mention of her father, the liveliness on Yoruichi's face disappeared, and her eyes seemed to be veiled by a deep, impenetrable sorrow.
The two of them hurried over. Before they even entered the room, they could smell the thick, bitter scent of medicinal herbs. Pushing the door open, the smell hit them in the face, almost making them choke.
A gaunt old man lay on the tatami mat, his face devoid of any color. He seemed to be barely breathing, as if he could pass away at any second.
Two attendants were waiting on the old man.
The old man had the same dark brown skin as Yoruichi. A look of sorrow was on her face, and a moist sheen appeared in her eyes.
"Father..."