Hearing Kūkaku's impatient tone, Rukia finally fell silent.
Kūkaku, too, looked up at the sky.
"Big brother… He was always so proud of being a Shinigami."
At those words, tears streamed down Rukia's face.
On the other side, Ganju had already broken into sobs.
Ichigo stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Rukia's shoulder. She leaned into him silently, crying into his shoulder.
"Alright, we Shiba folks won't keep you any longer. You two should get going," Kūkaku said bluntly, shooing them away.
"Right… then we'll head back," Ichigo nodded and wrapped his arm around Rukia, guiding her out of the Shiba household.
This time, Rukia could no longer hold it in and began to cry openly.
Both had shown the most vulnerable sides of themselves to each other—deepening their bond even further.
When Ichigo led Rukia back to the Kuchiki estate…
Every member of the Kuchiki family was smiling like doting aunts.
Though the Kuchiki clan didn't need marriage alliances to maintain their status, the current clan head, Kuchiki Byakuya, was single and had no heirs.
None of the other clan members showed any particularly impressive spiritual pressure either.
And right now, their esteemed young lady had a "very close" friend who was practically a superhuman warrior.
Sure, the Kuchiki clan wouldn't sell their daughter—but letting the two naturally develop a relationship? That was perfectly acceptable. Consider it a backup plan for the family.
More importantly, Rukia herself was willing. No one was forcing her.
A mutual love story? What more could they ask for?
After all, Ichigo's credentials were nothing to scoff at. Just look at his accomplishments:
He defeated the current Kenpachi, Zaraki Kenpachi.
Earned the latter's respect to the point where Zaraki even owed him a favor and helped him block two captain-level opponents.
Defeated the head of the Kuchiki family, Byakuya, in battle, yet showed great restraint by sparing him serious injury—preserving the dignity of the Kuchiki clan.
Then, in the grand climax, he was the one who injured the mastermind behind the entire captain-defection incident—Aizen Sōsuke.
Whether Aizen truly lost didn't matter. What mattered was: he got hurt—twice!
Not to mention, Ichigo was now a bona fide Shinigami, and the only disciple of the legendary captain Unohana Retsu—one of the two millennium-era captains.
He was also the only man ever allowed to stay at her house!
Even if the rest of Soul Society didn't know Unohana's true status, the Kuchiki elders certainly did.
And to top it all off, he was still under twenty and already the Fourth Seat of Squad Four!
With Yamamoto Genryūsai personally keeping an eye on him, his future was practically guaranteed.
Cough… And there were also rumors.
Rumors that Kurosaki Ichigo bore an uncanny resemblance to the deceased head of the Shiba family.
Add to that his technique—Getsuga Tenshō…
Some things… were better left unsaid.
All in all, the Kuchiki clan watched Ichigo and Rukia return with full-on matchmaking grins, making the two feel completely awkward.
Then they saw Byakuya—with his usual stoic expression.
Er… Actually, he always looked like that.
"Rukia. Where did you go?" he asked in a tone that screamed overprotective father catching his daughter with a delinquent boyfriend.
"Oh, we just took a walk. Stopped by the Shiba residence," Ichigo—blond hair and all—replied casually.
Byakuya relaxed a little. "Your spiritual energy hasn't fully recovered. You should rest more at home."
"I understand, Nii-sama. But my spiritual energy—"
She saw Byakuya's eyes narrow and quickly changed her tune.
"—hasn't recovered yet! I need a few more days of rest!"
Byakuya's mouth curved into a rare smile. "Good. Be sure to visit Unohana-dono for proper treatment."
He didn't stop Ichigo from seeing Rukia either.
After all, he knew Ichigo quite well by now.
Someone willing to charge into another world and risk everything for a friend he'd known for only a few months… That kind of person was rare.
And if you didn't treasure them, you'd regret it.
At least, that's what Byakuya believed.
Ichigo was definitely better than the average Shinigami in Seireitei.
Renji: Why am I getting roasted when I'm not even in the scene?!
"Well, I'll get going. Rukia, drop by Retsu-nee's place sometime," Ichigo said with a smile.
"Mm. Take care, Ichigo." Rukia smiled sweetly.
That smile was still painfully blinding to Byakuya.
Tch… No matter how much he approved of the blond brat, he was still annoyed!
—
Squad Four – Unohana Retsu's Residence.
Ichigo strolled back in, humming a little tune.
Unohana hadn't had a single moment of rest lately. The battle had left far too many injured, and Squad Four was working non-stop under her lead.
Ichigo himself had been helping out for days. If he hadn't gotten the day off today, he wouldn't have been able to visit Rukia at all.
"You're back?" came Unohana's voice.
She was arranging flowers again. Her flower arrangement skills were unmatched in Soul Society—she could make even weeds look divine.
Ichigo had no idea what any of it meant. All he could say was,
"Looks nice!"
"How was it? Did the Kuchiki family look like they were planning to marry off Rukia to you?" Unohana asked without a hint of subtlety.
"W-What? No way! Retsu-nee, why would you even say that?" Ichigo stammered, waving his hands.
Unohana nodded. "Hm. Seems the Kuchiki clan isn't entirely foolish. Still, I'm curious—if they did want to marry her to you, what would you do?"
Ichigo's face twitched, black lines forming on his forehead.
"I'm not even legally an adult yet. I can't get married…"
Unohana paused, slightly surprised, and dropped the topic.
"Tomorrow—come with me somewhere."
"Huh? Where?" Ichigo asked.
"You'll find out when we get there," Unohana said with a knowing smile.
Ichigo shrugged. "Sure. As long as you're not throwing me into a trap…"
—
The Next Day.
Ichigo watched as Unohana deftly opened a hidden passage beneath the Kuchiki estate.
He couldn't take it anymore.
"Retsu-nee, are we seriously sneaking into the Kuchiki household?"
Unohana smiled.
"Relax. We've done this many times. No one's ever noticed."
"We…?"
Ichigo tilted his head.
Then he saw it—the hidden chamber lined with symbols of the Women's Soul Reaper Association.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]