Chapter 39: I'm Doing It All For His Sake
Karakura Town, Yumisawa, the original landing site of the Spirit Arts Academy team.
An entire street had been torn apart, looking more like a war zone in the Middle East than a peaceful residential area.
On the rooftop, members of the Fourth Division medical team were moving in and out of the Senkaimon in a constant stream, busy tending to the wounded.
In one battered corner of the roof, stained with dried, blackened blood, Ichigo stood with a heavy expression.
"Takeru, I am starting to agree with something you said when we first met."
"Which part are you talking about?"
Takeru answered lazily, as if they were chatting in a classroom instead of a disaster area.
"It is… that dying might not necessarily be a bad thing."
"I vaguely remember that. You were strongly against it back then, were you not?"
Hachihara and Rindo Yu, curious about this bit of history, both turned to look at them.
"Of course I was. I had not completely given up on my life then."
Ichigo gave a crooked smile.
"That is what I said before, but looking at it now…"
"To be able to become a Shinigami, to know the truth about the world, to stop relying on someone else secretly protecting my supposedly peaceful daily life, and to be able to step forward and do something myself…"
"I do not think that can be called a bad thing at all."
He let out a quiet breath, as if something stubborn in his chest had finally loosened.
Takeru also sighed.
"You have grown up a bit after meeting your family again. Is that your final message for them?"
"If you want that carved on your tombstone someday as an epitaph, I suggest you shorten it. Something like, 'We fear the unseen, and now you no longer fear it.' Very philosophical. Even Aizen sensei would be pleased."
"Sorry, my hearing is not very good. What did you just say? What did I just say?"
"…It is not just your hearing, Ichigo," Hachihara muttered, exasperated.
"Then let us talk about something you can hear and remember."
Takeru nodded toward the far edge of the roof.
"Look over there."
His words made Ichigo, Hachihara, and Rindo Yu all follow his gaze.
Even after a large number of Hollows had been lured away, a considerable number of Menos Grande had remained, relentlessly attacking the Soul Burial practice group.
As strong as Yushiro was, he could not single handedly stop them all. There was no way he could intercept every Hollow, not even the weaker ones.
Each of those Hollows was dangerous enough that ordinary Shinigami would have struggled, let alone first year students.
In the end, only a handful had died, and everyone being injured could almost be called a blessing.
That was why the Fourth Division squads were so busy.
Among the wounded, there were some who were especially unlucky.
Their injuries were severe enough that even moving them was risky.
In the direction Takeru had pointed, a young girl about the same age and build as Hinamori Momo was lying on the ground, undergoing emergency treatment. Her condition made it impossible to transport her back to Soul Society right away.
"Ruptured carotid artery, massive blood loss, internal organ damage. Without immediate treatment… normally she would be beyond saving. Even if Captain Unohana came herself, it might be too late."
Takeru's tone was casual, but the words were not.
"However, because we discovered that hot spring and sold it to the Fourth Division, the situation is completely different now."
As he spoke, Ichigo and the others watched a Fourth Division member take out a pale yellow liquid from their medical kit.
Working together with Bakudo techniques, the medic sprinkled the liquid carefully over the girl's wound, then poured another bottle into her mouth. With internal and external treatment combined, her condition stabilized rapidly.
They then bandaged her efficiently, placed her on a stretcher, and carried her toward the Senkaimon.
"Is that… hot spring water?"
Ichigo asked, a little dumbfounded.
"Captain Unohana must have taken inspiration from my method and developed a new medicine."
Takeru folded his arms, thinking aloud.
"It is hard to say how effective it is compared to my original version, but it is enough to save a life and buy time to throw people into the hot spring afterwards."
"It seems we have changed the fate of quite a few people without realizing it."
"Yeah. And we made a huge amount of money."
Takeru held up three fingers, then two, then one.
"I got five shares, you got three, Rindo got two. Our quality of life improved immediately. Even Hachihara, who did not get any direct payout, picked up a huge order from us in the process. Tell me, if you had not died, would you ever have run into luck like that?"
"…I have not forgotten that you angered Miss Unohana and used me to draw her fire."
Ichigo's face twitched at the memory.
"Looking at it now, your Bakudo healing has improved dramatically, has it not?"
"That is why I let it slide."
As the two bickered, a chill suddenly ran down their backs.
They turned their heads and met a pair of resentful eyes.
It was Yushiro Shihoin.
"… "
"… "
Takeru and Ichigo exchanged a glance.
Hachihara and Rindo Yu immediately grasped where that resentment came from.
"Takeru…"
"Ichigo."
"Huh?"
Takeru's sudden interjection caught Ichigo off guard.
"You saw your long lost family today, did you not?"
"…What are you talking about?"
Is that not obvious?
Ichigo's expression clearly said, Are you crazy?
Unbothered, Takeru asked mildly, "I remember you have siblings. How is your relationship with them?"
"Why even ask?"
Ichigo snorted.
"I do not like to brag, but compared to that Kuchiki Byakuya guy, I am much more of a proper big brother. There is no way my family dislikes me. But as they have gotten older, my little sisters Karin and Yuzu have started getting rebellious, so it is a bit of a headache figuring out how to deal with them."
"But after being separated for a while and then seeing them again this time, I could clearly feel something was… different from before."
He did not notice that while he talked, not only Hachihara and Rindo Yu were listening.
Even Yushiro's full attention had been drawn in.
The complaint he had been intending to fire at Takeru for returning late quietly faded from his mind.
"Is that so?"
Takeru nodded.
"Unlike you, I also have a younger sister. Her name is beautiful, Kaguya, but my relationship with her is actually very similar to Captain Kuchiki's family."
"How rare. You actually have a relationship that is a social failure."
Ichigo sounded both surprised and smug.
"I am not some flawless superman."
Takeru spread his hands.
"By the way, does Shihoin have any siblings?"
"Yes."
Yushiro immediately seized onto the topic Takeru had tossed out, brightening up like an eager puppy. For a second it was almost possible to imagine a tail wagging behind him.
Then his mood dropped again.
"I have an older sister who ran away from home. We used to be very close. I came out this time hoping to find her…"
"Do not worry. Reunions are an incredible thing."
Takeru stepped up and patted him on the shoulder.
"When you do find your sister, you might need advice from the people around you to quickly break down any distance between you. Brother Kurosaki, in particular, has a lot of experience."
After dropping that final line, he walked past Yushiro toward the Dangai.
"Huh?"
"Kurosaki kun, please, you must teach me."
Yushiro grabbed Ichigo before he could even process what had just happened.
Ichigo opened his mouth to yell for help, but Takeru was already far ahead.
Hachihara and Rindo Yu hurried to follow him.
"Hey! You guys…!"
Ichigo's shout echoed uselessly behind them.
As they moved through the Dangai, Hachihara commented with a grin, "Ichigo still has not noticed that Takeru only calls him by his name when he is being set up. He has been thrown out as the decoy again. Takeru is way too cunning… No, it is more accurate to say Ichigo is too easy to trick."
"What kind of accusation is that? Do I look like the sort of person who enjoys tricking his friends?"
Takeru frowned, glancing sideways at her.
"Shihoin is one of the Four Great Noble Houses in Seireitei. With Ichigo's temperament, once he becomes a Captain, he will definitely stir up a lot of trouble."
"Building friendly ties early with the heads of the Four Great Noble Houses is basically an extra layer of insurance. I am doing this for his sake."
"It would be even better if he married into the Kuchiki clan."
"With the backing of two noble houses, and me becoming Captain Commander in the future, he could wander around all of Soul Society however he likes."
"Ah, really… Wait, why are you so sure you will become Captain Commander someday? Is that not a bit too ambitious?"
"Hachihara, what you should be doing now is not questioning me, but supporting me."
Takeru spoke with absolute confidence.
"As your closest friend, I know your unique abilities very well. Even if no one else recognizes you, I will. In the name of the future Captain Commander, I will bestow upon you a personal title to vindicate you."
"What kind of title would be best? That is what you should be thinking about."
"Hiss… a personal title, like Kamaitachi or Flash God… Then I really need to think about it carefully."
Hachihara was moved, completely drawn into the future Takeru's words painted for her.
She started muttering possibilities to herself, her pace unconsciously slowing.
Rindo Yu's eyelids twitched as he watched.
The next moment, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders.
"Rindo, do you have a dream?"
"… "
Faced with Takeru's gentle inquiry that sounded just like an older brother's, Rindo chose silence.
A few moments later, the light ahead grew noticeably brighter.
They had reached the exit.
After a brief flash, the familiar world came into view.
It was the rooftop of the Spirit Arts Academy.
There were more people gathered here than there had been in Karakura Town.
Headmaster Yamamoto and a group of high ranking officials were present, along with members of the Onmitsukido and the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.
A major incident on this scale could not be handled quietly by one or two departments behind closed doors.
Scanning the crowd, Takeru quickly picked out a familiar face.
The other party saw him at almost the same moment.
To be precise, he had been waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Takeru."
"It feels like years since we last met, Teacher."
"Dangerous battles make one more aware of the passage of time."
Sosuke Aizen pushed his glasses up with one finger and smiled calmly.
"But all in all, you did very well. I am proud of all of you."
"Do not worry about the Onmitsukido investigation. I will take care of it."
"For now, get some proper rest. That is the treatment you deserve when you return from the battlefield."
"Speaking of which… where is Kurosaki kun?"
"Oh, him?"
Takeru answered without missing a beat.
"He made friends with a noble and is having a lively conversation right now. He probably will not be back for a while."
"Is that so? It seems everyone is in good spirits. I am relieved to hear it."
"Oh, Teacher, the Spirit Arts Academy is about to start summer vacation, so…"
Takeru lowered his voice slightly.
"I might be troubling you for quite some time."
On hearing that, Aizen paused for a fraction of a second, then smiled again in his usual gentle, embracing way.
"You are always welcome."
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