"...Hah!!"
Oh, looks like Ichigo has finally woken up.
"W-where is this...?"
The moment he woke, he began looking around restlessly. Well, it's only natural. After all, the last thing he experienced was being unilaterally beaten and knocked unconscious by Kaien Shiba.
And look at him now. He is in a room that looks like it belongs in a vast tatami-matted mansion. On top of that, he's been tucked neatly into a futon. He is literally experiencing the "It's a ceiling I don't know..." moment. I'm jealous, Ichigo!
"Oh, thank goodness... You're awake..."
A voice called out to Ichigo suddenly.
"You're... if I remember right, Yamada Hana—"
"Yes! It's Hanataro Yamada!! You remember me, right!?"
It seems Hanataro has learned the technique of stating his name beforehand. Good for you, you've grown a little!
"Y-yeah... sure. More importantly, where is this!?"
"Here? I'll explain, but please wait a moment. There's an order to these things."
"An order...?"
"Excuse me, it's Hanataro. He's woken up."
Before answering Ichigo's question, Hanataro called out as he opened the sliding door leading to the next room. There—
"That's why I'm telling you... Oh, what's this? You're finally awake."
"Yo, Ichigo..."
"Hey now, Kukaku, who said you could speak?"
"..."
"What... is this...?"
It's no wonder Ichigo is confused. What greeted his eyes was Kukaku Shiba, who had removed that strange mask and was now sitting in formal seiza, hanging her head. Standing before her was Kaien Shiba, who was continuing to lecture her. Seeing the normally defiant and composed Kukaku acting as meek as a stray cat was an unbelievable sight to Ichigo.
"Uh, what on earth—"
'What is going on?' He tried to say it, but the words wouldn't come out. Because—
"He's awake?! Whoa, he's moving! He's really moving!! Look, Kotetsu! He's moving!!"
"I can see that just by looking!! But they really do look alike... If someone told me he stepped out of a mirror, I'd probably believe them..."
"W-what?! Who the hell are you guys!?"
Sentaro Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu had come bursting in from another room. It seems the two of them also received word from Hanataro and came to check on Ichigo's condition.
"He talked! He actually talked!!"
"But the voice isn't similar!! Though I feel like the reactions are!!"
I stand corrected. Rather than checking on his condition, it would be more accurate to say they came for the entertainment.
But it's only natural. After all, Ichigo and Kaien look so much alike.
To begin with, ever since [Name]-san informed them a few days ago that "I met someone in the Living World who looks exactly like Kaien's secret child," the topic of the "two identical people" had frequently come up among the members of the 13th Division. They had all been wanting to see him at least once, and now the man himself had arrived. There was no way they wouldn't pounce on the opportunity.
"Kiyone, Sentaro. Don't tease him too much."
"Ah, Captain."
"Sorry about that!! Captain!!"
Following behind those two, Captain Ukitake made his appearance.
"You are Ichigo Kurosaki, right? I am Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of the 13th Division. Does it help if I say I'm the captain of the squad Kuchiki belonged to?"
"Rukia's?! That's right, where is this?! How many days has it been?! Wait, the 13th Division... You're the enemy!!"
Hearing Rukia Kuchiki's name, Ichigo finally seemed to grasp the situation. If he judged based only on the information he had, Captain Ukitake and the others could only be seen as enemies. He hurriedly tried to grab his weapon, only to realize there was nothing there.
"Zangetsu! Zangetsu is gone!?"
"Is this what you're looking for?"
Kaien was carrying Zangetsu over his shoulder as if showing it off.
"Aah! Give it back, that's my Zangetsu!!"
"I refuse! Besides, you lost to me, didn't you? It's only natural to be disarmed. You should be grateful you're even alive!"
"Urgh...!"
That's an argument so sound he couldn't even make a sound in protest.
'Now that he mentions it... why am I alive? And I'm even sleeping in a futon...'
"Be grateful. We even healed your wounds while we were at it... Well, Hanataro over there did."
"That's only because Lieutenant Shiba attacked in a way that made it easy to heal... I didn't really do much..."
Hanataro spoke humbly, but his words were something Ichigo couldn't quite overlook. If he meant "easy to heal," it meant that even in the middle of that battle, his opponent was being considerate of him.
The "distance between them" that he had felt right before losing consciousness was far, far greater than he had imagined. It was enough to make a normal person lose heart.
"Anyway, let's get back to the topic. I heard from Kukaku that you want to save Kuchiki, right? That's why you came all the way to the Seireitei from the Living World? Am I wrong?"
"...You're not wrong. That's exactly it."
Ichigo nodded bluntly with a somber face, but seeing that, Kaien let out a grin.
"Then that means we can cooperate. Isn't that right, Captain!?"
"Yes, that's right. Why don't we have a talk about each other's positions and circumstances?"
"...Eh?"
"Kiyone, sorry, but could you prepare some tea? Sentaro, get some floor cushions for everyone."
"Understood!!"
"Yes! I'll bring some tea snacks too!!"
"W-wait... what the hell is going on!?"
Ichigo was left completely behind by the flow of the conversation.
---
A little time has passed since then. Ichigo and the members of the 13th Division have finished their initial exchange of information.
The 13th Division learned about Ichigo and his companions, but since you all already know this, I'll skip the details.
Next was Ichigo's turn to learn what happened after he passed out. To begin with, Kaien had heard about Ichigo's existence from [Name]-san and knew from Miyako Shiba that "he broke into the Seireitei with Kukaku." Although he gave Ichigo a beating, he never had any intention of delivering a finishing blow. And since Kukaku explained the situation, he figured they could cooperate and brought him back to the 13th Division. Now that he was awake, they told him that the 13th Division was also moving to save Rukia.
By the way, as mentioned in the previous conversation, Hanataro healed his wounds. While the treatment was ongoing, Kukaku was being lectured by Kaien the whole time.
"...So, both you guys and we want to save Rukia. That means we can work together, right?"
"Yup, yup. We want to save Kuchiki-san too."
"Good grief!! This is why those Central 46 geezers are so thick-headed!!"
"...Wait, who the hell are you guys!?"
Kiyone and Sentaro had casually joined the meeting. Seeing them munching on rice crackers while agreeing with him, Ichigo's retort was sharp.
"These guys are the 3rd Seats of Squad 13. Well, just treat them as if they aren't there."
"Aah! That's cruel, Lieutenant!!"
"This is tyranny! An abuse of power!!"
"Shut up! When you two start joking around, we can't get anything settled!!"
Kaien gave a shout of anger.
"Now, back to the subject. We can cooperate for the same goal. I assume you have no objections to that?"
"Yeah, I guess... It's frustrating, but it doesn't look like we can rescue Rukia on our own... If you're willing to lend us your strength, I'd appreciate it..."
"Then that's the end of that talk. We'll decide on the details later, but let's put it aside for now. I want to talk about one more thing."
Nodding as if satisfied, Kaien showed an expression more serious than any he had seen so far. The intensity was enough to make Ichigo feel pressured.
"W-what is it...?"
"...Is it true that you're Isshin's kid?"
"...Huh!?"
Ichigo's eyes went wide in surprise.
"I heard about it from Yukawa, but I didn't think there'd actually be a kid like this... Come on, spit out everything you know!"
"W-wait a minute!! What do you mean?! I don't get it at all!! Explain it to me!!"
"Tsk! How annoying... Listen, first of all..."
As he spoke, Kaien explained the story of the Shiba main and branch families. He also told him about when [Name]-san met Ichigo in the Living World.
"...Are you serious, that bearded old man!! He's kept something that important a secret until now!!"
After hearing the story, Ichigo shouted as if all sorts of emotions were exploding.
"What, you didn't know? Yukawa said they asked Isshin Kurosaki about the relationship."
"I didn't know! I asked that damn old man a few times, but he won't say a word about the important stuff!! Besides, I didn't have any time to spare because of Rukia!!"
"Hey, I've been patient with you as an adult, but... it's about time you fixed your tone, Ichigo."
"Huh? My tone...? W-wait, hold on!"
Being snapped at with clear irritation in the voice made Ichigo calm down.
"If everything you said is true, that means you and I are..."
"Who are you calling 'you,' you brat!!"
"M-my bad!! Should I call you Kaien-san?"
"Yeah!"
"So... Kaien-san and I... are we like relatives?"
"Well, we're the main line and you're the branch line. But in terms of thinking, yeah, it's something like that."
Ichigo was both impressed and shocked by the fact that he had been fighting a relative. His emotions had no time to settle.
"By the way, you probably know, but Kukaku is my younger sister."
"Yeah. From your perspective, she's like an older sister relative."
"An older sister relative... Well, that's true, but... then Ganju is also my relative!?"
"That's right, you stopped by the Shiba house in the Rukongai, didn't you? That's how it is."
"Wait, wait! Then that means Miyako-san too..."
"She's my wife. On the family tree, she's definitely your relative too."
"No way..."
Ichigo was further confused to learn that he had been indebted to his relatives' home. Hang in there, Ichigo!! You still have the role of being shocked by the fact that you were taught spirit pressure control by [Name]-chan, who is younger than you in both actual and apparent age!! Save some of your life points!!
"Kaien, it is... a strange twist of fate, isn't it?"
"You're right, Captain... and a Substitute Soul Reaper to boot... Somehow, it feels like we're being made to dance in the palm of someone's invisible hand..."
While Ichigo was feeling dejected, Kaien and Ukitake were discussing such things. A child of the branch family who was supposed to have gone missing appears as a Substitute Soul Reaper. Since the relationship was deep for both the Captain and the Lieutenant, it was hard to think of it as a coincidence... They couldn't help but feel the hand of someone unseen.
"Um, Captain... sorry to interrupt your conversation..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Breaking into the serious atmosphere, a member of the 13th Division spoke up hesitantly.
"Lieutenant Shiba has a visitor. They said that if I mentioned the name 'Ganju,' you would understand..."
"What!? Ganju is here?! Let him through immediately!!"
"Yes, sir."
Kaien was surprised to hear that name come up. And a few minutes later, Ganju Shiba arrived, led by the squad members.
"Ganju! What are you doing here!?"
"Big bro! Actually, I was worried about Big Sis..."
"Ganju, you brat! Why did you come here!!"
"...Wait, Big Sis!! Why are you here!? And if I look closely, even Ichigo is here!!"
Ganju, who didn't know what had happened inside the Seireitei, was shocked by the sudden reunion.
"Well, a lot happened, and I brought them to the 13th Division. So Ganju, why did you come here?"
"Well... you might have already heard from Big Sis, but I was left at home as the launch coordinator. But I got so worried about Big Sis that I decided to come talk to Big Bro directly to see if you could help... Oh! Of course, I got permission from Miyako-san!!"
In short, "I was worried about my family, so I came to see how things were." Ganju was a person who valued his family.
"...Heh! What are you talking about! It's a thousand years too early for you to be worrying about me!!"
"B-Big Sis! Cut it out!! I'm not a kid anymore...!!"
Although she spoke dismissively, Kukaku looked happy as she roughly ruffled Ganju's hair. Ganju's annoyed expression was also only for show; his face was filled with joy.
"Ah, so you're Ganju-kun. I've heard about you from Kaien. I heard you're attending the Spiritual Arts Academy with the aim of becoming a Soul Reaper..."
"Ah! C-Captain Ukitake!! Yes! That's right!! I'm Ganju! I'm currently at the Academy!!"
"No need to be so formal. You were worried about your family, right? Then there's no reason to blame you."
Being spoken to by Captain Ukitake while his hair was being ruffled, Ganju tried to straighten his posture. It seems Kaien is looking forward to his younger brother's growth.
"You might come to Squad 13 after you graduate... I know! Why don't we introduce everyone right now? Of course, you too, Ichigo-kun."
"Eh... H-hey, wait... Captain Ukitake!? Why me too..."
"Why? Because we're all comrades who want to save Kuchiki. So, to deepen our friendship..."
"No, wait, let go... Whoa, you're strong!? I can't pull away at all!?"
Under Captain Ukitake's lead, a grand self-introduction meeting began for some reason.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]