"N-No way! I can't lay a hand on Sensei!!"
Izuru Kira flatly refused Toshiro Hitsugaya's demand.
"In the first place, we were only supposed to capture her! Executing her on your own authority is unforgivable! If you're not careful...!"
"Shut up!!"
Capture, huh... Well, that's the normal protocol.
I suppose there's an excuse to be made—something like 'the target resisted and went on a rampage, so we had to use force.' But I'm not resisting at all.
"You can just report that 'Airi Yukawa went on a rampage, so I had to draw my sword'!!"
"There's no way I can do that!!"
...Toshiro Hitsugaya?! Since when did you start thinking such disappointing thoughts?
You were the one who slashed at me from the start without even explaining yourself!
On the other hand, Izuru Kira's rebuttal is so logically sound that it's impressive. I'll have to give him a pat on the head later.
"Tch, you're useless... Raaaagh!"
Realizing a direct confrontation wasn't going well, he manifested a dragon of water and ice from his Zanpakuto and launched it at me.
The blue dragon charged with incredible momentum, but I can probably handle this much...
"Sensei?!"
"Haaah!!"
The moment the dragon collided with me, I released Spiritual Pressure from my entire body to intercept the blow.
In an instant, a freezing chill that felt like it would reach my very core assaulted me. Furthermore, the dragon's attack didn't stop just by me blocking it.
Since it was a dragon made of water and ice, changing its shape was easy. It turned into a mass of slush and ice, attempting to crush me further.
"As expected, it is a bit chilly."
"...You monster."
Calling me a monster? How rude!
I didn't just take the blue dragon's hit head-on! Sure, parts of my Soul Reaper uniform and hair are frozen from the cold, but I endured it with zero damage!!
Honestly! Pinning down a rampaging dragon was a real pain!
But I want to make sure I dodge next time.
After all, I don't want to end up with poor circulation...
『We could make shaved ice with this!』
The ice Hyorinmaru makes is just frozen moisture from the air, right?
Eating that will give you a stomachache, so no.
You have to at least boil and disinfect it properly first.
I must say, Toshiro Hitsugaya has a lot of nerve.
Even if we've moved away a bit, we're still near the Squad 11 barracks.
If you start a fight here and even use your Zanpakuto, don't come crying to me if Kenpachi Zaraki catches the scent of battle and shows up.
"Honestly, what are you thinking? If I hadn't pinned it down, Izuru Kira and the surrounding area would have been caught in the crossfire."
"...Ah! I-I see...!"
"You...!"
When I pointed that out, Izuru Kira had a look of realization as if thinking 'Now that you mention it!' Toshiro Hitsugaya, however, glared at me with incredibly cold eyes.
Ooh, scary, scary.
"Also, it's about time for my turn, isn't it?"
"Wha...?! Whoa!?"
I closed the distance instantly, sweeping his head and feet at the same time to break his balance and flip him. It felt like spinning a wheel with his navel as the center.
After a half-rotation, Toshiro Hitsugaya lost his momentum and ended up face-down on the ground.
"Gwah!"
Not missing the opening, I stepped on one of his hands and forced his Zanpakuto away.
Since Toshiro Hitsugaya is so small, he's really easy to handle, which is a big help.
"Gugh, you... Airi Yukawa...!"
"If someone attacks me out of nowhere, of course I'm going to resist."
Now, let's just give this hand I'm stepping on a little grind.
"Ugh...!! D-Damn you..."
His face distorted in pain, but surely this much is allowed?
Toshiro Hitsugaya was desperately trying to stretch his arm out, but it was futile.
I was applying my weight in a specific way. Regardless of my actual weight, it must have felt much heavier than he imagined.
"Gaaaah... You... you fat woman..."
Oh, if you're going to say things like that... Grind.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
What a lovely scream.
It somehow reminds me of Toshiro Hitsugaya's days at the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Back then, I was the instructor, and the one I was stepping on was my student... How nostalgic...
"Gu, o-oraaaah!!"
"...Whoops, careful now."
Oh, Toshiro Hitsugaya worked hard there.
By punching the ground with his free hand to create recoil, he managed to pull his pinned hand free.
He was about to recover his Zanpakuto—no, wait, he was trying to attack me?!
I mean, I admire the courage, but you should be a bit more calm...
"Too bad."
"Oguh...!!"
This time, I pinned his shoulders with my hands while driving a knee into his back, sewing him to the ground.
The situation has gotten worse than before, Toshiro Hitsugaya... You can give up anytime now, you know?
『You have the shota crucified on the ground!! This is where the intense big sister-shota action begins!!』
Is Toshiro Hitsugaya never going to call me "Big Sister" again? That's a shame... If you were a good boy and called me "Big Sister," I was planning to do so many more things to you...
Specifically, I'd give you a Dragon Screw, a vertical drop DDT, a Brainbuster... I'd do so much to you.
『Doing that on the ground sounds painful...』
Then I'll give him an STF! I'll squeeze him tight.
"Guh... Izuru Kira! What are you doing?! Pull her off me!"
"I-I'm... well..."
What, relying on Izuru Kira again?
But well, in this state, it would be quite difficult for Toshiro Hitsugaya to turn the tables on his own. If he even tried to chant Kidō, I'd slam his head down to interrupt him immediately.
So, it is the correct tactical choice.
"The target is resisting! Why are you hesitating?! All of you!!"
"But, but that's..."
No, no, even if it weren't Izuru Kira, anyone would think 'that logic is flawed.'
Tension crackled between the confused Izuru Kira and the agonizing Toshiro Hitsugaya beneath me.
...Wait, "all of you"...?
"That's enough. No matter if you're a Captain, you shouldn't ask such unreasonable things of another squad's subordinate."
"Captain... Gin Ichimaru..."
The voice that broke the stalemate was Gin Ichimaru's.
Izuru Kira looked somewhat relieved at his arrival.
"And you too, Captain Airi Yukawa. You've had your fun, so please forgive him. Otherwise, I—we'll have to get involved too."
We.
As soon as he said that, Kaname Tosen and Captain Sajin Komamura appeared, following Gin Ichimaru.
I see, so that's why he used the plural.
Hmm... Looking at this lineup...
No matter how you look at it, Sosuke Aizen is involved.
Seriously, since you finally got some time off, go on a vacation for a week or something!
I was supposed to have a private training session with Orihime Inoue at Squad 4 today!! It was supposed to be a thick, creamy private lesson!!
『U-Um, Yasutora Sado was also a target for the training... You can erase your Spiritual Pressure, but you shouldn't erase your very existence!!』
"I understand. I have no intention of fighting either."
I have no intention of getting into a massive brawl against three Captains—oh, wait, there was one more under me—four Captains.
So, I quickly released Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Besides, with this many people around, Toshiro Hitsugaya probably won't go on a rampage.
"By the way, Captain Sajin Komamura, what business do you have with me?"
"That is..."
"Oh, don't be like that, Captain Airi Yukawa. You've already figured it out, haven't you?"
I wonder why Gin Ichimaru is the one butting in when I was talking to Captain Sajin Komamura.
"It's the same reason as Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad 10 over there."
"The same reason as that slightly brown-stained Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya...?"
"...!!"
He did roll around on the ground, after all.
He's picked up a bit of the soil's color, so he's not purely white anymore.
Toshiro Hitsugaya seemed irritated by the comparison and shot me a murderous glare.
"That is enough, Toshiro Hitsugaya. And you, Airi Yukawa, refrain from unnecessary provocation."
Oh dear, I got scolded by Kaname Tosen.
"Captain Airi Yukawa has been summoned by Central 46... A little scuffle is one thing, but if we actually execute her, it'll become a major problem."
"...Tch. Roughing her up a bit is exactly what this woman deserves..."
Following Gin Ichimaru's words, Toshiro Hitsugaya managed to swallow his anger.
But Toshiro? That line goes beyond being a sore loser.
"...Well, I had a feeling. In order to ensure the capture of me—a Captain—you came with multiple Captains. Is that it?"
"That's about right. Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya was the interrogator. Izuru Kira was the investigator. We were on standby as the muscle, just in case."
...Which means they saw the whole exchange between Toshiro Hitsugaya and me, right?
"Then couldn't you have made your appearance a bit sooner?"
"Well... I thought Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya could break through on his own..."
So, you were just watching for fun.
"Captain Kaname Tosen? Captain Sajin Komamura too...?"
"Toshiro Hitsugaya was the one who attacked first. Furthermore, you didn't draw your Zanpakuto and were bare-handed. Since you didn't seem to be intending to cause real harm, we simply stayed back."
"...Forgive me. Kaname Tosen and the others told me it was too early..."
You're phrasing it differently, but isn't the essence the same as just watching for fun?
And Captain Sajin Komamura, who apologizes so honestly, is actually kind of cute.
"It was a problem that Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya acted a bit prematurely, but it's true that Captain Airi Yukawa has been summoned by Central 46... So..."
Oh, how frightening.
For just a moment, Gin Ichimaru released a hint of bloodlust.
He was wordlessly telling me that if I resisted any further, they would attack in earnest.
It seemed Kaname Tosen felt the same way. He had shifted his stance slightly and was ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Toshiro Hitsugaya goes without saying.
Captain Sajin Komamura... isn't showing a fighting stance. Is he still hesitating? Perhaps he thinks that while the suspicions against me are logically sound, the methods are too forced.
It seems the bond we built during our time fluffing his fur wasn't for nothing.
Finally, Izuru Kira—whoa... What's this? His face is pale and he's looking down.
He looks so depressed he might just keel over...
...Wait? I feel like someone is focusing their attention on Izuru Kira...
"Your name was Izuru Kira, right? Don't look so down. I feel like you and I might get along. Once this is over, let's have a nice, long chat."
It seems the other person noticed that I noticed.
Gin Ichimaru spoke to Izuru Kira in a friendly tone.
I wonder if his aim is to keep me in check and make it even harder for Izuru Kira to move.
"Sigh... I understand."
If I were to resist, it would definitely turn into a fight.
Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen are strong, and Toshiro Hitsugaya would join in. Captain Sajin Komamura... at best, he'd stay neutral?
That makes it three against one.
Plus, I'd even have to protect Izuru Kira... The odds of winning seem slim.
And there's one more reason.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! I'll jump right in and see for myself what they're plotting!
I might not look it, but I have plenty of confidence in my own tenacity!!
『Might as well catch this big wave!!』
"I had no intention of resisting in the first place. Go ahead, take me in."
I held out both hands as if surrendering.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]