The Ring or whatever the hell it was didn't matter; I had to get home right this second.
I changed at literal lightning speed and chucked the Nether King's Raiment straight at Jomon's face.
"Hey, have that fixed by the time I'm back! I'm out!!"
Without a single glance back, I sprinted for home.
Seriously, I haven't run this hard since that bloody life-and-death struggle against the Soul King.
After blurring out of the Soul King Palace in an instant, I reached my house. There, I found Unohana sitting in the sun-drenched corridor as usual, gently stroking her stomach.
She was humming a soft tune, completely unaware of my arrival.
I took a moment to catch my breath, watching her from behind in silence, before quietly taking a seat beside her.
"Yachiru."
"Oh my, you're back early. I thought the reception would have kept you much longer. My...?"
I immediately pressed my forehead to the floor and apologized to her with everything I had.
"I'm sorry. Having a wedding... I'd completely forgotten about it."
I know how pathetic I sound. If I were to offer a half-hearted excuse, it would be that I genuinely had a reason to forget.
That reason? I've lived for such an unfathomable eternity without so much as a date, let alone a marriage.
Other things I thought about often enough, or they'd pop up just as I was about to forget them. But a wedding ceremony? I never even had the time to consider it, let alone the opportunity. It just naturally slipped into the void of my mind.
Sure, the four Great Noble Families had already married and built dynasties, but when I met those founders, they were already old men with great-grandchildren, just waiting for the day they'd keel over. Weddings? They were the last thing on their minds...
But regardless of my excuses, missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime event for such a ridiculous reason was undeniably my fault. So, I just shut up and kept my head bowed.
"...Did something happen at the wedding?"
"No. It's just that seeing the wedding made me realize. I'm sorry."
There was no need for hesitation or mental preparation. These were words I should have said a long time ago.
Right now, my heart was filled with nothing but responsibility and guilt.
Yachiru blinked blankly, looking at me as if she couldn't quite process what she'd just heard.
Seeing that expression, I gave a bitter smile and lowered my head further.
"It's too sudden, isn't it...? I'm sorry. I should have said this much sooner."
"It's alright."
Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd exploded in anger. A wedding is that significant of an event.
Contrary to my nerves, however, Unohana reacted as if she were simply remembering something trivial.
"You're... not angry?"
"Pardon? Why would I be angry? While it is a shame we haven't held a ceremony, you've already given me so much more than that."
Still stroking her belly, she gave a soft giggle, took my hand, and pulled me up.
"You gifted me a new life. You gave me eyes that can look at the present instead of the past, and you've allowed me to envision a future. What more could I possibly ask for?"
She wasn't just saying it for my sake; it felt like her genuine truth. And that only made me feel worse.
Ha. Talk about hypocrisy. I go around acting all high and mighty, telling others to be happy and cherish those beside them, and yet I was neglectful of the person right next to me.
I'm a world-class idiot. If there were an Idiot Championship, I would've swept the gold medal with no competition.
As I sat there with a bitter look on my face, Unohana cupped my cheeks with both hands and forced me to look up.
"Do not bow your head like that. In a few months, you will be the father of a child. Is it right for such a man to kneel and hang his head so easily?"
"I'm bowing because it's not an easy matter. A problem concerning my wife can never be light."
"Really... You are quite stubborn. Then, I suppose it can't be helped. Here, come sit beside me."
"Suddenly...?"
When I blinked in confusion, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You said you were in the wrong, yet you won't listen to me?"
"No, no, of course I will."
I immediately sat down beside her.
"Move over just a little bit."
"This much?"
"A little more. Yes, that's perfect."
I waited to see what she was planning, only for her to suddenly grab my clothes and pull my head down onto her lap.
Yes, the classic knee-pillow.
I tried to sit back up in surprise, but her finger pressing against my forehead made me lose all strength and I settled back down.
Unohana looked down at me with a satisfied smile and began to stroke my hair.
"Thank you for thinking of me. But it really is fine. I've told you before, haven't I? Having you is enough for me."
"But a wedding is an important matter. It's supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event..."
"Fufu, that's true. But in my heart, I felt we had our ceremony a long time ago."
"Huh? When?"
She closed her eyes as if reminiscing, a radiant smile on her lips.
"Do you remember when I confessed my love to you? When I asked if I might dare to adore you?"
"I remember saying it myself. That I was the one who adored you."
"Hehe... I see you do remember. To me, that moment was our wedding."
Calling what was, at best, a proposal our 'wedding'...?
I felt a strange mixture of joy and guilt wash over me simultaneously.
"A secret wedding for just the two of us, known to no one else in the world. Isn't that romantic enough?"
I realized then that this wasn't something to be satisfied with.
With a somber smile, I gently placed my hand over her cheek.
"It's late, but let's do it now. The wedding."
"I truly don't mind... If you're only doing this because of me, it really isn't necessary."
"It's because I mind. It's incredibly late, but let's make it grand. Not just a wedding for the two of us, but one that the whole world will know."
As I spoke with a faint smile, she turned her head away, unable to meet my eyes.
Before long, a sniffle reached my ears, and she began to dab at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Ah... wait a moment. Haa... I shouldn't be like this... Sniff. I didn't... didn't intend to cry like this..."
She had been smiling as if everything was fine, but how much had she been hurting inside?
What must have gone through her mind while watching her closest friend, Furufushi, get married?
And when she heard that I, of all people, was going to sit in the seat of the bride's father at Furufushi's wedding... what had she been thinking then?
I couldn't even begin to guess.
I carefully sat up, draped my arm around her shoulder, and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
Save for the natural sounds of her sniffling, silence filled the air.
"I'm sorry I made you carry this alone until now."
No answer came.
Only the front of my shirt gradually grew damp.
*
After some time, once Unohana had composed her emotions, I apologized once more.
For forgetting something so vital, I was truly sorry.
"I forgive you. So, please set aside your guilt and let's talk about something else."
That 'something else' was, of course, the wedding.
Who to invite, where it should be held, who should officiate, whether to choose a Shinto-style Shinden-shiki or a Buddhist-style Butsuzen-shiki... there was so much to decide that the conversation naturally stretched on.
"First, I would like to invite everyone from Squad 4. Since it is my wedding, after all. I want to show my subordinates directly."
"That sounds great."
My darling wife gets to do whatever she wants.
I gave her words my absolute, enthusiastic approval.
I was nodding along like one of those bobbleheads on a dashboard, throwing in my own opinions here and there, when she poked my cheek with her index finger.
"How long are you going to let me do all the talking? This isn't just my wedding; it's our wedding."
"Ah, sorry. Seeing you so happy made me lose focus for a second."
"Honestly... please, say something. Otherwise, it feels like I'm the only one getting married here."
Even her bitter smiles were beautiful.
I nodded in realization.
"Who are you planning on inviting?"
"There are plenty of people I could invite. I'm not sure if they can all make it since they're busy, but they'll probably come if I send out the invitations, right?"
"People you would describe as 'busy'... I can't even imagine who they might be."
"Hmm..."
Just off the top of my head: the Zero Division members, Jomon, the Ten Kings of Hell, Kagaya, Hozuki...
If I could talk Jomon into it, maybe even the Soul King...
No, the Soul King might be difficult. Showing everyone his dismembered state probably wouldn't be the best vibe for a wedding.
I'll have to go pay my respects to the Soul King separately later.
'Wait... hold on a second.'
A sudden flash of inspiration struck me, and I snapped my fingers.
Unohana, who had been humming happily, looked toward me and blinked.
"What is it?"
"We were worrying about choosing between a Buddhist or a Shinto ceremony, right?"
"Yes? We were. Have you made a decision?"
"Yeah. I don't think we need to agonize over it anymore."
"Which style will it be? Shinto? Buddhist?"
"If it's alright, could I keep it a secret until the big day? I want to surprise you."
"Ummm... you're not going to startle the child in my belly, are you?"
"Don't worry about that. Even if the effect is overwhelming, it won't be a negative one."
"Very well, I shall trust you. Since it is your word."
A Shinto ceremony is held before the gods.
A Buddhist ceremony is held before the Buddha.
If you can't decide, you might as well just do both.
I looked at her beaming face and smiled back, nodding in silent determination.