"Little Rukia-chan! You guys were amazing! Killing two Adjuchas-class Menos just like that!"
Half an hour later.
A blonde woman with an impressive bust, reeking of alcohol and sporting a flushed face, stumbled over. She wrapped an arm around Rukia and rubbed her cheek affectionately against hers.
Rukia's face instantly turned beet red.
"Vice-Captain Matsumoto... you've been drinking again. We're on a mission..."
Shūhei Hisagi walked over from the distance, clutching his chest with a look of utter helplessness.
In the chaos, he had only managed to block with his Zanpakutō at the last second. Although he survived the explosion, the impact had fractured his ribs.
"I didn't mean to! I was just enjoying a drink with the girls from the Women's Soul Reaper Association when I heard your Soul Burial practice went sideways."
Rangiku Matsumoto's face was glowing red, her breath heavy with the scent of sake.
She turned her curious gaze toward Kai, who was shrinking back at the rear of the group.
Is that him? Byakuya's little brother, Kai?
He's actually quite a handsome young man.
"By the way, did you three really take down these two Adjuchas?"
Hisagi shifted his gaze to the massive Hollow corpses lying on the ground.
Enemies of this level... even he couldn't guarantee a victory against them.
"You mean these two big guys? Well, they were..."
Renji scratched his head, about to explain, when Kai suddenly cut him off.
"Renji Abarai killed them. I can testify to that."
Kai spoke with righteous solemnity, his expression dead serious.
Exposing his true strength? Absolutely not.
If anyone asks, Renji did it.
If anyone asks again, Renji is a sixth-year student at the Shin'ō Academy—a man who has already mastered Shikai.
What does anything Renji Abarai do have to do with me, Kai, a lowly dead-last student?
I'm just a scrub. I don't know anything.
Renji: "???"
"So it was you. That's truly impressive," Hisagi sighed in admiration.
Renji: "???"
"No, wait, it really wasn't me..."
Renji tried to deny it, but suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if a predator were staring at the back of his neck.
So, he immediately changed his tune. "That's right! I killed both of them!"
...
Rukia leaned in close to Kai, whispering curiously. "'Thunder Princess'? Is that your Zanpakutō's name? It sounds beautiful."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Kai rubbed his nose and glanced at the sword hanging at his waist. "She" seemed to be humming with amusement too.
"How is that beautiful?"
At that moment, Renji, who had been grilled for what felt like ages, stormed over with a resentful expression. "Princess this, Princess that... sounds like a girly name to me."
Kai: "..."
Faintly, the air around them began to crackle with stray ions.
Kai glanced at his Zanpakutō and offered a silent prayer for Renji.
Bro, you're digging your own grave. Thunder Princess doesn't exactly have a great temper.
"It's just Shikai, right?"
"I can do it too!"
Seeing the sparkling admiration in Rukia's eyes as she looked at Kai gave Renji a mini-stroke of jealousy.
He gripped his Asauchi, his expression turning serious.
"Is it coming? The Shikai that defeated two Adjuchas?"
Rangiku, slightly sobered up now, widened her eyes. Her voluptuous body leaned forward, staring unblinkingly.
"Dance, Snake King!"
Renji roared.
BOOM!
A burst of spiritual pressure rivaling a Seated Officer erupted, followed by an explosion of flame that blackened Renji from head to toe and blew Rangiku's hair back.
Rangiku: "..."
Hisagi: "..."
Renji, now completely charred and smoking, opened his mouth to puff out a cloud of black soot. "Seems like... I failed again."
"Renji-kun looks so funny right now," Izuru Kira teased with a laugh.
"Shut up!!!"
Renji's face, already black from soot, turned even darker.
Every Zanpakutō has a unique release command tailored to its owner.
Using the wrong name obviously won't release the blade.
For a long time now, Renji hadn't been able to hear his Zanpakutō's true name.
"Renji... did you use this... 'boom' to kill those two Adjuchas?"
Hisagi scratched his head, mimicking the explosion sound.
Renji's mouth twitched violently.
I didn't want to go 'boom' either, okay?!
I want a cool Shikai too!
"Can that level of power really defeat an Adjuchas?"
Rangiku rubbed her chest, still feeling the shockwave from the explosion.
But... this kid Renji doesn't look that strong, does he?
He can't even perform a proper Shikai. How strong could he be?
Renji: "..."
"Actually, I..."
Renji hesitated, wanting to explain, but then he caught Kai's Death Glare. Immediately, he shouted, "I just haven't mastered my Shikai yet! My real Shikai is super strong!"
Dammit!
That's not what I wanted to say! Why did my mouth just move on its own?!
Renji screamed internally.
"Is that so..."
Rangiku drawled, looking thoughtful. Her eyes, however, drifted toward Kai, who was still pretending to be a salted fish in the background.
For some reason, Rukia suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
She looked at Rangiku's massive cleavage—so large she couldn't see her own feet—then looked down at her own flatness. A wave of anxiety washed over her.
Yes.
Rukia was worried about her development!
It's been over a hundred years!
A hundred years, and I still have this body?! Why haven't I grown at all?!
This is terrifying!
"By the way, didn't you guys mention the name 'Thunder Princess' earlier? Is that the name of Kai-kun's Zanpakutō?"
Leaning her scandalous body closer, Rangiku smiled as she brought her face right up to Kai's, observing his micro-expressions.
Rukia: "..."
Stay away from my cabbage, you hussy!
Female best friends are terrifying!
However, before Kai could answer...
A gentle voice spoke up from beside them.
"My apologies. It seems I've arrived a step too late. The enemies here have already been dealt with."
Aizen appeared, wearing his trademark gentle smile. Beside him stood a man with a slitted-eye smile that resembled a fox.
Then, Aizen's gaze shifted.
He looked directly at Kai.
"Kai-kun... you truly continue to surprise me."