I Am the Tokoyo Clan's Rules

He had to admit, it really was wealthy.

That only strengthened Tokoyo Misao's resolve to find and claim the Tokoyo Clan's inheritance.

It was all to repay Old Man Tokoyo for the power he had given him. He had absolutely no other intentions.

He nodded to himself as he walked.

After about twenty minutes, the scenery along the street suddenly changed.

A towering stone wall stretched on without end. He followed it for about another 1,500 meters.

There stood an imposing gate, old-fashioned and simple, yet steeped in history.

The gate doors alone were over twenty meters tall and more than ten meters wide. One look was enough to tell that this was a wealthy household.

Misao looked up and saw the Kuchiki Clan crest painted on the gate.

No wonder Soi Fon had told him he could find the Kuchiki Clan by just continuing straight.

With grounds this large, anyone who missed them really would have to be blind.

Just as he was about to approach, a long creak rang out as the gate opened.

The towering wooden doors swung slowly apart, taking more than ten seconds to open fully.

Only then did the old Kuchiki man standing in the middle behind the doors step through the gate. He came before Tokoyo Misao and bowed slightly.

"Clan Head Tokoyo, Clan Head Kuchiki has been waiting for you for some time."

With that, he turned and gestured for him to enter.

Tokoyo Misao nodded and followed him.

This old man was the person he had met once at the academy.

The man had found Rukia first, then later gone to the academy with Byakuya Kuchiki and brought her into the Kuchiki Clan.

The moment the gate opened, Tokoyo Misao had spotted a great hall in the distance.

Yet after walking for a while, he found that they seemed no closer to it at all. It was like a mountain that looked near enough to reach but could run a horse to death before it got there.

He asked softly, "How has Rukia been getting along with the Kuchiki Clan?"

The old Kuchiki man answered with a smile, "All the servants in the Kuchiki Estate respect and adore Lady Rukia. Her presence has brought light to every one of us."

Tokoyo Misao glanced sideways at him. Seeing his bunched-up wrinkles and raised corners of his mouth, he could tell the old man was genuinely happy.

"Is that so? That's wonderful. I was worried she might not be doing well here. It would be troublesome if she made a fuss about wanting to leave when we met."

Tokoyo Misao replied calmly, but the old Kuchiki man suddenly stopped in his tracks ahead of him.

The old man did not turn around, but his voice was somewhat low as he spoke.

"Clan Head Tokoyo, please don't make jokes like that. Even if Lady Rukia really does marry you in the future, she will still be the young lady of the Kuchiki Clan, and we will tolerate no criticism of her."

After saying that, the old Kuchiki man resumed walking and continued leisurely, "

As things stand, I do not believe you are worthy of Lady Rukia, Clan Head Tokoyo."

"I only came to visit as a friend. How did this turn into a discussion of marriage?" Tokoyo Misao said with a pout.

"Besides, I'm the head of the Tokoyo Clan. There's no one I'm not worthy of."

This time, the old Kuchiki man said nothing more and led the way in silence.

Meanwhile, in the great hall of the Kuchiki Estate, Byakuya Kuchiki knelt properly in the center, waiting in silence.

Just then, a figure entered through the doors. Her steps were neat and measured, each one seemingly calculated.

Her hands were folded across her chest, and she held herself perfectly straight.

She walked slowly up to Byakuya Kuchiki, took a cushion and knelt on it. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"Big brother, may I ask if our family has any records concerning the Tokoyo Clan?"

The newcomer was none other than Rukia Kuchiki. During this time, she had endured the task of learning all the etiquette of a great noble, while keeping up with her Soul Reaper skills.

Every day, after her exhausting training, she would rush to the family library to search for information about the Tokoyo Clan. Yet after all this time, she had not found a single thing.

Just as she had been about to train, she heard a servant say that the head of the Tokoyo Clan—the genius who had graduated from the academy in six months—was coming to visit the Kuchiki Clan.

She had hurried over to ask Byakuya Kuchiki directly, rather than continue searching aimlessly on her own.

Ever since joining the Kuchiki Clan, she had not exchanged a single word with the clan head before her, her big brother in name.

Several times she had wanted to start a conversation, only to shrink back, intimidated by his distant manner.

But now that Tokoyo Misao was coming, she did not want to be unable to give him any information, so she had worked up the courage to ask.

Byakuya Kuchiki slowly opened his eyes and looked calmly at Rukia in front of him. After a moment, he asked:

"Do you like Tokoyo Misao?"

"Huh?" Rukia's eyes widened, and she tilted to one side. Her noble etiquette vanished completely as she hurriedly waved her hands and replied:

"N-no, I don't! Misao just helped me a lot. At the academy, he often taught me Zankensoki, and even how to conduct myself."

"That's why I wanted to find information about the Tokoyo Clan, to repay him."

"Is that why you joined the Kuchiki Clan?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked again.

Rukia, who had been waving her hands in a panic, froze.

She lowered her hands, sat properly again, and bowed her head.

After a moment, she raised her head again, met Byakuya Kuchiki's gaze, and answered earnestly:

"No, that's only a small part of the reason."

"After spending this time here, I've grown very fond of this place, and I'm proud to be a member of the Kuchiki Clan."

Byakuya Kuchiki slowly closed his eyes again and said softly:

"Go to the ancestral shrine. There's a parchment scroll beneath the offering table with some information about the Tokoyo Clan."

"Th-thank you, big brother." Rukia rose, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed slightly. After taking more than ten steps backward, she turned and headed outside.

She did not notice her steps growing lighter and quicker, until she was finally running.

Byakuya Kuchiki watched her retreating figure and murmured:

"Back then, whenever I thought about going to Rukongai to see you, I felt just as elated."

"Hisana."

Chapter 53: I Am the Tokoyo Clan's Rules

The old Kuchiki man led Tokoyo Misao to the entrance of the great hall.

The old man stopped and gestured toward the interior.

Tokoyo Misao stepped over the threshold, which was more than ten centimeters high, and entered the hall. At a glance, he saw Byakuya Kuchiki kneeling on a cushion in the center.

The Kuchiki Clan's great hall had a ceiling an estimated twenty or thirty meters high and thick red pillars. The whole place was grand.

But for some reason, beneath its solemnity, it felt strangely empty to him.

He walked over slowly and sat on a cushion 1.5 meters from Byakuya Kuchiki.

Rather than kneeling, however, he plopped straight down on the cushion with his hands resting on his knees.

Byakuya Kuchiki's brow twitched at the sight, and he spoke in a cool voice:

"Since you claim to be the head of the Tokoyo Clan, a great noble house, you ought to know some proper etiquette."

His gaze fell on Tokoyo Misao's sitting posture, making his meaning plain.

Tokoyo Misao shrugged indifferently, then propped his chin on his right hand and said with a smile, "These are the Tokoyo Clan's rules."

"Are you so unrestrained because no one can verify your identity?" Byakuya Kuchiki's voice grew colder. "Do you realize that if you are confirmed to be impersonating a great noble, the consequences will be far more than a simple death sentence?"

"What's real can't be made fake, and what's fake can't be made real. Besides, doesn't your attitude show that the Tokoyo Clan really exists?"

Tokoyo Misao laughed and continued, "The Kuchiki Clan stands at the head of the nobility and oversees the rules. Unless you had some reason, you, as clan head, would never receive someone suspected of impersonating a great noble with such courtesy."

Byakuya Kuchiki did not refute him. He had indeed seen the eye-shaped clan crest on Tokoyo Misao's right arm on a parchment scroll found in his own home.

After exchanging information with the other clans, he had also confirmed the Tokoyo Clan's existence.

However, just as the others had considered, he could not confirm whether the Tokoyo Misao before him actually belonged to the Tokoyo Clan.

But deep down, Byakuya Kuchiki hoped that Tokoyo Misao really was the head of the Tokoyo Clan.

So, in this ambiguous situation, he had chosen to receive him with the courtesy due a noble.

"Tokoyo Misao, what is your purpose in coming here?"

"My main purpose is naturally to see how my good friend Rukia is doing here. After that, I wanted to meet you, the head of the Kuchiki Clan, and say hello."

The smile remained on his face, but his next words sent a chill through the old Kuchiki man waiting at the entrance.

"Let me tell you in advance: I'll take back everything that belongs to the Tokoyo Clan. Whoever has ever seized anything belonging to us will pay the price."

"The Kuchiki Clan knows nothing about that. But if you intend to attack a noble, that falls within the scope of my duties."

Byakuya Kuchiki replied coldly.

He could tell from Tokoyo Misao's eyes that he was not lying. At the very least, he was completely serious about reclaiming the Tokoyo Clan's inheritance.

"All right." Tokoyo Misao stood and clapped his hands. "Now that we've said hello, can I visit Rukia?"

"Talking to an icy guy like you is exhausting. Who keeps a straight face through an entire conversation?"

Byakuya Kuchiki's brow twitched several more times. "You really don't know the first thing about noble etiquette, do you?"

"Didn't I just say it? I represent the Tokoyo Clan's rules. What, are you trying to interfere with our family's rules and traditions?"

Tokoyo Misao planted one hand on his hip and shot back without restraint.

The hall fell silent in an instant. Byakuya Kuchiki calmly watched Tokoyo Misao across from him. After a moment, he opened his mouth and said:

"Someone will take you to Rukia."

With that, he closed his eyes again.

Tokoyo Misao turned and walked toward the entrance, only to find that the old Kuchiki man waiting there had no intention of leading him.

The old man beckoned to the side, and a younger maid came over. She bowed respectfully, turned, and approached Tokoyo Misao with small, quick steps.

Tokoyo Misao followed her toward the end of the corridor.

Seeing Misao's retreating figure with one hand on his hip, the old Kuchiki man recalled a distant memory.

Back when Byakuya Kuchiki was still young, he had been just as full of enthusiasm as the man before him.

Without betraying his thoughts, he turned around, took hold of the great hall's doors with both hands, and slowly closed them.

Just before the doors shut, he raised his eyes and glanced at Byakuya Kuchiki sitting properly in the center of the hall. He could not help sighing inwardly.

The maid led Tokoyo Misao to a cherry tree in the rear garden, bowed respectfully, and left without a word.

Tokoyo Misao looked around in boredom. As gardens went, it was quite large. The pond over there was at least 600 square meters, and the fish in it looked as though they were suspended in a blue sky.

There were also some stones and artificial rock formations, as well as wooden training dummies.

Strangely, no flowers or grass had been planted. In the entire vast rear garden, there were no other ornamental plants besides the cherry tree.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of footsteps approached.

Tokoyo Misao turned to look.

Rukia, dressed in a purple kimono with her hands held in front of her, was approaching from the end of the corridor in small, measured steps.

She walked slowly up to Tokoyo Misao and stopped, gently raised her head, and spoke in a soft voice:

"It has been a long time, Lord Tokoyo Misao."

The corner of Tokoyo Misao's mouth twitched. Faced with Rukia, who had completely taken on the appearance of a young noble, he thrust out his right hand, curled his index finger, and flicked it sharply at her forehead.

A crisp bang rang out.

The flick failed to hit her forehead and struck the back of Rukia's hand instead, producing an explosive crack as Reishi collided.

The next moment, Rukia clenched her left hand into a fist and drove it toward Tokoyo Misao's stomach.