Chapter 19

"Sōjun."

Ginrei Kuchiki stopped walking.

"Although it's still a little early, now that Byakuya has entered the Shin'ō Academy, we shouldn't pass up this opportunity."

"Isn't his 'friend' skilled in Kidō? Then find a... What grade was his Reii test when he last came here?"

"Seventh Class."

"Seventh-Class Reii... That's already quite good at his age. Although there's still a considerable gap between him and Kōga, he's worth our investment."

Ginrei Kuchiki had seen much in his time, after all. The Seventh-Class Reii level of a high-ranking Seated Officer was barely enough to catch his eye.

"Find him a secret manual for Sōren Sōkatsui. Consider it a small token from us as his elders."

Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui.

A Hadō with such a high number was truly among the ranks of advanced Kidō. Obtaining it at all was no easy task, much less a secret version collected by a great noble clan like the Kuchiki Clan. Ginrei Kuchiki's description of it as a "manual" alone showed how much information the secret teachings contained.

"..."

For some reason, Kuchiki Sōjun froze for a moment and failed to answer Ginrei Kuchiki immediately, prompting the latter to ask:

"What is it?"

"I don't think that's necessary."

"Oh?"

Ginrei Kuchiki looked back at his son.

Although Kuchiki Sōjun had strong opinions of his own when it came to handling such matters, he never dismissed Ginrei Kuchiki's advice.

"What do you mean?"

"Before he went to the Shin'ō Academy, I already had Byakuya take a gift with him... Though the boy himself didn't realize it."

"...Good."

Ginrei Kuchiki nodded.

Just as he sought out suitable subordinates for Kuchiki Sōjun, the latter was clearly paving the way for Byakuya's future. The students at the Shin'ō Academy might be a little weak, but at least their backgrounds were relatively clean. Besides, geniuses like Kōga were not easy to find.

"You already had Byakuya take him the secret manual for Sōren Sōkatsui?"

"Hmm..."

Kuchiki Sōjun's smile turned a little subtle.

"Not that."

"Hmm?"

It was normal for father and son to differ in their judgments, but his son's subtle smile made Ginrei Kuchiki curious.

"Rather than advanced Kidō, I prepared something more suitable for the boy."

Kuchiki Sōjun didn't answer directly, instead keeping him in suspense a little longer.

"What?"

Ginrei Kuchiki also sensed something from his son's roundabout manner.

"A Heavenly Bedding Pill."

"..."

Ginrei Kuchiki's aged eyes sharpened for an instant, but he did not rebuke Kuchiki Sōjun. He quickly regained his composure and continued:

"The Kuchiki Clan isn't in the habit of giving to charity. Although we have no use for it now, Sōjun, you should know better than anyone how valuable a Heavenly Bedding Pill is—"

"Would the Shihoin Clan give away a Heavenly Bestowed Armaments so readily?"

Each of the Four Great Noble Clans had different areas of interest when it came to the Soul Society's "wealth." The Kuchiki Clan's greatest strength lay in its various secret Kidō teachings.

Giving those as gifts carried some risk of their secrets leaking, but it would not harm the Kuchiki Clan's strength or foundations.

But other things were different... The Shihoin Clan was known as the "Heavenly Bestowed Armaments Guard," yet it would never readily give away a Heavenly Bestowed Armament. By contrast, the secret Shunpo teachings in which the Shihoin Clan excelled were wealth that could be "traded."

"Miss Yoruichi gave Byakuya quite a few 'toys.'"

"She was fooling around!"

At the mention of Yoruichi Shihōin, the head of a great noble clan whose behavior was unreliable in every way, Ginrei Kuchiki's eyebrows nearly jumped.

"But our relationship with the Shihoin Clan really has grown closer, and the pressure from the Tsunayashiro Clan has lessened considerably as a result, hasn't it?"

The Tsunayashiro Clan was the foremost of the Four Great Noble Clans, firmly suppressing the Kuchiki Clan, the perpetual runner-up.

"...Go on."

Ginrei Kuchiki quickly calmed down.

"A clan's wealth is indeed accumulated over generations like this, but to exchange a treasure that might not be needed for a long time for a friend truly worthy of our trust—"

"I think it's worth it."

Kuchiki Sōjun spoke with conviction.

"You have a very high opinion of that student."

"Whether it's his potential or his character... Aren't you afraid you've misjudged him?"

Ginrei Kuchiki raised a question from another angle.

"Father."

"You should know better than anyone what my Zanpakuto can do."

Kuchiki Sōjun patted the hilt of the Zanpakuto at his waist, dispelling his father's final doubt.

"You actually released your Zanpakuto?"

Ginrei Kuchiki sounded somewhat surprised.

Kuchiki Sōjun's Zanpakuto had a very unusual ability. Considering that his health had not yet improved at the time, he should have been even less willing to release it lightly, much less pay such a "price" to test a student at the Shin'ō Academy.

"Although I feel a little sorry for the boy, since he's Byakuya's friend, I couldn't very well ignore him."

"...What color?"

After hearing Kuchiki Sōjun's explanation, Ginrei Kuchiki pressed on.

"White."

Kuchiki Sōjun's Zanpakuto could reflect changes in the heart through colors.

"Nothing else?"

"A little yellow. Insignificant."

"...That really is rare. If I remember correctly, Byakuya's friend isn't held in very high regard at the Shin'ō Academy."

At the Shin'ō Academy, Haruto was a prime example of someone who "sucked up to the powerful."

"But if that's the case—"

Ginrei Kuchiki frowned.

"A true friend is far harder to find than an opportunist who comes running because of the Kuchiki Clan's name."

Before his father could finish, Kuchiki Sōjun interrupted him, a rare occurrence.

"The latter is easier to control."

"But apart from Kōga, most of those people are mediocre talents beyond saving."

"...True."

Ginrei Kuchiki nodded with satisfaction.

"By the way, Father."

The two continued along the corridor toward the main hall of the family estate.

"Is there something you want to ask?"

This stretch of the walk was a rare moment of peace for father and son. Once they entered the main house, there would suddenly be many more eyes and ears around them.

"It's not that I don't trust Captain Hikifune, but... The Menos Grande component among the Heavenly Bedding Pill's ingredients won't have any adverse effects, will it?"

"You mean the symptoms you had when you first took it?"

"Yes."

Haruto had guessed one thing correctly. When Kuchiki Sōjun took the Heavenly Bedding Pill, a mask-like shadow had indeed briefly appeared on his face.

However.

As soon as that Hollow power appeared, Ginrei Kuchiki suppressed it. Jūshirō Ukitake had experienced something similar when he took his first Heavenly Bedding Pill, which had allowed the Kuchiki Clan to prepare in advance... Of course, before the power of Hollowfication could take effect on Ukitake, he had "crushed" it himself.

"Without Captain-level power to suppress it, I'm worried..."

"Sōjun, you're still too kind."

Ginrei Kuchiki shook his head and said:

"Isn't this perfect?"

"I imagine you didn't conceal the Heavenly Bedding Pill's ingredients from Byakuya, and that boy would certainly have been loyal enough to tell his friend."

Ginrei Kuchiki knew his own grandson's character better than anyone.

"As for the consequences and possible side effects... When that student discovers the problem, he'll naturally come back to us seeking a solution."

"If you really think so highly of him, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity to have him serve the Kuchiki Clan?"

"Of course."

Ginrei Kuchiki changed tack.

"If he can suppress the power within it through his own abilities, I'll be sincerely happy for Byakuya—"

"A genius friend like that isn't easy to come by."

"..."

Kuchiki Sōjun did not respond directly to Ginrei Kuchiki's words.

He knew his father was right. It was precisely this careful and thorough way of thinking that had allowed the Kuchiki Clan to stand for so long in the Soul Society as a "great noble clan," rather than being stripped of that status like the neighboring Shiba Clan.

It was just that his own way of doing things was quite different from his father's.

At the last moment before entering the clan's council hall, Kuchiki Sōjun looked up and glanced at the somewhat overcast sky.

The Heavenly Bedding Pill.

As a direct beneficiary of Captain Kirio Hikifune's creation, Kuchiki Sōjun knew full well both its medicinal effects and the problems they caused:

A fragment of the Reiatsu of a Vasto Lorde, the highest class of Menos Grande.

The Kuchiki Clan was the most "upright" of the Soul Society's great noble clans. There could be no stain on its head's record, much less any deliberate contact with the power of a Hollow. Thus, the Reiatsu fragment used to make the Heavenly Bedding Pill absolutely could not have come from the Kuchiki Clan's stores.

Lesser noble clans were not worthy of possessing such a thing, while great noble clans could not possess it.

So...

It could only have been "bestowed by heaven."

Volume 1: 012, Ise

"Ah~"

Haruto let out a huge yawn as he faced the setting sun.

"Is it already this late?"

The sky over the Seireitei had darkened, with less than a quarter of the sun remaining in the western sky. Now that the graduation exam had officially ended, there was no sign of any students at the Shin'ō Academy at this hour.

Even the lights that had just been lit were sparse.

"The Heavenly Bedding Pill Byakuya brought really is good stuff."

Haruto raised his hand and looked at his palm, which had stopped trembling.