Chapter 229
Nothing more.
Even a large and powerful family can't tolerate so many corrupt officials under its command: they are indeed loyal, but their insatiable greed is also undeniable.
If the Shihoin Clan were to personally intervene, it would inevitably discourage many of their subordinates and cause those who were indecisive to waver unnecessarily.
But if Haruto were to come...
Trading a reputation for "misjudging people" for tangible benefits—this deal was beneficial to Shihoin.
From any perspective, it's a win-win situation for the family.
"That's right!"
Yoruichi seemed to remember something and raised her finger.
"I'm not a capitalist who only exploits others without giving them anything in return."
--I must have heard this word from Kisuke Urahara.
"Some die-hards might not be convinced by the fact that the Stealth Force is acting solely as an agent."
Yoruichi stood up from the comfortable high-backed chair.
"Looking back now..."
"Byakuya's gender is quite good; Sōjun nor Hine have had a daughter of suitable age."
"You've really given me too much of a chance."
"?"
Haruto completely failed to understand the meaning behind Yoruichi's words.
"Haruto- chan."
But when she opened her mouth for the next sentence...
"You're still nameless, aren't you?"
"Lady Yoruichi!!"
As soon as Yoruichi finished speaking, the entire room erupted in chaos: even the brothers who were standing up couldn't...
Some were acting impulsively, and some even gripped the hilt of their swords, glaring angrily at Haruto.
"Quiet down! Quiet down!"
Yoruichi plugged her ears and shouted several times, but still couldn't control the somewhat riotous scene.
"..."
The Seated Officer took a while to quiet down.
It wasn't that their emotions were under control, but rather that Haruto used "Shiryū" to press them all back to their original positions.
"Let me finish what I have to say."
Yoruichi picked at her ear, then shrugged with a helpless expression.
"That's why I said you guys are no good. These days, the Stealth Force can't even control themselves over something as small as this?"
"I have no intention of letting the concept of a 'husband' restrict my life."
"..."
Haruto's emotions were somewhat complicated.
It's hard to say whether it was a sigh of relief or a sigh of relief... two completely different things.
"Oh, right."
Yoruichi specifically explained to Haruto:
"Although he's a little too cute, Yūshirō is a boy, you know~"
Yushiro Shihōin.
Yoruichi's younger brother, the only male heir of the Shihoin Clan in this generation... He's very girly in both appearance and personality.
"..."
Haruto was perfectly aware of such important information, and he knew without a doubt that Yoruichi was playing a trick on him.
"Hey~ Haruto, are you male or female?--"
Seeing that Haruto didn't reply immediately, Yoruichi habitually pressed for an answer.
My orientation is perfectly normal.
Startled, Haruto immediately interrupted.
"... That's perfectly normal."
He even added with an unusually serious expression.
"Very good, very good~"
Yoruichi chuckled and patted the back of her chair, clearly quite pleased with how everyone had been thoroughly fooled.
"But I wasn't joking about what I just said."
"Haruto- chan."
Yoruichi sat back down in her seat.
"You have the surname of the Shihoin Clan...?"
Are you interested?
Volume 1: Chapter 138, The Identity of the Four Great Noble Clans
"Certainly."
Will I acquire the Shihoin Clan name?
"How could anyone refuse something that offers such instant success?"
Haruto doesn't have a surname, and if he had to name one, he only knows about his "previous life" Yugram... so he doesn't really care about that.
"But..."
If it were any other noble family, they would probably abandon their clan and fight tooth and nail to get into the circle of the great nobles.
"The Golden Seal Noble Assembly won't pass it, will it?"
Haruto is very self-aware.
Even something as trivial as becoming a mid-level noble was rejected by the Tsunayashiro Clan at the Noble Assembly, let alone becoming a member of the Shihoin Clan, who held the same status as them.
"Huh?"
As soon as Haruto finished speaking, Yoruichi's surprised voice rang out:
"You do not know?"
"... What do you know?"
Haruto retorted with the same tone.
"Our Shihoin Clan has always been a single-lineage family, and there has never been a situation where the family splits up. Over a period of tens of thousands of years, there have naturally been many times when the bloodline faced extinction."
"Due to the special nature of our family traditions, in order to ensure that the name and bloodline of the Shihoin will not be extinguished in Soul Society, the Golden Seal Noble Assembly once passed a special law: among all the upper classes, including great nobles and upper-class nobles, the bestowal of the Shihoin Clan name and marriage into another family are the only ones that do not require the permission of the Golden Seal Noble Assembly ~"
Yoruichi dropped a huge bombshell.
However, judging from the expressions of the Seated Officers, it seems that everyone inside knows this information...
Etc!
Haruto suddenly thought of a possibility:
Could it be that the expansion of the Shihoin Clan's subordinates and retainers to this extent is due to this special law...?
Is it possible to achieve instant success?
"..."
If you think about it that way...
No wonder the Shihoin Clan, which is completely opposite to the Tsunayashiro Clan, has been able to continue to this day; it was this strategic move made by their ancestor back then...
It's absolutely brilliant.
Since you don't intend to refuse.
That's why no one objected.
Even outsiders like Haruto have the opportunity to get the Shihoin Clan to speak up, and they might even have a chance to join the ranks of the great nobility in the future— Yoruichi's unconventional style of doing things further increases this opportunity.
"Come with me to see Grandma."
Yoruichi folded the cushions on the chair together and left the seats that belonged to the captain and the commander-in-chief of the Stealth Force.
"If you don't want to..."
Yoruichi walked past Haruto's location and turned to Haruto with a sideways glance before leaving the main entrance, saying something.
"If he's half a generation younger than Byakuya."
"..."
"... yes."
Haruto hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow.
For no other reason than... he had used the surname Kotetsu when he was disguised in the World of the Living —although Haruto had no chance of marrying into the Kotetsu Clan, Isane might still be depressed for a while.
"On the way back..."
"Let's bring some souvenirs from the Shihoin Clan for Isane."
Two minutes later.
The Shihoin Clan, a side hall.
This place is a good halfway Seireitei away from the Second Division barracks, but the two of them could not feel the distance at all.
This is the Shunpo of the Shihoin Clan, and Haruto's speed after perfectly combining Shunpo and Hirenkyaku.
"Whoosh."
Even though it was nominally a side hall, it was larger than the main hall of most noble families.
"Captain Yoruichi, is there really no need to rush like this?"
Haruto considered his speed to be at its peak among the Captain-level of the Third-Class Reii level, but he never expected Yoruichi to be just as fast as him.
Neither of them had been moving at full speed—they hadn't even broken a sweat—but Yoruichi looked much more relaxed than Haruto.
If they were in a place with a lower concentration of Reishi energy, Haruto, who couldn't unleash his full power with his Hirenkyaku, would probably have already been left behind by Yoruichi.
That wasn't about traveling.
The two stopped in front of the side hall's main gate but did not knock immediately.
"... test?"
Shunpo how fast Shunpo could travel, Haruto could only think of this: the Shihoin Clan's surname definitely outweighs the Heavenly Bestowed Armaments and Treasures, so it's impossible for them to give it away so easily.
"You're quite clever!"
"That's right, and it's the second one."
Yoruichi turned to the side and nodded affirmatively—it must be said, Yoruichi's completely exposed back had such beautiful lines, coupled with that healthy but not too dark brown-black skin... it really made one want to grab a scraper and give it a couple of slaps.
"The first test is a political examination?"
"No, the first indicator is skin color."
"..."
Then Haruto was silenced by Yoruichi.