Chapter 281
Haruto glanced at the ice spire pointing straight to the sky, located slightly east of the Seireitei.
Hyōga Seiran.
During his years with the Hueco Mundo Expeditionary Force, Kōga Kuchiki had Hadō to the ranks of high-level Kidō; its power might not be as great as Ittō Kasō, but it was quite possible for it to rank 93rd or 94th.
"Now?"
Haruto's sudden remark startled Byakuya for a moment.
"Right."
"... good!"
Byakuya had just made up his mind when Haruto interrupted him:
"But we need to take a detour first."
"?"
"I'm going to the Kasumioji Clan. You should go to the Fushizuku Clan. They're both upper-class nobles... it's on the way."
I don't know if it's on the way, but it'll definitely be easy to kill people.
"Them?"
"The Kōga incident tonight is definitely caused by these two companies; they're probably part of the mastermind behind it."
Haruto then added.
Are you sure?
Two superior noble families.
Listening to Haruto's words, it's as if he's implying that he'll just wipe out both families.
This is no small matter. If the situation in Seireitei weren't so chaotic today, the mere presence of important figures from the Shihoin Clan and Kuchiki Clan among the upper-class nobles would have stirred up quite a storm in the circles.
"Kitahara Kenshin was drugged and killed by me with Bakkōtō."
Haruto simply stated a fact, and Byakuya agreed to his suggestion: the two of them did have that much in common.
"... good!"
Be careful.
It's good that Byakuya agreed so quickly, but the Fushizuku Clan is, after all, a long-established upper-class noble family, and there must be Captain-level Soul Reaper guarding their home.
You still need to know some methods and techniques to break in.
"The same to you."
"Um."
Haruto responded nonchalantly.
Captain-level?
Whether Captain-level obeys orders depends on how tightly Haruto clenches his fist.
Not to mention Haruto has a huge advantage: he now bears the surname Shihoin, and the Kasumioji Clan is nominally a retainer of the Shihoin Clan.
Kasumioji Clan.
"Clang clang!"
The urgent knocking woke the room's occupant.
"Come in."
The petite blonde girl was calmly responding while tidying her long braids.
"Rurichiyo- sama!"
The loli's name is Rurichiyo Kasumioji, the non-powerful head of the Kasumioji Clan.
"What's wrong, Kenryū?"
The "Kenryū" who came to report was Ryūsei Inuzaki. He was Rurichiyo Kasumioji's highest-ranking attendant and was responsible for her personal protection.
"Shihoin Clan has arrived."
"Why not just send Kumoi?"
Rurichiyo paused for a moment while combing her hair, then said calmly.
"They are from our family."
The Shihoin did not split up.
This way of speaking is used to distinguish whether those who come are retainers following orders or members of the Shihoin Clan.
"!"
Rurichiyo put down the comb she was holding.
"Lady Yoruichi is here?"
When she inherited the position of head of the family, Rurichiyo met Yoruichi once.
Although it only happened once, she still had a very good impression of "that person (older sister)".
"No..."
Kenryū shook his head, then added hesitantly.
"It's Haruto Shihoin's here."
"..."
Can I not go?
Rurichiyo instinctively backed down.
Haruto Shihoin's infamy is now known to everyone in Seireitei, especially among the nobles; although the Kasumioji Clan has never been "extorted" by this superior, just thinking about what happened to other nobles...
Death or compensation.
According to word of mouth among the nobles, meeting Haruto required choosing between these two options.
"The other party specifically requested that the entire Kasumioji Clan participate... within five minutes."
Kenryū's words sealed off Rurichiyo's escape route.
"... All right."
"Call on Enryū!"
Then she quickly added, "Although I know it won't be of much use, having more guards always gives me a greater sense of security."
"Yes!"
Three minutes later.
The council chamber of the Kasumioji Clan.
The guards, known as the Enryū, carried Rurichiyo Kasumioji to the scene.
It has to be said.
Haruto Shihoin's intimidation of the nobles was indeed too strong: even the retainers she summoned several hours in advance, who might not have all arrived even after half a day, all appeared here without missing a single one in just a few minutes.
This also included the powerful elder of the family Kumoi Gyokaku: For the first time, Rurichiyo saw a nervous expression on Kumoi's face, who was wearing a monocle. Not to mention sweating, she even saw that Kumoi Gyokaku's monocle was covered in steam.
However, Kumoi Gyokaku at all; Gyōkaku Kumoi was practically the only one in the room who wasn't nervous.
At this time.
"Haruto has arrived!"
Upon hearing her subordinate's report, Rurichiyo, sitting at the head of the table, almost instinctively straightened her body.
Then--
"Whoosh!"
The figure dressed in Shihakushō appeared before everyone in a very open and blatant manner.
"..."
Haruto glanced around at the hundred or so people in the Kasumioji Clan.
I'm in a hurry, so I'll get to the point.
As the captain of the Gotei 13, one certainly cannot speak to a higher-ranking noble in such an attitude, but a high-ranking noble reprimanding his retainer—
That would be perfectly ordinary.
"Hand over the location of the Bakkōtō factory. The person in charge will take his subordinates to Shigekuni Yamamoto."
"!?"
Haruto threw the bomb directly into the lake.
The members of the Kasumioji Clan on both sides looked at each other blankly, while others were sweating profusely and at a loss.
"..."
"And the answer?"
Haruto placed his hand on the scabbard.
Even with such a simple action, some people instinctively stepped back—regardless of whether they understood what Haruto was saying, they all assumed he was about to seize this opportunity to unleash a massacre: this lord had offended the Tsunayashiro Clan, yet he didn't even flinch; surely they, as high-ranking nobles, were no match for him...
"S- Haruto!"
Kumoi Gyokaku quickly stepped out from the group: Even if there are countless schemes behind the scenes, dying here means losing everything.
"Are you Kumoi Gyokaku?"
"Yes, yes!"
Kumoi shakily wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What business is it of yours, Kasumioji Clan?"
"This..."
"Mmm."
Rurichiyo, who was sitting in the first seat, spoke up at the opportune moment.
"Just ask Kumoi if you need anything, he knows everything!"
--Just from her tone and voice, she sounded like a young daughter admiring her father.
"Authorization from the patriarch? Very good..."
Haruto turned to look at Kumoi.
"The knife, the experiments, and the transaction records—take me there now!"
No argument is allowed in your tone.
"Lord Haruto, I didn't know you were...?"
Kumoi Gyokaku struck a pose resembling a fly rubbing its hands together.
"Gurgle."
Haruto took a familiar eyeball from the Kukai Box.
Guess why I'm carrying this disgusting thing?
"..."
That was the core of the Bakkōtō) that Haruto obtained from Kitahara Kenshin.
"I already said I'm in a hurry."
You have one last chance to speak. Think about what you're going to say.
"..."
An eerie silence.