"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shimizu."
"Not at all~ I apologize for my abrupt and presumptuous visit, and for tiring you two out on your way back from the team!"
Jun really dislikes talking to orthodox nobles; it's truly exhausting. Shihoin is somewhat better, Yoruichi is unconventional, but the Kuchiki Clan is genuinely annoying.
They exchanged pleasantries for over ten minutes, but that old codger, Kuchiki Ginrei, was quite something. She probably already sensed Jun's intentions for coming today and stubbornly refused to say a word to him. Jun was simply at her wit's end.
"I've come today regarding my disciple's matter."
"Disciple? Could it be Duoduo Liangjun?"
Jun just couldn't stand hearing that. What's wrong? Almost everyone in Soul Society knows that Kōga is Jun's disciple. Is it because he doesn't have that title that you don't acknowledge it?
"Yes, although it hasn't been made public, Kōga has indeed become my apprentice. However, to avoid adding any veneer to his identity, both he and I hope that he will build his own future through his own efforts."
"I see! Is that why you didn't reveal it? Shimizu's thinking is brilliant; he really has high standards for his disciples."
"It's not that I'm being strict. Kōga is a very talented kid, but he's still a bit young and not mature enough. So it would be better if he started from the bottom and worked his way up slowly."
"Oh, I see. So, Shimizu, what brings you here this time?"
Jun bowed slightly. "I've heard that Captain Kuchiki wants Kōga to join the Sixth Division after graduation. My request is that Captain Kuchiki not be too lenient with him."
With a gentle smile, Chun said, "You old geezer, didn't you want Kōga to be your son-in-law? Didn't you want to keep an eye on me? Come on, your son-in-law will start from the bottom. Let's see if you can afford to lose face like that."
Kuchiki Ginrei was indeed outmaneuvered by Jun. The Kuchiki Clan is a high-ranking noble family, and members of the Kuchiki Clan don't attend the Shin'ō Academy; they can directly join the Sixth Division. However, they are not to be underestimated. Even Byakuya's father, Sōjun Kuchiki, though frail and unsuitable for combat, possesses genuine fighting strength sufficient to serve as Vice-Captain.
The women of the Kuchiki Clan are the same. Sojun's wife, Sōjun Mino the 10th Seat of the Sixth Division. Later, Kōga became the Third Seat, Kōga's wife Kuchiki Aozumi, is the Sixth Seat. They are all at the level of Seated Officer.
Therefore, once Kōga becomes the son-in-law of the Kuchiki Clan, it's impossible for him to start from the bottom. The most basic requirement is similar to that of Jun back then—he'll be promoted directly to the Seated Officer. With Kōga's strength, that would be easy.
But now, Chun is demanding that his disciple start from the bottom, all in the name of his master. Would Kōga disagree? If it were the Kōga from the original story, he would definitely have a falling out. But with the Kōga under Chun's tutelage, Chun is confident that his disciple will comply with his demands.
To break Jun's trap, either Kuchiki Ginrei would temporarily prevent Kōga from becoming his son-in-law, or she would tell Jun that her daughter was going to be married off. Jun accepted the former, but he also had something to say about the latter, which was precisely the reason he came today.
"Come on, you old fogey, let's see who's better. I have accurate information about the future; do you think you can outsmart me?"
Kuchiki Ginrei was deeply upset by Jun's words. His idea of taking Kōga as his son-in-law only came to him after returning to the team; he hadn't even told the Captain-Commander yet. For the safety of Soul Society, and to control a source of danger, he had even sold his own daughter. And now? Such a good idea had been strangled by Jun.
"Could it be that he noticed something? No, I only just realized it myself. But why is he telling me not to take care of Kōga Tatara? Is he really trying to train his disciple? This is so bizarre!"
Kuchiki Ginrei inwardly cursed, "Since Jun has me cornered, I might as well go all out!" So Kuchiki Ginrei coughed.
"Ahem, Shimizu, I have a favor to ask. I think Kōga is a good young man, and he's the right age. I'd like to marry my daughter to him. What do you think?"
"Oh!?" Jun was extremely surprised, and everyone knew what he was thinking. "So that's how it is! What has Kōga done to deserve marrying the daughter of the Kuchiki Clan?"
"Hahaha, Shimizu, you can't say that. That day in the First Division, when I saw Kōga, I felt that she and my daughter were a match made in heaven, which is why I had this idea. That's why I specifically Kōga to join my Sixth Division at today's meeting, just to give everyone a heads-up."
"I see. Then I'm truly happy for Kōga, and extremely grateful to Captain Kuchiki for thinking so highly of him."
"No, no, no, there's no need for that. Kōga's exceptional talent is actually thanks to our Kuchiki Clan."
Neither of them mentioned the issue of marrying into the family, because that would be utterly foolish. For a daughter of the Kuchiki Clan to marry out, unless the man was one of the five great noble families (now the fourth), she could forget about even marrying into a high-ranking noble family, or Kōga could prove he was from the Soul King clan, it was all just a pipe dream.
Now we've reached the crucial point. Kuchiki Ginrei has announced that he wants to marry off his daughter and take Kōga as her husband. Here's the key point: Kōga's marriage in the original work wasn't happy. When a noble like Kuchiki Ginrei is pursuing certain goals, women are just tools to be discarded at will, and his own daughter is no exception.
Therefore, the life of Kōga and Aozumi after their marriage can be described as a living hell. Aozumi looked down on Kōga, a lowly Soul Reaper from a chaotic Rukongai, while Kōga, due to her talent, was extremely proud and looked down on so-called well-bred ladies. Needless to say, their relationship was extremely strained.
Kuchiki Ginrei's self-righteous educational methods further harmed Kōga, constantly instilling in Kōga the so-called honor and making Kōga hate his own Zanpakuto. Normally, a person's Zanpakuto is themselves; how can one hate it? Kōga was molded into a Dolls of the Kuchiki Clan, prioritizing the so-called honor of the Kuchiki Clan above all else.
So later, Kōga was framed, and it was because of the Kuchiki Clan's problems that he was framed. The Kuchiki Clan didn't seem to care at all. First, Aozumi was dead, and second, Kōga was going to be imprisoned, to the Muken, so they had completed their task of guarding him. In fact, Kuchiki Ginrei didn't like Kōga her son-in-law either; she felt that her parenting had failed.
Good heavens! To achieve her goal, she made it seem like her daughter's death was an accident, then used awkward parenting methods to raise a son-in-law she didn't like, and then casually gave up on him. This is something only a normal person could do.
So Jun smiled, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly, "I'm genuinely happy for Kōga about this. Since Captain Kuchiki has this idea, I have a favor to ask, and I hope Captain Kuchiki can grant it."
"Uh, tell me about it," Kuchiki Ginrei felt a tremor in his heart, because he sensed something was off about Chun. He was either a natural airhead or an old monster; how could Chun keep up with anything?
He feigned extreme shyness, "Haha, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about, but Captain Kuchiki knows that my wife was my senior when I was in school. Haha, that's truly the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."
"As for the issue of marriage, I actually have some immature opinions. I think that some shared happy memories will make our lives more harmonious and fulfilling. So I would like to ask Captain Kuchiki, since the young lady is of suitable age, how about giving the Shin'ō Academy the opportunity to study there for a few years? Of course, the Shin'ō Academy is not here to inquire about the Kuchiki Clan's secret techniques; that would be absolutely out of the question."
"Well"
Kuchiki Ginrei was dumbfounded. Sōjun, sitting behind Ginrei Kuchiki, looked at Chun curiously, because in this young master's memory, no one could possibly push his father to such an extent during a conversation.
Why was Kuchiki Ginrei confused? Because Jun didn't play by the rules. Most people would either disagree or make excuses, but only Junichi came up with the idea of having the young couple meet earlier.
Kuchiki Ginrei fell into thought, and Sōjun took the opportunity to exchange a glance with Sojun, then the two men smiled gently together. Sōjun Kuchiki was an exceptionally handsome man. Byakuya and his father looked remarkably alike, but in terms of temperament, Byakuya was somewhat aloof, while his father Sōjun was a gentle person, like a spring breeze.
"Our Kuchiki Clan"
Before Ginrei Kuchiki could finish speaking, Chun bowed deeply, "I am extremely sorry, I know this is against the rules of the Kuchiki Clan, but I only have one disciple, Kōga. Since Captain Kuchiki has taken a liking to him, it is his good fortune! However, I have heard that in noble marriages, five or six out of ten are unhappy because of disharmony in the couple's life. Therefore, I humbly request Captain Kuchiki to allow them to meet first!"
Kuchiki Ginrei was about to speak when Sōjun suddenly called out, "Dad~, I think what Shimizu said makes sense, and back then..."
"Nice!!" Chun, lying on the ground, had given Sōjun a thousand thumbs up. Her laughter earlier hadn't been in vain; this man was indeed a gentle person—a gentle son, a gentle brother, a gentle father. As for whether he was a gentle husband, that was for his wife to decide; Chun didn't know.
"I'll ask Aozumi what he means."
"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki!"
When Jun left the Kuchiki Clan, it was Sōjun who saw him off, thanking Jun for what happened back then and giving him Junichi super exquisite tea set, which Jun accepted.
Then Chun and Sōjun tried to get closer, simply because their names differed by only one character, and the character Sōjun's name was a shared name in his generation; in fact, Sōjun and Chun shared the same name.
Sōjun was also very happy about this; the two hit it off immediately. Chun genuinely enjoys chatting with this kind of man because it's comfortable. Then, as they talked, they also touched on topics related to lovers, and so did Sōjun. Both of them were married, so it was normal for men to talk about these things.
The two discovered as soon as they started chatting that both families were very harmonious, and they shared similar views on many topics. They felt like they had known each other for a long time. Finally, Chun mentioned Kōga.
"My concern is that Kōga doesn't know how to coax girls. If he upsets Miss Kuchiki, Kōga is quite stubborn, the sudden marriage might cause them to drift apart, which would be a bad thing. Of course, I'm not saying anything bad about Miss Kuchiki."
"No, no, no," Sōjun quickly said, "My younger sister's temper is indeed not very good. I completely agree with Shimizu's suggestion. Since Father has already had this idea, I think things are basically settled. So I will push for my younger sister to go to the Shin'ō Academy. And at the Shin'ō Academy, I hope Shimizu can take good care of my younger sister and help her get rid of those spoiled habits."
"No way, girls are all delicate, especially young ladies like you. It's nothing serious."
"Hehe, since Shimizu puts it that way, then I'll leave it to you."
Chun left very happily. Her conversation with Sōjun was truly comfortable; the two shared a tacit understanding. In their last two sentences, Chun clearly stated that she would take care of it and that there would absolutely be no problems, as it wasn't a big deal. Sōjun's meaning was that she was completely counting on Chun.
However, whether this Miss Aozumi is truly a princess or not, Chun doesn't know. What to do then? She needs to think about it. As for the young lady's enrollment, it's practically guaranteed to succeed.
Sure enough, a few days later, the Kuchiki Clan released shocking news that Seireitei: the first noble scion in history to be admitted to the Shin'ō Academy had been born into the Kuchiki Clan — Kuchiki Aozumi, the beloved daughter of the Kuchiki Clan patriarch and Sixth Division Captain Kuchiki Ginrei, was about to enroll in the Shin'ō Academy.
Meanwhile, there's even more explosive news: Kōga Tatara Rukongai awaken his Zanpakuto while still a student at the Shin'ō Academy, has been chosen by the Kuchiki Clan and will marry Kuchiki Aozumi after graduation, becoming a son-in-law of the Kuchiki Clan family, the head of the Four Great Noble Clans of Soul Society.
For a while afterward, Kōga was bewildered by everyone around him. People congratulated him every day, but he was completely lost in thinking about getting married.
Meanwhile, Aizen learned of this news at home and smiled slightly.
"You already had this in mind? Good Ōse Jun. You always seem to have an eye for interesting things, but ultimately, power is everything."