Another Beautiful Day

The next morning, at dawn.

The faint morning light dispelled the haze of night.

The door opened, and Ross stepped out looking refreshed, his brow steeped in the languid satisfaction of indulgence.

Kūkaku Shiba, who had been waiting outside for a long time, swiftly stepped forward. With practiced movements, she draped the Captain's haori over him and smoothed every crease in his Shinigami uniform, the very picture of obedience.

Before leaving, Ross turned around and gave Kūkaku Shiba a light embrace.

There was a touch of warmth in that embrace, far kinder than how he treated Kurosaki Masaki and the others.

Then, with light steps, he left the Shiba Clan.

After all, because of yesterday's farce, a mountain of matters awaited his handling today.

Still, as the drama slowly unfolded, he looked forward to everyone's performances to come.

Watching Ross disappear from sight, Kūkaku Shiba's obedient expression instantly turned cold. Her face became calm as she turned and pushed open the door to the room where Ross had stayed the night.

The moment she entered, a foul, murky stench hit her face. Tsuru's gaze swept toward the center of the room.

The girl lay there, naked.

A trace of surprise flashed through Tsuru's eyes.

She had expected to see a bloodier, more mutilated scene.

Yet unexpectedly, aside from a little blood left by the unbearable strain on the two places behind her, as well as the more serious bruising across her chest, the body was largely intact.

At least in Kūkaku Shiba's eyes, this counted as Ross showing restraint and not going too far.

Expressionlessly, she walked forward and began cleaning up the mess in the room.

A one-sided, brutal conquest had taken place here yesterday. It had to be tidied up eventually.

During this time, Tsuru noticed that Inoue