"I'm saying... Renji."
Gaoyu sighed. Seeing how anxious Renji was, he couldn't help saying, "Can't you go see for yourself?"
"I..." Renji faltered, then blushed a little. "I... I'm still just an ordinary Soul Reaper, while Rukia is a member of a great noble family. Until I'm able to speak to her as an equal, until I've become strong enough, I want to let Rukia live with her family."
Renji knew that, even though Rukia seemed carefree on the surface, she cared deeply about her family. Now that she had finally found a family, he absolutely couldn't disturb her life.
Gaoyu didn't know what to do about that way of thinking. He'd tried to persuade Renji before, telling him the Kuchiki Family wasn't as frightening as he imagined. Who said an ordinary Soul Reaper couldn't talk to someone from the Kuchiki Clan?
But...
Renji was determined to face Rukia as an equal, which meant he wouldn't go see her until he had at least become a Vice-Captain.
So Gaoyu stopped trying to persuade him. Everyone had their own way of thinking.
He could only reply, "Rukia didn't suffer any physical injuries. She may have experienced some kind of mental shock, which is why she hasn't woken up yet."
"But after receiving treatment from the Fourth Division, she should recover soon."
"That's good." Renji let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Vice-Captain Gaoyu. I heard you were the one who carried Rukia and the others back."
"I'm the one who should be ashamed. In the end, I still couldn't do anything about that Hollow."
"Vice-Captain Gaoyu, I heard they're organizing a squad to go to Hueco Mundo. Is that true?" Renji suddenly asked.
"..." Gaoyu froze for a moment, then smiled. "You've got pretty good sources. Even I only found