The So-Called Three Elites

The person Yoruichi wanted to see was naturally the one she trusted most in her life.

Her father, Shihōin Chunyan!

When she arrived at Chunyan's sickroom, the sulky look on her face had yet to fade.

Bang!

She shoved open the Wooden Door rather roughly and walked inside.

Chunyan jumped in fright. When he saw it was Yoruichi, he lay back down again.

"Yoruichi, I'm recuperating right now. Could you not be so rough? One day, you really might scare me to death."

Chunyan watched his daughter enter, say nothing, and sit directly beside him.

Seeing the lingering expression on her face, he had already drawn his conclusion.

"Did you and Kenma have another disagreement?"

"To make you this angry, he truly is worthy of being the son-in-law I chose!"

Chunyan chuckled, and even the sickly look on his face seemed to improve considerably.

Hearing her father say that, Yoruichi immediately became unhappy.

"Old man, am I your biological child, or is he?"

"Instead of caring about your daughter, you're taking the side of that outsider you call a son-in-law."

Chunyan did not immediately mock her. Instead, he looked her over from head to toe, shook his head, and sighed.

"He's far better than you."

"I wish he were my biological son."

"Though having him as a son-in-law isn't bad either."

He could not decide the abilities or temperament of his own bloodline, but he could choose his son-in-law's character and ability.

After searching for so long, he had finally found a son-in-law who satisfied him. Naturally, no amount of praise was too much.

Chunyan's words immediately made Yoruichi puff out her cheeks. She glowered just as she had in the past, like a child who had never grown up.

"Ah, at the end of the day, she is still my biological daughter..."

With the servants' help, Chunyan sat up and looked at Yoruichi.

"Tell me. What happened between the two of you this time?"

"These old bones of mine are still around. I can at least offer you some advice."

Yoruichi recounted everything that had just happened from beginning to end.

By the end, even she could not help sighing.

"Old man, the fiancé you found for me is so flawless that I can't find any opening to make a move."

"He works diligently and follows the code of conduct properly. Of course he has no flaws."

After hearing her out, Chunyan was even more satisfied with his son-in-law.

As expected of the son-in-law I chose myself!

He was exactly this steady and dependable!

It was precisely because of this temperament that Chunyan had taken a liking to Kenma.

Compared to him, what sort of thing was that follower of his daughter's named Kisuke Urahara?

"Kenma was right. In the end, it was your follower's fault!"

"He's grown used to acting without restraint under your protection. He's violated the Regulations more than once and habitually scorns the law. People like him have shit under their asses, so naturally they can't withstand scrutiny. Investigate them, and you'll find something every time!"

"Now look at Kenma. He handles things with experience and conducts everything according to the rules and regulations. Even if you deliberately went looking for trouble, you wouldn't find any fault with him."

After Chunyan said all that, Yoruichi's expression grew darker and darker.

"Father, why are you taking his side too? You're even making Kisuke sound so utterly terrible... Could it not be that he framed Kisuke?"

"How am I wrong?"

Chunyan snorted, his expression displeased.

"Never mind whether Kenma set a trap. Even if he truly framed him deliberately, I would only be more satisfied with him."

"He used the Rules skillfully without leaving behind the slightest evidence. Everything was perfectly reasonable. That is what deserves praise!"

"Then look at your follower. When filing for expenses, he openly wrote down things explicitly forbidden by the Seireitei. Is that something a normal person would do?"

"Not only that, he actually wanted to drag you, the captain, down with him! He has neither responsibility nor ability, and his conduct is downright ugly!"

"If Kenma hadn't suppressed this matter in time, the Shikokuin Family would have been disgraced along with you!"

Yoruichi pouted and muttered, "How could that be? It can't be that serious..."

"Not that serious? How is it not that serious?!"

Chunyan's tone became incredibly grave.

"If Kenma hadn't suppressed it in time, and it reached the First Division, then the death of a mere Kisuke Urahara would be no great loss. But what about you? Even you, the head of the Shikokuin Family, would have been punished. What face would the Shikokuin Family have left?"

"Kenma was so sensible, yet what did you do? You failed to see that, listened only to your follower's side of the story, and let your emotions drive you into thoughtless impulsiveness. Now you're even blaming him instead. What face do you have?"

After her father's barrage of accusations, Yoruichi immediately lost her spirit and stopped arguing.

After a moment of silence, she asked unwillingly, "Father, I don't understand. Why do you think so highly of that guy? Is he really that outstanding?"

Chunyan nodded emphatically. "He really is that outstanding! Otherwise, why would I choose him as my son-in-law?"

Looking at his daughter's expression, he sighed inwardly and understood.

In the end, Yoruichi still opposed this marriage. She was still angry about it!

But what could he do?

Such a vast Shikokuin Family legacy, passed down by generations of ancestors, could not simply be lost.

His daughter was so unreliable, his son was still young, and he himself did not have many years left. If he did not rely on this steady son-in-law, who else could he rely on?

Chunyan softened his tone and said quietly, "Yoruichi, you are too arrogant. You've never truly looked at him, so naturally you cannot see his strengths."

"When have I ever been?"

"Then tell me about Kenma's past."

"I..."

Yoruichi was left speechless.

Only then did she realize that she truly had never learned about her fiancé's past experiences.

"You see? You don't even know the background of the person you will share a bed with in the future. Isn't that because you've never taken him seriously?"

Chunyan had expected this. He did not react much to Yoruichi's current behavior.

He merely sighed again.

My scatterbrained daughter, when will you ever start thinking?

"Kenma came to Soul Society after his death. He was then taken in by a wandering soul, joined the underworld, and eventually became the second-in-command of that criminal organization."

"Afterward, he entered Shino Academy, graduated with outstanding results, and became a member of the Eleventh Division."

"A few of us idle old men gave the three most outstanding students from those graduating classes the title of the Three Elites."

"Later, when the Kuchiki Family brought Kyouka in as a live-in son-in-law, I finally realized why that old fellow Kuchiki Ginrei had given the three of them a title for no reason. It was to build momentum for Kyouka, so that his joining the family would not stir up too much public controversy."

"A title shared by the three of them not only made Kyouka famous, but also had the other two share the attention directed at him... Hmph, quite a fine method."

"And I was worrying over you and the Shikokuin Family. Seeing what the Kuchiki Family had done, I followed their example and chose Kenma."

Though the title of the Three Elites now appeared to have been Kuchiki Ginrei's doing, Chunyan had to admit that all three were talented, each with their own distinctive traits.

One was proud and aloof, like a moon suspended high in the sky.

One was gentle as jade, kind as water.

And the last was steady and composed, as immovable as a boulder.

The three had even drawn the Captain-General's attention, who personally gave them the high praise: "With a little more tempering, they can become Pillars."

After hearing this, Yoruichi nodded, then asked, "Who was the last person among the Three Elites? Why didn't you choose him?"

"His name was Aizen Sosuke."