The Most Important Thing

"He is called Aizen Sosuke."

At the mention of that name, Shihōin Chunyan thought of that bespectacled man with the gentle expression.

For some reason, he had been unable to see through the man at a glance. It was as if layers of fog shrouded him, as hazy and unreal as an Illusion.

Chunyan could not help shaking his head.

"He is just as outstanding, but he is too perfect—so perfect that it makes me feel a little uneasy."

"My instincts tell me that Aizen is far from as simple as he appears."

"And now that I have Kenma, isn't that enough?"

After hearing her father's explanation, Yoruichi nodded thoughtfully.

"So Aizen needs to be watched..."

"That is not something you need to worry about. Captain-General Yamamoto is hardly someone to be trifled with."

"That's true."

Having heard those stories, Yoruichi then shifted the subject to the reason for her visit.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Kisuke and Saeaya have been captured. I didn't dare act rashly, so I came to ask you for help, old man."

"Father, do you have any way to save them?"

Chunyan instinctively said with disdain, "What value is there in saving the likes of Kisuke Urahara?"

"The Hachi Family has served as the Shikokuin Family's vassal for generations, and that little girl from the Hachi Family is also fiercely loyal to you. Saving her would be no trouble, but Urahara—"

Chunyan stopped halfway through his sentence, a blank expression appearing on his face.

He turned to look at his daughter, disbelief showing between his brows.

"Yoruichi, did you not pay attention to what I just said, or did you hear it but fail to think it through?"

"Huh?"

Yoruichi had no idea why her father had suddenly changed his attitude again.

Her expression became indescribably colorful: shock tinged with disappointment, helplessness mixed with disbelief, and finally, a trace of relief.

It was utterly complicated.

She could only say weakly, "Of course I was listening. Why do you say that, Father?"

So she really had not thought it through!

Heh, so she was no longer calling him old man now?

Chunyan covered his forehead, his heart filled with gloom.

What sin had the Shihōin Family committed to end up with such a fool in the household?

And how had he ended up with such a stupid, unreliable daughter?

Who knew whether she was deliberately trying to anger him.

"Yoruichi, I already told you that Kenma suppressed this matter. Do you still not understand what that means?"

"Out of consideration for the Shihōin Family's reputation, he suppressed it. That means he does not want to make a huge spectacle of it and let everyone know. Do you understand?"

Chunyan gave her a thorough scolding.

However, Yoruichi had always been thick-skinned. She had grown accustomed to being reprimanded by her father since childhood, so his yelling no longer bothered her much.

"So that means he is even less likely to kill Kisuke and Saeaya because of this."

Instead, her father's reminder made her realize something, and she immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Pinching her chin, she said, "So Kenma was just putting on a show? Then I can relax?"

"Relax, my ass."

By now, Chunyan had completely despaired of his daughter's rusty brain.

How could she lack even the slightest sensitivity toward the situation?

"Kenma may not kill them, but that does not mean he will let those two off easily."

"Even if he does not kill them, Onmitsukidō has plenty of ways to torture people. Making your two lackeys wish they were dead would be easy enough, wouldn't it?"

Yoruichi hurriedly asked, "He will neither kill them nor release them, so what exactly does he want?"

"Naturally, he wants to restrain you and secure his own influence within the Shihōin Family."

Chunyan simply stated his view outright.

"As long as you still care about those two, they will be sharp weapons in Kenma's hand to threaten you."

"Whenever he clashes with you in the future, he only needs to bring them out to force you into submission!"

"He will use them as leverage to make you surrender step by step, admit your mistakes, and back down. He will weaken your influence, expand his own standing in the Shihōin Family, and it would not even be impossible for him to eventually become the family's true controller!"

Yoruichi cried out, "If he is so scheming and malicious, why did you bring him into the family? And why do you admire him so much?"

"Wasn't it all for you? For your Brother!"

Chunyan glared, immediately silencing Yoruichi.

"It would not matter if the Shihōin Family fell under his control. As long as he does not seize the most crucial part, everything else can be handed to him."

"As long as the two of you have children, they will be the Shihōin Family's most legitimate heirs. Kenma is also a man who values his feelings. For the sake of his own son, he will surely protect the Shihōin Family well!"

Yoruichi seemed to understand. She cautiously asked her father, "The most crucial part... Father, do you mean those treasures the Spirit King bestowed upon our family?"

"That's right! So you do have some brains after all."

Chunyan sighed.

Although his daughter rarely used her brain, she had one at least.

Every now and then, it could still turn.

She could even see through the heart of a matter with ease.

"I am very satisfied with Kenma, so I gave him the greatest possible authority: connections, information, funds—I let him control everything."

"But the most crucial power remains in the hands of you and Yushiro!"

Soul Society and Seireitei might appear splendid on the surface, but the gaps in power between individuals were immense. At its core, the strong were still supreme.

Otherwise, Yamamoto could not have remained Captain-General for over a thousand years!

Otherwise, the Four Great Noble Clans could not have remained noble for so many years.

The financial authority Chunyan had handed to Kenma was utterly powerless before absolute strength.

Once the nobles saw the difference in strength, their connections would naturally follow the stronger side as well.

Those intelligence networks might be formidable, but they could not uncover information at the Captain-level. Before power, they still could not stir up any waves.

"So my bottom line from now on is to protect those treasures and make myself incomparably strong."

Yoruichi pondered this, gradually understanding her father's arrangements.

Then she asked, "Does my fiancé know?"

"With his intelligence, how could it be kept from him? He probably knew from the very beginning."

Chunyan said, "And this current affair may not have been caused by Kenma, but he must have fanned the flames behind it."

"This is both a test and an advance investigation."

"He is watching how you respond and what moves you make. Once he fully understands your methods, he will strike decisively with a thunderous blow and make you submit completely."

Yoruichi asked for help. "Then what should I do now?"

"That depends on you."

Chunyan raised two fingers and explained them one by one.

"First, give up Kisuke Urahara and Hachishō Ryo. Then Kenma naturally will not be able to threaten you with them."

Yoruichi shook her head repeatedly. "No. Kisuke is my friend, and Saeaya admires me too. I cannot abandon them."

"Then there is the second path: surrender."

"Just surrender like that?"

"What else can you do? You do not have any piece in hand that can trade against his."

Chunyan spoke earnestly:

"This time, remember the lesson. In the future, think through the causes and consequences before acting. You cannot keep being so reckless and impulsive."

"...I understand, Father."

Kenma knew nothing of the private conversation between father and daughter.

He merely used this time to arrange as much free time for himself as possible.

Then he took a few more days off.

And headed to that familiar yet unfamiliar other world.