Shihōin Yoruichi

"How many times have I told you? Don't call me by my name so casually!"

At Kenma's form of address, Shihōin Yoruichi's brows drew together slightly, revealing a trace of displeasure.

"We aren't married yet."

"Even if we really were married, don't call me that so casually. I'm not familiar with you—at least, not intimate enough for that."

"Besides, if we're going to be precise, privately, I am the head of the Shikokuin Family, while you are the son-in-law my father brought into the family. Officially, I am the captain of the Second Division, Commander of the Stealth Force, and Commander of the Punishment Corps, while you are merely one of my subordinates. Do you understand, Yanmo, Seat Four?"

Seeing the clear aversion on his fiancée's face, Kenma seemed unaffected. His expression remained as impassive as ever, even somewhat wooden.

"Of course I understand what you mean."

"However, there's something you got wrong, Yoruichi."

"Strictly speaking, I am not only the Shikokuin Family's son-in-law and your fiancé. I am also Old Lord Chunyan's adopted son. In theory, we are equals."

"In the human world, that would generally be called a son-in-law adopted into the wife's family."

At those words, Yoruichi's lips curled downward, and the way she looked at Kenma grew even more hostile.

"Tch, you really know how to talk. You're actually using Father to pressure me..."

"I told you not to call me by my name. It just makes me sick."

She deliberately shuddered as though she truly felt chilled to the bone, then pulled down one eyelid with a finger and stuck out her tongue in a mocking expression. The resentment in her voice was barely concealed.

Kenma had long known that Yoruichi disliked him.

Being ordered by her father to marry a man she had never met would make anyone resistant.

What was more, her father was using this man to restrain her. With Yoruichi's wild, untamable, and audacious temperament, how could she possibly accept it so easily?

For now, she was merely trading verbal barbs with him rather than throwing a punch the moment they met. That was already the result of her reservations and repeated restraint.

Kenma, however, had always been indifferent to it.

Shihōin Chunyan had chosen him precisely because of his serious and conscientious nature. After the marriage, he would make the most suitable piece for keeping Yoruichi in check and preventing her from doing anything absurd or improper.

It was only natural for her to complain about him, even hate him.

Kenma had agreed to marry into the Shikokuin Family and wed Yoruichi not because he expected some youthful romance.

It was entirely because he wanted to become a noble.

Though Yoruichi had always been unreliable, she still knew when to stop.

Seeing how firmly Kenma insisted on his form of address, Yoruichi recognized the stubbornness and unyielding nature beneath his personality. She knew that no matter how much she persisted, she would not change anything.

So she simply stopped dwelling on such a trivial matter and returned to her previous question.

"You still haven't told me what you went off to do during the past few days. Father couldn't find you anywhere."

"I went to Soul Society."

There was nothing to hide, so Kenma answered truthfully.

"When we got engaged, Vice-Captain Maeada gave me some congratulatory gifts in his personal capacity. Among them were several property deeds and houses. I went to inspect them and hired some people to watch over the places."

As for where he had recruited those people, there was no need to explain such a minor detail one by one.

Sure enough, Yoruichi immediately lost interest upon hearing that.

Kenma asked, "I heard from the guards that you were looking for me. Did something happen?"

"What, I can't look for you unless something happened?" A teasing smile appeared on Yoruichi's face. "I'm annoyed with you right now and want to have a fight. Is that a good enough reason?"

"No problem."

Kenma drew the Zanpakuto at his waist and held it in his hand.

He looked at Yoruichi and asked, "Where shall we fight? The Second Division, or the family training ground?"

"No, I was just joking. Why are you taking it seriously?"

Yoruichi immediately stopped smiling and hurriedly talked the stern-faced Kenma down.

From their brief earlier encounter, she had known he was serious and conscientious, but she had not expected him to be this stubborn, incapable of taking even a joke.

They had only just gotten engaged. If people found out she had fought with her fiancé, it would damage the Shikokuin Family's reputation.

If word reached her father's ears, he might even keel over in anger.

Yoruichi had to spend a great deal of effort persuading him before Kenma finally sheathed his Zanpakuto.

She sighed helplessly. "I've realized that you're truly boring, and you love taking things so seriously."

She did not believe Kenma had failed to see that she was joking. He had merely seized upon her words and treated them seriously, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction with what she had said earlier.

"You're all pride and no sense. You're only at a vice-captain's level of Spiritual Pressure, while I'm a captain. How could you possibly beat me?"

"That is exactly why Old Lord chose me to become your husband." Kenma's tone remained calm. After a pause, he added, "At the very least, I'm far stronger than a certain yellow-haired brat."

"Oh? What's that smell? So sour."

Looking at Kenma's placid face, Yoruichi seemed to have discovered a new continent, her eyes gleaming with strange excitement.

"Could it be... you're jealous?"

Kenma turned a deaf ear, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

When Yoruichi failed to see the reaction she wanted, a hint of regret appeared on her face.

"What a shame."

Her expression became exceedingly exaggerated. "At a time like this, shouldn't you be blushing and stammering something like, 'I-Idiot, who would be jealous of you? It's not like I l-like you or anything,' like some tsundere?"

"..."

When someone was speechless, they were truly speechless.

Kenma knew his fiancée was somewhat playful and noisy, but he had not expected her to be such a drama queen.

At a time like this, no matter what he said, Yoruichi would only mock him. After remaining silent for a moment, he could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a thoroughly stifled reply. "I'm not a tsundere, and I have no interest in fooling around with you."

"A tsundere would never admit that they're a tsundere."

Seeing that Kenma remained unmoved, disappointment surfaced on Yoruichi's face.

"Tch. Fake serious, boring, no fun."

Every time they met, she could not help teasing him. She wanted to see the expression on Kenma's face when he finally cracked under her needling.

But Kenma never played along.

After going back and forth like this several times, she had nearly grown used to it.

Waving a hand, she finally told Kenma why she had come looking for him.

"Fine, I won't tease you anymore. To tell you the truth, Father wants to see you. He has something to say to you."

"Old Lord... what is it? How is his health?" Concern showed in Kenma's eyes as he asked.

Ever since he and Yoruichi became engaged, Shihōin Chunyan had handed the position of family head, as well as command of the Second Division, over to Yoruichi.

The old man also seemed to have lost his will to carry on. He had fallen ill overnight and could only prolong his life with medicine each day.

"Why don't you go see him yourself and find out?"

At the mention of her father, Yoruichi's face lost its earlier liveliness, and an inescapable melancholy seemed to veil her brows.

When the two of them arrived, they smelled the thick, bitter scent of medicinal herbs before even entering the room. When they pushed open the door, the odor rushed over them so strongly it nearly choked them.

An emaciated old man lay on the tatami, his face devoid of all vitality. He looked like he was taking in breath without letting any out, as though he could die the very next second without it being surprising.

Two attendants stood before him, caring for the old man.

The old man had the same dark brown skin as Yoruichi. Yoruichi wore a grief-stricken expression, and a watery sheen rose in her eyes.

"Father..."