Yoruichi's Demand

"Fake seriousness? Are you talking about me?"

Kenma stopped and looked at his fiancée hurrying after him, his expression immediately turning solemn.

Who knew what kind of trouble she had cooked up this time?

"You're the fake serious one!"

Yoruichi's figure turned into an afterimage, and with a whoosh, she flashed in front of Kenma.

After spending some time together, Kenma had more or less grown accustomed to Yoruichi's mischievous nature. Most of the time, he could handle her with ease.

"If you say so. I won't argue with you."

Kenma kept a straight face as he perfunctorily replied, "I have important business to attend to. Why did you specifically call me over? Is something urgent?"

Yoruichi's gaze fell on the two books in Kenma's arms. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression darkened.

"The important business you mentioned is eagerly taking control of the Shikokuin Family's assets and connections?"

Once her fiancé gained control of the family finances, she would have to watch his mood whenever she wanted to enjoy herself in the future.

How could Yoruichi, who had always been used to freedom, possibly be in a good mood about that?

Unable to blame her father, who was the source of all this, she could only vent her resentment on the fiancé who was actually restraining her.

Kenma saw through Yoruichi's thoughts at a glance and merely said, "It was Old Lord's decision. If you were a little more reliable, Old Lord wouldn't have entrusted something this important to me."

"In fact, I wouldn't even be present in this enormous Shikokuin Family, and you, Yoruichi, wouldn't have to face a partner you dislike every day in the future."

"You..."

Yoruichi paused. She instinctively wanted to argue, but for the moment, she truly could not find anything to refute.

After all, she knew herself that she was somewhat carefree by nature.

Unable to find an opening, Yoruichi changed the subject.

"Tell me, what are your plans after you marry me?"

"Plans?"

Kenma's heart skipped a beat. He then looked confused and asked Yoruichi in return.

"What plans could I have? Old Lord has shown me immense kindness. Naturally, I will fulfill his expectations, assist you as the family head, and ensure the Shikokuin Family's status and power."

"I'm not talking about matters on that grand scale. I mean private matters between you and me."

Yoruichi looked around. A few attendants stood some distance away in the courtyard. She pointed toward them and said, "Come on. Let's go somewhere without anyone around and discuss it properly."

"Then let's go to the tea room. It'll be quiet enough there."

At Kenma's suggestion, the two arrived at a courtyard designed in the dry landscape garden style.

Kenma followed a fairly standard tea-making process, brewed a cup, and pushed it toward Yoruichi.

Watching Kenma's smooth movements, Yoruichi was somewhat surprised. "You actually know how to do this? Weren't you born in Soul Society?"

Even she, the head of the Shikokuin Family, did not really know how to do this.

Kenma Responded, "It's true that I came from Soul Society, but the Grandfather who adopted me was a noble before he died. He was also the nephew of a regional lord, and he taught me these things."

"The old man who appeared on the day of our engagement?"

Yoruichi recalled that Kenma's relative had been an elderly man well past fifty. He had a rather forthright temperament and a strong accent.

"I could sense a fierce Aura from him. I never expected him to have been a noble in life."

"There's nothing strange about that. He was indeed a noble, but he was also a military general, so naturally he had to go to war... His end was tragic as well. I heard he died in battle while protecting his uncle."

At the mention of the old man who had adopted him, a trace of gentleness flashed through Kenma's eyes. His gaze settled on the Zanpakuto resting at his side.

"Not only tea ceremony—he taught me my swordsmanship too. Besides that, he taught me many other things."

"So when you practice swordsmanship every morning and let out those strange cries, he taught you that too?" Yoruichi's expression changed, and her tone grew impatient.

"That's called Monkey Howl. It's a characteristic of this school." Kenma looked at Yoruichi. "What, you don't like my swordsmanship?"

"Yes. It's the thing I hate most right now, bar none!" Yoruichi nodded heavily, her face gradually turning grim. "Every day before dawn, when I'm sleeping soundly, I hear you shouting like some damn ghost. How am I supposed to keep sleeping? Those days, I was severely sleep-deprived. I had no energy every day, and I even got dark circles under my eyes."

Kenma looked at Yoruichi with a subtle expression. With your complexion, are you sure anyone can see dark circles?

"Then go to bed earlier."

"If I don't stay up late, what fun is there in life?" Yoruichi said as if it were only natural.

Kenma had no interest in arguing with her about this. At this rate, they could bicker for three days and nights without reaching an end, so he stopped the topic there.

"Go on. What are your thoughts about our private matters?"

"Very simple. We maintain a harmonious appearance in public, while in private, neither of us interferes with the other."

Speaking of serious business, Yoruichi's expression became more solemn.

"I can understand why Father brought you into the family. Since that's the case, let's be like the other noble families. In public, I can treat you with mutual respect, but in private, you walk your path and I cross my bridge. We ignore each other and keep a clear line between us."

"As long as it doesn't reach Father's ears or become public, thereby tarnishing the Shikokuin Family Name, anything else is fine!"

"What do you think?"

Kenma considered Yoruichi's request, but in the end, he shook his head.

"No!"

"Old Lord intended for me to keep you in check. If we really did as you said and let you act as wildly as you pleased, that would go against Old Lord's wishes... I can't let him down."

Hearing Kenma's answer, Yoruichi's hopes were dashed, and her expression swiftly darkened.

"Are you really that stubborn?" She still asked with a trace of hope, "Can't you make an exception?"

Make an exception for what? Let you fool around with that Yellow Hair and put a bright green hat on me?

Kenma shook his head again. "No."

"But if things between us become too strained, that would also go against Father's expectations."

Yoruichi's expression suddenly became ugly, and there was a hint of threat in her words.

"Dear son-in-law, you wouldn't want your father-in-law's expectations to be disappointed, would you?"

Hearing this, Kenma froze. There was both helplessness and astonishment in his eyes as he looked at Yoruichi.

"Setting aside that awkward tone of yours, my father-in-law is Shihōin Yoruichi's biological father. Isn't using him as a threat a little too filial?"

"You forced me to do this." Yoruichi asked sharply, "Can you make an exception or not?"

"..."

If even you, his biological daughter, were saying that, what could he, a son-in-law adopted into the wife's family, say?

After a moment of silence, Kenma slowly nodded beneath Yoruichi's delighted gaze.

"Fine, but I have conditions."

"Say it."

"You absolutely cannot cross the bottom line or violate basic principles."

Kenma did not want to wear a bright green hat after marriage.

Yoruichi immediately patted her chest and promised, "Don't worry. I'm not a child. I know what's appropriate."

"That's hard to say. Judging by your defection in the original story, which part of that was something an adult would do? You got your satisfaction, but you left this whole family at everyone else's mercy."

Kenma remained expressionless, sighing inwardly. He would still have to rely on himself.

From now on, he would have to keep his eyes open and watch Yoruichi even more carefully. He could not let her do whatever she wanted.

"Then from now on, we'll maintain things according to today's agreement." Yoruichi was clearly in a much better mood.

Having reached an agreement, Kenma left first. He still had important matters to attend to.

As she watched Kenma's departing back, a dark thought arose in Yoruichi's heart.

Just wait. Once the time is right, I'll divorce you!

Even if it was only so she could sleep in beautifully every day, she would drive Kenma out.

And for Kenma, gaining control of the Shikokuin Family's finances was like being handed a pillow just as he grew sleepy.

He happened to be in urgent need of a batch of weapons and supplies.

With the reference books Chunyan had given him, Kenma had taken control of the Shikokuin Family's wealth in just ten short days.

The Shikokuin Family truly deserved its reputation as a Great Noble family. The wealth in its hands was countless, far beyond Kenma's imagination.

He did not stand on ceremony, directly drawing a batch from the family stores and handing it over to the Uchiha Clan.

After ten days of exploration, the Uchiha Clan had gradually figured out the general situation in the Soul Society.