At the sound of the voice, the guards outside Central 46 who had been beating the blind Tosen Kaname finally stopped.
They all looked toward the speaker, their expressions shifting almost imperceptibly.
They could sneer at commoners and treat them with lofty arrogance. But when facing a Soul Reaper—especially one from a noble family—they didn't dare.
Though they were nobles themselves, they were, in essence, only minor nobles.
And they were sons from families who weren't particularly valued.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up guarding the gates of Central 46.
Guard duty was hardly a noble occupation.
Because the newcomer was someone of unusual standing, the guards instinctively looked toward Tsunayashiro Tokinada. They were beating the commoner here because of him.
"Shunsui, it's you!"
Tokinada felt the guards' eyes on him but paid them no heed. His gaze fell on the two figures who had arrived in the Government Office District—or, more precisely, on Kyoraku Shunsui, who wore a colorful coat over the white Captain Haori beneath it.
As for the man beside Shunsui, he too wore a Captain Haori and was indeed a captain of the Gotei 13, but Tokinada had little interest in him.
"Tokinada, what exactly did he do? Why are you treating him like this?"
Kyoraku Shunsui's gaze was sharp. Looking at Tosen Kaname, who lay curled up on the ground, beaten nearly beyond recognition by several guards and letting out low groans, he raised his brows slightly.
"This has nothing to do with me..."
Tokinada spread his hands.
"I merely saw someone come to the gates of Central 46 to seek justice from those noble lords, so I came to have a look. But I never expected this lowly commoner to try to attack me when he heard my name. Naturally, the guards couldn't allow