The Children of Soul Society Were Far Too Mature

"There are two more forms, right? Hurry up and show us!" Yoruichi urged Hiroe to demonstrate his Zanpakuto, Jiagui, in their secret base.

Hiroe didn't mind. He was about to release the remaining two forms when Urahara, who had been watching from the side, stopped him.

"That's enough of a demonstration. If this goes on, I'm not sure I'll still be able to go through with the plan."

"The plan?" Hiroe stared at the smiling Urahara, completely bewildered. Were these two planning some big secret behind his back?

"Come to think of it, I still don't know why you brought your Zanpakuto!" Hiroe finally remembered the important point and joked, "You two aren't planning to cut me down, are you? Hahaha..."

"You guessed it! No wonder you're Diezuka Hiroe!"

"Uh... You're joking... right?"

"Of course he's joking! With Urahara grinning like that, did you really take him seriously?" Yoruichi pointed at the smiling Urahara and gave Hiroe a series of hearty pats. Maybe that was her way of comforting him?

But Hiroe didn't feel comforted at all. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he couldn't get a word out. With Urahara's permanently smiling face, who could tell whether he was joking or telling the truth? He really had been scared just now!

"Yoruichi and I don't have many friends. Except you, of course." Urahara was still smiling, but his eyes had grown more serious. "We consider you a true friend!"

"So you know how awful it was to deceive us, right? Cutting you down wouldn't be unreasonable at all!"

"I know I was wrong. I just care too much about saving face. I didn't mean you any harm." Hiroe comforted Yoruichi, then gestured for Urahara to get back to the point.

"Actually, it's not as serious as Yoruichi made it sound. Today's meeting was partly to talk about your Zanpakuto, but more importantly, it was to put your mind at ease."

"Put my mind at ease?" Hiroe was even more confused now. Was this some way of easing a wrongdoer's guilt through punishment? Were children in Soul Society really this mature?

"So how are you going to punish me? You don't have to. I feel perfectly at ease... No! A little guilt is good. At least then I'll make sure not to do it again!"

Now it was Urahara's turn to look baffled. He had no idea what was going through Hiroe's head. What did he mean, how were they going to punish him? What was he even talking about?

Yoruichi could see what was happening now. These two were completely on different wavelengths. If Urahara kept speaking in riddles, they'd never get home to bed tonight.

"What Urahara means is that you revealed your Shikai in front of us. So we should offer you something in return; otherwise, you'd be at a disadvantage!" Yoruichi formally took over the conversation and explained it to Hiroe.

After Yoruichi's clear and simple explanation, Hiroe more or less understood what the two of them meant.

In short, Hiroe had accidentally revealed his Shikai in the Sword Chamber. Since a Zanpakuto's Shikai was a matter of great importance, they planned to show him their own Shikai today as well, so he wouldn't feel resentful. With all three of them sharing the same information, Hiroe could feel at ease.

But after Hiroe misunderstood Urahara, if they wanted to go ahead with the plan, they would have to explain and demonstrate their Zanpakuto in detail, just as Hiroe had. That was why Urahara had said he might regret it.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to show me your Zanpakuto. I really don't mind any of this, so don't worry!"

Hiroe explained how he felt, making it clear that he didn't mind. He really didn't care about this. As a great transmigrator, he already knew exactly who had which Zanpakuto.

Of course, there were things he didn't know. For example, Hiroe had no idea what Yoruichi's Zanpakuto was. But in his previous life, he hadn't been the kind of person to pressure his friends. That was one of his rules for friendship, and everyone had taken it for granted.

"You really are a good friend!" Urahara had finally given up trying to make sense of Hiroe's thought process. As a high-ranking noble, he was both impressed and exasperated by Hiroe's innocence. "But you should be a little more careful from now on."

Then Urahara and Yoruichi gave Hiroe a thorough lecture. Everyone knew how important a Zanpakuto was to a Soul Reaper. It was a Soul Reaper's most loyal partner, and their greatest trump card—the thing their life depended on.

That was why Soul Reapers didn't reveal their Zanpakuto lightly, not even to their companions. After all, you never knew what was in someone's heart. No matter how much you trusted them, you still had to keep something in reserve.

As for why Urahara and Yoruichi wanted to make it up to Hiroe, it was because they truly considered him a friend.

As Urahara put it, since they knew Hiroe's secret, they would let him know theirs in return. That way, even if the two of them ever turned against Hiroe, he would be able to respond with some composure. That was what they really meant by putting his mind at ease.

By this point, Hiroe was completely stunned. For one thing, in the manga from his previous life, most Soul Reapers would brag to their enemies about how powerful and incredible their Zanpakuto were, as if they were desperate to make sure everyone knew how many trump cards they had.

He hadn't expected the truth to be like this. No wonder Old Man Yama had told him to keep his other Zanpakuto secret. Without even realizing it, he had already behaved like a normal Soul Reaper, just as Urahara described.

And secondly, it turned out the children of Soul Society were even more mature than he'd thought! With minds like theirs, if Old Man Yama hadn't taught him, and he'd had only the innocent experiences of his previous life to rely on, they probably would've played him until not even his bones were left!

Seeing Hiroe standing there with his mouth open and saying nothing, Urahara assumed he was still unwilling. In Urahara's eyes, Hiroe probably couldn't accept a friendship based on this sort of mutual exchange so quickly.

"Don't overthink it. It's precisely because we cherish this friendship that we need to take care of it!" Urahara put a hand on Hiroe's shoulder, his smile fading as he spoke gravely. "While we're still simple and haven't harbored any ill intentions, we should completely rule out that possibility. At least, it must never be a possibility where you're concerned!"

Hiroe almost cried at those words. Brother, I'm a transmigrator! In the future, you two will be genuinely kind people to everyone!

Why did it sound as if the two of them were going to hatch some grand conspiracy in the future if he didn't see their Shikai? Was this terrifying idea only happening because he'd arrived? He didn't want to take the blame, and he couldn't shoulder it anyway!

"It's just seeing your Shikai, right? Fine, I'll take a look!"

For the sake of Urahara and Yoruichi's good names in his previous life, and so two fine young people wouldn't go astray in the future, Hiroe felt a great responsibility resting on his shoulders. He had to see their Shikai.

Besides, he didn't mind it that much. In fact, he was quite curious about Yoruichi's Zanpakuto! He hadn't wanted to pressure his friends before, but now they were the ones practically begging him to look.

Faced with such an unusual request, Hiroe could only accept with great reluctance. He sat cross-legged, raised a hand, and said, "Now, you can start your show..."