You Wouldn't Believe It Even If I Told You

Deep in the dungeons of the 9th Division, standing before an interrogation room, Diezuka Hiroe felt a complex mix of emotions as he looked at Kotetsu Isane, who had been waiting there for some time.

Having been blackmailed by Kuna Mashiro for two years' worth of desserts, he had learned that it was this very woman who had spread the rumor that he was a pervert. How to put it? In a certain sense, Kotetsu Isane's assessment of him as a pervert wasn't entirely unfounded.

Back at the Plain of Slaughter, he hadn't recognized her and had called her a "stinking woman" to her face. He had realized who she was at the Huaixiang Pavilion and even offered some encouragement, but that remedial effort seemed insignificant given the atmosphere at the time.

"Haa~" Diezuka Hiroe let out a long sigh. He had intended to blackmail her properly to make up for his losses, but since it was Kotetsu Isane, he decided to let it slide—though he was still quite annoyed!

"Didn't you say you'd been waiting for me for a long time?" Diezuka Hiroe turned to Kuna Mashiro, his tone filled with displeasure. "Isn't there still one person missing?!"

"I never said you were the last one to arrive, and besides, I really have been waiting for you for a long time!" Kuna Mashiro stuck out her tongue. One moment she was calling him a "good sister," and the next she was snapping at him—men!

There were three people coming to the 9th Division with Diezuka Hiroe. Kotetsu Isane had already arrived, and he didn't intend to wait for the other one; he wouldn't need them for what was about to happen anyway.

"I'm going in first. I'll call you if I need you," Diezuka Hiroe instructed Kotetsu Isane. Just as he reached the door of the interrogation room, Kuna Mashiro caught up and handed him a pair of sunglasses. "Everything inside is set up according to your instructions. If you don't wear these, I guarantee you'll be dizzy and disoriented!"

"Thanks, Kuna, you really are thoughtful!" Diezuka Hiroe put on the sunglasses, gave Kuna a thumbs-up, and pushed the door open to enter the interrogation room prepared to his specifications.

The room was small, only about five or six tatami mats in size. If it weren't for the fact that every inch from the ceiling to the floor was glowing, it would have been an entirely ordinary room.

This interrogation room had been renovated by the 9th Division recently. They had first transplanted a large amount of Firefly Vine—a plant in the Soul Society that glows naturally—and then covered it with a layer of glass reinforced by Kido.

Diezuka Hiroe's request was simple: nothing in the entire interrogation room should cast a shadow. As it stood, the 9th Division had done an excellent job.

At this moment, there was one other person in the room besides Diezuka Hiroe. His entire body was wrapped in white cloth, a white mask covered his mouth, and he was kneeling opposite Diezuka Hiroe with his eyes closed.

Nodt Futz. If there was one Quincy Diezuka Hiroe was most familiar with, it was certainly this burly man before him. The two had gone from strangers to friends, then turned into opponents who fought fiercely at the Sternritter Fortress, and now he was kneeling before Diezuka Hiroe. It was truly a poignant sight.

Although he couldn't see the state of Nodt Futz's body, Diezuka Hiroe knew from his weak, labored breathing that the man had suffered greatly during this time. Of course, it wasn't just him; all the Quincy captured recently were in this state. Otherwise, why would Kuna have said the 9th Division had a heavy workload lately?

Diezuka Hiroe tapped his index finger, and the mask on Nodt Futz's mouth automatically unlatched, falling to the ground with a heavy "clank." It seemed the object was not light.

Nodt Futz, who had appeared so weak he might have been unconscious, suddenly lunged forward and spat directly at Diezuka Hiroe's face. However, Diezuka Hiroe simply tilted his head and dodged the petty trick.

"Are you little brats back to look for a scolding?" Nodt Futz didn't open his eyes, grinning as he sneered, "Setting up such a giant lightbulb to try and wear me out? Not enough! Come and scratch my itch, otherwise I won't be able to sleep comfortably!"

"Scratch an itch? I can consider it." Diezuka Hiroe smiled, raised his hand to seal the interrogation room with Kido, and sat cross-legged on the floor. "As long as you don't bite your tongue or try to kill yourself, that is. You won't die anyway, so why bother making things difficult for yourself?"

"Diezuka Hiroe?" Nodt Futz tried to open his eyes, but he only saw a silhouette; the sudden intense light forced him to close them again. He asked, "Diezuka Hiroe?"

"Ah, it's me! Though I didn't expect you to still have this much spirit. You truly are Nodt Futz! This is more like your style!"

Diezuka Hiroe wasn't mocking him. He knew Nodt Futz was a tough nut to crack, but he hadn't expected him to have the courage to "attack" a Soul Reaper while in such a state. He had underestimated him.

But this was the real Nodt Futz—the man who had led the charge at the Sternritter Fortress and tried to take Diezuka Hiroe down with him! He was worthy of this praise.

"Heh heh heh, your mouth is still as sharp as ever. Why come to see me now? To mock me?" Nodt Futz lowered his head, his hunched body trembling as he laughed. "Or to show off the posture of a victor? Fine, you won this time. You'd better pray you can keep winning!"

"I'll take your word for it, but I'm really not here for something so boring today." Diezuka Hiroe rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. "There are just some things I need to ask you."

"Hahaha, has the interrogator changed to you this time? Are you here as a friend to persuade me to betray my own kin, or are you here to promise me some high-ranking position in the Seireitei?" Nodt Futz laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"Interrogation? I'm not good at that sort of thing. But you're right, I am here to persuade you to give up the method you use for relocation. As for the reward..." Diezuka Hiroe pursed his lips and sighed helplessly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. The only possibility is allowing you and your people to leave with some dignity and suffer a little less."

The room fell silent. Nodt Futz slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly at the silhouette opposite him.

"Don't look at me like that. I admit it sounds a bit shameless." Diezuka Hiroe leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his right hand while his left hand tapped his temple. "But sometimes, leaving with dignity is a form of relief. You can think about it—actually, sometimes death..."

"I truly regret not killing you outright back then, for the sake of our friendship!"

Diezuka Hiroe froze, his left hand suspended in mid-air as if paralyzed by Nodt Futz's sudden outburst. In contrast, Nodt Futz was like an erupting volcano, his mocking words pouring out in a torrent, though it was unclear whether he was mocking Diezuka Hiroe or himself.

"A thousand years has left you Soul Reapers completely rotten. Just like the name of this Soul Society, your souls have been imprisoned within corpses, step by step, marching toward extinction!"

"You! Diezuka Hiroe! Even as young as you are, you use all your skills to maintain that crumbling throne of the Soul Reapers. Honor, life! You treat them all as things to be trampled upon at will!"

"..."

"Having once considered you a friend and discussed dreams with you is the greatest shame of my life, Nodt Futz!"

"The greatest shame of your life?" Diezuka Hiroe rubbed his brow, whispering to himself, "Hey, are you kidding me? How can you say that as if it's actually true!"

"Then let me try a different approach!" Diezuka Hiroe stood up abruptly, walked over to Nodt Futz, and looked down at him coldly. "I was offering a choice before, but now I'm issuing a threat! Hand over your people, or we will do it ourselves, even if the World of the Living is shattered to pieces!"

"Make your choice, Nodt Futz. Let me see what this 'un-rotten' appearance of yours actually looks like!"