One early morning some time later, Seireitei's atmosphere was still filled with lingering mist.
Yi Liang stood quietly at the door of the Gotei 13 Thirteenth Division station. Her figure was slightly thin, and she looked a little lonely in front of the large door.
A Squad Member on duty came forward and saluted her politely and gently. "Miss Yi Liang, Captain Shuichi is currently processing documents in the pavilion in the backyard. Please come with me."
Yi Liang bowed slightly in return and followed Squad Member silently.
After passing through the winding corridor, she saw Shuichi sitting in the pavilion from a distance. He looked attentive and his pen tip rustled on the paper.
"Captain Shuichi, Miss Yi Liang has arrived." After Squad Member reported softly, he bowed and stepped back, leaving this quiet courtyard to the two of them.
Yi Liang took a deep breath and walked forward slowly with somewhat heavy steps.
Shuichi stopped the pen in his hand, raised his head, his eyes stayed on Yi Liang's slightly tired face for a moment, and softened his voice. "It's Yi Liang, is there something important?"
Yi Liang saluted and wrung her hands together in front of her. She did not beat around the bush and whispered, "I want to go to the Shin'ō Academy."
Shuichi looked at her, his eyes condensed slightly, and he didn't speak for a while. His eyes stared at her quietly for a few seconds, and then an inevitable question was asked:
"... where is your mother?"
Upon hearing the word "mother", Yi Liang froze in place as if a immobilization spell had been cast on him.
She fell silent.
The word was too heavy for her, so heavy that it stuck in her throat. Every time she tried to spit it out, it felt like she was cutting her vocal cords with a razor blade.
Her lips trembled violently several times, and her eyes turned red for a moment. She gritted her teeth, took several deep breaths, and finally squeezed out the word in an almost whispering but extremely clear voice:
"Gone"
Shuichi He was silent
Qian Lida is gone
Qian Lida When he entrusted his daughter to him, he already knew that he would never come back.
Shuichi also knew it when he took over Eight-Mirror Sword. Now Qian Lida is gone and Yi Liang is here. The process is like this, no need for redundant words.
"Let's sit for a while." Shuichi sighed softly and pointed to the wicker chair next to the table.
Yi Liang walked over silently and sat down on the chair. Her body was tense, like a little beast ready to escape at any time.
"Where is Ise Clan? Why did you ask me to help you enroll?" Shuichi's question is very direct.
This question pokes Yi Liang's deepest wound.
Her hands suddenly clenched the hem of the skirt, her fingers grasped the fabric fiercely, she lowered her head deeply, and tried hard to shrink her neck into the collar, as if she wanted to curl herself up into a safe cocoon.
Ise Clan's indifference to her, his rejection of her, and even his misconception of her... the memories came flooding in, overwhelming her and making her breathless.
Seeing the girl's resistant and painful expression, Shuichi understood everything instantly.
"That's it... I understand." Shuichi's tone softened, with an undoubted sense of protection.
"Go and go to the Spiritual Arts Academy with peace of mind. If people like Ise Clan come to trouble you or question you about this, just ask them to come to me directly. I will take care of everything."
Upon hearing these words, Yi Liang's tense shoulders visibly slumped.
As if she had finally been relieved of a heavy burden, she slowly raised her head and looked at Shuichi with a pair of tearful eyes gratefully.
Shuichi stood up, smiled gently at her, then walked out of the backyard and walked through the corridor to Lieutenant's office.
Lieutenant was immersed in piles of documents. When he saw Shuichi come in, he stopped writing.
"Call Ukitake and Suzuko here" Shuichi ordered.
Lieutenant Without any unnecessary questions, he got up and went to do it immediately.
Not long after, Jūshirō Ukitake and Suzuko came in a hurry.
Shuichi didn't say much, but gently introduced Yi Liang to them, "This is Ise Akira. Please take care of me from now on."
Then, he introduced these two cheerful and gentle Soul Reaper to Yi Liang.
Ukitake's spring-like smile and Suzuko's enthusiasm quickly diluted the haze in Yi Liang's heart.
In front of these two warm people, Yi Liang showed a relieved smile for the first time in a long time, and they soon became friends who talked about everything.
Shin'ō Academy, beside the tree-lined path behind the main teaching building.
Yi Liang, wearing a white school uniform that represents the identity of the Shin'ō Academy student, is sitting quietly on the bench.
It has been a while since she entered Spiritual Arts Academy, and the noisy laughter and laughter around her always seemed to be separated from her by an invisible barrier.
At this time, she was holding a heavy Kidō textbook in her hand, gently flipping through the pages with her slender fingers, her expression focused.
"Hello"
A sudden sound came from the right side of the bench without warning.
Yi Liang was slightly startled and turned around
I saw a young man standing there. The pure white haori placket was connected by an exquisite gold chain. The white haori was covered with a tea-yellow haori full placket. When the haori was wearing black clothes, it was the uniform of Soul Reaper, but he did not carry Zanpakutō.
His black, shoulder-length, medium-short hair is parted in the middle on his forehead, leaving a small patch of hair on his nose, with yellow highlights at the end of his hair.
"My name is Tsunayashiro Tokinada, let's make friends."
Yi Liang looked at him with a look of shock on his face
She knows the surname Tsunayashiro, the head of Five Great Noble Houses, the control Great Spirit Library, the family tradition Zanpakutō Nine Heavens Mirror Valley, the head of the family Tsunayashiro Shiki
Why would such a large and terrifying family member take the initiative to find her?
Faced with Tokinada's malicious chatter, Yi Liang pursed her lips, did not answer immediately, and instinctively moved her body to the left.
However, Tsunayashiro Tokinada didn't care about her indifference.
He walked forward without any hesitation and sat down on the bench without hesitation. Although there was a body distance between him and her, the vague feeling of oppression was always with him.
"You just entered school this year, right?"
Tokinada's tone was casual, as if he was asking about today's weather. He turned his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Yi Liang.
"In terms of seniority, you can actually call me senior. However, after the last graduation, I stayed in this damn Spiritual Arts Academy as a boring teacher. I happened to have my class this afternoon. I came early, and I happened to see you sitting here alone."
Yi Liang turned his head and looked at this 'Tokinada senior' with some vigilance
Tokinada's smile deepened, he moved slightly closer, his voice was extremely low, sticky and full of temptation:
"Ise Akira... Haha, we are all trash abandoned, used and hated by our family. In this hypocritical Seireitei, shouldn't people like us be friends?"
The corners of his red eyes were slightly raised, and the corners of his slender mouth were grinned in an almost evil arc. His handsome face was now filled with mockery and ill-intention of fate.
"You..."
Yi Liang's pupils dilated instantly, her mouth slightly opened, and she was too shocked to speak.
He actually knew his true identity! And... was abandoned by his family? Was he the same? The fear of being seen through at a glance, and even having his soul spied on, instantly climbed up her spine, making her whole body cold.
In the class that afternoon, Yi Liang was distracted, and the way Tokinada glanced at her on the podium made her feel on pins and needles.
In the evening, as soon as the bell rang for the end of get out of class, Yi Liang didn't even have time to pack his schoolbag, so he ran in a hurry and rushed directly to Thirteenth Division.
"Master Shuichi!"
In Thirteenth Division's reception room, Yi Liang was panting and looking pale.
She told Shuichi everything that happened in the Spiritual Arts Academy's backyard today, as well as every word and expression Tsunayashiro Tokinada said, with a hint of panic and trembling in her voice that could not be concealed.
After finishing Yi Liang's narration, Shuichi's face gradually darkened.
Night falls quietly outside the window, and the light in the room is a little dim
Tsunayashiro Clan...
That is a behemoth that even Gotei 13 cannot easily interfere with.
Tokinada is this man. Shuichi has only heard about him recently. It is said that this man has a twisted personality and is also a dangerous person in the aristocratic circle. He took the initiative to approach Yi Liang. It is definitely not as simple as "making friends".
Shuichi looked at the frightened girl in front of him
"It's okay, Yi Liang don't be afraid."
Shuichi's voice was extremely firm. "This is Thirteenth Division. As long as I am here, no one can touch you. That Tokinada... If you really don't like him or are afraid of him, stay as far away from him as possible in the Spiritual Arts Academy. If he pesters you again or does anything deviant, come to me at any time."
She bit her lip and nodded vigorously.
However, looking at Seireitei outside the window who was gradually being swallowed up by darkness, Shuichi's eyes became extremely deep.
The shadow of Tsunayashiro... seems to have begun to shadow this innocent child.