Sunset

"Not bad!" Shadow appeared before Kaien Shiba, stating coldly, "If Lord Yoruichi really likes..."

"Bang!"

Yoruichi Shihōin punched Shadow right on the top of the head, her face dark as she muttered, "You, shut up!"

"Understood, Lord Yoruichi!"

Shadow responded without a single wrinkle of a frown, casting a sideways glance at Kaien Shiba.

Yet that single glance startled Kaien Shiba, who snatched up his younger sister standing beside him and hurriedly warned, "Kukaku, remember, you must never speak carelessly about things like this again!"

"Why!"

Kūkaku Shiba was not someone easily fooled, and the whole affair reeked of strangeness!

"Where do you come up with all these whys!" Kaien Shiba said helplessly. "When I tell you to remember, you remember!"

"Got it!"

Seeing that he could extract nothing further from Kaien Shiba, Kūkaku Shiba lost interest, turned her gaze to Yoruichi Shihōin, and pointed at Shadow to ask, "Yoruichi, who is he!"

"Just Lord Yoruichi's shadow, that's all!"

Before Yoruichi Shihōin could open her mouth, Shadow stated it with a cold expression.

"Yoruichi's shadow!"

Kūkaku Shiba expressed extreme astonishment; only, how could this be? She and Yoruichi Shihōin had not seen each other for merely a few short days, and suddenly a shadow popped out, looking exceptionally strong—to the extent that even her eldest brother held him in such awe.

Surveying Shadow up and down, Kūkaku Shiba rubbed her chin and nodded, saying, "Very well, he's a cool guy!"

Seeing that Shadow showed not the slightest intention of speaking, Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head with considerable helplessness; Shadow was good at everything, but up until now, his sole flaw was being too cold.

Rolling her golden eyes, Yoruichi Shihōin smiled with a crafty air. Very well! The Shadow Reformation Project would commence implementation immediately starting today.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Yoruichi Shihōin spoke up, "Kukaku, Kaien, have you heard! The heir to the Kuchiki family is about to be born!"

"Oh!"

Kaien Shiba and Kūkaku Shiba—the two siblings—both wore thoroughly indifferent expressions.

Yet toward the reaction of the two Shiba siblings, Yoruichi Shihōin showed not the slightest surprise.

"I heard from Lord Father that the Kuchiki family will host a grand banquet when the time comes, and it seems the Shiba Family is included in that scope as well!"

"The Kuchiki family really is rolling in money," Kūkaku Shiba curled her lip.

"Well! After all, this is Uncle Sōjun's son!" Yoruichi Shihōin smiled. "Besides, that is the future successor of the Kuchiki family!"

The Shihōin and Kuchiki families had always maintained an exceptionally deep friendship. By the generation of Shihōin Shanqing and Ginrei Kuchiki, they were even closer than two branches on the same tree, with both families continuously maintaining ties through marriage.

Meanwhile, the friendship between the Shihōin and Shiba families was also quite good, extending far beyond just Yoruichi Shihōin and the two Shiba siblings.

However, the relationship between the Kuchiki and Shiba families was less than stellar, and after the decline of the Shiba Family, interactions practically vanished altogether.

Not only the Kuchiki family, but throughout the entire Seireitei, if one spoke of nobles who still associated with the Shiba Family, only the Shihōin would remain.

Even those middle and small-scale noble houses affiliated with the Shiba Family had begun paying lip service while defying them in secret.

Regardless of everything, however, the Shiba Family was still formerly one of the Four Great Noble Families, so banquet invitations of this nature necessarily had to be delivered. Whether they would actually attend or not, however, was outside the realm of anyone else's consideration.

Matters of this sort among nobility were deeply complex. Kaien Shiba understood this, Kūkaku Shiba understood it, and Yoruichi Shihōin understood it clearly as well. Therefore, she did not force the issue; whether to go or not, she would let the Shiba Family discuss it among themselves!

"Still, after the child is born, we could secretly snatch him out to play with!" Yoruichi Shihōin's eyes rolled incessantly as she said with a cheeky grin.

"Secretly snatch him out!" Kaien Shiba received a severe shock.

"That's right!" Yoruichi Shihōin nodded, smiling mischievously. "Don't you think it would be immensely fun to teach the future heir of the Kuchiki family a lesson!"

"You really harbor some audacious ideas!" Kaien Shiba was left speechless. "Aren't you afraid of getting caught? This isn't child's play!"

"Coward!" Yoruichi Shihōin cast a disdainful, sideways glance at Kaien Shiba.

"This isn't a question of being a coward!"

Kaien Shiba turned his head away helplessly, only to discover with even greater speechlessness that his own younger sister also wore a look of eager anticipation. Immediately, he let out a bitter laugh.

"Yoruichi, you've really outdone yourself!" Kūkaku Shiba pressed with an excited expression. "Still, the Kuchiki family is heavily guarded—how are we supposed to snatch him out?"

Kūkaku Shiba had never been a well-behaved entity. To phrase it differently, among the fellows capable of becoming friends with Yoruichi Shihōin, which of them was ever well-behaved? The two of them were, to a certain degree, extremely similar.

Hearing this, Yoruichi Shihōin said unconcernedly, "It's fine, Kukaku. Shadow can infiltrate the Kuchiki family; I guarantee no one will discover him!"

Kaien Shiba actually believed this point, having witnessed Shadow's strength firsthand, only...

"You're not actually going to join them in this foolishness, are you?"

"Whatever pleases Lord Yoruichi."

Hearing Shadow's cold voice, Kaien Shiba collapsed mentally in an instant. Thus, the very next second, he heard the voice of his own younger sister, Kūkaku Shiba.

"Can you really pull it off? That's the Kuchiki family after all—ah! Big Brother, what are you doing!"

Ignoring Kūkaku Shiba's words, Kaien Shiba hauled her off to the side by force and initiated an ideological education.

Yoruichi Shihōin turned her head to look at Shadow, questioning, "Is this idea really that audacious?"

"No," Shadow replied, shaking his head. "You are overthinking it, Lord Yoruichi."

"Is that so!" Yoruichi Shihōin blinked her large golden eyes and curled her lip. "Actually, I might just have been joking, who knows."

"Hey!!!"

The sky had already darkened, and the evening glow stained the entire firmament. White clouds beneath the sunset, which neared infinity, were plated with a sacred radiance of brilliant red. Occasionally, a few birds beat their wings, chattering noisily as they flew toward the distant horizon.

When they emerged from the Shiba Family, a sudden cold wind swept past, causing the leaves on the trees to lift into flight before tumbling back to the ground.

Yoruichi Shihōin bent down to pick up that withered, yellow leaf, gazing toward the edge of the sky.

"Before we know it, winter is almost here!"

"Yeah! The weather really is getting colder and colder!"

Kūkaku Shiba puffed on her long-stemmed pipe, exhaled a ring of smoke, and watched it gradually vanish before her eyes.

"Honestly, Kukaku!" Yoruichi Shihōin looked at Kūkaku Shiba with a trace of helplessness. "In the span of just a moment like this, how did you manage to stick that pipe in your mouth again? Aren't you afraid Kaien will lecture you!"

"Big Brother isn't around right now anyway!" Kūkaku Shiba curled her lip. "Besides, I've endured for an entire day. If I don't take a puff now, you might as well wait to collect my corpse!"

"Is it really that serious!"

"Mm-mm!"

Kūkaku Shiba nodded instinctively, but reacted immediately thereafter, turning her head back in shock. "Big Brother!"

"It's not me, who did you think it was!" Kaien Shiba sighed, rubbing his nose. "Tomorrow, come with me to Rukongai and distribute some food to the residents. Consider it punishment for sneaking a smoke from your pipe!"

"Got it!" Kūkaku Shiba nodded, smiling with satisfaction.

Suddenly, snowflakes began to drift through the air. Illuminated by the setting sun, those drifting flakes—originally as white as salt—were tinted at that moment to fall in a flurry resembling cherry blossoms. The entire world seemed to transform all at once into a domain of cherry-blossom snow.

Although they did not know why it was snowing at this hour, that beauty compelled one to fall involuntarily in love with this picturesque scene.

Yoruichi Shihōin stood in place, yet she could not help breaking into a smile. The uptight corners of her lips did not form her previous mischievous or crafty expression, but rather a smile carrying a soft warmth—very beautiful, and deeply soul-stirring.

Shadow gazed blankly at this smile, suddenly gripped by an indescribable sensation. Yet, what on earth was that feeling? Shadow did not know.

"Shadow! Shadow!!!"

Rousing abruptly to his senses and looking at Yoruichi Shihōin before him, Shadow had no choice but to set his inner thoughts aside.

"Lord Yoruichi, are we heading back?"

"Mm!"

Yoruichi Shihōin nodded, her limbs moving with agility as she climbed onto Shadow's back, asking, "Just now, what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing at all, Lord Yoruichi."

The sunset had completely dipped below the horizon. In Rukongai, a black figure flashed past, carrying upon his back a girl who was in the midst of a yawn.

If you find this book good, to avoid not finding it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf!