Destruction took but an instant. Dealing with the aftermath took much longer-even ten days or half a month might not be enough to rebuild.
After waiting on the mountain for a long time without anyone returning, Shiraishi went back to the Tsunayashiro Clan's compound. Many houses had collapsed, and wails and sobs mingled with the wind, filling those who heard them with sorrow.
He didn't look for Retsu Unohana or Isane Kotetsu.
How should he put it? Watching from a distance, he could remain relatively unaffected. But getting close to the injured and hearing their families' sobs and wails...
It would make him feel miserable. And since he didn't know Kaidō, he didn't think he could be much help. He decided not to go there and headed straight for the main building in the center.
He slipped in through an open window. Takehiko Tsunayashiro's head still lay on the cold floor, while his body rested on the low table. The blood hadn't finished draining, and it continued to drip onto the floor, drip by drip.
Kūkaku Shiba stood before the table, a thick notebook in her right hand and a black cloak draped over her shoulders. She stared at Takehiko Tsunayashiro's head.
"Kūkaku, are you all right?" Shiraishi asked.
Her gaze shifted from the head on the floor to Shiraishi. Anger flashed in her eyes, and she snapped, "Did you kill Takehiko Tsunayashiro?"
"Yeah."
"You really can't mind your own business!"
Kūkaku Shiba shouted and hurled the experiment journal down with all her might.
With a smack, the table broke, and the headless corpse tumbled to the floor. Blood stained the journal's cover. It was compelling evidence she had found while searching the laboratory.
It proved that Takehiko Tsunayashiro had single-handedly planned her older brother's murder. He had then used a cloak that concealed Reiatsu together with tiny amounts of Kidō to become invisible, approach her brother's remains, and steal them while making it look as though they had dissipated into Reishi.
The plan had originally been flawless and shouldn't have attracted anyone's attention, but Shiraishi had noticed.
The journal said it had been a bit of a surprise, but he hadn't paid it any mind. In the days that followed, he had been busy with the Hollowfication Experiment on Kaien Shiba's remains. The experiment had failed.
Then came a torrent of curses directed at Kaien Shiba.
Reading those words had sent her into a rage. She had stormed out and grabbed someone to demand Takehiko Tsunayashiro's whereabouts, only to learn that he was already dead.
How could he have died just like that? And at someone else's hands!
Unable to unleash the anger filling her, she felt it burning so fiercely that her heart was about to melt.
"Sorry. I didn't think that much about it at the time. I just swung my blade."
Shiraishi looked deeply apologetic. It was all because Takehiko Tsunayashiro had looked so defenseless, so tempting, as though he were saying, "Come on, sneak attack me."
Kūkaku Shiba didn't listen to the explanation. Eyes wide and teeth clenched, she looked like a tiger staring down its prey.
After staring at him for a while, she let out a heavy breath and scratched her head. Clearly upset, she said, "Why are you apologizing so honestly now? Damn it, that's too sneaky! Give me a reason to get angry. Can't we have a fight?"
Shiraishi thought for a moment. Bottling up anger like that really wasn't good for her health. He replied, "There are plenty of ways to let it out, like drinking and talking. If you want to fight, we can find somewhere deserted, and I'll give you a good fight."
"Forget it. Let's go drink."
Kūkaku Shiba had lost the desire to fight and decided to numb herself with alcohol. As for where to get it, she would obviously rob the Tsunayashiro branch family.
The Shiba Clan and the Tsunayashiro Clan had been at odds for a very long time, so their grudge ran deep. Add Kaien Shiba's death to that, and never mind stealing some alcohol-even if she robbed the main Tsunayashiro family's treasury...
She wouldn't even frown now.
After beating up seven people, they finally found the Tsunayashiro branch family's wine cellar.
It was a large, brightly lit room, with shelves against the walls filled with jars of fine wine. Some were Western wines, stored in bottles.
Kūkaku Shiba didn't stand on ceremony. She took a jar and tossed it to him, then grabbed another and pulled out the stopper. A rich aroma of wine wafted into her nose.
"Come on, let's each finish a jar."
"Bottoms up!" Shiraishi hesitated for a moment, then decided to go all the way with her. He tilted his head back, held up the jar, and gulped it down.
Glug, glug. The wine wasn't strong. It had the aroma of rice and tasted a little sweet.
Shiraishi drained the jar in one go, then copied what he had seen on television and smashed it hard against the floor.
"All right, that hit the spot!" Kūkaku Shiba followed his example and smashed her jar. The sharp crack in her ears felt incredibly satisfying.
"Haha."
She laughed heartily, then picked up another jar and said, "I'm really sorry about earlier. It clearly wasn't your fault, but I got angry at you anyway. This jar is my apology."
Glug, glug.
The wine poured down, much of it spilling from the corners of her mouth. It ran down her fair neck, pooled into a small puddle on her chest, and slowly trickled farther down.
The sight left Shiraishi's mouth dry. This is a fucking test of a man's resolve. I really want to lick it all clean. I don't mean anything else by it; I just don't want to waste good wine.
Kūkaku Shiba wasted a quarter of the jar, leaving her chest flooded. She paid it no mind and picked up another jar. "Whatever the case, you helped me avenge my older brother. I have to thank you, so here's another jar to you."
"Why bother with all that empty stuff? Why not give me something practical and help me get rid of my first kiss?"
Shiraishi blurted out what was on his mind, then felt it wasn't quite appropriate. He hurriedly laughed it off. "Just kidding. You don't have to take it seriously. Let's keep drinking. I can't let you drink alone."
Kūkaku Shiba didn't drink. With a hazy, drunken gaze, she said, "Oh, I almost forgot. You've been lusting after my body for ages."
"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about our ideals in life instead."
Shiraishi felt awkward and wanted to change the subject.
Kūkaku Shiba smiled. "Haha, I'll grant your wish today."
"You-?"
Before he could ask, soft lips breathed a rich aroma of wine into his mouth, then quickly pulled away.
Shiraishi froze. "M-my first kiss."
"You say that as if it wasn't my first kiss too."
Kūkaku Shiba replied casually, "Now you've got nothing to say, right?"
"Can we do it again? I wasn't mentally prepared at all."
A punch greeted him.
Shiraishi could have dodged, but he neither dodged nor blocked. He had at least that much tact. "Ow! Why did you hit me?"
It didn't hurt at all, actually, but at a time like this, it was better to exaggerate.
"Haha." Kūkaku Shiba laughed, making the wine on her chest flow faster. With her hands on her hips, she said, "I'll kiss you when I want to kiss you, and I'll beat you when I want to beat you. You got a problem with that?"
"No. How would I dare object to the illustrious young lady of the Shiba Clan?"
"You really don't know how to flatter people."
Kūkaku Shiba criticized his flattery for falling short; he hadn't even hit the right spot. "Forget it. Let's keep drinking."
"I'll try the bottled wine and see how it tastes."
Shiraishi didn't want to keep downing jars. At that rate, he wouldn't last long before passing out.
Kūkaku Shiba kept drinking from jars, finding it a bold way to drink. It was as though she had stopped caring about everything in the world, and she rambled on and on.
In the end, she forgot everything she had said and sank into darkness.