The villain, Sōgo Shihoin

The Shihoin were one of Soul Society's Five Great Noble Clans. Ever since the Soul King had constructed Soul Society with absolute power thousands of years ago, the Shihoin family, which housed countless divine weapons and secret treasures and was known as the "Heavenly Gifted Armament Stewards," had stood in Soul Society like Mount Everest, inspiring the world to gaze up in reverence, yet never revealing its summit...

Within this ancient residence, more than a thousand years old, stood a courtyard that seemed like a forbidden zone. Countless Shihoin servants and subordinates refused to speak of it, and even those who had entered could be counted on one hand. Legend had it that a great secret treasure capable of easily destroying all of Soul Society was sealed inside.

Today, two young people appeared beside this seemingly forbidden courtyard, a boy and a girl. The boy had snow-white skin and short, pale blond hair, with a languid look as though he had yet to wake up, but even that could not hide his good looks. The girl had mysterious, dusky skin and noble, short purple hair. Though her features were refined, her spirited bearing made her look like a tomboy no matter how one looked at her.

"Yoruichi, why did you ask me to come over?"

The pale-blond-haired boy asked the girl lazily.

"You idiot, Kisuke Urahara! Didn't I promise to show you the greatest secret treasure of our Shihoin family, the legendary secret weapon that can destroy all of Soul Society?"

The girl's name was Yoruichi Shihōin, and she was the current head of this enormous Shihoin family. It was only by exercising her authority as family head that she had brought the outsider Kisuke Urahara to this forbidden place.

"Gulp..." Kisuke Urahara swallowed nervously at Yoruichi Shihōin's words. Though curiosity ran wild in his heart, his mind remained rational. "The Shihoin family's greatest secret treasure? Is it really all right to show something like that to an outsider like me?"

"Oh? So you don't want to see it?" The corners of Yoruichi Shihōin's mouth lifted at Kisuke Urahara's words. "You should've said so~ It's not often I lose to you, so I wanted to grant your wish. If you don't want to see it, forget it. Let's go!"

"Sorry, I was wrong. Please, let this humble fellow broaden his horizons."

Kisuke Urahara immediately apologized to Yoruichi Shihōin. He still could not suppress his curiosity.

"Why didn't you just say that~"

"As for whether I can show you, don't worry~ It's fine! I'm sure he'll like you."

Yoruichi Shihōin waved lightly at Kisuke Urahara, looking utterly confident.

"He?"

Kisuke Urahara frowned at Yoruichi Shihōin's words. Suddenly, he felt as though something was not quite right.

"Ahahaha..." Knowing that Kisuke Urahara had noticed something, Yoruichi Shihōin laughed awkwardly, then took his arm and headed toward the gate. "Anyway, you'll understand once you go in and look."

"Click~"

Yoruichi Shihōin walked up to the gate and gave it a gentle push, and just like that, the gate to the supposedly forbidden courtyard, where something capable of destroying all of Soul Society lay dormant, swung open.

"We're getting in that easily?" Seeing the gate behind which a forbidden weapon supposedly slumbered pushed open in a single motion, Kisuke Urahara immediately frowned, privately wondering whether Yoruichi was fooling him again. He had asked several times to behold the Shihoin family's secret treasure, and Yoruichi had refused every time. Only this time had she suddenly agreed, which struck Kisuke Urahara as rather strange. "Yoruichi, you're not lying to me again, are you?"

"What are you talking about, Urahara?! When have I ever lied to you?!"

At Kisuke Urahara's words, Yoruichi slapped his shoulder hard and spoke indignantly.

"That hurts, Yoruichi." Kisuke Urahara immediately took the hint and put on a pained expression. "I get it, Yoruichi. You wouldn't lie to me."

"Hmph! As long as you understand. Come in!" Yoruichi Shihōin snorted, crossing her arms in satisfaction, then reminded Kisuke Urahara, "But make sure you're prepared before you come in! Otherwise, you'll get a fright."

"A fright?"

Not quite understanding what Yoruichi Shihōin meant, Kisuke Urahara stepped straight into the courtyard.

"Boom!"

The instant Kisuke Urahara stepped into the courtyard, he felt a weight settle over him. The trace of laziness on his face vanished at once, replaced by a gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Spiritual pressure! Unbelievable spiritual pressure! I even feel as though I'm underwater. Never mind moving, even breathing feels difficult."

A sheen of sweat broke out across Kisuke Urahara's forehead, and his body trembled slightly.

"Hahaha..."

"Now do you understand why I wouldn't let you see him before? Feels awful, doesn't it?"

Yoruichi Shihōin laughed smugly as she watched the miserable-looking Kisuke Urahara.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"Just what kind of incredible thing is the Shihoin family's legendary secret treasure?!"

Kisuke Urahara's eyes shone with longing. He truly was growing more and more curious about the secret treasure passed down through the Shihoin family.

"Sōgo! Your big sister's here to see you!"

Yoruichi Shihōin smiled faintly at Kisuke Urahara, then shouted into the courtyard.

"Big Sis? You came to see me again?"

"What interesting things did you bring me today?"

"Did you bring that fun stuff I asked you to get from the World of the Living?"

Following Yoruichi's shout, a "pure white" boy ran out of a room. He had pure white skin and pure white hair, but most striking of all were his eyes, which, for some unknown reason, were wrapped in black cloth.

"Hahaha..."

"I don't have what you wanted, but I can give you a loving hug from your big sister."

As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihōin hugged the boy who had run out of the room.

"Huh? I don't want a hug from you, Sis..."

The boy froze in disappointment, shaking his head nonstop.

"This is your little brother? He really does look... exactly like you!"

Kisuke Urahara studied the two closely, declaring that they really were brother and sister.

"My little brother has albinism, so he didn't inherit our Shihoin family's signature healthy, wheat-colored skin or noble purple hair. Honestly, we're all quite disappointed about that."

Yoruichi held the boy like that, occasionally rubbing his hair with her hands.

"Anyway, you two should get acquainted. This is Kisuke Urahara, whom I'm always telling you about." Yoruichi first introduced Kisuke Urahara to her little brother, then turned to introduce the pure white boy before him to Kisuke Urahara. "My very own flesh-and-blood little brother, Sōgo Shihoin."

"Hello, I'm your sister's friend."

Kisuke Urahara extended a hand toward the boy with a faint smile.

"Oh? So you're the Kisuke Urahara my sister always mentions. I'd really like to see what you look like~ You must be good-looking, right?"

Sōgo Shihoin "looked Kisuke Urahara over" just like that, then spoke as though with feeling.

"But good looks alone won't let you marry into the Shihoin family, you bastard~" Then Sōgo Shihoin abandoned the well-behaved manner he had shown in front of Yoruichi Shihōin and spoke with the sinister expression of an adult villain. "What matters is strength! Strength!"

At that moment, Sōgo Shihoin was like one of the villainous relatives of a young-lady-type heroine in a novel, preventing the male lead from being with her, hideous and terrifying~

Did you think the protagonist was modeled after Sōgo Okita? It was actually Satoru Gojo~ Didn't see that coming, did you, dear readers?

Actually, I'd been thinking for ages: how terrifying would Satoru Gojo's strength paired with Sōgo Okita's scheming nature and cheeky remarks be? You couldn't beat him in a fight or an argument...

(End of chapter)