"..."
Shunsui Kyōraku followed Sōgo silently. He didn't know when it had started, but he had become like an outsider, while the man in front of him, who had nothing to do with the Ise Clan Family, seemed to have become the head of the Ise Clan. The sudden change really left Shunsui Kyōraku at a loss for words.
" Little Hideki, hasn't our Ise Clan Family done any maintenance in a while?"
Sōgo walked ahead with his hands behind his back, looking like a leader on an inspection tour, asking questions from time to time. Hideki Ise, who should have been the host, followed closely behind Sōgo like a little follower, answering Sōgo's questions in a timely manner.
"Our Ise Clan Family has declined over the years and has long lost the glory of its former Shinto family. In addition, my salary as a Seated Officer is really not high. The fact that we can still keep this family business from being sold is already the limit of our ability."
After hearing Sōgo's question Hideki Ise's expression flashed with a hint of melancholy. The more he had experienced the glory of the Ise Clan Family in the past, the more he understood how dilapidated the Ise Clan Family was now. To be honest, since the divine sword was lost, the so-called Shinto Ise Clan Family had actually disappeared along with the lost divine sword.
"Indeed, Soul Reaper salaries aren't high right now, but that applies to other squads. When you join our Second Division, your salary will be five times that of other squads. Not only that, as the captain of the Stealth Force Division, you'll also receive a separate bonus every month. Oh, by the way, I think your house really needs some repairs. Go and contact someone to do the renovations. After it's done, come to me for reimbursement. We still have to maintain the Shinto family's reputation."
Sōgo continued to preach to Hideki Ise.
"..."
Hideki froze on the spot after hearing Sōgo's words.
"What's wrong?"
Sōgo noticed Hideki, who had remained motionless after hearing his words, and asked in confusion.
"Snap."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Hideki knelt down on one knee without saying a word. He wasn't kneeling for Sōgo's money, but simply because he was moved. Yes, he was moved by Sōgo's wealth.
Why would you do this?
Sōgo looked at Hideki, who was kneeling on one knee, and asked helplessly.
"I have no way to repay Lord Sōgo kindness and virtue, except for this life and this body, which I offer to Lord Sōgo at his command."
Hideki Ise declared loudly.
"Oh, by the way, if Lord Sōgo doesn't mind, I also have a younger sister at home..."
After Hideki Ise finished speaking, as if he had remembered something, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and he continued.
That's enough.
Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been silent all along, almost strained his back after hearing Hideki Ise's words. He lowered his straw hat slightly and a hint of hostility flashed in his eyes.
"What right do you, an outsider, have to speak?"
Upon hearing Shunsui Kyōraku speak, Hideki Ise's anger flared up.
"Well..."
Kyōraku is not a person without a temper, but he truly cannot muster any anger when facing the Ise Clan Family.
"Anyway, let's go have some tea and have a good chat first."
Seeing the two people in front of him who couldn't understand each other for various reasons, Sōgo could only try to mediate between them.
As for the point of friction between the two, that little girl named Nanao Ise, he really had no interest whatsoever. First of all, he wasn't the kind of womanizer who would fall in love with every girl he met, and secondly... he didn't want to try the curse of the Ise Clan Family and see if he would die young... Someone as handsome as him should live a few more years.
As Sōgo finished speaking, the two of them had no choice but to give Sōgo face and obediently went into the tea room together to have some tea and chat.
As the sky gradually darkened, the three men sat inside, drinking cup after cup of tea. They went to the toilet quite often, but didn't say much, as if they didn't know how to express what they wanted to say. Simply put... none of them were very good at this kind of slightly formal social interaction.
"Simply put, hand over Nanao Ise to me!"
After drinking more than a dozen cups of tea, Shunsui Kyōraku finally couldn't resist anymore and launched the first attack. Mainly because if he continued to drink, his stomach wouldn't be able to take it.
"Impossible."
Hideki Ise answered without hesitation.
"I will protect Nanao."
Shunsui Kyōraku spoke earnestly, his expression very sincere.
No, you can't do it.
After hearing Shunsui Kyōraku's words, Hideki Ise scoffed and replied decisively.
"I am now mature enough to have the power to protect others."
Shunsui Kyōraku emphasized that he was strong enough to protect Nanao Ise.
"If that's really the case, your vice-captain wouldn't have been tainted by the power of the Void due to an attack by an unknown enemy, nor would he have been labeled a traitor."
Hideki Ise used powerful arguments to slap Shunsui Kyōraku in the face.
"..."
Shunsui Kyōraku was completely overwhelmed by Hideki Ise's words and didn't know what to say. The matter of Lisa Yadōmaru would always be a pain in his heart.
"Okay, okay, I think I understand what happened."
Instead of arguing between the two of you, why don't you ask the person involved what they think?
"Some things aren't as complicated as you think, don't you agree, young lady...?"
Sōgo's words ended the cold war between Hideki and Kyōraku. As Sōgo finished speaking, a cute little girl's face appeared through the crack in the hall door.
" Nanao..."
Hideki Ise looked at the small-eyed girl with glasses perched on her nose and exclaimed in surprise.
"Grandma is calling you."
Nanao pushed open the door and walked in, addressing Hideki Ise.
Why would Grandma call me at this time?
Hideki frowned, then seemed to realize something. His gaze lingered between Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise, and finally he sighed helplessly and stood up.
"Sorry Lord Sōgo, I have something urgent to attend to."
Hideki apologized to his captain Sōgo Shihoin.
"It's alright, you go and take care of your own things. You can leave this to me without worry."
Sōgo nodded slightly to Hideki.
"Grateful."
Hideki stood up and bowed slightly to Sōgo, then gave Shunsui Kyōraku a deep look before turning and leaving.
"Hello?!"
After Hideki left, Shunsui Kyōraku, like a lecherous old man, struck up a conversation with the young Nanao.
"Strange uncle."
Nanao Ise stared at Shunsui Kyōraku's face for a long time, then muttered to herself.
"Strange... strange uncle?"
Shunsui Kyōraku felt a sharp pain in his heart. He was still very young. Despite his seniority in the Gotei 13, it was only because his contemporaries had all died and the current captains were all new recruits. In reality, he was still a young man who was several hundred years old (based on the fact that Kyōraku was wearing ordinary Shihakusho and had not become a captain when Nanao's mother died in the manga, considering Nanao's age, Kyōraku's actual age should not be particularly old).
"Trying to seduce someone else's girl right from the start? You've got some nerve, Kyōraku!"
Sōgo stood next to Kyōraku and muttered to himself.
It's not what you think.
Shunsui Kyōraku felt that if he didn't explain, bad rumors would spread throughout the Gotei 13. Although he didn't care, since he was already surrounded by negative news, Nanao was still a good kid.
"Although you look sloppy, for some reason, I always feel a motherly quality about you."
Nanao Ise threw herself into Shunsui Kyōraku's arms, then closed her eyes, a happy smile spreading across her face.
"Really? Is that how Mom feels?"
"You've worked so hard all these years... Nanao."
Shunsui Kyōraku gently stroked Nanao Ise's back, tears welling in his eyes. This was the last time Kyōraku would ever shed a tear in his life.
"Hmph~"
Sōgo looked at the scene before him with a smile, then walked out of the reception room, not wanting to disturb the two people with their special bond.
Do you understand now?
Sōgo stopped after taking only a few steps and spoke to the figure beside him who had been eavesdropping outside the door.
"Understood."
The figure eavesdropping was none other than Hideki Ise had left earlier.
"I knew I couldn't keep her from leaving when Nanao told me that Grandma was looking for me..."
Hideki's expression fell; his grandmother had never looked for him, much less at this time.
"This was inevitable; you couldn't keep him."
Sōgo didn't know how to persuade Hideki, so he could only do his best to enlighten him.
"I..."
After hearing Sōgo's words, Hideki felt as if his heart had been the Explode. He thought he'd feel better after his heart was pierced—but that was a lie...
"I'm just unwilling to accept it, I'm just afraid that Nanao will follow in her footsteps."
Hideki clenched his fist so tightly that the white nails on his fingers dug into his flesh.
"Don't worry~ Absolutely not, your family doesn't have that many divine swords to lose... After all, you're not like the Heavenly Armament Shihoin Family, how could you possibly have so many divine artifacts to lose?"
Sōgo gently patted Hideki's shoulder, a gesture that was both hurtful and comforting.
"I..."
"You're right."
Hideki really wanted to curse after hearing Sōgo's words, but the person in front of him was his sugar daddy, so he couldn't curse him at all.
"Anyway, don't worry~"
Sōgo, with Aizen's signature smile on his face, addressed Hideki.
"Good..."
Hideki's eyes were bloodshot. This was the path he had chosen himself, the path his captain had personally selected. He would persevere and finish this path, even if he had to crawl on his knees.
"Relax~ Go to bed early tonight, and remember to report to the Second Division tomorrow."
After saying this, Sōgo walked along the guest path toward the main gate.
"Anyway, thank you very much for this."
Hideki Ise bowed deeply as he gazed at Sōgo's retreating figure.
Hideki Ise knew that everything Sōgo did was to protect the Ise Clan Family. After all, facing the rising Kyōraku Family and Shunsui Kyōraku, who was deeply trusted by Captain-Commander Yamamoto, the Ise Clan Family was already at a significant disadvantage. Moreover, Shunsui Kyōraku's strength was unfathomable; even ten of him together would not be a match for him.
" Lord Sōgo, I will always remember your love for our Ise Clan Family."
Hideki Ise watched Sōgo's retreating figure, thinking silently to himself.
"It was all just for Shunsui Kyōraku's autograph..."
Sōgo strode ahead, thinking to himself.
And so, amidst misunderstanding, the two grew closer, and thus, amidst misunderstanding, they established their master-servant relationship.
This was destined to be an extraordinary night.
Early the next morning, Shunsui Kyōraku and Nanao Ise, who followed closely behind him like Kyōraku's little secretary, arrived at the gate of the Eighth Division's barracks.
However, a man arrived here even before them; that man was Sōgo Shihoin!
"You two got up pretty early."
Sōgo greeted the two of them warmly, using very ambiguous words and tone. Although Sōgo was wearing an eye patch, his eyes were clearly looking at a newlywed couple... cough cough cough... of course not.
"Come here for a second." After being blocked by Sōgo, Shunsui Kyōraku stiffened slightly, then wrapped his arms around Sōgo's neck and turned to Nanao, whose face was icy cold, with a slight smile. " Little Nanao ~ wait a moment."
"Um"
Nanao Ise nodded slightly after hearing Shunsui Kyōraku's words.
"Speak, what exactly do you want?"
Shunsui Kyōraku pulled Sōgo as they walked around the corner of the Eighth Division's gate. He placed his right hand on his straw hat, his eyes serious and sharp.
"Is this how you treat your benefactor? You should know that without me, this strange uncle wouldn't even be able to get through the gates of the Ise Clan."
Sōgo looked at Shunsui Kyōraku, who had entered a protective stance, and began to preach.
"Thank you for last night, I owe you a favor."
To everyone's surprise, after hearing Sōgo's words, Shunsui Kyōraku immediately bowed slightly and thanked Sōgo.
You're quite methodical in everything you do.
Sōgo glanced at Shunsui Kyōraku, who was thanking him, and pursed his lips, feeling bored.
"This concerns Little Nanao, so I have to be serious."
Shunsui Kyōraku sighed and said helplessly.
"Then use the favor you owe me to sign your name for me."
Sōgo said, pulling out his precious treasure.
"Swish swish swish..."
Shunsui Kyōraku signed his name without saying a word.
"You're quite decisive."
Sōgo looked at Shunsui Kyōraku, who had signed his name, and remarked.
"That settles our matter."
Shunsui Kyōraku lowered his voice considerably.
"Of course, we've cleared things up from now on, but... think about it, the internship shift system is actually doing you a favor. As long as your working hours are reduced, the danger to Nanao will also be reduced, so I'm helping you out."
Sōgo nodded slightly, and then began to persuade... no, to reason with Shunsui Kyōraku.
"Ah, that's true."
Shunsui Kyōraku nodded slightly after hearing Sōgo's words. Sōgo was right; he was right.
"So, in light of this, you owe me another favor."
Before Shunsui Kyōraku could react, Sōgo used Shunpo to leave this dangerous place.
"This... did you trick me with my math again? Young people these days are really scary..."
Shunsui Kyōraku looked at the constantly flashing dark shadows in the distance and shook his head helplessly.
"Next up is... Captain of the Thirteenth Division Ukitake deficiency... Jūshirō."
Sōgo Shihoin looked at the list in his hand, which now contained another name, and spoke thus.
Thank you to the reader who loves bean curd skin for the 1500-coin reward!
(End of this chapter)