The Shiba Clan

On Saturday afternoon, Wang Xun arrived at the gates of the Spiritual Arts Academy as agreed.

He had taken off his academy uniform and changed into a simple set of plain casual clothes.

Nanao hadn't come. When Kaien saw Wang Xun arrive alone, he understood and didn't ask any questions.

After meeting up, the two left Seireitei and entered West Rukongai.

They passed through several relatively bustling streets, and the buildings around them gradually grew sparse as the terrain became slightly uneven.

At last, they arrived before a spacious residence on a low hill, far from the bustling city.

"Um... the house is a bit messy, and there are two troublemakers inside. Please bear with us, senior."

"Oh, come on, you don't have to be so polite with me. Let's go."

Wang Xun smiled, though he was somewhat curious about the Shiba Clan residence he was about to see.

The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of huge stone arms on either side of the entrance, striking and even a little over the top.

They rose from the ground, their muscles bulging and lifelike, holding a huge banner high overhead. Four large, flamboyant characters were written across it: Kaien Shiba.

Wang Xun stared at the imposing decoration, momentarily stunned.

Kaien rubbed his nose and gave an awkward chuckle.

"Ahem, that's a custom my father left us. He said the Shiba Clan could decline, but its imposing presence couldn't, so the family has kept it up ever since."

As he spoke, a commotion and the snorting of a beast suddenly came from the distance.

"Oh, oh, oh! Big brother, you're back! I just bought the groceries!"

A burly wild boar with protruding tusks came thundering toward them, carrying a rugged-looking boy on its back!

The boar charged recklessly along, kicking up a trail of dust, and was about to crash into Wang Xun and Kaien standing outside the gate.

"Ganju!!"

Kaien's vision went black.

The next moment, he flashed to the boar's side, grabbed the back of the boy's collar with one hand, and pressed the other against the boar's head.

The seemingly reckless beast's front legs buckled under the pressure of his single hand, and it snorted to a halt.

Kaien put his younger brother down and rapped him hard on the head.

"How many times have I told you to watch where you're going? You almost ran into our guest. Apologize!"

"I-I was wrong, bro..."

"Apologize to our guest!"

Clutching his head, Ganju finally noticed Wang Xun standing nearby with a somewhat complicated expression. He bowed and stammered.

"S-sorry, Wang Xun-san."

"It's all right. He's full of energy."

Wang Xun waved to show it was fine.

"Wang Xun, you're here!"

A lively voice came from inside the gate.

Wang Xun turned toward the voice and saw Kūkaku running out.

She had changed into simple red clothes today. A bright smile lit up her face, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Xun.

"Hey, Kūkaku."

"Come on in, don't stand around at the gate. Ganju, get that stupid pig of yours into the backyard!"

Kūkaku kicked Ganju in the lower back, sending him stumbling.

"Bonnie's not a stupid pig..."

Ganju clutched his lower back and muttered as he pushed the boar toward the backyard.

Inside, the Shiba Clan residence was even more... peculiar than it looked from outside.

Beyond the door was a staircase leading underground. Entering the house meant going downstairs first.

"Our family makes fireworks. We often blow up the house by accident, so we decided to build it underground instead."

Kaien explained with a smile.

After they reached the sitting room and settled down, Kūkaku called outside.

"Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, our guest is here!"

Two tall, solemn-faced middle-aged men, one dressed in gold and the other in silver, emerged in response and bowed to Wang Xun in perfect unison.

"Welcome to the Shiba Clan."

Their auras were steady and their spiritual pressure was condensed. Though they deliberately kept it restrained, Wang Xun could tell that both were quite strong.

"Sorry for imposing."

Wang Xun returned their greeting.

He could sense a hint of scrutiny in Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko's respectful gazes, but no hostility.

"These two have been with us since my siblings and I were little. They're called servants, but really, they're no different from family."

Kaien introduced them to Wang Xun.

Hearing that, the two hurriedly waved their hands.

"We would not dare overstep, clan head. Please say no more."

"Oh, you two."

Wang Xun understood. These two had probably been around since the Shiba Clan was still in Seireitei, back when it was a noble family.

After the introductions, Kaien invited Wang Xun to sit down, and Kūkaku soon brought out tea and snacks.

Ganju had also finished getting himself sorted out and came running over, looking Wang Xun up and down curiously.

Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were in charge of dinner. After the group chatted for a while, several rather hearty home-cooked dishes were brought out.

Kūkaku naturally sat down beside Wang Xun and kept putting food in his bowl.

"Try this. Stew is Koganehiko's specialty."

"I kept an eye on the fried fish while it was cooking, too. It's done just right."

Food piled up like a little mountain in Wang Xun's bowl, leaving him struggling to keep up.

Ganju kept his head down and shovelled rice into his mouth. Who knew where his thoughts had wandered?

Kaien looked at his carefree younger brother and remembered what had happened earlier. Anger flared up in him at once.

"Ganju, you're not a little kid anymore. What kind of behavior is it, spending all day riding a wild boar around the streets like a madman?"

"You won't apply yourself to learning the family's fireworks techniques, and you only like hanging around with a bunch of wild boys. Didn't you almost knock over someone's vegetable stall last time?"

Hearing that, Kūkaku chimed in from the side, though her tone was a little teasing.

"Exactly. Our Shiba Clan was wealthy and distinguished once, at least. Even if we're... well, now, we've never had anyone like you who spends all day riding a pig for fun."

"Big brother's been worried sick about it. Just a couple of days ago, he told me that if nothing else worked, he'd send Bonnie to a distant estate for a while, so you'd settle down."

"Huh? Don't, big brother!"

When Ganju heard they were going to send his beloved pig away, he panicked. He couldn't even think about eating anymore, and his face fell.

"Bonnie's well-behaved. We haven't done anything bad, either. We just went a little fast. Can't I just be more careful...?"

His voice grew quieter as he spoke, clearly lacking confidence, but his eyes were full of stubbornness and inner conflict at the thought of losing that source of fun.

Seeing him like this, Kaien felt both annoyed and helpless. He rubbed the space between his brows.

"Whether it's bad or not aside, tell me, what serious thing can you do? Getting you to settle down and learn something is harder than ascending to heaven."

Ganju opened his mouth, but he couldn't argue back. He could only lower his head dejectedly, scratching his hair without thinking.

He knew his big brother meant well, but he really couldn't muster any interest in skills that required calm, dedicated study.

The vast Rukongai and the freedom of racing against the wind-that was what he longed for.

Kaien sighed softly.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Just eat your dinner."

Ganju replied, but he was visibly much more downcast.

Kaien gave Wang Xun an apologetic smile, and Wang Xun shook his head to show it was all right.

He had watched the whole scene, thoughts racing through his mind.

He hadn't expected to encounter this kind of conflict over family values.

Ganju's problem was that he was devoted to his own interests, which simply didn't match his family's expectations.

He trained pigs and rode them, making riding a pig feel like riding a motorcycle. He had even gathered a bunch of followers to ride pigs with him.

To most people, it was fooling around, but from another angle...

Why did it seem like it might fit in with one of his ideas?

He put down his teacup and spoke gently.

"Kaien, Kūkaku, I think Ganju's hobby might not be impossible to put to proper use."

"I've had an idea for a while, though I don't know if you'd be interested."