Who knows exactly what Kana told Yūshirō to summon him, but the boy burst into the room like a joyous whirlwind, cheering at the top of his lungs.
“Brother-in-law!
I knew you could do it!
Is this the ‘return of the king’ script you told me about?!
This is so awesome, Brother-in-law!”
Yūshirō didn’t stop there.
“Let me tell you, my big sister is an absolute tigress at home.
She’s fierce enough to scare off a pack of wolves!
Honestly, with a personality like hers, she might not even be good enough for you—”
Before Yūshirō could finish his sentence, the air in the room seemingly froze solid.
A split second later, a terrified shriek echoed out.
“Ahhh!!!”
Yūshirō’s smug excitement instantly melted into pure terror.
He frantically backed away, begging for mercy.
“Big Sis…
Big Sis, I was wrong!
I’ll never talk nonsense again!”
Yoruichi stood off to the side, her hands planted firmly on her hips, fuming.
“How could you sell out your own family like that?!
I literally just beat you up, and you still haven’t learned your lesson?!”
The clever little brat playfully tilted his head and winked at Haru.
“Brother-in-law isn’t an outsider, so what’s the big deal?”
‘What an incredible little brother-in-law!’ Haru thought.
‘If only he were a little sister-in-law, it would be perfect!’
Haru cleared his throat, adopting an incredibly dignified and authoritative tone.
“Yūshirō!
How many times has your brother-in-law told you not to call me ‘Brother-in-law’?
Do you understand?”
Catching the signal instantly, Yūshirō wiped the smile off his face and bowed with absolute solemnity.
“Yes, Brother-in-law!
I will remember that.”
Just then, Kana walked in carrying a tray with three steaming cups of tea.
Witnessing this bizarre, highly treasonous exchange, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.
‘Am I falling out of favor?’ she wondered frantically.
‘Wait, was I ever in favor to begin with?
It looks like I need to drastically change my strategy regarding Haru Shimizu.
He might actually end up becoming my…
master…’
“Young Master Haru, please enjoy your tea,” she said, her face flushing a deep crimson.
Haru took the cup, feeling slightly confused.
Why was this maid suddenly treating him with such profound reverence?
And why was her face so red?
“Shoo, shoo!
Go play somewhere else if you’re done!” Yoruichi waved Kana out the door, thoroughly exasperated.
Why did it feel like both her little brother and her personal maid had completely defected to the enemy?
After the banter died down, it was time to talk business.
Sensing the atmosphere growing heavy, Yūshirō stood up, preparing to slip away.
“Don’t you dare leave!” Yoruichi snapped.
Yūshirō reluctantly turned back around, plastering a flattering smile on his face to try and bluff his way out.
“Big Sis…
you’re talking official business with Brother-in-law.
It’s probably not appropriate for me to listen in, right?”
Yoruichi sighed, giving up on correcting his forms of address.
Instead, she spoke with earnest gravity.
“You need to start learning about these things.
What if one day…
you have to bear the burden of leading the clan?”
“But we have Brother-in-law!
It’ll never fall to me!”
‘What a good kid!’ Haru marveled internally.
‘Just casually handing over the entire family empire…’
Speechless, Yoruichi physically forced her brother back into his seat, refusing to let him escape.
She then turned her full attention to Haru.
“I always knew you were a restless guy, which is why I didn’t try to stop you when you agreed to go,” she said.
“But you really need to be careful.
Getting involved in this rebellion…
it’s incredibly easy to lose your life.”
“Risk and opportunity go hand in hand,” Haru replied coolly.
Yoruichi nodded in agreement.
“True.
If you make a good showing this time, you’ll be marked as a key talent for the Seireitei to cultivate.
Once you learn Bankai, becoming a Captain won’t just be a dream!”
Bankai.
Bankai…
The mere mention of Bankai gave Haru a headache.
He honestly felt like he had zero affinity with reaching that final stage of a Zanpakutō.
Seeing Haru’s troubled expression, Yūshirō, who was sitting obediently to the side, offered a brilliant idea.
“Don’t panic, Brother-in-law!
When the time comes, you can just be a Captain, and Big Sis can be the Commander of the Militia!
Or you could be the Commander, and she could be the Captain.
Problem solved!”
Yoruichi scoffed at her brother’s nonsense, then looked at Haru curiously.
“With the kind of strength you have at your age, achieving Bankai shouldn’t be that difficult.
Why do you look so miserable about it?”
Haru knew his own limits and was genuinely stressed about it, but he couldn’t exactly explain that to Yoruichi.
After all, they weren’t at that stage of their relationship yet.
“I’ll tell you the day you change your name to Yoruichi Shimizu!” he shot back.
“Pfft!
As if I care to know!” Yoruichi retorted, thoroughly annoyed.
“There will come a day when you’ll be forced to change your name to Haru Shihōin!”
…
Total silence fell over the room.
Yūshirō snickered quietly from the sidelines.
Both Haru and Yoruichi’s faces flushed red, neither saying a word.
Seeing the atmosphere turning dangerously ambiguous, Yūshirō, the ever-helpful little brother, spoke up again.
“Big Sis, what did you actually call Brother-in-law here for?”
Yoruichi shot Yūshirō a light glare, but the faint amusement in her eyes gave her away.
Taking the out, she turned to Haru with complete seriousness.
“About the rebellion.
The Kuchiki clan might be spearheading the suppression this time, but the situation behind the scenes is far more complex than you can imagine.
Even the highest-ranking noble houses are definitely entangled in this mess.
Hell, I don’t even know how many members of the Shihōin clan are secretly involved.”
Her tone was heavy, her gaze unwavering.
“So, my advice to you is this: do not hold back.”
“Do not show mercy.
Do not hesitate just because of your relationship with me…
or Yūshirō.
Since you’ve chosen to step onto this battlefield, you must cut down whoever or whatever stands in your way.
Only by being absolutely ruthless will you leave no room for anyone to scheme against you.
And only then…
will I be able to protect you.”
Haru looked up, meeting Yoruichi’s pale golden eyes.
He offered a warm, gentle smile.
“What a nagging woman.”
!!!!!
Haru walked home, aggressively rubbing his bruised wrist and sighing into the night.
That little spitfire was going to be tough to tame!
But honestly, her fiery personality was incredibly endearing.
When he arrived at the gates of his dilapidated estate, a middle-aged man was standing there quietly.
He had a stern face and an immaculate, upright posture.
Seeing Haru approach, the man bowed respectfully.
“Lord Shimizu.
I am Ginjirō Shirogane, Fourth Seat of the Sixth Division, and the head butler of the Kuchiki estate.
At Young Master Sōjun’s behest, I have come to inform you of the exact assembly time for tomorrow’s deployment.”
‘Decadence!
Absolute, utter decadence!’ Haru cursed internally.
‘They deployed a Fourth Seat just to deliver a schedule?!’ He wondered when he would finally reach that level of obnoxious wealth and status.
“Sorry for the trouble.
Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” Haru offered politely.
“There is no need.
Since the message has been delivered, I shall take my leave.” Ginjirō politely declined the offer and vanished in a blur of Shunpo.
After washing up, Haru stepped out into the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, he began his Jinzen—Blade Zen meditation.
Previously, when he had asked Yoruichi if the Shihōin clan had any secret techniques for Jinzen, she had looked at him in total confusion.
“You’re already this strong, why do you still need to practice Jinzen?”
He had managed to brush her off with a bullshit philosophical excuse: “The pursuit of martial arts is an endless sea; how could a man like me dare to slack off for even a single day?”
The moonlight washed over the courtyard, draping Haru in a layer of ethereal silver silk.
He sat cross-legged on the wooden porch, his Zanpakutō resting quietly across his knees.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind, trying to quiet his chaotic thoughts and achieve absolute tranquility so he could commune with his sword spirit.
But tonight, this simple step was proving to be incredibly difficult.
His mind was already far more hyperactive than the average person’s.
Add in the intense, close-quarters physical brawl he’d had with Yoruichi earlier, and calming down was practically impossible.
Shaolin was still small and underdeveloped, so it was easy to keep his thoughts pure around her.
Yoruichi, however, was completely different.
She was right in that golden, perfect transition phase between a young girl and a grown woman.
The moment Haru closed his eyes, his brain was completely hijacked by images of smooth, healthy dark skin, the glisten of sweat, delicate little ankles, and…
a rapidly developing, impressive figure!
Entering a meditative state was utterly impossible.
‘That wicked woman is truly terrifying!’ Haru groaned internally, opening his eyes.
‘She completely ruined my concentration!
The fact that I still haven’t truly mastered my Shikai is absolutely, one hundred percent Yoruichi’s fault!’