“Not bad.” Shadow appeared in front of Kaien Shiba and said coldly, “If Yoruichi-sama really does like…” Thump!
Yoruichi Shihōin punched Shadow on the head, her expression dark as she growled under her breath, “Shut up.” “Yes, Yoruichi-sama!” Shadow immediately obeyed without so much as furrowing his brow, then glanced at Kaien.
That single look made Kaien flinch.
He quickly grabbed his sister beside him and warned her in a hurry, “Kūkaku, remember this.
You absolutely, absolutely cannot say anything like that again.” “Why?” Kūkaku Shiba asked.
She was not someone who could be brushed off so easily.
There was clearly something strange going on here.
“Why do you need a reason for everything?” Kaien said helplessly.
“Just remember what I told you!” “Fine.” Realizing she was not going to get anything useful out of Kaien, Kūkaku immediately lost interest.
She turned toward Yoruichi, pointed at Shadow, and asked, “Yoruichi, who is he?” “Merely Yoruichi-sama’s shadow.” Before Yoruichi could answer, Shadow spoke with his usual cold expression.
“Yoruichi’s shadow?” Kūkaku looked genuinely surprised.
What exactly had happened?
She had only gone a few days without seeing Yoruichi, yet suddenly this Shadow had appeared beside her.
He looked incredibly strong too, considering even Kaien seemed wary of him.
Kūkaku looked Shadow up and down, rubbed her chin, and nodded approvingly.
“Not bad.
He’s pretty cool.” Seeing that Shadow clearly had no intention of saying anything else, Yoruichi shook her head helplessly.
Shadow was good in almost every way.
So far, his only obvious flaw was that he was simply too cold.
Yoruichi’s golden eyes shifted thoughtfully before a sly smile appeared on her face.
All right.
Starting today, Project Make Shadow Less Cold was officially underway.
Suddenly remembering something, Yoruichi spoke up.
“Kūkaku, Kaien, have you heard?
The Kuchiki Clan’s heir is going to be born soon.” “Really?” Kaien and Kūkaku both reacted with complete indifference.
Yoruichi was not surprised by their response.
“Father said the Kuchiki Clan plans to hold a huge celebration when he’s born.
Apparently, the Shiba Clan is invited too.” “The Kuchiki Clan really knows how to throw money around,” Kūkaku muttered.
“Well, he is Uncle Sōjun’s son,” Yoruichi said with a smile.
“And he’ll be the future head of the Kuchiki Clan.” The Shihōin and Kuchiki Clans had always shared a very close relationship.
By the generation of Tansei Shihōin and Ginrei Kuchiki, the two were practically branches of the same tree.
Their families had also maintained a long-standing tradition of intermarriage.
The Shihōin Clan also had a good relationship with the Shiba Clan, and not merely because Yoruichi was close friends with Kaien and Kūkaku.
The relationship between the Kuchiki and Shiba Clans, however, was far less cordial.
After the decline of the Shiba Clan, the two families had almost entirely stopped interacting.
In fact, among all the noble families inside Seireitei, the Shihōin Clan was practically the only one that still maintained regular contact with the Shiba Clan.
Even many of the smaller noble houses once subordinate to the Shiba Clan had begun paying them respect in public while quietly ignoring their authority.
Still, the Shiba Clan had once been one of the Four Great Noble Clans.
For an occasion like the birth of an heir, they had to be formally invited.
Whether the Shiba Clan actually chose to attend was another matter entirely.
Noble affairs were complicated.
Kaien understood that.
Kūkaku understood it too.
Yoruichi understood it perfectly well, which was why she did not press the issue.
Whether the Shiba Clan attended or not was something they could decide for themselves.
“But once the baby is born, we could secretly sneak him out and play with him!” Yoruichi’s eyes darted around mischievously as she grinned.
“Secretly sneak him out?!” Kaien nearly jumped.
“Exactly!” Yoruichi nodded, her grin becoming downright wicked.
“Don’t you think it’d be fun to mess with the future head of the Kuchiki Clan?” “That is one seriously bold idea,” Kaien said speechlessly.
“Aren’t you worried about getting caught?
This isn’t some harmless prank!” “Coward.” Yoruichi gave him a disdainful sideways glance.
“This isn’t about being a coward!” Kaien turned away helplessly, only to become even more speechless when he noticed his own sister looking eager to participate.
He gave a bitter laugh.
“Yoruichi, that’s brilliant!” Kūkaku exclaimed excitedly.
“But the Kuchiki estate is heavily guarded.
How are we supposed to sneak him out?” Kūkaku Shiba had never been the quiet, obedient type.
Then again, anyone capable of becoming close friends with Yoruichi Shihōin was unlikely to be particularly well-behaved.
In many ways, the two girls were very much alike.
Yoruichi replied casually, “Don’t worry, Kūkaku.
Shadow can get into the Kuchiki estate without anyone noticing.” Kaien actually believed that.
He had seen Shadow’s strength firsthand.
But…
“You’re not seriously going to go along with their nonsense, are you?” “As long as Yoruichi-sama is happy.” Hearing Shadow’s cold, matter-of-fact answer, Kaien nearly collapsed on the spot.
Then, a second later, he heard Kūkaku speak again.
“You can really do it?
That’s the Kuchiki Clan we’re talking about…
Hey!
Kaien, what are you doing?!” Ignoring her protests, Kaien dragged his sister off to the side and began giving her a stern lecture.
Yoruichi turned toward Shadow.
“Is the idea really that bold?” “No.” Shadow shook his head.
“You’re overthinking it, Yoruichi-sama.” “Really?” Yoruichi blinked her large golden eyes and pouted slightly.
“Maybe I was only joking.” “What?!” …
Night was approaching.
The evening glow painted the entire sky crimson.
White clouds, illuminated by the setting sun hanging near the horizon, seemed coated in a sacred reddish radiance.
Every so often, a few birds flapped their wings overhead, chirping as they disappeared into the distance.
As they left the Shiba residence, a cold gust swept past them.
Leaves were torn from the trees and sent spinning through the air before falling to the ground.
Yoruichi bent down and picked up a withered yellow leaf, then looked toward the horizon.
“Winter’s almost here before we even realized it.” “Yeah.
It really is getting colder.” Kūkaku took a pull from her pipe and exhaled a ring of smoke, watching as it slowly dispersed before her eyes.
“Seriously, Kūkaku.” Yoruichi looked at her helplessly.
“It’s only been a little while.
How are you already smoking that thing again?
Aren’t you afraid Kaien will catch you?” “He’s not here right now anyway.” Kūkaku pouted.
“Besides, I’ve been holding back all day.
If I don’t take at least one puff, you’ll be arranging my funeral.” “Is it really that serious?” “Mm-hmm!” Kūkaku nodded instinctively.
Then she suddenly realized something was wrong and spun around in surprise.
“Kaien?!” “If it wasn’t me, who did you think it was?” Kaien sighed and rubbed his nose.
“Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to Rukongai to hand out food to the residents.
Consider it punishment for sneaking a smoke.” “Fine.” Kūkaku nodded, then smiled contentedly.
Suddenly, snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.
Beneath the fading sunlight, the snow, normally white as salt, was dyed in soft shades of pink and crimson.
It fluttered through the air like countless cherry blossoms, transforming the entire world into a breathtaking storm of snowy petals.
None of them knew why snow had suddenly begun falling, but the sheer beauty of the scene made it impossible not to be captivated.
Yoruichi stood quietly where she was.
Then she smiled.
The curve of her lips was unlike her usual mischievous or cunning grin.
This smile was gentle and serene, beautiful enough to steal the breath from anyone who saw it.
Shadow stared blankly at her.
For some reason, seeing that smile stirred an unfamiliar sensation inside him.
But what was it?
Shadow did not know.
“Shadow!
Shadow!” He suddenly snapped back to reality and found Yoruichi standing in front of him.
Shadow pushed those thoughts aside and asked, “Yoruichi-sama, are we going home?” “Mm.” Yoruichi nodded.
With practiced ease, she climbed onto Shadow’s back and wrapped herself securely around him.
“What were you thinking about just now?” “Nothing, Yoruichi-sama.” The sun had completely disappeared beneath the horizon.
Through the streets of Rukongai, a black figure flashed past at tremendous speed.
On his back rode a yawning girl.