“I…
don’t need your sympathy.” The hoarse, cold voice came from behind her, utterly devoid of emotion.
Hearing it, Yoruichi Shihōin turned around and stared incredulously at the boy, who was still lying on the ground with his eyes closed.
Seriously?
I’m trying to help you!
But the more Yoruichi thought about his tone, the hotter her temper burned.
“Who said I sympathize with you?!
Don’t get full of yourself!
Of course someone without any strength is going to get bullied.
You think I, Yoruichi Shihōin, would waste my sympathy on you?
Don’t make me laugh!
What do I care whether you live or die?” As Yoruichi continued ranting, no one noticed the faint ripple that appeared within those closed, formerly lifeless black eyes.
It had truly been a very long time since he had heard words like these.
A very long time since he had felt something like this.
It reminded him of when he had first met Anko-sama in his previous life.
But the moment Anko Mitarashi entered his thoughts, that tiny ripple quickly faded, disappearing as though it had never existed.
“I’m not sympathizing with you,” Yoruichi repeated.
Then her tone suddenly changed, becoming deliberately disdainful.
“Anyway, a useless guy without Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) will be treated the same wherever he goes.
Instead of staying here and getting beaten all the time…
and judging by the way you look, you probably don’t even get enough to eat, right?” She raised her chin.
“So how about coming with me to the Shihōin Clan?
You can be my punching bag.
If you do that, no one will dare bully you anymore.
And as long as you keep me entertained, I won’t treat you badly.
At the very least, you’ll always get enough food.
So, what do you…” “I…
don’t need your sympathy.” Before Yoruichi could even finish, the boy’s voice immediately interrupted her.
It was still hoarse.
Still cold.
And still unbelievably irritating.
Veins seemed to bulge across Yoruichi’s forehead.
Furious, she kicked him straight in the stomach.
“I told you I’m not sympathizing with you!
Are you incapable of understanding words?!
I’m taking you in as a punching bag!
A punching bag, that’s all!” Today really had been the worst.
She’d started the day in a perfectly good mood, only to stumble into this whole mess.
The one time she decided to do something kind, the person she was helping acted as though she’d insulted him instead.
Yoruichi felt like she was about to explode.
She swore that if this idiot rejected her kindness one more time, she would absolutely stop caring about what happened to him.
“So that’s how it is.” The boy slowly opened his eyes again and looked at Yoruichi.
No one could tell what was going through his mind.
Yoruichi waited.
And waited.
Just as she finally lost patience and was about to turn around and leave, the boy spoke in his hoarse voice.
“Are you sure…
you’ll let me eat until I’m full?” “Huh?!” Yoruichi froze for a moment before completely losing it.
“You think I, Yoruichi Shihōin, would lie to you?!
What do you even have that’s worth lying about?!
Idiot!
Jerk!
Forget it if you don’t want to come!” “Okay.” The faintest curve appeared at the corner of the boy’s cracked lips.
He slowly pushed himself upright, completely ignoring the wounds that were still bleeding, and took two steps backward.
“Wait here for me.” With that, he simply turned around and walked away, leaving Yoruichi shouting irritably after him.
“Yoruichi.” Tansei Shihōin frowned.
“You were too impulsive.
Feeling sorry for him is one thing, but…” “Father doesn’t approve?” Yoruichi asked calmly.
“I feel sorry for him too.
A child that young having to suffer like this…” Tansei shook his head.
“But have you forgotten what happened to the Shiba Clan?
The rules governing the nobility exist for a reason.
Do you want the Shihōin Clan to decline as well?” “In the end, it’s still because he has no Reiryoku (Spiritual Power),” Yoruichi muttered.
“Yoruichi, you…” “He’s only a punching bag.” Yoruichi interrupted him before he could finish, placing deliberate emphasis on the words “punching bag.” The Shihōin Clan was one of the Four Great Noble Clans.
Yoruichi had always found the countless rules and restrictions imposed upon nobles irritating, yet even she had no choice but to obey them.
The noble families were bound together by too many intertwined interests.
If the Shihōin Clan openly acted against the interests of the nobility, perhaps one day they too would decline like the Shiba Clan.
In the end, however, there was only one real reason those so-called rules couldn’t simply be shattered.
They didn’t possess enough absolute power to challenge them.
…
Meanwhile, inside a remote and dilapidated room on the Kawasaki Family estate, the boy stood before the only piece of furniture that could still be considered intact, a mirror.
He stared at his battered reflection, his expression unusually grave.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Eventually, the boy let out a quiet sigh.
His dead, lifeless gaze carried an indescribably complicated emotion, along with a strange stirring he hadn’t felt in years.
“You won’t blame me, will you, Anko-sama?” A thin layer of vibrant green light appeared around his palm.
A faint smile touched his lips as he murmured to himself.
“She’s just like you.” The instant that green glow appeared, an enormous power surged out from within the boy and spread through the surrounding area.
But it lasted for only a single instant before vanishing without a trace.
“It’s been so long since I used this that I’ve actually gotten rusty.” …
Feeling that immense Reiatsu (Spiritual Pressure) flash into existence and disappear just as quickly, Tansei Shihōin’s expression abruptly changed.
“That Reiatsu…” “Lieutenant-class at the very least!” The speaker was Marenoshin Ōmaeda, lieutenant of the Second Division and current head of the high-ranking noble Ōmaeda Clan.
He had even forgotten about the snack he had been eating, his expression becoming serious.
“It might even be captain-class.” “No.
Not quite.” Tansei Shihōin shook his head solemnly.
“It surpassed lieutenant-class, but it hadn’t yet reached the level of a captain.
It’s just…” “Only a matter of time,” Marenoshin Ōmaeda finished for him.
Tansei merely shook his head and sighed.
“Since when did Soul Society have another unknown individual approaching captain-class?
And that Reiatsu disappeared almost immediately.
Whoever it was must be an expert at concealing their Reiatsu.
But if that’s the case, why did they reveal it just now?” His eyes narrowed.
“I only hope nothing happens in Soul Society.” At almost the exact same moment, the Gotei 13 issued an emergency order to investigate the mysterious Reiatsu.
…
Step.
Step.
The footsteps were nearly inaudible, yet within the sudden silence, every single one sounded remarkably clear.
Under everyone’s stunned gaze, a small figure approached.
It was the same young boy.
His messy black hair framed his face, while a strip of black cloth was tied around his forehead.
He now wore a black short-sleeved shirt and black shorts, the shirt’s collar rising high around his neck.
Fingerless gloves covered his hands to the wrists.
Strapped across his back was a long, completely black blade whose shape carried the savage impression of a wolf.
What drew the most attention, however, was his expressionless face.
And those black eyes.
Cold.
Calm.
Without the slightest trace of emotion.
“You…” Kai Kawasaki’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the boy in disbelief.
“Shima Kawasaki?!
When did you develop Reiryoku (Spiritual Power)?
When did you awaken a Zanpakuto?!” Kai’s shock was understandable.
For someone this young to already possess a Zanpakuto could mean only one thing.
A genius.
And if that genius was his own son…
At that moment, Kai Kawasaki regretted his past actions so bitterly that it nearly made him sick.
The boy completely ignored him.
He didn’t even glance in Kai’s direction.
Instead, he walked straight toward Yoruichi.
“You…” Yoruichi opened her mouth, but for once she couldn’t seem to find the right words.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“Your wounds…
and weren’t you supposed to have no Reiryoku?” The boy didn’t answer.
He merely gave a slight nod.
Looking at Yoruichi, who stood about half a head taller than him, he realized something.
Of everything she could have asked about, the first thing she’d mentioned was his injuries.
He pressed his lips together.
Then he reached over his shoulder and drew the Zanpakuto from his back.
Turning the blade downward, he drove it firmly into the ground.
Then the boy dropped onto one knee.
One hand went behind his back, while the other rested against the hilt of the sword before him.
He lowered his head.
When he spoke, his voice carried both cold resolve and solemn respect.
“In this world, I am someone who was never needed.
“I don’t know why I’m alive.
“I don’t understand what meaning or value my existence has.
“I…
couldn’t find any reason to keep living.” He paused.
“Yoruichi…
Shihōin.
Your excuse was terrible.” “But you gave me a reason to live.” “You gave my life…
meaning.” “So from this moment onward…” “I will abandon the name Shima Kawasaki.” “My name will be Shadow.” “For the rest of my life, I will become your shadow.” “Not for Soul Society.” “Not for Seireitei.” “Not for the Shihōin Clan.” “I will live only for you.” “I will exist only for you.” “With my life, my soul, and everything I possess…” “I will protect you.” “Yoruichi-sama.”