The Shihoin household.
Today, Ren finally had a rare day off.
Lately, the Stealth Force had gradually gotten back on track, and the matters regarding the Shadow Space had been handled properly.
With some free time, Ren prepared to spend a quiet, peaceful day in his study.
He planned to drink tea, read, practice calligraphy, and trim bonsai—secluding himself in his own tranquil space to clear his mind, undisturbed by trivial matters.
He also wanted to take the time to think through the situation he would face next.
This would likely be one of his few moments of relaxation for a while.
Once today was over, things were going to get very busy.
"Now this is what I call comfort."
Just as he finished brewing the tea, a loud pounding came from the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ren frowned, his expression souring.
He had already instructed his subordinates not to disturb him today.
Before he could speak, the person outside grew impatient and burst straight through the door.
"Mr. Serious, I heard you aren't working today and decided to take a day off."
Who else but Yoruichi would dare act so recklessly in Ren's presence?
Yoruichi strolled in casually, waving a game disc in her hand.
"I just found this game. Come play with me!"
Yoruichi walked toward Ren with light steps.
Her long ponytail swayed with her movements, lively and spirited, reflecting her good mood.
Her pretty face was full of excitement, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Ren.
Ever since she became pregnant, Yoruichi had started letting her hair grow long.
After several years, the tips now reached down to her waist.
Ren looked at Yoruichi as she approached; she now looked almost exactly like her classic self.
Compared to her former cuteness, she now had a touch of maternal softness, but at her core, she was still that same lively girl.
"Where's Touichirou? Aren't you watching him?" Ren asked, stroking the short beard on his cheeks.
"We have a nanny at home, don't we?"
Yoruichi pouted, her tone full of conviction.
"You weren't planning to go see Touichirou today either. Since you finally have so much free time, can't you spend it with me?"
As Ren's power grew, his work became increasingly demanding.
Although he came home every night and always found moments for Yoruichi, that time was fragmented; he almost never had a full day like today.
Now that the opportunity had finally come, she wasn't about to let it go.
"I didn't even call Suì-Fēng or Yūshirō. I wanted to spend the whole day just the two of us."
"What, are you unwilling?"
Ren looked at the disc in Yoruichi's hand, sighed helplessly, and nodded.
"Yoruichi, do you really just intend to play games?"
"Hehe."
Yoruichi gave a mischievous giggle but didn't answer.
Seeing his wife like this, how could Ren not know what she was thinking?
In the end, Yoruichi had come knocking anyway.
Oh well, he likely wouldn't have much free time for her in the future, so he might as well spend today with her.
Ren carried his tea while Yoruichi pulled him by the sleeve into a side room off the study.
She familiarized herself with the cabinets to dig out various snacks and popped the disc into the game console.
Ren sat on the plush carpet. Once Yoruichi started the game, she took the controller and sat directly in his lap.
Leaning back slightly, she used Ren's chest as a backrest.
Feeling the softness in his arms, Ren cooperatively wrapped his arms around her and looked at the large screen.
A pale, bald old man holding a battle axe appeared, with a young boy by his side.
Ren's eye twitched as he looked down. "Yoruichi, I thought you wanted to play a game together. Isn't this a single-player game?"
"Oh, right."
Yoruichi realized her mistake but waved it off nonchalantly.
"It's the same whether you play or not. Just watch me play."
'Then why did you even come get me?'
Ren narrowed his eyes and lowered his head, using his prickly beard to rub against Yoruichi's cheek.
Yoruichi found the tickling unbearable and quickly pushed Ren's face away, letting out a bright laugh.
"Haha, alright, alright! Did you grow that beard just to scratch me?"
"Why, is that not allowed?"
Ren had started growing a beard after Touichirou was born.
His once-smooth face was now covered in a short, dark-red stubble, making his youthful appearance look a few years older.
Yoruichi grabbed Ren's beard and tugged lightly, making him wince in pain.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Ren quickly pulled his head back, fearing Yoruichi might actually rip the hair out.
He put quite a bit of effort into maintaining this beard; it was precious to him.
"Speaking of which, Ren, what do you think of Kisuke and Suì-Fēng?" Yoruichi asked while pressing buttons on the controller.
Ren was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Well, Kisuke became the Captain of the 12th Division, so he's quite successful now. Do you think there's a chance for him and Suì-Fēng?"
Before Hikifune Kirio was promoted, she had recommended Urahara Kisuke to Yamamoto Shigekuni.
Later, with the recommendations of Yoruichi and Hirako Shinji, he had secured the necessary backing of three captains.
Urahara Kisuke successfully passed the Captain's Proficiency Test and became the Captain of the 12th Division.
Hearing Yoruichi say this, Ren's face showed a hint of surprise.
"Yoruichi, are you serious?"
"What?"
"Nothing." Ren sighed. "It feels a bit strange for me to be the one to say this, but Suì-Fēng clearly has feelings for you that are different from how she feels about others."
"I know that. Although our statuses are different, Suì-Fēng and I have always been like sisters," Yoruichi said frankly.
"That's not what I meant."
Hearing Yoruichi's casual tone, Ren realized she still hadn't noticed Suì-Fēng's true feelings.
At this thought, Ren couldn't help but find his wife's density deeply unbelievable.
He said directly, "Yoruichi, have you really not noticed? Suì-Fēng's feelings for you aren't just sisterly. She clearly has a romantic crush on you!"
Ren gritted his teeth and added one last point.
"Like the kind of feelings between a man and a woman."
Yoruichi's hands froze. On the screen, the bald man was immediately killed by the boss, the God of Light.
At this moment, Yoruichi didn't care about the game anymore.
She stiffly turned her head to look at Ren, her eye twitching.
"Are you... serious?"
Ren nodded.
"How can that be?" Yoruichi suddenly became incoherent. "But... but... that's obviously wrong. Suì-Fēng and I are both women. How could she..."
"...You really haven't noticed!"
Ren let out a sigh of exclamation.
"Where do you think Suì-Fēng's hostility toward me came from?"
"So... that's why."
Yoruichi finally understood, an awkward expression crossing her face.
"No wonder her reaction was so intense when I mentioned it to her before."
"You actually did that?"
Ren was shocked. While he felt sorry for Suì-Fēng, he silently gave Yoruichi a thumbs-up for her audacity.
"...Yoruichi, you're something else."
"I'll have to give Suì-Fēng a proper apology later."
Realizing the truth, Yoruichi's expression turned somber.
Thinking back to her thoughtless actions, a twinge of guilt rose in her heart.
After a moment, however, she began to feel a bit self-satisfied.
"To think even another woman like Suì-Fēng would be enchanted by my charm. I really am a sinful person."
She elbowed Ren in the side.
"Such a charming beauty like me became your wife. You must be secretly thrilled, right?"
"Yes, whatever you say."
Ren didn't want to argue, but he had to admit that Yoruichi was indeed a rare beauty.
Despite her darker skin, her features were stunning, and her high-energy aura added a unique charm.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"But personally, I think you're most charming when you're all sweaty after a workout."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Though Yoruichi was dark-skinned, her skin was smooth, delicate, firm, and elastic.
Combined with her clearly defined muscles, she possessed a wild appeal.
Especially after sweating, she would practically glow with a lustrous sheen.
Ren squeezed her waist again, but his tone suddenly changed.
"Yoruichi, have you put on weight lately?"
"Huh?"
Yoruichi turned her head, her brow furrowing in a look of adorable fierceness.
"Who are you calling fat?"
Ren remained unmoved. "Look, there's some meat on your waist. You've gained quite a bit of weight since the baby, haven't you?"
"Idiot, that's because I've been looking after the child and haven't exercised much, so I've only gained a little..."
After reflexively defending herself, Yoruichi looked at Ren with a hint of displeasure.
"Hmm? Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, it's not that I have a problem..."
He began to speak as Yoruichi's breathing grew heavier.
Before Ren could finish, Yoruichi set down the controller.
"Oh, so that's what you're focused on?"
"Then take another look now!"
After some exercise, Yoruichi regained her composure.
Lying on Ren's chest, she rolled over and rested her head on his arm.
However, she suddenly fell into a bit of a slump.
"I really have gotten fat..."
Ren caught his breath and said, "Then just lose the weight. What's the point of telling me?"
Yoruichi turned her face, tugged on Ren's beard, and said tentatively, "Actually, I was thinking about whether I should step down from the Second Division."
"Hmm?"
"Look, Touichirou is growing up, and you're getting busier. We have so little time for him. We can't let him grow up lonely when he has both his parents, right?"
Yoruichi paused, letting out a soft sigh.
"I want to retire from the division and spend more time with him."
"Really?" Ren gave her a skeptical look. "I think you just want to use the kid as an excuse to quit so you can play all day. Touichirou is just your cover, isn't he?"
"Shut up! Just tell me if I'm making sense or not!" Yoruichi pouted.
Ren thought it over and finally nodded. "It makes sense."
Although the Gotei 13 had an unwritten rule against retirement—where any member wishing to leave would be imprisoned—
Captains weren't bound by such constraints.
Moreover, as the Head of the Shihoin Family, no one would dare question Yoruichi's decision.
"But if you step down, what happens to the Second Division?" Ren asked.
Yoruichi already had a plan.
"How about Suì-Fēng?"
"She has already mastered Bankai and is quite powerful. She's from the Fon family and was raised in the Second Division, so she knows the ropes. She's the perfect candidate to take over."
Ren nodded slowly.
Suì-Fēng was indeed a good choice. She was fiercely loyal to Yoruichi, and with so many Shihoin retainers in the division,
the Second Division would remain under the Shihoin family's control even if Yoruichi retired.
It would just be a different name in charge.
"It's your call."
Yoruichi looked delighted. "Then once this current period is over, I'll hand the position over to Suì-Fēng!"
"This period? Why not now?" Ren asked.
Ideally, he wanted Yoruichi to step down as soon as possible.
Yoruichi explained, "Lately, the Seireitei... how should I put it? It feels like there's too much upheaval."
"First, Captain Hikifune Kirio was promoted, then Kisuke took over the 12th Division, and recently some ugly guy from the Rukongai became the Captain of the 11th Division."
"I figured I'd wait until things settled down before giving the position to Suì-Fēng."
She paused, her brow furrowing slightly as if facing a difficult problem.
"Not only that, something was brought up during the recent Captains' Meeting."
"What was it?"
"Since you run the Stealth Force, you should have heard about it already."
Yoruichi's expression turned serious.
"The soul disappearance incident in the Rukongai. At first, it was just ordinary souls, but when we sent members to investigate, even the Soul Reapers vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind but their uniforms."
Ren's expression grew solemn.
He nodded and said gravely, "I saw it in the files and thought about sending people to look into it, but since it's a Gotei 13 matter, it's difficult for me to intervene."
"If I were to jump in uninvited, it might provoke Yamamoto Shigekuni's resentment."
Ren looked down at Yoruichi, a nearly imperceptible flash of guilt in his eyes.
'Sorry, Yoruichi...'
'I lied.'
Ren hadn't just seen it in the files; he had witnessed those souls vanishing with his own eyes.
After years of research, Aizen's Hollowification experiments had progressed significantly, recently starting to affect innocent people in the Rukongai.
To expand the scope of the research, he had no choice but to turn his attention to Soul Reapers with substantial spiritual power.
Ren had helped Aizen and covered up many of his tracks.
Thinking of the misery of those people before they died made Ren's heart ache.
Realizing his own reaction, he gave a self-mocking laugh in his mind.
He was mocking his own behavior.
He was the one who had committed these murders for the sake of power, yet here he was feeling pangs of conscience...
How pathetic of me!
Ren sat up and looked at Yoruichi solemnly. "Yoruichi, do you think I should send someone to investigate?"
"Why do you think I'm telling you this? I want you to take action."
Yoruichi rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.
"But the Head Captain has already dispatched a captain to investigate. They should be able to get to the bottom of it."
"Oh?" Ren's interest was piqued. "Who is it?"
Yoruichi replied, "Captain Muguruma Kensei of the Ninth Division and his seated officers."
Oh, then it's fine.
If it were anyone else, Ren might have made some arrangements.
But since it was Muguruma Kensei, to a certain extent, Ren had full confidence in his abilities.
He nodded and said deeply, "Understood. I'll pick the right moment to act."
"Ugh, never mind. I shouldn't have brought up such gloomy topics."
Yoruichi felt a sudden surge of irritability. She stood up and threw herself onto Ren again.
"I've got my energy back. Let's keep going!"
"Again?"
Seeing Yoruichi's renewed interest, Ren grumbled.
"You certainly switch moods quickly."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]