Chapter 146: The Shiba Clan's Victory Banquet
Dawn rose, dusk fell, and time passed into the evening of the next day.
Inside the Ninth Division barracks, in the captain's private quarters, Takeru woke from sleep, pulled open the curtains, and saw the evening glow burning on the horizon. Only then did he realize he had slept for more than ten hours.
For someone bearing Dragon Blood and normally overflowing with energy, that was an extremely rare occurrence.
"Probably a side effect of having my consciousness taken by Yhwach..."
Otherwise, could it be that after everyone returned in triumph, the Captain Commander had held yet another meeting and assigned him a mountain of work, so by the time it ended, it was already midnight?
Takeru got up, took a shower, and prepared to head out for a meal. But the moment he opened the door, he saw Orihime and Soi Fon standing in the courtyard, locked in a stare down.
More accurately, it was Soi Fon glaring at Orihime from one side.
Orihime, meanwhile, stood there pitifully like a scapegoat taking the blame.
"You two... what are you doing?"
"Uh... this..."
"There was work I needed to discuss with you, but seeing that you were still asleep, I did not disturb you. I was about to leave when I happened to run into someone who seemed intent on disturbing you, so I took the opportunity to remind her."
Soi Fon crossed her arms, looking calm and detached.
Hearing that, Takeru turned to Orihime with a puzzled expression.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah? No, nothing serious. It is just that Rangiku san said there is a victory party tonight and hopes everyone can attend. She asked me to pass the message to you, Takeru kun, so I came over... and then I happened to run into Soi Fon san..."
Orihime hurriedly waved her hands as she explained.
"I see. I thought you might not be adjusting well to staying with the Ninth Division."
"No, I am adjusting really well. Rangiku san and Nozomi san have both been very kind to me. It actually feels even more comfortable than being at home."
Seeing the sincerity in Orihime's smile, Takeru nodded in relief, then turned to Soi Fon.
"So then... what piece of work is important enough for you to personally make such a trip?"
"The Projection Hall."
Soi Fon's answer was short and direct.
Anyone who did not know the inside story would have had no idea what she meant.
But Takeru was not one of them.
"I understand. We'll talk about it another day."
"Yeah. Although it is important, it is not so urgent that it needs to be dealt with right this second... It is also thanks to you calling Senior Kishinoshin back to help that no major chaos broke out. Because of that, I could even spare some time to attend the celebration."
"Miss Soi Fon is going too?"
The moment Orihime asked that, Soi Fon's expression stiffened.
"What do you mean by that? I am a Captain of the Gotei 13. If you, an outsider, can attend, why can I not? Or rather, why did you subconsciously exclude me?"
"Eh, eh, eh... I... this...!"
"What is this 'this'? Speak clearly."
"Takeru kun...!"
Faced with Orihime's teary, pleading eyes, Takeru immediately offered a "helpful" suggestion.
"Calling me is useless. Soi Fon is actually a very serious person, but she is also very gentle. If you just cry in front of her, it will be her turn to get flustered."
"?!"
"Takeru...! The Onmitsukidō is not that softhearted!"
"But that attitude is for prisoners, not for a hero, right?"
The instant Takeru said that, Soi Fon's expression froze. She turned to Orihime and said,
"Speaking of which, many people in the Seireitei, myself included, owe you a favor. So if you run into any trouble in the Seireitei in the future, you can come directly to the Second Division and find me. Or have Takeru pass on the message."
"Uh, I... I understand!"
"What is with that strange expression? Do you really have some grievance against me? Say it out loud. For Takeru's sake, I will consider hearing it out."
"No, no, no... it is not that I have a grievance, it is just... Takeru kun was not wrong. Miss Soi Fon really is a very gentle person."
"Shut up! It is one thing when Takeru says it, but even you dare say it too? I will let it slide this time, but do not ever use such an embarrassing word to describe me again!"
Orihime turned blankly to look at Takeru.
Was "gentle" not supposed to be a compliment?
Takeru very deliberately ignored the question. He rubbed his stomach, glanced at the crimson sky outside the courtyard, and sighed.
"A celebration banquet, huh? I can finally have a meal in peace."
Though he spoke lightly, neither Orihime nor Soi Fon could hear those words without feeling a little complicated.
Because both of them knew very well that the only reason anyone in the Soul Society was able to hold a so called celebration banquet now was entirely because of one person's efforts during that stretch of days.
Which was exactly why, although many people were qualified to attend, he was the one person who absolutely could not be absent.
Soon after, the three of them set out together for the Outer District.
Which was to say, Rukongai.
The banquet was being held at the Shiba Clan residence.
Aside from the fact that the venue there was large enough, there was also the matter that the area around Shino Ward in the Seireitei was still in ruins and had yet to be fully repaired. Many businesses there had already shut down, and the commercial districts of various divisions had taken a massive blow.
As a lieutenant, Rangiku had long owned her own place.
Whenever Orihime came to the Soul Society, she usually stayed there.
This time, however, Rangiku's house had also been destroyed, leaving behind only a giant ravine that looked as though it had been carved out by a hundred meter blade for others to admire. In the end, Orihime had been taken in by Takeru.
"By the way, are you heading back to the Human World tomorrow morning?"
"Yes! Kurosaki kun's father also seems to be going back tomorrow."
"That works out. Brother Kurosaki and I will send you back tomorrow. I happen to have things to take care of there, and Brother Kurosaki is also anxious to see his sisters."
"What are you talking about?"
As Takeru, Orihime, and Soi Fon chatted while walking down the main road of the Seireitei, it was mostly Takeru and Orihime doing the talking while Soi Fon followed beside them in silence.
Even though she said nothing, she never once felt out of place. Like light and shadow moving together beside Takeru, the three of them formed an unexpectedly natural picture.
At that moment, two completely oblivious people appeared from a side road.
At least, that was how it looked to Soi Fon.
It was Ichigo and Rukia.
The best partner duo in the eyes of the current Thirteenth Division members.
Ichigo pulled Rukia along, naturally joined up with the group after greeting them, and continued the earlier topic as if there had been no interruption.
"I am worried the old man is going to get beaten to death by Karin and Yuzu, so I was thinking of going along and saying a few good words for him. It is not because I am dying to see them or anything. It has not even been that long since I last went home."
"Kurosaki kun's family situation is that tense?"
Orihime asked in surprise.
"Well..."
Ichigo scratched his head helplessly.
"I dumped them at a relative's house for nearly half a month. Winter break ended, New Year passed, and I did not even make a single phone call... Anyone would be furious, right?"
"That is true... Sigh, I also forgot to say anything to Tatsuki. Although I had a resident Shinigami in Karakura Town pass her a message the day before yesterday... uh, an uncle with an afro... I will probably still get a scolding when I get back."
Orihime also looked deflated.
"Do not be nervous. At worst, just sell Brother Kurosaki out and use him to divert their attention."
Takeru casually patted her shoulder.
"Good idea!"
"Hey!"
After the joking died down, Takeru glanced at Ichigo and Rukia and asked curiously,
"Is Captain Ukitake not attending the celebration banquet?"
"Actually, Captain Ukitake is half the reason this banquet is happening in the first place. He is more excited than anyone. He went off first thing in the morning to discuss the arrangements with Captain Kyoraku and the others."
Rukia sounded both amused and exasperated.
Ichigo immediately complained,
"Yeah, he dumped all the division work on Rukia and me. Seriously... I have been busy since the moment I woke up. Not only signing papers, but even helping with all sorts of things. If I had not heard there was a celebration banquet tonight, I would have just grabbed a bite and gone straight to sleep."
"Captain Ukitake is often ill, so you have to work harder. If everything goes as expected... you will be taking over soon."
Takeru also gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Captain...?"
Ichigo's brows knitted slightly, his expression turning a little complicated as he looked out at the ruined streets and the construction sites being prepared.
"What is it? Do not tell me you are already thinking of backing out."
Rukia, who was walking on the far side, had been watching Ichigo's reaction from the corner of her eye the whole time. The moment she saw his face change, she deliberately spoke to provoke him.
"Let me say this first. If you are unwilling to take over for Captain Ukitake, then let me do it. I have basically already begun my Bankai training too. Give me another year and I will definitely succeed. At that point, you can just honestly serve as my lieutenant."
"I will fulfill my duty as Captain and as your great senior, and take very good care of you, Lieutenant Kurosaki."
She deliberately emphasized certain words so heavily that even someone deaf could probably hear the malice in them.
"Shut up! You should be thinking about how to be a good lieutenant! Let me tell you right now, if you do a bad job, I will dock your bonus, demote you to the lowest ranking lieutenant, and then make you slowly earn your way back up."
"W What!? Ichigo, you are actually that vicious? In that case, do not blame me!"
"Hey... I have not even done anything yet. What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Even having the thought is already a capital offense! Just you wait!"
"Damn... Do you really think you can scare me into obedience with something like that? Fine then, let us wait and see. At worst, I will just run to Byakuya and complain."
"What?! Ichigo... your level of malice is beyond my imagination!"
"So you had better honestly be my adjutant, great senior. I really need your invaluable senior experience. Speaking of which, great senior, you look terrible. Are you hungry? Captain Ukitake surely prepared a lot of good food."
"Damn you...!"
Watching Rukia clench her fists in anger yet fail to come up with a reply, Ichigo suddenly felt refreshed, and the pressure in his heart about becoming a captain loosened a little.
When he looked again at the ruins around them, he no longer felt that one day he might fail to protect the Seireitei.
Instead, his resolve only grew stronger.
He would never allow the Seireitei to be reduced to ruins like this again.
"But speaking of that... Takeru, you had Orihime repair the First Division barracks, but from the look of things, you do not seem to have any intention of letting her repair the rest."
The moment Ichigo said that, Orihime, Rukia, and Soi Fon all turned to look at Takeru.
"That is not your imagination."
Takeru's expression remained calm.
"I really do not intend to have Inoue do that."
"Why? Are you worried about my stamina? It is fine. With my current ability, I could completely restore all the damaged buildings in a single day."
Orihime deliberately puffed out her chest, looking both proud and eager.
"It is not that. I just think it is a good thing, in every sense, for more people to participate in rebuilding, to restore their homes bit by bit with their own hands."
As he spoke, Takeru looked toward a nearby construction site.
It was nearly dinner time now, and the sky had grown dark.
But in its place were rows of lit lamps, along with a human warmth so lively that it completely outshone the lantern light.
There were meals and hot soup being distributed by designated personnel, and even the people taking their break looked as though they were already attending some small celebration banquet of their own.
"Hello, Captain Takeru!"
"Captain Takeru..."
"..."
When some of them noticed the group, and Takeru in particular, a chain reaction spread almost immediately. One after another, people stood up and greeted him with excitement and respect.
And in truth, most of them were not even Shinigami.
Some were laborers who had come in from Rukongai to work in the Seireitei.
Some were ordinary residents who lived in the Seireitei.
Others belonged to administrative and support units under the Seireitei Administration Bureau.
Ordinarily, there should have been a distinct boundary between them and a military organization like the Gotei 13.
Yet the way they looked at Takeru contained none of the usual distant reverence reserved for powerful people.
Nor were they trying to flatter him or curry favor.
It was something much warmer, much more sincere.
That emotion... made Ichigo and the others feel both familiar and strange.
The warmth was familiar.
But this specific kind of warmth was different from what they knew.
It resembled the gratitude shown to a lifesaver, and yet most of these people clearly had no direct connection with Takeru at all.
Even so, they all showed the same attitude.
It was hard not to find that strange.
"Takeru... what exactly did you do to them?"
Ichigo lowered his voice as he asked.
"Enough jobs. Pay above the average. Stable food and shelter. Use all that to draw in a large number of hardworking and capable outsiders, help them settle down, and in the process replenish the reserve of talent in all kinds of basic fields... It is not just them. Every division has plenty of work too. It is difficult to explain clearly in a few words."
Takeru raised a hand to wave back at the people greeting him.
"In short, think of it as the kind of work needed after toppling a dynasty and establishing a new nation."
"I had already arranged all of this before I left. Even if I had died in battle and none of you had managed to return, the Seireitei would still have continued operating in a stable way. Before long, this land, renewed from the ruins, would have produced a new Gotei 13 to protect this world in our place."
"...I think I understand now why they are so enthusiastic toward you."
Ichigo let out a quiet sigh.
"For ordinary people, escaping the poverty of Rukongai through legitimate work, settling down in the Seireitei, and then hoping that the place they rebuilt with their own hands will keep getting better... once everyone shares that kind of hope, it becomes the moment when they feel the most secure and satisfied."
"And when everyone knows who made that possible, it is only natural for them to feel goodwill."
"Even if they have never met you and know nothing about your personality, it makes no difference."
"But their attitude toward you is not actually the main point."
"The real key is... that everyone is now full of hope for their own future."
"No wonder you refused to let Orihime step in. Instead, you chose to spend all that manpower and material resources to do it this way. Honestly, you are so capable that I am starting to lose confidence in becoming a captain."
"Just do your best. I only did what I could. There are even more things that I simply cannot do."
Takeru sounded completely unconcerned.
"You know that yourself."
"Yeah."
Ichigo remembered the words he had spoken while soaking in the hot springs at the great bath, and the corners of his mouth lifted on their own.
"I cannot protect everyone. I cannot protect only a select few either. But I can protect as many people as possible."
"Just wait. Once I become a captain, I will definitely surpass you in other areas."
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it."
The two exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
Behind them, Orihime and Rukia, who had unconsciously fallen half a step behind, also smiled at each other.
Soi Fon, meanwhile, suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
For a brief moment, memories of the time when she had arrested those two and dragged them back to the Second Division rose in her mind.
Now, however, the present scene could not overlap with that memory in the slightest.
"It has clearly been less than a year, yet it feels as though a very long time has already passed..."
"Perhaps that is because those two have already traveled to places far beyond what many people could ever reach in their entire lives."
"The Seireitei has changed too much, and so have we... What will it look like in the future?"
Soi Fon looked toward the construction site, momentarily dazed.
The nostalgia in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a quiet expectation for what lay ahead.
It was only a little.
But it would last a very... very long time.
At Kūkaku's residence in Junrinan, they ran into familiar faces the moment they reached the entrance.
"Takeru! Ichigo!"
"Yo."
"Oh, Hachihara, Rindo, you two came too?"
"We fought the Quincy too, you know. But you, guy, sure took your sweet time getting here."
"Shut up. That was due to force majeure."
"I do not care. You are not escaping until you drink yourself under the table... Rindo, what do you say?"
[Agreed.]
"You two...! Fine. But do not even think about running yourselves!"
"Woohoo! Of course not. I went out of my way to buy a batch of Spirytus from the Human World. Let us reminisce about our glorious Spirit Arts Academy youth together!"
"What...!? Have I not said this before? I will say it again. Once you drink that stuff, you will not remember a damn thing afterward, got it?!"
"Then let me ask you this again... Ichigo, are you scared?"
"...Damn it! Bring it on!"
Watching Ichigo, Hachihara, and Rindo make a pact to destroy themselves right at the front gate, Takeru, who had only greeted them from beginning to end, decisively slipped away.
He could not get drunk, and he did not like the taste anyway.
Naturally, slipping away required a reasonable excuse.
And as it happened, someone arrived at exactly that moment.
Takeru spoke first, sounding mildly surprised.
"Captain Commander, Vice Captain Sasakibe, Third Seat Okiga, you all came too."
The moment he said that, the others all immediately straightened up and greeted them respectfully.
"After holding so many tea ceremonies, I too wished for a change of pace and to participate in the festivities of my disciples and subordinates."
Yamamoto Genryusai leaned on his cane, looking old and frail, yet his mountain like presence remained terrifyingly solid. It made both Sasakibe and Okiga, who were plenty capable in their own right, seem no more than humble attendants at his side.
Takeru nodded.
"I see. Vice Captain Sasakibe, are you all right now?"
"Thanks to you rescuing me from Yhwach's hands, not only did I keep my life, but I also did not suffer any permanent harm. My injuries have healed, and there are no major issues."
Sasakibe answered solemnly, even respectfully.
"And thanks to that, I also did not lose a friend I have known all my life."
Yamamoto Genryusai spoke in a slow voice.
"Lord Genryusai..."
Sasakibe's voice caught in his throat.
"Saving a comrade captured by the enemy is only natural. Besides, the Captain Commander himself was captured by the enemy once too, so if you really intend to thank me, once is not enough."
At those words, Ichigo and the others all struggled not to laugh.
"Brat! I was not captured! That was merely a moment of carelessness. I have no need of your rescue, and I certainly do not want to see anyone blast me with a Kidō Cannon!"
Yamamoto Genryusai glared at Takeru and walked inside with Sasakibe and Okiga.
"What is wrong with the Kidō Cannon? Without that and the arrangements I made afterward, how could he have gotten away so quickly? Do none of you agree?"
"..."
The brief and awkward silence did not stop everyone from following them inside.
Kūkaku's house was enormous, and the room prepared for the victory banquet was large enough to host a full gathering of some local underworld family.
Takeru and the others had arrived somewhat late.
Almost everyone else was already there.
And the number of people present was unexpectedly high.
Aside from the main elite group that had gone on the Hueco Mundo expedition, even most of the main force who had fought in the Seireitei defense battle had shown up, including convict figures like Mochizuki and the others.
There were also the people Takeru had left behind to support Nayura after the war, as well as Nayura herself.
By rough count, there had to be at least fifty guests.
Takeru casually walked to a corner of the room where Mochizuki and the others were gathered and sat down.
"I did not expect all of you to accept the invitation."
"There is no reason to skip a free banquet, is there?"
Mebari grinned and raised his cup before draining it in one go.
"Is Yhwach dead?"
Zaraki Kyouya suddenly asked.
"Dead. I killed him with my own hands, using your method. A stab from behind, and the 'lethal poison' applied to the blade."
Takeru did not hide behind some line like "Surely you have already heard." He gave them a serious and direct confirmation.
"I see."
Zaraki Kyouya nodded lightly, seeming relieved.
And not only him. Kōga, Amagai, Yushima Oko, Mebari, Ashido, Kageroza, and Ichinose all let out quiet breaths as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted from their shoulders.
Takeru understood why they reacted so strongly.
They were criminals. Yet they had still thrown themselves into the war at the risk of their lives.
Behind what seemed to be an irrational decision, each of them had their own reason.
But there was also one reason all of them shared.
They had fought because Takeru had moved them enough to make them want to win this war.
That was exactly why, even if they had already heard the outcome from someone else, it did not carry the same weight.
Only hearing it from Takeru himself gave it true finality.
This matter had begun with Takeru.
So it had to end with Takeru.
Only then could Mochizuki and the others feel that everything they had done had not been meaningless.
And for men such as Amagai, Ichinose, and Ashido, who all carried deep guilt inside them, it was no different from being granted a form of salvation.
Only now did they truly have the right to celebrate.
"Why so gloomy? You are making it look as though we lost."
At that moment, Isshin came over in a friendly way and slung an arm over Amagai's shoulder.
Although he had not known Mochizuki and the others for very long, they were comrades who had faced life and death together, and that was enough to establish a bond. Whether among the Gotei 13 or on this side, he could slide naturally into the atmosphere like a social butterfly.
With him there, the mood gradually loosened.
It was impossible for it to become truly rowdy.
Most of the people here had withdrawn or twisted personalities, and only Amagai could really be called normal.
But even if they had all been normal, they still would not have been as loud and cheerful as Rangiku, who at another long table was already loudly recounting her adventures in the "other world."
She told the story with full dramatic flair, exaggerating every high and low.
Whether everything was true or not was another matter.
But with her taking the lead, a number of others also began talking about the strange experiences they had gone through in that other world.
Some complained.
Some boasted.
The whole thing was turning into a storytelling gathering, while Shūhei's pen moved so fast it looked ready to catch fire.
In a few days, the Seireitei Bulletin would probably release a "transmigration" special issue shocking enough to leave everyone speechless.
Combined with the material left behind by the reigai Shūhei, Takeru felt it might really be necessary to rein the man in a bit... otherwise there would be no one left to help him share Ninth Division work.
Even if someone was going to die from overwork, there was no reason for that death to happen in the editorial office instead of the lieutenant's office.
Around an hour later, just as the banquet atmosphere reached its peak, an explosion suddenly rang out from outside.
"...?!"
The entire room fell silent at once.
No matter whether they had been drinking or not, everyone sobered instantly.
After a single exchanged glance, they all rushed outside.
"Old Man Yama! Is it an enemy attack... ah, wait, apparently not."
"Genryusai sensei... ah?"
Kyoraku and Ukitake were the first to arrive, but both of them froze halfway through speaking.
Takeru, moving far less hurriedly, stepped past them. When he saw the scene clearly, an odd expression crossed his face.
There stood Yamamoto Genryusai, Tsubakabe, and Okiga.
On the lawn nearby were Orihime, Hachihara, Rindo, Ganju, Ichigo, Rukia, and the two servants of the Shiba household.
Beside them were grills and tables piled high with ingredients.
It was obviously some kind of barbecue setup.
No, not "some kind."
It was literally a barbecue.
And Yamamoto Genryusai himself was the one working the grill.
Using Ryujin Jakka instead of charcoal itself was not really the issue.
The issue was the fact that Renji and Ganju, ten meters away, both had charred black faces.
It was extremely obvious that the explosion just now had something to do with them.
"Hey Ichigo, what are you all doing? Do not go around causing destruction at other people's homes."
"You damn old man! Look properly, this has nothing to do with me! The old man and I were just grilling. Renji and Ganju insisted on launching fireworks, and somehow they suddenly exploded! That blast practically deafened me!"
The instant Ichigo said that, everyone subconsciously turned toward Renji and Ganju.
"It is not my fault! I just stole some of my sister's fireworks, the type that make different patterns depending on what Kidō you use to ignite them, to liven things up a little. Who knew this guy would brag and swear there would be no problem when his Kidō is actually this trash!"
Seeing the atmosphere shift, Ganju hurriedly explained.
He had to. He could already feel the flushed anger coming off his sister in waves.
That definitely was not just from a drinking contest with Yoruichi.
"It was just a mistake! My Kidō has honestly improved a lot! If you do not believe me, give me another one. This time there definitely will not be a problem!"
Renji's face was black with soot and red with shame at the same time. He did not even dare look in Byakuya's direction, and still he tried to argue.
"Forget it. The fireworks I developed already have a very high safety margin. Honestly, I am impressed that you still managed to make them explode. That proves your Kidō is not merely 'bad.' Your spiritual pressure itself is also strangely peculiar. So do not waste your breath... go. Bring out my oversized fireworks and use the Kūkaku Cannon."
"Right!"
The moment Kūkaku gave the order, Renji wilted.
Still, he could only leave in a depressed mood, dragged off by Ganju to work together with Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko.
"The Captain Commander's skill is quite impressive."
Before returning inside, Takeru took one of the skewers Yamamoto Genryusai had grilled, tasted it, and then casually passed a few over to an interested Aizen.
The seasoning aside, the control of the heat was exquisite.
One could only say that whatever animal had become meat over those flames had died a worthy death.
"Boy, in these thousand years, no one has ever surpassed this old man. Even in a craft as seemingly simple as this."
Yamamoto Genryusai spoke in a deep voice.
To anyone who did not know better, it genuinely sounded as though he were demonstrating some basic and unadorned principle on the battlefield.
"As expected of the Captain Commander. The accumulation of a thousand years of experience contains too much knowledge. I certainly could not do it."
Aizen genuinely sounded impressed.
Takeru glanced at him, feeling that those words carried a little more meaning than they seemed to at first.
Just then, after everyone had sampled Yamamoto Genryusai's newest masterpiece to go alongside his matcha, Renji, Ganju, Koganehiko, and Shiroganehiko returned carrying large crates.
"Heave ho!"
They climbed up onto the platform and yanked away the curtain.
Behind it was the thick, pitch black barrel of the cannon, drawing everyone's attention at once.
But the moment they loaded the crates' contents and lit the fuse, the brilliant fireworks that shot one after another into the night sky and exploded above the Seireitei immediately stole the spotlight from everything else.
The whole of the Seireitei, and even several districts around it, could see them clearly.
The multicolored bursts illuminated the entire night sky.
"Well... even though we were not back in time for New Year's Eve or the first few days of January, I suppose making up for it now with a fireworks festival is good enough."
Kyoraku wandered over and stood beside Takeru as they watched, speaking with a teasing tone.
"You have really worked hard these past few days, Captain Takeru."
Ukitake also strolled over, his voice sincere.
"Since I was the frontline Commander in Chief, it was my responsibility."
Takeru sighed lightly.
Kyoraku teased him again.
"And speaking of Commander in Chief... I still remember you saying that you had no experience commanding large armies and were not good at that sort of thing. I do not think you were lying, but as for the result... all I can say is, as expected of the greatest prodigy in Soul Society's history. Even things you are not good at, you still do absurdly well. Compared to Old Man Yama, who knows a little of everything, you are even more dependable."
"Hey! Kyoraku...!"
"Uh..."
Only then did Kyoraku notice his old teacher squinting at him and desperately signaling with his eyes from the side. Cold sweat broke out instantly.
Yet Yamamoto Genryusai said nothing in the end and simply looked away.
"Whew... that was close. Better to just honestly watch the fireworks... After everything that happened, even just sitting down and watching a fireworks display feels unusually pleasant."
"This must be what peace feels like."
Listening to the conversation, Takeru sat down on the wooden platform and quietly watched the fireworks, as well as the Seireitei slowly being reborn from the ruins beneath their light.
And around him, it was not just Kyoraku and Ukitake.
There were many others too.
Just like him, their eyes reflected that light which seemed to symbolize peace.
And this light... was something Yhwach, who never understood what peace truly meant, could never see.
Nor did he have the right to see it.
For him, and for the other villains like him, there was only one light meant for them.
The light reflected from the blade that severed their cruel fate.
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