"It's been a long time, Sister Yoruichi."
He glanced at Yoruichi's current form, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes.
"Why come so late?"
"I was passing by and smelled a familiar scent of fireworks, so I thought I'd drop by and see you two little ones. Why, am I not welcome?"
"Of course not."
Kukaku's voice held a hint of excitement.
"Koganehiko, go get some snacks. Shiroganehiko, serve the tea."
Yoruichi sat naturally on a nearby cushion, her posture free and easy.
Her gaze swept across the simple but cozy hall before finally landing on Kaien.
"I heard you entered the Shin'o Academy and made quite a stir. Level 6 Spiritual Power?"
Shiroganehiko respectfully placed the tea in front of Yoruichi.
Yoruichi looked at the freshly served hot tea, blew on it, and took a couple of light licks.
"So, the current head of the Shiba family intends to use the Academy as a path, following Old Man Yamamoto's footsteps, to return to the Seireitei?"
Kaien's expression grew a bit more solemn, but his eyes soon became firm and bright.
"Even if I am, what of it?"
Yoruichi took a small sip of tea, not expressing her stance immediately.
"The road back to the Seireitei won't be easy, Kaien."
Yoruichi's voice was calm, carrying the clarity of someone who had seen it all.
"The petty squabbles and schemes among the nobility are more complex than you think. Being forgotten and rejected happens all too quickly."
"The Shiba family has been gone for too long. If you want to return, the resistance you face will be immense. It might not even... necessarily be a good thing. Are you prepared?"
Kaien silently clenched his fist, his voice low but powerful.
"The Shiba family was once one of the great houses standing at the peak of the Seireitei. Now, we're reduced to running a fireworks business in the Rukongai using secret techniques meant for the Soul King. I cannot accept this."
"I know the reasons for our decline are complex—the suppression by the other great noble houses, the mismanagement by the elders... But I don't believe the bloodline and dignity of the Shiba family will simply fade away."
He looked at Yoruichi, his eyes burning with intensity.
"I want to become strong—strong enough to establish a firm foothold in the Gotei 13 and reclaim the respect and status that rightfully belongs to the Shiba family."
"Later, I will also find a way to convince my uncle to return. His abilities shouldn't be buried here within the Soul Society."
Kukaku listened quietly from the side, watching the rare, burning fighting spirit in her brother's eyes.
She pursed her lips and didn't interrupt, but her eyes were equally determined.
Kaien took a deep breath.
"I know the road ahead is difficult, but I have to try. I am the head of the Shiba family. This is my responsibility and my choice."
Yoruichi looked at the unwavering determination in Kaien's eyes. After a long moment, a smile reappeared on her face.
The smile carried admiration and a faint, imperceptible sense of nostalgia.
"Good. Since you've decided, then give it your all."
"I, Shihoin Yoruichi, sincerely wish you success. If you need help, as long as it's within my power and doesn't violate my principles, you can come to me."
"Thank you."
After that topic passed, they began chatting about their past in the Seireitei when they were children, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Yoruichi seemed to suddenly remember something and asked seemingly casually.
"By the way, there was a large fire near the forest in the West 2nd District a while ago. One of my seated officers mentioned it to me, saying the residual spiritual pressure was a bit strange."
"Kukaku, you should be well-informed in the Rukongai. Have you been there lately? Did you notice anything unusual?"
Kukaku didn't expect Yoruichi to ask this suddenly. She blinked and did remember the incident.
"Ah, that place. I actually went there not too long ago."
"Oh?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, feigning interest. "Did you go alone? Find anything?"
"No, I went with Hasumi Ren and an old man. But the fire hadn't started when we were there."
Kukaku answered naturally.
When Yoruichi heard that name, her golden pupils contracted slightly for an instant.
"This Hasumi Ren you mentioned is..."
"Oh, he's a senior of my brother's at the Academy. He was interested in some wild fruit brought by a fruit-selling uncle, so we followed him to where the fruit grows."
"Fruit?"
"Yeah, a type of dark purple small fruit. It tastes pretty good, about this big."
Kukaku gestured with her hands.
"But they're all gone now. It was quite a while ago."
Yoruichi's body froze imperceptibly for a moment.
She had an impression of this fruit. It seemed that a long time ago, her 3rd Seat, Urahara Kisuke, had brought her some.
Kukaku continued to reminisce.
"Anyway, we didn't find anything special there. We just looked at a few trees."
"But Ren felt something was off and urged us to leave quickly. He said later it didn't feel safe, like someone else was there."
Yoruichi lowered her head to drink her tea. At this moment, her evaluation and wariness of Hasumi Ren increased slightly in her mind.
"Is that so? It seems that student Hasumi Ren has quite sharp senses."
"Uh-huh, and then that big fire happened... Wait, you don't suspect I did it, do you?"
Kukaku's eyes widened.
Upon hearing this, Yoruichi's gaze became sharp.
"Was it you?"
Kukaku waved her hand.
"Not this time."
"Oh, then it's fine."
Kukaku began to look around while Yoruichi thought with her head down, sensing something was not quite right. A strange silence fell between the two.
Yoruichi recalled something Urahara Kisuke had told her.
After hearing about the fire in that place, Urahara Kisuke had uncharacteristically shown quite a bit of interest in the matter.
He seemed to have made a special trip to visit the surrounding area and learned from a household that an old man had once taken a man and a woman there.
The girl was somewhat famous in the Rukongai, Shiba Kukaku the firework maker, and there was also a student from the Academy.
Yoruichi certainly hadn't expected that person to be Hasumi Ren.
She quietly ended the topic about the valley and chatted with the Shiba siblings about their current situation.
A moment later, Yoruichi stood up to take her leave.
"Alright, it's getting late. I should head out."
Yoruichi extended her front paws and stretched. Her fur was lustrous, and her graceful silhouette was fully visible.
"I'm relieved to see that you siblings are doing well."
"Kaien, work hard. And Kukaku, don't just spend all day researching fireworks and hitting Ganju. As a girl, pay more attention to your image."
"Haha, mind your own business."
"By the way, where's Ganju? I haven't seen him?"
"He was sleepy and went to bed first. Should I call him? Hey, Gan..."
Seeing Kukaku about to shout Ganju's name, Yoruichi quickly waved a paw.
"Never mind, it's not necessary. We can see each other next time."
"Eh... alright."
Kukaku's expression looked a bit disappointed, though Yoruichi didn't know what she was disappointed about.
After seeing Yoruichi to the door, Yoruichi waved a paw and stepped out of the Shiba residence.
Under the moonlight, she took one last look back at Kaien and Kukaku who were seeing her off at the gate.
With a few graceful leaps, she vanished completely into the deep night of the Rukongai.
After getting some distance from the Shiba residence, she stopped on a secluded rooftop.
She sat on the ridge of the roof, gazing toward the Seireitei, her golden cat eyes shimmering with contemplative light in the darkness.
'That fellow Urahara Kisuke seems to be tinkering with his strange inventions and devices again lately.'
Yoruichi licked her paw, a decision already formed in her mind.
'Perhaps he would be interested in this Hasumi Ren. It might be better to let him try to make contact. Who knows, he might dig something up...'