Byakuya had a strange feeling.
From just now, someone had been staring at him. Yet whenever he turned his head to search for that odd gaze, all he saw was a dense sea of people.
The shopping mall he was in was the largest and most prosperous in Karakura Town, so there was naturally no shortage of foot traffic. On top of that, with Byakuya's outstanding appearance and the noble air he unconsciously exuded, he was already the most eye-catching presence in the crowd.
But Byakuya knew that what displeased him was not the gazes of ordinary passersby.
That feeling was not admiration.
It was more like peeping.
Not far behind Byakuya, behind a large pillar, Tsunayoshi and Tatsuki were hiding.
As expected of a captain, Byakuya's perception of his surroundings was extremely sharp. They had almost been discovered.
"That girl is the Memory Rosary Soul Society is looking for?" Tatsuki asked softly. "Does Captain Kuchiki not know? Why does it look like he's dating her?"
"How would I know?"
Tsunayoshi shrugged.
"Big White doesn't look like the type to fall for someone at first sight or be easily fickle."
Tsunayoshi still trusted Byakuya Kuchiki's character.
In daily life, Byakuya maintained proper social distance from all women. The only ones somewhat close to him were his adopted younger sister Rukia and the childlike Yachiru.
Tsunayoshi even suspected that the lineage of the Kuchiki Clan, one of Soul Society's Four Great Noble Clans, might end with Byakuya Kuchiki.
After all, Rukia had been adopted into the Kuchiki Clan. Byakuya was the one who truly had to shoulder the continuation of the Kuchiki family line.
But the image Byakuya always presented was one of unwavering devotion to his late wife, Hisana Kuchiki. That was why the future of the Kuchiki Clan was so worrying.
Surely the Kuchiki Clan, one of the remaining Four Great Noble Clans, would not disappear even faster than the former great noble Shiba Clan?
At the very least, the Shiba Clan still had two sparks left in Ichigo and Ganju. And Ichigo already clearly had a partner, so the survival of the Shiba bloodline was not a problem at all.
That was why, when Tsunayoshi realized Byakuya might actually be thinking about romance, he was so surprised.
That Byakuya Kuchiki—had his brain really opened up at last?
The operation to tail Byakuya continued.
But as they followed him, Tsunayoshi and the others gradually forgot their original purpose and genuinely began shopping with their own partners.
After all, this was the most prosperous shopping mall around. It had every kind of store imaginable, making it extremely suitable for couples to wander around and deepen their feelings.
Even Uryū and Chad, who did not have partners, split up and went to stores that interested them.
"Ichigo, hurry! Let's go line up! The next batch of bread is about to come out!"
A sweet voice containing a familiar name drew Byakuya's attention.
He turned his head to look.
Good grief.
It was Orihime Inoue, pulling Ichigo Kurosaki toward the bakery beside him.
Byakuya could clearly see Ichigo's expression stiffen the moment he turned around.
As expected, those peeping gazes had come from Ichigo Kurosaki and the others.
Since Byakuya had already discovered him, Ichigo could not very well pretend not to see him. He pulled Orihime over and greeted him.
"Byakuya, what a coincidence running into you here. Are you shopping too? Ahaha…"
There it was.
With Ichigo's awkward laugh added in, Byakuya was now completely certain.
They had been spying on him.
"Byakuya, are they your friends?" Senna came closer and asked curiously.
She also very much wanted to make friends. Otherwise, she would not have dragged Byakuya, whom she had only just met, out shopping.
At Byakuya's signal, Ichigo and Orihime introduced themselves to Senna one after another.
Byakuya himself, meanwhile, looked around before raising his voice slightly and calling out,
"Come out, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I saw you."
Byakuya did not believe that Ichigo and his girlfriend, with their brains, could come up with such a boring trick as tailing someone.
Someone had definitely been guiding them from behind.
If nothing unexpected had happened, it could only be Tsunayoshi, that idle fellow who loved watching drama.
"Sigh…"
Tsunayoshi pulled Tatsuki out from the crowd.
"Ichigo, Orihime, couldn't you two hide a little better while dating? Now we've been found out."
"Sorry, Tsunayoshi. We were drawn over by the smell of the bakery."
Orihime stuck out her tongue playfully.
Tsunayoshi did not mind.
All their companions in the World of the Living knew that Orihime liked baking. Besides, Byakuya had already noticed something. They would have been discovered sooner or later.
"Huh? Two more new friends?"
Senna blinked her large eyes and asked.
"Hello. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, and this is my girlfriend, Tatsuki Arisawa."
Tsunayoshi's sudden self-introduction caught Senna somewhat off guard. She quickly bowed, nodded, and introduced herself as well.
During this time, Tsunayoshi gave Tatsuki a small look.
Tatsuki very sensibly moved closer to Senna. Together with Orihime, she praised Senna a few times, and the three girls quickly established a friendship among themselves.
Having made new friends, Senna greeted Byakuya, then decided to take the girls with her to pick out accessories.
Only the three men were left where they stood.
"Want to sit down at a café?" Tsunayoshi asked.
Byakuya did not object.
As for Ichigo, his mind was completely blank as he followed along.
"What's going on with you? Do you really like Senna?" Tsunayoshi asked curiously.
He still did not believe Byakuya would divide his love and give it to another woman.
"No. There is something very familiar about Senna. That feeling is very much like my late wife, Hisana Kuchiki."
Byakuya did not hide it. He also wanted to understand what exactly was happening.
Tsunayoshi looked at Byakuya with a strange expression.
"You haven't read Seireitei's reply yet, have you?"
"I have not had time."
Byakuya had reported the abnormal Reiatsu in the World of the Living. Squad 12 would reply to him with relevant information, but usually, such replies were something like "received," so he had not checked immediately.
"You should read it first. Send a copy to Ichigo too, while you're at it."
Seeing Ichigo's clear, innocent eyes, Tsunayoshi spoke with a trace of pity.
Squad 12 's reply was very detailed.
It explained the crisis currently facing the World of the Living and Soul Society, as well as the importance of the Memory Rosary. It also required Byakuya to assist Tōshirō in searching for the Memory Rosary in the World of the Living.
Byakuya placed his Denreishinki face down on the table.
Seeing his eyes tightly closed, Tsunayoshi knew that he had already figured out many things. He summarized it directly.
"Senna is the Memory Rosary. As for that familiar feeling you sensed, perhaps it is because Hisana Kuchiki's memories are inside Senna."
Once one thing was understood, everything else followed.
The hand with which Byakuya held his coffee cup trembled uncontrollably.
Why did Senna know him?
Why did he feel familiar with Senna?
Why did Senna always chat with him in a refined tone without realizing it?
Why, when they were shopping, could Senna always accurately grasp his preferences?
There was only one explanation.
Hisana Kuchiki's memories were inside Senna.
Senna had not done it deliberately. Too many memories were mixed within her. She could only occasionally recall memories related to Byakuya.
Pain and sorrow appeared together.
Seeing something connected to Hisana once more brought not the slightest joy to Byakuya's heart.
There was only one reason Hisana's memories were inside Senna.
Something had gone wrong when Hisana Kuchiki entered the cycle of reincarnation through the three worlds. As a result, her soul and memories had wandered into the Valley of Screams and ultimately been gathered by the Memory Rosary.
Seeing Byakuya remain silent, Tsunayoshi continued,
"You already know that Soul Society and the World of the Living are connected by a Valley of Screams. The collision of the two worlds absolutely cannot be allowed to happen."
"In other words, the only possible end for this Valley of Screams is destruction. And the Memory Rosary and the Valley of Screams depend on each other. Once the Valley of Screams is destroyed, and she loses the support of the Blanks' power, there is only one outcome for the Memory Rosary."
"She will disappear."
"You could say Senna is a girl without a future."
"What is even more frightening is that once the Memory Rosary disappears, no one will remember that she ever existed."
"Senna is destined to become a memory no one can recall."
"Tragedy is her only ending."
"Tsunayoshi, is there anything we can do for Senna? This is way too sad, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Ichigo could no longer hold back.
After observing her earlier, he felt Senna was no different from an ordinary high school girl.
Yet such an ordinary girl was burdened with a future that had already been decided.
Was that not far too cruel to Senna?
"The safety of all living beings in both worlds is unquestionably more important. The ending cannot be rewritten. The only thing we can change is the process."
Tsunayoshi drank the rest of his coffee in one gulp, then pulled Ichigo up and walked outside.
Before leaving, he left behind one sentence.
"I'll report to Old Man Yamamoto and set the destruction of the Valley of Screams for tomorrow morning. Before then, Byakuya Kuchiki, please spend more time with Senna."
Hisana Kuchiki's memories were inside Senna.
Whether Tsunayoshi suggested it or not, Byakuya would definitely accompany Senna until the final moment of her life.
Even if Senna's disappearance ultimately caused Byakuya to no longer remember this period of time, he would still do it without hesitation.
Hisana Kuchiki was the first person who had made Byakuya break the rules.
She was also the only person who could make Byakuya disregard all rules.
Byakuya quickly stood and walked out of the café.
There was not much time left.
Any time he could spend with her was time gained.
The moment he stepped out of the café, he ran straight into Senna, who had come looking for him.
"Byakuya, your friends all had things to do and went back."
Senna spoke with obvious regret.
She had finally managed to make two new friends, too.
Byakuya knew that Tsunayoshi and the others had created this space for him.
He could not waste this opportunity.
"Is there anywhere you want to go? I will accompany you."
Senna's attention was instantly redirected. Her gloomy little mood immediately turned excited.
"Yes, yes! I want to go to the riverside, the park, a temple fair, and I want to ride the Ferris wheel again. If possible, I also want to go home once…"
The places Senna mentioned were scattered and disjointed.
This time, Byakuya did not find it strange.
Presumably, this was the result of all those different memories influencing Senna.
"There is no rush. I will go with you. We will visit them one by one."
Byakuya's eyes were filled with gentleness as he spoke.
He knew that the girl before him was not Hisana Kuchiki.
But what did that matter?
As long as there was even the slightest connection to Hisana, she was worthy of him giving everything to treat her well.
Just as Byakuya had once done everything he could to find Rukia, Hisana's only blood relative.
He had even overruled all opposition and brought Rukia into the Kuchiki Clan, granting her the Kuchiki surname.
Senna, meanwhile, was left blushing by Byakuya's sudden tenderness.
She stammered, unable to look at him, and muttered under her breath,
"Why are you being so nice to me…"
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