As for Yoruichi's side, friendship was friendship, hatred toward Sui Feng was hatred. Shiba Kukaku kept those things very clearly separated.
She was no longer that foolish girl from back then.
Looking at Yoruichi, whose face showed a bit of awkwardness with every emotion written plainly on it, Shiba Kukaku felt somewhat complicated inside.
There was no going back anymore.
Even though the atmosphere between her and Yoruichi seemed unchanged, that was something she had deliberately created.
In reality, she was no longer the person she used to be, and Yoruichi was no longer the Yoruichi of the past either.
If Yoruichi knew that the Shiba clan had also become one of the members of the Hollow King's Palace, her expression would surely be something to behold.
Clink! Clink!
Just as the two women inside the room were lost in their own thoughts, the Edo-style wind chimes hanging beneath the corridor rang out with a clear, pleasant sound, as if announcing the master's return.
Hearing that familiar sound, Yoruichi's golden eyes shifted slightly, and she straightened her posture a bit.
"Do you want to come with me to welcome him?", Shiba Kukaku stood up with a smile. As she rose, that already well-fitted jet-black kimono was fully filled out from within by her tall, upright figure.
The wide sleeves slid down to either side, revealing two forearms as white as frost and snow.
And the most dazzling thing of all was still the breathtaking rise and fall before her chest.
Those full curves tightly wrapped by the fabric traced out a striking arc as her center of gravity lifted, like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon.
"Let's go together."
Yoruichi smiled awkwardly. She really disliked this kind of social situation, and disliked even more having to deal with people she was not familiar with.
Especially since this time, she had no initiative at all.
But for the sake of achieving her goal, there was no way to avoid it, which inevitably made her feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, with her familiar best friend Shiba Kukaku here, she could at least feel a bit of familiarity.
After standing up, Yoruichi walked with light, catlike steps, silently following behind Shiba Kukaku.
Looking at her best friend's back, Yoruichi subconsciously curled her lips.
'With that kind of size... Tsk! in the human world they say that's good for bearing children, right?', She only muttered it in her heart, not daring to say it out loud.
After all, with a captain-level sense of hearing, no matter how softly she spoke, the person outside the door would still hear it.
When she followed Kukaku out of the tea room and stepped onto the corridor, Yoruichi finally saw that man face to face.
Compared to when she had secretly glimpsed him in the human world last time, Rosse's appearance had not changed much.
It was still that impeccably handsome face, still that seemingly gentle yet actually boundless aura of composed authority. Rosse as a whole was like a national-treasure blade that had sheathed all its sharpness, appearing harmless, yet carrying a bottomless pressure.
Yoruichi was just about to greet him in her usual slightly teasing tone, to probe this man's depth.
However, the scene that followed choked all her words in her throat, and her golden cat eyes widened slightly in shock.
The Shiba Kukaku she remembered, always fierce like fire, now flowed forward like a gentle river, approaching him with perfect naturalness.
On Shiba Kukaku's face was the most natural smile, the soft smile of a wife welcoming her husband home.
She reached out with both hands, skillfully removing the captain's haori that symbolized power from Rosse, then took a casual black outer garment from the side and gently, considerately draped it over him.
That series of smooth, practiced movements, that gentle and virtuous demeanor, like a tender wife who had rehearsed it thousands of times, Yoruichi felt her understanding of the world suffer an unprecedented shock at that moment.
'Who is this? Is this really Shiba Kukaku?'
That fierce woman who, a hundred years ago, would flip a noble banquet table at the slightest disagreement, that woman who only spoke with her fists and fireworks, actually… actually did something so obedient and considerate, like a Yamato nadeshiko?
Impossible to imagine.
This Captain Rosse had a problem. A big problem.
Yoruichi did not know whether this was good or bad, but instinctively felt that Rosse had a very big problem.
She had thought Shiba Kukaku had only changed on the surface, that her status as head of the Shiba clan forced her to put on an act.
But now it clearly was not like that at all.
Her best friend seemed to have been completely remade, inside and out, from head to toe.
"Husband, this is the good friend I've often mentioned to you, Shihoin Yoruichi," At this moment, Shiba Kukaku had already finished introducing Yoruichi in a soft, gentle voice.
In fact, this was not how she usually interacted with Rosse.
Although Rosse still took priority, things were generally more casual.
Her suddenly acting like this was actually her way of sending Rosse a signal.
Yoruichi was her very good friend, but still could not compare to Rosse's place in her heart.
If someone had to be wronged, it could be Yoruichi, without any need to consider her feelings.
Her friendship with Yoruichi was a bond from childhood, and Shiba Kukaku cherished that time deeply.
But the past was the past, and the present was the present.
Ever since Sui Feng struck out at her because of Yoruichi, many things had already slipped beyond her control.
'I'm sorry, Yoruichi. I have no choice either.'
"Ah! I'm Shihoin Yoruichi. Captain Rosse, I've heard so much about you!"
Yoruichi's mind was still in a haze. Her words came out haltingly, and she did not even know herself what she was saying.
She really had not yet recovered from Shiba Kukaku's transformation.
"I've also heard Miss Shihoin's name many times. Your legends are still circulating in Soul Society."
Rosse wore a warm smile, keeping the distance just right.
He was also somewhat surprised by Yoruichi's visit.
But since she had already invited him, then this play could proceed in exactly the way he preferred.
As for Shiba Kukaku's little gestures, he had noticed them all.
With the tacit understanding the two had built over these past few years, they could quickly grasp each other's intentions.
It had to be said that the body was the key to the heart.
Years of companionship, combined with the fact that he always stepped in when Shiba Kukaku was on the verge of collapse to help her vent, had secured him an extremely important place in her heart.
If it were him, even if he asked Shiba Kukaku to give up the Shiba clan, she would abandon it decisively after just a second of thought.
Now, in Shiba Kukaku's heart, only that one remaining close relative could be mentioned in the same breath as Rosse.
Rosse did not have any other thoughts about this. He was not Aizen, after all, trying to keep everything under his control.
Shiba Kukaku's current feelings toward him were already enough.
When the world of the Shinigami became nourishment for his advancement, he would not mind letting Shiba Ganju go to his world to live as a wealthy layabout.
Toward his own people, Rosse had always been extremely tolerant.
But for those who could never be swayed from beginning to end, that was a different matter.
After exchanging a few polite words, Rosse watched Yoruichi's back as she entered the tea room first, and a meaningful look appeared on his face.
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