Soon after, Rukia learned the news and, as Hisana had predicted, showed a similar expression.
Although she had thought about her sister getting married decades ago,
when that day truly arrived, a faint sense of reluctance still welled up in Rukia's heart.
Because this not only meant the passage of time, but also separation.
If even her sister would leave her side, then in the future, presumably everyone else would too.
Thus, taking advantage of the shift change for Human World duty personnel, Rukia rushed back to Soul Society without stopping.
Rangiku also returned.
She didn't show obvious emotion about the news of a "younger sister" getting married, only offering a simple congratulations.
The congratulations were spoken softly, very calmly, yet, her eyes held a hint of envy.
"...When will that idiot finally make a move?"
Rangiku felt helpless; if she waited another few decades, she would become an old woman...
Even Hisana, forty years younger than her, was getting married, and Gin still hadn't made a move...
Indeed, this matter couldn't wait for Gin to take the initiative.
With his personality, he probably wouldn't say those kinds of words until he was on the brink of life and death...
"He's really not cute at all. I don't want to be in a relationship for decades, or even centuries..."
Recalling the bits and pieces of her past with Ichimaru Gin, Rangiku took a deep breath, secretly clenched her fists, and made a certain decision.
Rukia didn't notice this scene.
Her gaze fell on the tailor sent by the Kuchiki Clan to measure Hisana.
Seeing Hisana spread her arms, quietly accepting the measurements, Rukia couldn't help but ask:
"So, the next step is to make the wedding dress?"
"Sister, what day is your and Byakuya's wedding set for? Is there enough time? Can I invite others too?"
"It's a wedding kimono." Hisana smiled and extended a finger, gently correcting her,
"Byakuya is very traditional. Wedding dresses are Western items, and the Kuchiki Clan generally doesn't use them."
"The date is set for the third day of next month, which is an auspicious day. There should be enough time, and Byakuya will prepare everything by then."
"As for your friends, they can certainly come too."
Hisana chuckled, revealing a truth in a gentle tone,
"Don't let Byakuya's usual cold demeanor fool you; he's actually very easy to get along with."
"If he didn't need to maintain the dignity of a noble, he might be like my brother..."
"You should remember Byakuya's temper in the past. As long as you don't make things difficult for him, everything is negotiable, because the Kuchiki Clan places great importance on rules."
Upon hearing this, Rukia nodded thoughtfully, largely understanding the meaning behind Hisana's words.
Because they prioritize rules, they dislike anyone who breaks them.
In other words,
as long as rules are not broken, whether commoner or noble, everyone should be treated equally.
Thinking of this, a smile bloomed on Rukia's face. If that was the case, it would be easy to handle.
Her friends were all very rule-abiding.
However, considering the scale of the wedding, the number of people couldn't be too many... Who should she invite?
Renji, Kira, Momo... Speaking of which, what exactly is Renji's attitude?
As Rukia thought, her mind drifted uncontrollably.
Hisana saw her sister lost in thought and did not disturb her.
After the measurements were complete, watching the tailor leave, she breathed a sigh of relief.
At the normal efficiency, she should receive the Shiromuku in about two weeks.
When Sister Uta got married before, she wondered if she would ever have this day...
Now, this day suddenly arrived, bringing both excitement and a little sadness.
If she moved out, what would her sister do?
She also wondered if that guy named Renji was truly sincere about her sister...
Never mind, she would just wait and see.
If he dared to deceive Rukia, or make Rukia shed a single tear...
Even at the risk of her character collapsing, Hisana would never let him off lightly; she would surely make him experience the might of her elder sister's iron fist.
Taking a deep breath, Hisana turned and returned to her room with not-so-calm emotions, quietly awaiting the wedding.
...
At the same time, within the Twelfth Division.
"Captain, I found a batch of these things when I was inspecting the warehouse today. How do you want to deal with them?"
A girl with pigtails and black-rimmed glasses came to Kisuke Urahara's side.
She held a box in her arms, and the expression on her face seemed a little hesitant.
Kisuke stopped operating the machine in his hand, turned around, saw the person, and nodded slightly:
"It's Kuna. What's in this box? Why does it look a bit familiar? Where did you find it?"
Kuna's full name is Kuna Niko, and she is Kuna Mashiro's younger sister.
Although she wasn't very good at research, fortunately, the Twelfth Division didn't focus on those things.
Hearing Kisuke Urahara's question,
"Heave-ho~"
Kuna Niko took heavy steps and placed the box on the table in front of her.
She opened the box, which contained some discarded devices, however, one bottle caught Kisuke Urahara's attention.
Kuna Niko explained:
"Reporting, Captain, I'm not quite sure what's in here, but...
I saw a layer of dust on top, so it must be something from a long time ago."
"Do you still need it?"
Just as useless things in a room affect aesthetics, useless devices in a warehouse also take up space.
As one of the warehouse managers, she needed to regularly clear these out.
Kisuke Urahara listened, gently stroking his chin, seemingly lost in thought, but his gaze remained fixed on the bottle.
The bottle contained some yellow pills, with no text labels on them.
Others might not know what this was, but Kisuke Urahara knew in his heart that this was a product left over after the vanguard project was halted.
—Modified Souls.
Weren't they all supposed to be destroyed? Why were there still a batch in the Twelfth Division's warehouse?
Kisuke Urahara frowned slightly, carefully choosing his words, while reaching out to pick up the bottle, and said softly:
"Take them all to be destroyed, but this thing is still somewhat useful."
"Kuna, you probably don't recognize what this is, do you?"
He shook the bottle in front of Kuna Niko.
Kuna Niko hesitated for a moment, then replied:
"Isn't this a low-quality Soul Candy?"
"Does it have another identity?"
"Soul Candy?" Kisuke Urahara smiled, nodding slightly, not denying it, "Indeed, it is Soul Candy."
With that, he put the bottle away, his face returning to its usual calm,
"It's good that you recognize it. I need this batch of Soul Candy for something."
"There's no need to record this information. I'll replace it with another bottle later."
"You go about your business, Kuna."
Although Kuna didn't understand why the Captain needed these Soul Candy.
But because he was the Captain and she was just a squad member, she didn't press further.
She silently accepted the order, then left with the box.
After Kuna Niko left, Kisuke Urahara sat down in a chair.
He took out the bottle again and removed one pill from it.
Then, he randomly picked one from a batch of dolls that his squad members had bought not long ago and stuffed the pill into its mouth.
Immediately after, a magical scene occurred.
The doll actually moved, making a "creak--" sound of fabric rubbing.
It leaped over ten meters away, looking as if it desperately wanted to escape.
"Just as I thought."
Kisuke Urahara was completely unfazed by the doll's escape, finding it merely amusing.
He hadn't expected that some Modified Souls from the vanguard project actually remained, mixed in with the inferior Soul Candy...
If it weren't for Kuna's discovery, these inferior Soul Candy might have flowed into the market someday in the future.
At that point, it would be a big problem.
He waved his hand, and a barrier appeared, causing the doll to hit the invisible wall with a thud.
Due to the recoil, it flew backward, but it quickly got up, still trying to escape again.
Suddenly, Kisuke Urahara appeared behind it, picking it up with one hand.
"I can't let you be seen by others. You should know your identity, right?"
"Only a few of you Modified Souls from that batch remain..."
"Little fellow, I ask you, do you want to live?"
Kisuke Urahara's voice sounded amiable.
But in the ears of the Modified Soul, it was like the whisper of a demon, chilling to the bone...
...
The next day.
The Tsugikuni Clan family welcomed a guest, none other than Kisuke Urahara.
In the reception room, the two sat facing each other, the atmosphere slightly heavy.
Kisuke Urahara took a sip of tea, slowly recounting what happened last night, and as he spoke, he took out the doll.
"Yoriichi, you should remember Modified Souls, right?"
"I found them in the Twelfth Division's warehouse. I think you might find them useful."
"Useful?" A hint of confusion flashed across Yoriichi's face.
Before he could ask, Kisuke Urahara continued:
"You and I both know the development history of Modified Souls very well, so I won't beat around the bush."
"Because of Mayuri's research, the Twelfth Division has mastered a technique to engrave Kido circuits on the soul or body."
"This technique is theoretically forbidden for use, however, war is about to break out."
"Using it on a small scale without being discovered by others, I don't see any problem."
Kisuke Urahara put down his teacup, paused, and his tone carried a hint of probing,
"This doll carries this technique. After testing, it can create illusions. I want to give it to Ai."
"If all goes well, this thing might be mass-produced in the future, serving as the best playmate and bodyguard for children..."
"What's your stance?"
Kisuke Urahara's words were truly too abrupt. Yoriichi remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking:
"Is there a chance of it losing control? Why did you suddenly want to research this?"
He understood Kisuke's idea. Modified Souls possessed considerable destructive power, but when placed within a doll, it was different.
According to this logic, it could indeed become a good playmate for children.
But...
"There is a chance of losing control, but overall, it's negligible."
Kisuke Urahara seemed to have seen Yoriichi's concerns. He reached out and picked up the doll, fiddling with it as he spoke,
"Everything has a chance of losing control. Modified Souls are not as dangerous as the Forty-Six Chambers claims."
"Their personalities are actually quite similar to Nemu's; you'll understand after spending some time with them. Let's try it out for a while."
"Even if Miss Ai doesn't like it, letting it silently guard her is not a bad idea..."
"In the future, it can also be given to others, like Miss Hisana's child."
"Didn't everyone wish their toys could move and talk to them when they were little?"
"Because the main body is a Soul Candy, there is no depreciation."
"It's named Rin. Come, meet her."
...
Having learned the name of the Soul Candy, Yoriichi pondered for a moment before finally accepting it.
Although its ability might not be as powerful as imagined, given it was a product for infants.
But even with limited ability, it was still a form of assistance.
He couldn't guard Ai twenty-four-seven, and the Shinigami responsible for looking after Ai was only a Vice-Captain.
Decades ago, during the peaceful times of the Seireitei, a Vice-Captain's combat power would have been more than enough to protect someone.
However, at present… it could only be said that an extra layer of security meant an extra layer of peace of mind.
After Kisuke Urahara took his leave, Yoriichi watched his receding back, then lowered his head and took the Soul Candy out of the doll.
This doll wasn't very attractive; Ai certainly wouldn't like it.
After all, even as a bodyguard, a pleasant appearance was definitely more welcome than a fierce one.
Humans were, after all, visual creatures.
"So heavy."
Lin moved her body inside another doll, emitting the clear voice characteristic of a teenage girl.
She lowered her head slightly, looking at the princess outfit on her body with a helpless expression, complaining,
"Why a princess? There are so many accessories, and these high heels, I can't even walk in them."
Saying that, she raised her head, looked at Yoriichi, and asked with anticipation in her eyes,
"Master, is there a lighter container?"
Lin's question made Yoriichi ponder for a moment.
There were indeed lighter containers, but this doll was Ai's most beloved.
However, considering that the most beloved and the most suitable protector were not necessarily the same...
After some careful selection, Yoriichi finally placed the Soul Candy inside a small Chappy the Rabbit doll.
Chappy hopped around on the tatami mat, looking only half the size of a palm, not only excellent for concealment but also moving silently.
According to Kisuke Urahara, the Soul Candy's ability would not be weakened by the reduction in size...
Thus, it seemed this was indeed the most suitable container.
Even Rukia loved it so much that she held it in her arms and couldn't bear to let go for a long time.
...
...
Time flew by like a white steed, and in a blink of an eye, it was the third day of the next month.
With all preparations complete, Hisana's wedding commenced as scheduled.
On this day, the Seireitei was exceptionally lively, with a continuous clamor.
Almost every street saw Shinigami in groups of two or three, walking together, all converging towards the same direction.
Although there were some lower-ranking Shinigami among them, this did not dampen their enthusiasm for discussing the wedding.
One must know,
To celebrate the intermarriage of the two clans today, the Kuchiki Clan directly took over all the shops on an entire street, promising that anyone could enjoy unlimited food and drink on this day.
Even if they couldn't come today, they could still come tomorrow or the day after, with a validity period of a full seven days.
Such a generous and grand gesture could not be ignored by anyone.
They might not know who the heads of the Five Great Noble Families were, but they were generally familiar with the Captains.
The words of the Sixth Division Captain, how could they be false?
Thus, such a scene unfolded.
Shinigami from the Thirteen Divisions gathered together; most of them didn't know Kuchiki Hisana, yet they were all discussing Kuchiki Hisana.
They speculated, what kind of charm did Kuchiki Hisana possess to make Kuchiki Byakuya willing to spend such an enormous cost to organize this wedding?
In the eyes of ordinary Shinigami, taking over a commercial street for one day was already an astronomical figure they could never earn in their lifetime.
It was like a certain tycoon spending tens of millions just to win a beauty's smile.
Taking over for seven days...
A cost of over a hundred million wouldn't be excessive.
The financial power was terrifyingly immense.
Of course, while surprising, the reactions of these ordinary Shinigami were merely a small microcosm of this grand wedding.
They had no means to enter the wedding venue, so they could only stand outside and guess wildly.
Inside the wedding venue, however, there was a different scene.
...
"So nervous."
Hisana bit her lower lip slightly, muttering to herself.
She sat upright before an antique carved mirror, her gaze somewhat blank as she looked at her lightly made-up reflection in the mirror, her heart pounding incessantly.
Even though the wedding hadn't officially begun, merely imagining the scenes that were about to unfold made her breath quicken, and a faint blush involuntarily appeared on her cheeks.
Hoo... She took a deep breath, trying to relax her mind, but the wedding scenes constantly replaying in her brain made it impossible for her to calm down.
Perhaps this was the so-called pre-wedding anxiety, to the point that the faint human voices reaching her ears now sounded extremely noisy.
The maid was holding a peach wood comb, gently combing Hisana's hair.
Noticing a hint of abnormality in her expression, she softly reminded her:
"Miss Hisana, you don't need to be so nervous."
"Young Master Byakuya has already prepared everything; you just need to follow the prescribed procedures."
"From today onwards, you will become the young mistress of the Kuchiki Clan, and you should appear happier."
"I think Young Master Byakuya will also be very happy to see your joyful smile."
"Is that so?"
Hisana asked softly, without turning her head, fearing it would affect her freshly applied makeup, a hint of insecurity in her tone.
Suddenly transforming from a sister into someone else's wife, this change in identity made her feel like she wouldn't do well...
If it affected Byakuya, then...
"Of course! You are his wife; what husband wouldn't want to see his wife's smile, unless he doesn't love you, but is that possible?"
The maid said, picking up an exquisite ornament from the side and gently putting it on Hisana.
Then, she bent down and clenched her fist in front of Hisana in the mirror, her tone full of encouragement,
"You can rest assured, this wedding will definitely conclude smoothly."
"Lord Tsugikuni is also watching outside."
Hearing the maid mention Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a warm strength seemed to well up in Hisana's heart, and the lingering tension in her mind seemed to dissipate somewhat.
She let out a soft breath, allowing the maid to dress her in the pure white kimono symbolizing sanctity and beauty, and nodded in response:
"Mm, I'll take your auspicious words. Even if not for my brother, for Byakuya, I cannot disappoint him."
"I will definitely try my best to be a good wife... How much longer until the wedding begins?"
She looked sideways to ask, then muttered to herself, "I wonder how things are with Byakuya."
...
"Very good, Byakuya, as the twenty-ninth head of the Kuchiki Clan, your father believes you will surely continue the glory of the Kuchiki Clan."
In another elegantly furnished room, Kuchiki Sōjun, with a gentle smile, lightly patted Kuchiki Byakuya's shoulder.
The dark kimono added a touch of aloofness and nobility to Byakuya.
But in Sōjun's eyes, Byakuya was no different from before, still the child who made him proud yet also slightly worried.
He paused, as if remembering something, and continued to pat his shoulder earnestly:
"You must not bully Hisana, or your father will never let you off lightly."
..."The way he said that, it's as if if I bullied Hisana, Yoriichi Tsugikuni would let me off."
Kuchiki Byakuya's eye twitched, but fortunately, he was used to facing great challenges and quickly regained his calm expression.
He sat there quietly, silently awaiting the start of the wedding.
Just as Hisana sat before the mirror, her thoughts seemingly able to penetrate through layers of buildings, gazing at Byakuya from afar.
Byakuya seemed to sense something, slowly turning his eyes.
At this moment, it was as if his gaze truly met Hisana's, and that subtle feeling inexplicably brought Byakuya a sense of peace.
...But just then, a sudden change occurred.
It was as if an invisible malice, like a surging tide, rolled in, instantly shrouding the previously quiet and peaceful room in a layer of gloom.
Byakuya felt a sudden suffocation, as if he was being tightly stared at by pairs of hidden eyes.
The omnipresent gaze made goosebumps rise on his skin, and a chill like a venomous snake slowly crawled up his spine.
His breathing instantly stopped, and his eyes scanned his surroundings vigilantly, but he saw nothing.
...Everything was normal, eerily silent.
Kuchiki Sōjun noticed Byakuya's abnormality and couldn't help but look puzzled, asking softly, "What's wrong?"
...
"Heh heh, interesting. To be able to sense my imagined creatures, as expected of... the Sixth Division Captain."
In the interlayer between the Shakonmaku and the Wandenreich, high above the Seireitei.
Gremmy Thoumeaux looked at a game console in his hand, a playful smile on his lips.
The screen of the game console displayed a clear image of Kuchiki Byakuya vigilantly scanning his surroundings.
The image was incredibly realistic; every eyelash on the character's body was clearly visible, as if it were filmed live.
But incongruous with this realism, a line of green numbers appeared above Kuchiki Byakuya's head—500.
It was exceptionally conspicuous, giving one the feeling of being in a game.
Gremmy Thoumeaux looked at this string of numbers, dismissively curling his lips: "Five hundred combat power?"
"Not bad, but still trash."
"The man next to him only has three hundred combat power, trash among trash."
"Was it such a group of people who defeated His Majesty back then?"
"Hard to believe."
Honestly, if it weren't to capture a Shinigami who mastered Bankai, thus requiring prior reconnaissance.
Gremmy Thoumeaux would never have known that the Shinigami Haschwalth feared were so vulnerable.
His gaze involuntarily turned to the top of his own head.
There, his strength, materialized through imagination, had transformed into a cold string of numbers.
—5000.
"Five thousand compared to five hundred, it's a complete crush."
"It seems these so-called Captains of the Soul Society are not even as good as an ant in the face of my imagination... truly disappointing."
Gremmy Thoumeaux's curled lips became increasingly sarcastic, and the strong self-confidence that surged within him made his conviction even stronger.
He swiftly manipulated the game console, his gaze fixed on the screen,
"These guys aren't the ones I'm looking for. Where is that Shinigami who defeated Haschwalth?"
"I want to see if he's really as powerful as Haschwalth said..."