"And I'm definitely not the only one who thinks so," Shiba Kaien said, a mischievous smirk gradually creeping onto his lips. "Take your wife, Yoruichi, for example. She's said a lot of good things about you to me! Hehehe!"
"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting!"
"He's actually a very gentle person." Kaien stood with his hands on his hips, his head tilted up slightly as he slowly mimicked Yoruichi's tone from that time. "Isn't that what you said, Yoru—mmph!"
Truth be told, Kaien's imitation was quite spot-on. Because of that, there was no way Yoruichi was going to let him continue. This brat simply knew too much!
"Dead-fish eyes, hurry up and catch them! Yoruichi took Big Bro away!" Kūkaku shouted loudly, pointing at the empty air in front of her where Shiba Kaien had been standing just a moment ago.
"Don't worry, she won't make things difficult for your brother."
"No! Yoruichi is definitely going to spank Big Bro's butt! If we're late, we'll miss it!"
"You both want to see?" Kōe lifted the two little ones in his hands up to his face. Both of them nodded their small heads repeatedly with excited expressions. It seemed this was the will of the masses. Left with no choice, he could only silently apologize to Kaien in his heart.
"Get ready, we're about to take off." Securing the two little ones on his shoulders, Kōe bent his knees slightly. With a sudden burst of power from his legs, the three of them vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a string of silvery laughter.
This terrified the Rukongai residents walking behind them who hadn't seen the trio but were also hurrying to watch the fireworks. Their legs went weak from fright, and the incident eventually became one of the district's major ghost stories, spreading far and wide.
Neither Kūkaku nor Ganju knew that, as the instigators, they would also be affected by this urban legend in the future. Right now, they were completely immersed in the roller-coaster-like thrill, their shouts and laughter never ceasing along the way.
If Kōe and Yoruichi were both going all out, Yoruichi was undoubtedly superior when it came to Shunpo. While Kōe wasn't entirely left in the dust, he would inevitably be eating her dirt the entire way.
However, this wasn't some life-or-death pursuit. Yoruichi was only using her Shunpo at the level of an average captain. Thus, by the time Kōe found her, he still managed to catch the tail end of a good show. It wasn't the spanking Kūkaku had been hoping for, but the scene was still quite intense.
Poor Kaien had completely lost his previous miniature-adult demeanor. His head was locked under Yoruichi's arm while her knuckles aggressively drilled into the top of his skull. The burning pain was one thing, but the faint, chilling sensation of a draft on his scalp was what truly terrified him!
"Stop it! If you keep going, I'm going to turn into a kappa!" Kaien struggled and begged for mercy. If Kōe's eyes weren't playing tricks on him, a single tear had just slipped from the corner of the boy's eye.
"Big Bro is crying."
Ganju's words confirmed to Kōe that he hadn't seen wrong. However, right now there was a restless little brat standing on his shoulder, attempting to untie his hairband.
Placing Kūkaku down from his right shoulder, Kōe asked with a helpless expression, "What are you doing to my hair?"
"Dead-fish eyes, do you tie your hair up because you've already turned into a kappa?"
"..."
Familiar voices rang out nearby, but the immense pressure on his head prevented Kaien from looking up. He could only roll his eyes upward as much as possible. Sure enough, it was his younger sister, Kūkaku, which meant Shihouin Kōe had definitely arrived as well.
"Stop! If you don't stop, I'll tell everyone everything about you!"
"Oh? You've got quite the backbone, Kaien! But I'm going to teach you a lesson. Exposing your intentions to the enemy is very dangerous!" Yoruichi said, directly covering Kaien's mouth as she continued her torment.
Of course she had sensed Kōe's arrival, but today she absolutely had to teach Kaien what he could say, and what words would bring him disaster!
Perhaps because he had been pulling at his hair a lot lately, Kōe's crown was indeed a bit thinner than usual. But it would all grow back; he was very confident about that.
But how was he supposed to dispel Kūkaku's desire to inspect the top of his head right now? Just as Kōe was agonizing over this, his savior, Urahara, arrived carrying two people. These were the last two servants of the Shiba clan, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, a pair of identical twin brothers.
"Didn't we agree to take a leisurely stroll over here? Why did you suddenly use Shunpo? Still, this spot seems pretty good for watching the fireworks. Let's set up here." Urahara glanced around, completely ignoring the scuffling Yoruichi. He opened the bundle in his hands, spread the black square cloth inside onto the ground, and sat right down on it.
"Alright, let's watch Kaien suffer first. By the time he's done, the fireworks should be just about ready to start." Kōe hurriedly changed the subject, taking Kūkaku's small hand and leading the two little ones to sit beside Urahara.
Aside from Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, who were shouting, "Lady Yoruichi! Lord Kaien!" and rushing over to break up the fight, everyone else subconsciously treated the brawling duo as part of the scenery.
By the time Kaien finally yielded and escaped Yoruichi's demonic clutches, the fireworks had indeed begun. However, Kaien was in no mood to watch them. His resentful gaze darted back and forth between Kōe and Urahara, secretly sighing in his heart that people with small eyes were never up to any good—completely forgetting that his own eyes weren't exactly large either.
Fireworks of various colors bloomed in the sky one after another. This fireworks festival, reportedly organized by a famous pyrotechnician in the Rukongai, looked no different to Kōe than the ones he had seen in his past life.
Kūkaku and Ganju, being young children, couldn't sit still for long. After watching for about ten minutes, they headed further up front, accompanied by Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko. In truth, it was mainly Kūkaku; she seemed incredibly curious about how the fireworks were made and insisted on seeing it with her own eyes.
Remaining in his spot, Shiba Kaien watched his younger sister and brother walk away. Frowning, he said, "Once Kūkaku and Ganju are a bit older, I plan to take the entrance exam for the Shin'ō Academy and become a Shinigami. Do you guys think it's possible?"
Becoming a Shinigami had always been Shiba Kaien's wish. Furthermore, with his uncle Shiba Isshin currently missing, the Shiba clan needed someone to step up—not to return to the Seireitei, but to wash away the stigma attached to their name.
However, one of the Five Great Noble Clans being stripped of its status was completely unprecedented. Because of this, he was a bit uncertain, unsure if the Seireitei would even allow him to become a Shinigami.
Previously, he hadn't been in the right state of mind to ask due to worrying about his siblings. Now that the two of them were gradually stepping out of the gloom, his plans could finally be put on the agenda. And Kōe and Yoruichi, who were soon to become the captains of Squad 11 and Squad 2 respectively, were the best people to consult.
In truth, Kaien was completely overthinking it. Of course, if the Seireitei deemed the Shiba clan a threat, that might have been the case.
But if the Shiba clan had been judged as a threat, these three children would have either been locked up in the Maggot's Nest, or the Shiba clan wouldn't have a single living soul left—unless Kōe and Yoruichi forcibly took them and fled, and even that was only a mere possibility.
What the Seireitei had actually revoked was the Shiba clan's noble status, glory, and privileges. As for whether there was one more commoner Shinigami named Shiba, it was completely inconsequential to them, even if they had once inflicted unimaginably heavy suffering upon him and his family.
"Regardless of background, as long as you pass the exam, you can enter the Shin'ō Academy to study. So, it definitely won't be a problem."
Looking at Kaien, Yoruichi gave her answer with a smile.
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