“Five Great Noble Houses, huh…”
“Just the thought of it sounds pretty sweet.”
“If I became one of the Five Great Nobles, I’d be on equal footing with Yoruichi. I could use my status to pressure her, haul her up the mountain, and make her my captive bride.”
“Plus, I could ride roughshod over my teacher, ordering him to do all sorts of things as I please.”
“But most importantly, once I become one of the Five Great Nobles, having a big harem would be totally reasonable—my plan for a Soul Society paradise is right before my eyes!”
Kaelith narrowed his eyes, as though already seeing that glorious future.
Kuchiki Ginrei nodded gently. “So, does that mean you agree?”
Under Ginrei’s startled gaze, Kaelith showed a smug expression. He leaned back into his chair in a casual recline.
“I, Kaelith, live by loyalty above all else!”
“If someday someone tries to cause trouble for Sōjun just because an elder of the Kuchiki Clan died, I’ll make them learn exactly how sharp my blade can be!”
Ginrei’s eye twitched.
“Sōjun is my sworn brother. If anything happens to him, I, Kaelith, will never back down.”
“But if I accept the old man’s offer because of that, then our brotherhood would turn into a dull transaction.”
“Old man, let’s not bring this up again!”
He drained the teacup before him in one gulp, clasped his hands in a brief bow, and left.
Watching Kaelith’s departing figure, Ginrei stood up, his eyes thoughtful.
Kaelith had said that if Kuchiki Sōjun were in trouble, he’d lend his full support. Ginrei believed he was entirely sincere.
But Kaelith’s firm refusal of a position among the Five Great Noble Houses made him think there was something left unsaid.
He pondered for a long time yet couldn’t imagine why anyone would reject such an honor. For any Shinigami, it was the highest prestige.
In the end, he could only conclude that Kaelith’s way of thinking was simply too unorthodox for a traditionalist person to fathom.
Leaving the Kuchiki estate, Kaelith returned briefly to the 11th Division.
Lately, Aizen often stopped by to help supervise Komamura and Tōsen’s training. Unfortunately, today was a miss.
Aizen wasn’t there, and Tōsen and Komamura had gone to the Shin’ō Academy for culture classes.
Kaelith checked the calendar and realized today was the day Aizen would be at his lab in Rukongai.
Though Aizen had a private lab in Kaelith’s Technology Bureau, he felt it wasn’t safe. If Urahara Kisuke or Kurotsuchi Mayuri ever got curious and snuck in to see something they shouldn’t, would he have to kill them or not?
To avoid that awkward situation, he performed most of his risky experiments in a Rukongai lab.
After confirming Aizen’s whereabouts, Kaelith left the 11th Division and headed toward Rukongai.
That Tsunayashiro Tokinada—an utterly disgusting piece of trash—was perched above everyone else simply by virtue of noble status, wielding power over life and death while standing above the law.
Even though Ginrei had remained polite and courteous during their talk, he clearly believed in the supreme privilege of nobility.
Back when he’d first arrived in this world, Kaelith’s ambitions were simpler: become a Shinigami, climb the social ladder, and stand above the folks in Rukongai. But over time, his mindset gradually shifted.
Would fully joining the system that had been upheld for a million years—becoming a noble and transforming from a mere “worker” into a privileged elite—really give him the life he wanted?
No one else would understand such thoughts. The unspoken rules ingrained over a million years had become part of everyone’s daily life. Probably only Aizen could talk to him about it.
In terms of cleverness and wisdom, Kaelith considered himself far superior to Aizen. But in terms of iconoclasm, Aizen was far ahead.
At a moment , he really wanted to hear how Aizen would evaluate his decision.
With that curiosity in mind, Kaelith sped through Rukongai.
After running for a while, he suddenly stopped, turning his head toward a wooded area in the distance.
A faint, unstable spiritual pressure—charged with fear—was moving in that direction.
Bandits lying in wait?
Kaelith raised an eyebrow and dashed toward the source of the reiatsu.
If they really were bandits, this was perfect timing. He was in a bad mood, and beating up some bandits sounded pretty refreshing.
Within moments, he reached the scene. He landed lightly on a tree branch, shaking loose some of the snow.
Below, a small figure was running for her life, chased by more than a dozen wolves.
Kaelith looked slightly disappointed.
The one being chased was a little girl, around twelve or thirteen, with short, golden-orange hair—an uncommon sight in the Seireitei. Despite the snowfall, she wore only a thin yukata.
In fact, Rukongai was severely lacking in resources. Even in winter, areas beyond District 40 rarely had decent clothing.
Kaelith frowned, his already sour mood growing worse.
As she ran, the girl scooped up stones whenever the snow wasn’t too deep and threw them at the pursuing wolves. She had some spiritual pressure; though untrained, she was stronger than most kids her age. The wolves slowed a bit, dodging her stones.
But it was only a feint on the wolve’s part. Kaelith sensed that a few had already looped around from the side.
Sure enough, before long, the girl realized in horror that several wolves had appeared in front of her.
A flash of despair flickered in her eyes.
Looking around, she took a deep breath, backed up against a tree, broke off a branch, and gripped it in both hands, waiting for the wolves to close in.
Kaelith was about to step in, but paused when he saw her stance.
This little kid’s got guts…
To stand her ground against a pack of wolves with no way out—she might actually have what it takes to join the 11th Division someday.
Standing on the branch, Kaelith formed a Kido sign. If she couldn’t hold off the wolves, he’d throw a defensive Kidō to protect her.
As he watched, the girl pressed herself against the tree, staring the wolves down. After a dozen seconds or so, one of them lunged.
Faced with the wolf leaping at her, she struck hard with the branch.
Kaelith shook his head slightly. It was just a wild swing. If her spiritual pressure were stronger, maybe she could defeat them with sheer force. But with her level of reiatsu, that sloppy attack wouldn’t work.
He was about to intervene when, to his surprise, something happened.
The girl’s hands suddenly flared with a burst of potent spiritual energy.
The wolf in mid-leap took the blow and was sent flying sideways, slamming into a tree with tremendous force.
Kaelith was taken aback.