Chapter 45 Soul Society II

Compared to Ichigo Kurosaki and his group who were stopped by the gate guard and had to fight a big battle, Utsuki Kurosaki entered very smoothly.

Perhaps because people from the Gojo family often came and went through this gate, even though Kurosaki Utsuki was a complete stranger, with the blessing of her pass as the head of a high-ranking noble family and a kimono embroidered with the Gojo family crest, the gatekeeper of Seireitei let her in without asking any questions.

Not long ago, Kurosaki Utsuki changed into a kimono at the Gojo family. Before changing, she was worried about whether it would be inconvenient to move, but she ended up finding a Daisho-style style.

It is a two-piece style with a hakama as the bottom. In the modern world, it is the attire for girls to graduate from university. Judging from the style alone, it is a colorful Shiba costume in a sense.

It has a daisy-shaped dark pattern, light yellow furisode sleeves with lace, paired with a dark purple hakama, and a matching mesh headdress.

"If Hagiwara-san saw this, he'd definitely call me cute again... Damn it, what was I thinking?"

Patting his cheeks to come back to his senses, Kurosaki Utsuki looked around at the surroundings.

Rukia Kuchiki had been sentenced to death and was currently imprisoned in the "Palace of Confession," the tallest white spire within sight. This was what Gojo Satoru had just told her, and the location of her execution was the "Double Execution," visible from the tower's slender windows.

She had heard of the term "Double Execution" before, but it had nothing to do with execution. Instead, it was another secret base of Urahara Kisuke. It was said that the ground under "Double Execution" had been hollowed out, just like the basement of Urahara's store.

“It’s so far…”

She gazed at the solemn white spire for a few seconds, but did not attempt to move in that direction.

Since her brother and companions were still outside, she had no intention of completing the mission alone at night - mainly because the Shinigami still didn't know that a traveller had infiltrated the Soul Society, and she had to get a general overview of the situation without alerting the enemy.

Of course, it's not just about Rukia Kuchiki, it's also about the captains of the 3rd, 5th, and 9th squads.

...and about Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi.

She had asked Gojo Satoru just now, but the white-haired boy, who was still young for a god of death, was not very clear about the story that happened a hundred years ago.

Although he could tell her the names of the current thirteen captains and their revealed abilities, and he also remembered the names of the first Director of the Technology Development Bureau, Kisuke Urahara, and the former head of the Shihouin family, Yoruichi, he could not tell her more about the past, the unrecorded events.

But this was already quite helpful for Kurosaki Utsuki, who knew almost nothing.

"When we get back, we must treat Geto to a meal."

The orange-haired girl raised the corners of her mouth happily.

So, next—

"Team 10, this should be the direction..."

The girl used the instant step and disappeared in an instant.

——Of course, I would go to her father’s former workplace first.

·

…Seireitei is really huge.

Moreover, the buildings everywhere looked very similar, and it was already dark, which made the difficulty ten times greater.

All she could do was to sense the spiritual pressure and avoid crowded places. It was of no help in finding the way. She also didn't want to accidentally walk into the Ninth Division next to the Tenth Division... Otherwise, she should find someone to ask for directions?

For example, the female Death God who was walking towards her had hair color very similar to hers, but her figure was obviously more like the future Inoue Orihime.

The woman opposite her suddenly looked her over and said, "Eh? Gojo family clothes. Are you a Gojo student? Mao's year?"

He is actually an acquaintance of Gojo Satoru?

Kurosaki Utsuki stood up straight and said directly, "Gojo-sensei told me to insist that I am a family member working for him."

The person on the other end didn't insist on clarifying the matter, and simply followed her words and said, "Okay, okay, have you finished your work?"

Then he extended an invitation: "The weather in Seireitei is not very good today. If you have nothing else to do, why not come with us to Rukongai for dinner."

Then she raised her voice: "Captain, are you okay?"

Kurosaki Utsuki's breathing hitched.

Captain? Which squad's captain?

Perhaps noticing her nervousness, the orange-haired female Death God spoke to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, our captain is a very kind person, and he's very cute."

"Matsumoto!"

With a voice that was clearly irritated, a white-haired Death Boy who looked like an elementary school student came out from the side of the wall, his face full of the expression "You're looking for trouble again."

"Here~" the person whose name was called responded with a smile, "Captain, I just captured a little girl from the Gojo family."

Kurosaki Utsuki lowered her head respectfully, but her heart was in turmoil.

Matsumoto... her full name should be Matsumoto Rangiku, and she is the vice-captain of the 10th Division. Because she was not wearing the vice-captain's armband, she did not immediately match it with the description in her mind.

And Matsumoto Rangiku's captain is the captain of the 10th Division, the genius boy Hitsugaya Toushirou - who just happens to be her father's former subordinate!

She simply drew the best fortune!

"Another student of that guy?" The petite captain of the tenth division glanced at Kurosaki Utsuki, without saying much, and walked straight ahead.

Matsumoto Rangiku shouted "Captain" and followed him, and Kurosaki Utsuki also quickly caught up, keeping half a step away.

...I don't know how many times this has happened before they are so used to it. No wonder Gojo Satoru is not worried at all that she will be exposed.

However, it was not until she followed the two out of the Seireitei and back to Rukongai that Kurosaki Utsuki realized that the "bad weather" mentioned by Matsumoto Rangiku was just a metaphor.

Because the Rikado invaded Rukongai and defeated the gatekeeper, the situation in Soul Society might become a little serious. Those who could be ignored in the past might be strictly questioned and examined today - so Matsumoto Rangiku invited her, or brought her back to Rukongai, as a disguised protection.

After returning home, she will definitely praise this beautiful and gentle big sister to her father as much as possible.

Gentle...big sister...

Hey, hey, you haven't even had your meal yet, and you're already drunk! And you're even dragging her to drink with you. She's a minor, a legitimate minor!

It was in a private room of an izakaya in Rukongai.

"Captain Hitsugaya... help..."

Although he had a cold face and said nothing, the reliable genius boy still received the distress signal and pushed the vice-captain who was already clinging to Kurosaki Utsuki aside - then it was his turn to be pressed into the chest by the older sister.

A minute later, Matsumoto Rangiku regained consciousness, covering her head which was hurt by the blow, and leaned on the table with her cheeks supported by her hands.

"Captain—that's too much—"

The white-haired boy ignored her.

But it didn't dampen her enthusiasm: "Captain - you'll scare the juniors like this. Such a cute girl will definitely join our 10th Division in the future."

Suddenly being dragged into a "battle of some sorts," Kurosaki Utsuki's mouth twitched—in reality, in just a dozen minutes, she had already been left speechless several times.

This wasn't a negative comment, she just suddenly began to wonder what Yoruichi was like in Soul Society before.

...I feel like she might be somewhat similar to Matsumoto Rangiku, at least she is definitely generous when drinking.

Hitsugaya Toshiro finally reacted slightly to his adjutant's words, but he looked at Kurosaki Utsuki, which made her nervous as she had just started eating.

Fortunately, the boy just continued the conversation and asked her if she wanted to join the Tenth Division in the future.

However, she felt that in the eyes of the young man Hitsugaya, she was not just a Maou student he met by chance, but a Maou student who "had a good relationship with Gojo Satoru"... She didn't know what image Gojo Satoru had in his eyes.

"Indeed, if I could successfully enter the Gotei 13, my first choice would be the 10th Division," Kurosaki Utsuki replied.

Matsumoto Rangiku immediately gave her captain a look that said, "I told you so."

"Speaking of the reason, it may be a bit disrespectful to Captain Hitsugaya, but I have always admired the former captain of the 10th Division, Shiba Isshin-sama." The orange-haired girl smiled with a sly expression, "I heard that Captain Hitsugaya, who was still the third captain, often stole the snacks of the former Captain Shiba."

Hitsugaya was stunned, frowning slightly: "Who told you that?"

"I heard it from the man himself," she said, silencing him with a hand gesture. Her voice was mysteriously lowered, as if the people she was speaking to weren't the captain and vice-captain, standing at the pinnacle of the Death Realm, but rather classmates and friends who played Ouija with her at night. "I also heard that twenty years ago, former Captain Shiba was stabbed in the back by an unknown colleague in the human world. His injuries were so severe that he couldn't use his Bankai, and that's how he tragically died in the line of duty."

Matsumoto Rangiku changed her posture to one hand supporting her face, raised her eyes, and asked jokingly, "Did you hear this from the person himself?"

Kurosaki Utsuki shrugged: "I don't remember where it came from."

This is indeed what I heard from myself.

It was her father who mentioned it inadvertently when she had not yet fully adapted to the memories left by her mother and was asking her father to verify various things in her memories - her parents first met, around that time.

Judging solely by the ending, it was a truly wonderful first encounter. A pure-blooded Quincy, disregarding the Quincy's rules, came to the rescue of a severely wounded Shinigami battling a Hollow, and a Shinigami captain, nearly dead from a Hollow's self-detonation to protect the Quincy—and then, through Hollowification, their souls became bound together.

However, if we trace back to the source of "Hollowification" and the reason why the captain-level Shinigami almost lost to the Hollow, the corresponding channel of the story is no longer romance but suspense.

The genius boy seemed uninterested in such gossip and rumors. He stopped talking and focused on his meal. However, Matsumoto Rangiku continued to ask with interest, "Have you heard who this 'unknown colleague' is?"

“Yes, but…”

Kurosaki Utsuki's hesitation only piqued her interest. Matsumoto Rangiku, whose cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, put her arm around her shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid. It's just a rumor. Just speak out. Could it be that our captain secretly went to the human world to stab the former captain in order to get promoted?"

...This is truly a dear vice-captain. She can already vaguely feel the hard work that young Hitsugaya goes through every day.

Kurosaki Utsuki shook her head.

"Not Captain Hitsugaya."

After a brief pause, she finally spoke in one go—

"The captains of the third, fifth, and ninth squads, the criminal is one of them."

The two men in front of her were subordinates who were deeply trusted by her father. Unlike aristocrats like Kuchiki Byakuya, they were born in Rukongai and should trust their own eyes and hearts more than rigidly following the rules of Seireitei.

"Or maybe they are all criminals."

After he finished speaking, the white-haired boy put down his chopsticks and looked at her calmly. His spiritual pressure rose slightly, but there was no aggression and he didn't seem to have any desire to fight. "You are one of the travelers who entered Soul Society today - who are you?"

"Um, you found out?"

Kurosaki Utsuki put down the bowl of soup, licked her lips, and did not rush to speak. Instead, she took a few seconds to summarize her words.

"First of all, I have no ill intentions. I just came here because I wanted to investigate something. Meeting you was just an accident, although I was indeed looking for the Tenth Division."

"My name is Kurosaki Utsuki. If my father wasn't marrying into the family to hide his identity, then my last name should be 'Shiba'... It seems you already understand."

"Father has lost his power as a god of death and is now just an ordinary human." Having said this, she picked up the bowl of soup again, ready to take one last bite before running away. "--But, I can't just leave the debt uncollected like that, can I?"