Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

In such a warm and touching scene, there is always someone who ruins the atmosphere.

”It’s not like you’re parting forever, so why make it so depressing?” Kōe seemed completely oblivious to the strange looks directed at him, continuing as a matter of course, ”There are still plenty of ways to see Rukia, you know.”

”Brother Chōzuka...” Rukia suddenly felt a bad premonition. She would indeed have many opportunities to visit the World of the Living in the future, but Kōe’s ’plenty of ways’ was deeply concerning. This older brother of hers was probably about to say something shocking again.

”For example, if you just woo Rukia, wouldn’t you be able to see her every day?”

”Huh?!”

”Ah! Kurosaki wooing Kuchiki, th-this...”

”What kind of nonsense are you spouting now, Brother Chōzuka!”

Ichigo’s bewilderment, Inoue’s panic, and Rukia’s angry rebuke couldn’t compare to the complex emotions of Abarai, who had just arrived after bidding farewell to Byakuya.

The gift box in his hands hit the ground with a thud, though no one, not even him, noticed. *Woo Rukia? Is Teacher Chōzuka hinting at something?*

*No, this kind of thing should depend on Rukia’s feelings, but what exactly are Rukia’s feelings? It’s a bit hard to tell, but looking at Ichigo’s reaction, he doesn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing Rukia...*

*But with this guy’s thick skull, it could also be that he just hasn’t realized his feelings for Rukia yet! This is bad, very bad. What should I do?*

”Teacher Chōzuka...” All his emotions and countless words morphed into a single roar. Renji pointed at Kōe, the main culprit, and shouted the word in his heart at the top of his lungs: ”Bastard!”

”Renji?” Kōe looked toward the voice. ”Why are you here?”

”So if I wasn’t here, you could just do whatever you want?!” Renji seemed to have completely forgotten how Kōe had disciplined him in the past. He grabbed the innocent-looking man before him with both hands and viciously demanded, ”Don’t you feel ashamed doing this to your disciple?”

”Disciple? Since when?”

”Is that the point?! Why would you do such a thing?”

”Why can’t I do such a thing?” Kōe asked in confusion. He was just playing matchmaker for a couple of young people; was that really something to be ashamed of?

”You call yourself Rukia’s older brother, yet you’re comfortable handing her over to an idiot like him!”

Idiot? An idiot?! Ichigo’s mouth twitched. He rushed forward, grabbed Renji by the collar, and threatened fiercely, ”I don’t think there’s anything about me that isn’t reassuring.”

”You bastard, your motives really are impure!”

”That’s the spirit, Ichigo!” Kōe seemed to have suddenly found an ally and suggested to Ichigo, ”Defeat him, and there will be no obstacles left for your future with Rukia! Do it, right now!”

”Fine, let’s settle this right now!” At this moment, Renji was brave, fearless, and unstoppable! ”You come at me too! I’ve been sick of you for a long time, Chōzuka!”

”Hahaha! Then as you wish! If I don’t send you to Squad 4 within three moves, I’ll commit seppuku!”

”Bow down before the Baboon King! Bankai...”

Unfortunately, Renji was not unstoppable. On the contrary, stopping him was quite easy. It only took a ’light’ punch from Yoruichi, and Renji’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground.

Of course, the other guy couldn’t be let off the hook either. Seeing Yoruichi’s hostile glare, Kōe subconsciously stepped back and explained, ”I-I was just...”

”Ah! Weren’t you only going to hit me once?!”

”Who told you I was only going to hit you once? Do you realize you’re over two hundred years old, Shihouin Kōe?!”

”Ouch! Save me some face, will you?!”

In truth, from the moment Yoruichi struck, any concept of ’face’ had completely abandoned Kōe. After a flurry of punches and kicks, Ichigo felt a sense of vindication, but he also realized something: perhaps this was why Yoruichi was still only a fiancée. And also...

*Perhaps this is also Renji’s future?* Thinking of this, Ichigo’s eyes filled with pity. The guy sprawled on the ground was actually quite pitiful too.

After beating him for a solid ten minutes, Yoruichi finally clapped her hands and ceased her corrective education of Kōe. He was her husband, after all; she had to leave him a little bit of dignity.

”You can explain yourself now.”

”I-I was just, just making a joke. I didn’t expect you guys to be so...” Met with that hostile glare once more, Kōe swallowed the rest of his words and hastily changed his tune. ”But it seems I took the joke a bit too far, ha, haha.”

*To make a joke at a time like that... only you could pull something like that off.* Rukia sighed and reminded him, ”Can you properly introduce this place to them now, Brother Chōzuka?”

”Of course! Everyone, please look over here!” Kōe suddenly regained his energy. He turned and pointed at the three-story wooden building that was still under renovation. ”It doesn’t have an official name yet, but I call it the Joint Affairs Bureau—a new organization that exists for your sake.”

”For us?”

Kōe nodded. ”It’s one thing for someone like Ichigo, who received Shinigami Reiryoku and became a Shinigami.” His fingertip swept past Inoue and the others. ”But for people like you, who aren’t Shinigami yet possess special powers, how to interact with you has always been a problem.” His finger finally stopped on Ishida. ”Not to mention a Quincy like Ishida. Our past is far from pleasant.”

In truth, the conflicts between the Seireitei and the outside world were fundamentally conflicts between Shinigami and other powers. A Shinigami’s duty was to maintain the balance of souls; performing Konsō and slaying Hollows were all for the sake of allowing departed souls to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. Based on this, their attitude toward Quincies was not hard to understand. After all, the Quincy power to completely erase souls was far more terrifying than Hollows.

Of course, this was only speaking fundamentally. At some unknown point, these conflicts became entangled with factions, power struggles, personal ideologies, and other factors. Even within the Shinigami ranks, there was rampant suspicion, let alone in their attitude toward outsiders.

Conflict? Even that description wasn’t quite fitting. It was more like two people thrown into a gladiatorial arena where only one could survive. But where did this arena come from? In reality, if any two ordinary people were placed together, as long as one of them had the illusion of being in an arena, the rule of life and death would simultaneously apply to both.

”I have to admit, our perspective on these issues has strayed from our fundamental duty, which is maintaining the balance of souls. I want to highlight this foundation once again, and take it a step further.”

Kōe looked up at the wooden building before him, his eyes full of anticipation. ”The powers of Inoue and Chad don’t seem to affect the balance of souls right now, but even if they did, so what? The difference between humans and beasts lies in control. Even for Quincies, as long as they aren’t beasts, there is the possibility of working together. The Joint Affairs Bureau is exactly that kind of place.”

”Shinigami, Quincies, humans, and any new groups that might appear in the future can use this place to establish connections, understand one another, and cooperate seamlessly. Just like Rukia and all of you—we were never enemies. We simply slapped the label of ’enemy’ on each other too early. But that was never the truth, was it?”

Everyone present fell silent. They all had a profound understanding of this. From the moment they entered the Seireitei, they realized there were many who didn’t want Rukia to die. It was just that, forced by various reasons, their encounters inevitably heralded the start of a battle.

Nominally, Ichigo was also the reason for Rukia’s execution, but was that reason justified? From the perspective of Inoue and Chad, turning Ichigo into a Shinigami absolutely couldn’t be considered a mistake. His performance left absolutely no room for criticism.

Even a Quincy like Ishida Uryū had set aside his initial hostility and unconsciously fought alongside Ichigo. Although he was very reluctant to admit it, Ichigo had long since shown him the truth that people shouldn’t be destined enemies.

But having it pointed out so bluntly by Kōe made Ishida feel somewhat indignant. Were the questions he had been pondering these past few days, and even the decisions he had made, all a mistake?

”Isn’t this just another form of exploitation?” Ishida asked. ”A method led by Shinigami, tossing out a little charity and expecting us to be eternally grateful.”

”Ishida.” Inoue tugged at his sleeve while apologizing to Kōe. ”I’m sorry, Ishida is just a little worried. He doesn’t mean to doubt you.”

*But is there really no doubt?* Chad looked at the serious-faced Kōe. If Kurosaki had said these words, he wouldn’t have doubted them for a second, but the man before them was hard to trust.

”Even if you do doubt me, there’s nothing wrong with that.” Kōe waved his hand, completely unbothered by Ishida’s defiance.

”I am the founder of the Joint Affairs Bureau and its first Director. If you view this as a symbol of dominance—though I’d rather say the leadership lies with me personally, rather than favoring Shinigami or humans or any specific group—you probably wouldn’t believe that anyway.”

”Let’s put it this way. Although the Joint Affairs Bureau is affiliated with Squad 5, the appointments of the Director and Vice-Director have nothing to do with Squad 5’s personnel. I can be the Director, or any one of you could be the Director. The Director and Vice-Director should ideally be held by a Shinigami from the Seireitei and someone from outside the Seireitei. But my hope is that, one day, this will no longer be a necessary condition to make people feel safe.”

”Rukia once changed Ichigo.” Kōe said, his index finger shifting toward Renji, who was still lying on the ground. ”And Ichigo changed this idiot, letting him know what he ought to do. Actually, it’s not just Ichigo. From what I know, quite a few people in Squad 4 were moved by Inoue’s healing arts, and even more so by her kind heart. 3rd Seat Iemura even seems to have intentions of wooing her.”

”I-is that so?” Inoue lowered her head, her hands twisting together as if tied in knots. ”I-it was just what I ought to do.”

”No need to be shy. You taught those brats a very good lesson.” Kōe gave Inoue an encouraging look before turning his gaze to Chad. ”And Chad, with his persistence and trust, changed Shunsui. You should know, that senior brother of mine is the person who hates trouble the most in the entire Seireitei.”

”You flatter me.”

”And you, Ishida Uryū. You showed me the pride of a Quincy. Not hatred, but true pride—the pride of upholding the justice in your heart.”

Kōe walked toward Ishida and asked softly, ”Back then, you were able to put aside your prejudice and show me mercy. Now, do you want to try trusting me once more? Believe that I, too, can change, that I can be moved by your passion. And right now, this is the catalyst for that change.”