Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

The hatred between Quincies and Shinigami was actually quite simple, but resolving it was not something that could be done with just a few words.

From Ishida Uryū’s perspective, the grandfather he respected most—who was also his guide to becoming a Quincy—died tragically in the jaws of a Hollow while the Shinigami watched with indifference. That pain had long ago turned into a seed buried deep in his heart.

Forgive the Shinigami and fight alongside them? That would be tantamount to betraying his grandfather, who indirectly died at their hands, and betraying the Quincy identity he held so sacred.

The terrifying part was that he had already noticed his own wavering. Because of that, he would not allow that wavering to become reality—at least, not right now.

Being rejected was perfectly normal. The fact that Ichigo and the others hadn’t abandoned Ishida when invited left room for things to turn around. At the very least, the wavering in Ishida’s heart would continue.

Kōe shook his head. Understanding it didn’t mean he could accept it. This was perhaps the greatest helplessness of being a transmigrator. He knew everything clearly, yet in the end, he was the only bystander. Being anxious but utterly powerless was truly a torment.

What would happen if he tried again just now? He really did want to try again, but he was interrupted by a perfectly timed rumbling stomach. It was also a reminder from Yoruichi that pushing any further wouldn’t be a good idea.

They were all teenagers in the prime of their youth; once their rebellious phase kicked in, there was no stopping it. So, waiting was fine. There was still time...

*Eat first. Let’s just eat first.*

Arriving at the entrance of the reception hall, Kōe let out a heavy sigh. Just standing there made him feel full from sheer annoyance. He didn’t know about Kurotsuchi Mayuri, but that brat Hitsugaya was definitely here to piss him off. If he couldn’t swallow this anger, he wouldn’t even need to eat later.

”I don’t recall inviting the two of you today,” Kōe said bluntly as he walked into the tense atmosphere of the hall. ”And even if you’re here, I don’t plan on letting you stay.”

Mayuri tilted his head, seemingly completely unbothered, while Hitsugaya stood up indignantly on the other side, the word ’furious’ practically carved into his face.

”What is the meaning of this, Shihouin!”

”You should call me Instructor Shihouin...” Kōe’s face darkened. It seemed he had gone too easy on him that night. ”Or call me Captain Shihouin.”

”Cap... Captain Shihouin.”

In truth, he really should have called him Instructor. Although Kōe’s teaching methods at the Shin’ō Academy were somewhat unorthodox, they benefited his students for a lifetime. Hitsugaya never said it out loud, but in his heart, he held a great deal of respect and gratitude toward Kōe.

It was just that right now, he couldn’t bring himself to say the word ’Instructor’. Perhaps the other party had never even viewed them as his students. *’Teaching you all was the most painful experience of my life.’* He had always treated that line as a joke, but maybe it had been the truth all along...

”Could you explain to me what this is, Captain Shihouin?”

”It should be written very clearly on there.” Kōe looked down at the envelope that Hitsugaya was about to crush in his grip, reading the words on it without a trace of emotion: ”Letter of Dismissal.”

”Why...”

”I am the Captain of Squad 5. I don’t need any reason to appoint or dismiss my own lieutenant.”

He didn’t need a reason? The letter of dismissal in Hitsugaya’s hand instantly turned into paper shreds. He absolutely could not accept this answer. Strength, personality—even if it was to make way for someone better, that would be fine. But to completely reject Hinamori without even giving a reason? How could he accept that?

”Hinamori hasn’t even woken up yet. Have you ever thought about whether she can handle this kind of rejection!” Hitsugaya roared, questioning Kōe. ”That Hinamori who visits you every year after the graduation ceremony, who just wants you to be happy—do you not care about her at all, Shihouin!”

”She is indeed a heartwarming child.” Kōe smiled, then his tone shifted. ”But having a child serve as a lieutenant? My squad isn’t a playground for playing house.”

”You...!”

”A lieutenant who completely loses her mind the moment her captain dies is a catastrophic disaster for any squad.”

With a single sentence, Kōe blocked everything Hitsugaya was about to say. His tone was calm, but every word transformed into a massive hammer that struck fiercely against Hitsugaya’s heart.

”The enemy is still there. If the captain falls, the lieutenant steps up. That is the Gotei 13. The armband tied to your arm isn’t just for convenience and glory; it is also a heavy responsibility. From the moment you put on that armband, you only have two opportunities to grieve: right before you die, and after the war is over.”

Matsumoto, who had been drinking heavily with Kira before he left, and Hisagi, who had gone with Komamura to pay respects to Tōsen’s deceased friend—face after face surfaced in Hitsugaya’s mind. They had all lost something to varying degrees, but none of them had fallen so easily.

”If you can’t even figure out a principle like this, you really are a headache of a captain.” Kōe walked past Hitsugaya, sitting down next to Mayuri and rubbing his temples as if he truly had a headache.

”I don’t have the time to teach a child how to grow up, much less am I prepared to let a child take on such a heavy burden at a moment’s notice.”

”B-But Hinamori, she really works so hard...”

”She only worked hard to become a child that Aizen would like, not to stand on her own two feet.” Kōe bluntly pierced through Hitsugaya’s sophistry. ”If you think she can work hard and grow up, then go try it yourself. I’ll transfer Hinamori to Squad 10. Playing house with two people is a bit more fun anyway, isn’t it?”

”Bastard!”

”Is there anything else? If not, you can leave, Hitsugaya.” Kōe leaned back in his chair, shifting into a more comfortable posture, and continued with his eyes closed. ”Even if there is, you can still leave. My guests are still hungry.”

”Just transfer Hinamori over then. After all, Captain Shihouin, you wouldn’t be a competent captain anyway. I’ll make you see that Hinamori will absolutely not be a child who never grows up.”

*’Then let me see it,’* Kōe thought to himself as Hitsugaya’s footsteps gradually faded away. Putting these two people, who were destined to rely on each other, together was probably the fastest way to make them grow.

”And what business do you have here? I highly doubt you came to congratulate me on becoming a captain, Mayuri.” Kōe hadn’t forgotten the other annoying guy beside him.

”I originally thought you had gone soft and left you some time to be sentimental, but it seems I was overthinking it.” Mayuri shrugged, completely lacking the self-awareness that he was being annoying. ”I won’t beat around the bush. I need that Quincy named Ishida.”

So it really was about this. Kōe opened one eye and glanced at Mayuri. Before Ichigo and the others left the Seireitei, Mayuri had submitted a report to Yamamoto regarding the Quincy threat, but Yamamoto hadn’t approved it.

However, that was what happened in the manga from his past life. This time, he was the one facing Ishida, not Mayuri. Kōe hadn’t expected the other party to still recognize this crisis.

”He is our benefactor, Mayuri.”

”Hehe, hearing such words come out of your mouth, Shihouin Kōe, is truly laughable.”

An executioner who guided and implemented the extermination plan a hundred years ago was now treating a Quincy as a benefactor? Wasn’t that ridiculous?

Kōe didn’t see it that way. ”Things are different from back then. He doesn’t view us as sworn enemies, and we don’t need to treat him with an attitude of total annihilation.”

”You understood exactly how massive the Quincy threat was a hundred years ago, yet you can rest easy now? Has time given you nothing but stupidity and ignorant arrogance?!”

Mayuri clawed at the air with his fingers, his eyes twitching frantically to express just how disappointed he was in Kōe. At the same time, he warned in a shrill voice, ”Don’t forget, even you almost died at the hands of that brat.”

”I told you, I didn’t bring my sword that time. Not a single one.” Kōe reminded him in return, leaving Mayuri momentarily speechless.

”Furthermore, from the moment you were locked in the Maggot’s Nest, this threat was destined to erupt one day. It is irreversible. Of course, it’s not yet time to put all our eggs in one basket. We need more friends, more possibilities, to fight against all the disasters of the future.”

”Even if this friend is part of the disaster?” Mayuri sneered.

”A disaster that isn’t even eighteen years old? Mayuri, to use your words, he is merely in the initial stages of an experiment. There are still plenty of opportunities to ensure he doesn’t turn into a massive explosive accident.”

Kōe pushed himself up and stood. ”Stopping a project just because of one or two failures—that is true stupidity.”

Mayuri could understand Kōe’s meaning, but treating the attitude of a single person like Ishida Uryū as a factor that could influence the future seemed like placing far too much importance on him.

Valuing Ishida Uryū—that was the message Mayuri received from Kōe. Even though restarting his own research on Quincies could also give birth to numerous possibilities, in Kōe’s eyes, those were all desperate gambles. Or rather, it could be understood that the possibilities Kōe saw in him were fewer than what he saw in Ishida!

”From a scientific perspective, an explosion is not the only incorrect result. At the same time, it is not necessarily an incorrect result.”

”...”

Kōe rolled his eyes at Mayuri. *Is this guy just arguing for the sake of arguing?*

”Let me remind you of one more thing. That brat named Ishida just rejected you. The ninety-nine percent possibility you want simply doesn’t exist.”

Seeing Mayuri’s arrogant demeanor, Kōe’s eyelids twitched violently. ”You bastard, what kind of bizarre things did you plant in my place this time!”

No one else knew about this conversation between the two of them, so no one knew why Kōe suddenly ordered a massive deep clean of Squad 5. One had to know, many people almost had their souls scared out of them when they heard this order. As the old subordinates left behind by Aizen, a massive purge seemed entirely logical.

Thanks to this, when Ichigo and the others gathered in front of the Senkaimon the next day to prepare for their return to the World of the Living, they merely felt a bit creeped out by Mayuri, who was standing not far away with a bizarre smile. After hearing that he was the current Captain of Squad 12, they lumped him into the same category of weirdos as Urahara.

Of course, Mayuri was far more terrifying than Urahara. At the very least, that smile made people feel like they were being calculated against...

”Here, this is for you, Ichigo.”

Ichigo took the item Kōe handed him. After seeing Mayuri, he actually felt that Kōe’s smile was incredibly amiable and approachable. It almost gave him the illusion that good people only seemed good because the bad people were bad enough...

”What is this?”

”A Substitute Shinigami Combat Pass. It’s a special credential issued for someone like you, who transitioned into a Shinigami while still human, allowing you to engage in combat more autonomously. It will also automatically record when you use your Reiatsu. After all, Shinigami powers are not allowed to be used on ordinary humans, though I trust you wouldn’t do such a thing.”

”We all hope such measures are just unfounded worries.” Kōe patted Ichigo’s shoulder, then turned to Inoue and the others. ”Of course, you all now possess abilities that transcend the human realm as well. Respecting your wishes, the Seireitei will not interfere with you. We only hope that you will use your abilities more cautiously and leave the Hollows to Ichigo as much as possible. Especially you, Ishida. I’m counting on you.”

Inoue and Chad nodded silently. Neither of them wanted their power to become a weapon that hurt others. Chad, who had once suffered because he hurt someone, understood better than anyone how terrifying the abuse of power could be.

Ishida didn’t react much, only subconsciously clenching his fists. He didn’t even have any power left to abuse right now anyway.

”I’ll leave the rest to you. Make sure to bring them back to the World of the Living safely, Yoruichi.”

Yoruichi nodded and gave Kōe a hug as a temporary farewell. Seeing Suì-Fēng not far away, constantly stepping forward and then pulling her foot back, Yoruichi secretly waved at her, which made the usually cold little captain overjoyed.

”Isn’t Miss Yoruichi staying here?” Ichigo asked in confusion, but he immediately realized there was another, more concerning detail. ”What do you mean, ’bring them back safely’?”

Right at that moment, the Senkaimon finished charging. Kōe swallowed the words that were already on the tip of his tongue, preserving a sense of suspense.

”Hurry up and go.” As Kōe spoke, he shoved the group toward the Senkaimon. ”Under normal circumstances, it’s very safe. But there are also special circumstances, and delays breed trouble.”

*Eh?* Ichigo seemed to realize something, but before he could ask any more questions, he was shoved into the Senkaimon by Kōe. In the end, he could only hastily wave at Rukia. He didn’t even know if she heard his goodbye.

”We will definitely meet again, Big Brother Kōe.”

”Yeah, definitely.” Kōe patted Rukia’s head. ”Next time we meet, how about trying to invite them to the Seireitei as guests?”

”That might be a bit difficult, Big Brother Kōe.”

”That’s because the person doing the inviting is the problem!”

Rukia whipped her head around, her face instantly lighting up with joy when she saw the newcomer. ”Lord Kaien!”

”Didn’t I tell you to stop calling me ’Lord’, Rukia?” Kaien bent down and rubbed Rukia’s head vigorously. Then he straightened up, looking at Kōe with disdain. ”You can’t even handle a small thing like inviting people over as guests. You really are an idiot.”

”That’s why I called you here to help me. Have you decided to come?”

”Leaving you alone, I have no idea what kind of mess you’d turn Squad 5 into.”

Kaien crossed his arms, tilting his head back to look at Kōe with only one eye. That deliberately arrogant posture made Rukia giggle.

”You’re an annoying guy. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re the Captain, you know.”

”Then you’re in for a headache, Lieutenant Shiba.”

So, they would definitely meet again...

But, sometimes...

”Ahhhhhhh!”

Could this ’meet again’ not happen so fast!

Sprinting madly through the Dangai, Ichigo finally understood what Kōe meant by ’special’. It wasn’t special at all! Wasn’t this just the Kōtotsu?! They had already experienced it when they first arrived. You could call it an old friend—an old friend no one ever wanted to see again!

”Are we really taking the official gate?! Why is it still like this? You’re messing with us!”

Recalling Kōe’s behavior just now, it was hard for Ichigo not to suspect that the guy had arranged this on purpose. And with his fiancée traveling with them, no less! This was attempted murder!

”Didn’t you see the Hell Butterfly? You can’t pass through the official channel without it. No one is messing with you!” Yoruichi immediately replied. Although the Kōtotsu existed in the channels opened by the Seireitei, it rarely appeared. Dead-fish eyes was right: under normal circumstances, it was very safe. Right now, this was a special circumstance.

But that guy’s reaction back then was definitely weird. Could he even calculate the Kōtotsu’s arrival? Yoruichi shook her head. It was probably just a coincidence... right?

”I see the exit!”

”Charge!”

Chased by the Kōtotsu once again, this time the ground beneath their feet wasn’t the unfamiliar Soul Society, but Karakura Town, its noise washed away by the night. It was their home.

At this moment, Ichigo hadn’t yet realized that the Kōtotsu was like a signal—a signal representing adventure.

The next adventure would be in the place they were most familiar with, right beneath their feet.

The World of the Living.

Karakura Town!