Chapter 222: CHAPTER 253: Introductions
Although normal humans couldn't see Kazuya and Unohana in the Karakura Town, he still opted to conceal their presence with a few layers of Kidō, just to be safe. It may have taken an extra minute to properly cast the incantations, but that beat letting some unseen Shinigami, or worse Aizen's spies, catch him.
As they walked down a cozy side street, Kazuya felt a twinge of anxiety stirring in his guts. He felt a bit nervous about the meeting between his elegant but crazy mentor and his motherly, queenly Arrancar lover. He could have made Unohana stay behind, he supposed, but that would only delay their inevitable first encounter.
Better she met with Harribel and the rest today than a month down the line.
{Just relax, Partner. Harribel knows not to offend your Shinigami allies and love interests… aren't they the same like ninety percent of the time?}
'I'm afraid of it happening the other way.'
{Oh! Yeah, I don't expect Unohana to react to your lovers the same way she reacted to you.}
"Father, look at Unohana…" Tsubasa said. "This woman shouldn't harm your lovers, right?"
Kazuya glanced sidelong at Unohana as they walked. The elegant Shinigami was humming pleasantly to herself, seemingly absorbed in her own little world, paying him no mind. It was almost impossible to mentally connect her to the laughing, blood-drenched devil he'd faced in the flower fields mere hours before.
"Hmm?" She tilted her head towards him with a confused look. "Are we there yet?"
"Just a little more."
"Ah, excellent."
{Chill all the time, but violent as fuck when the situation demands. Partner, she is just like me!}
"Weren't you having a depression episode yesterday? You aren't exactly like her."
Tsubasa brought up an intriguing piece of information that shed light on a new side of Nami. The side he rarely got to see.
{Shush, Tsu. We don't talk about that here.}
Nami shushed Tsubasa from revealing anything.
'Don't leave me in the dark. What's this depression episode?'
{Just girls talk, Partner. You really don't need to concern yourself with every little aspect of our lives, y'know.}
'You having a depression episode doesn't feel like girls talk to me.'
{....I mean, if you wanna be technical, it was still private girl talk since it was strictly between us girls, yes?}
Nami was being suspicious. However, he wasn't in the best place to make her spit everything about this depression episode. Right now, he had to focus on the things at hand, which was making sure the meeting between his lovers and Unohana went smoothly.
Soon, he could see the high wall surrounding the mansion grounds just ahead. He took a deep, calming breath, held it for a count of three, then slowly let it out.
'Nothing will go wrong between Harribel and Retsu.'
Kazuya placed his hand on the iron gate and gently pushed it open.
Unohana looked at him with a suspicion glint in her eyes. "How did you come into possession of this lavish property?"
"I worked my ass off. That's how I became the owner of this mansion."
{You did good by not backing down. One day of hard work is still hard work!}
Unohana's lips curled into a cheeky smile. "I was wrong to assume you murdered someone and claimed their place as your own."
His brow twitched at the accusation. "I don't kill people when the alternative requires barely any effort."
"Barely any effort, you say? You must have convinced the human with your voice. I still think it's too eye-catching a place for your family to stay—" Unohana paused when she saw a figure emerge from the distant door. "The housemaid? I feel something is off right about her Reiatsu… I don't know how to exactly describe her… it's like something is concealing her Reiatsu from my senses."
"Yep, she is using the Reiatsu concealing Gigai made by Kisuke."
The 'maid' in question was of course Apacc. Despite looking filled to bursting with excited energy at his visit, the heterochromatic beauty was clearly holding herself back from sprinting into his arms, likely due to Unohana's unfamiliar presence. Her adorably grumpy pout said it all.
Kazuya quickly strode over to Apacci and gently took her small hand in his, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Can you do it?"
Apacci nodded her head, while keeping her gaze focused on Unohana, and then kissed his cheeks. "Just give me one minute."
Saying so, she walked back into the mansion.
Unohana watched the intimate interaction with a strange half-lidded gaze, head tilted slightly. "What are you scheming now, boy?"
Despite calling him out, she didn't seem the least bit worried. Overthinking things led her to have trust issues, and she'd much prefer history to not repeat itself in this case.
He revealed a faint, almost mysterious smile. "You'll see."
She shook her head before turning her gaze up to the moon. "Japan… Karakura Town is filled with souls of the undeparted. Normal Shinigami would feel very uncomfortable living here."
"I'm not a Shinigami. Besides, I haven't seen more than two."
"They instinctively avoid you. You're leagues above them," Unohana said softly. "It does make me wonder though... what are the odds that Shin'o Academy selected your hometown for the rookies' training?"
"I was spooked out when I heard that from Momo. In the end, everything turned out to be a big fat coincidence."
"Right…"
He narrowed his eyes. "Is my allegiance under scrutiny again?"
A strained beat of silence fell between them as Unohana continued to gaze out past the estate's high walls, deliberately not meeting his eyes.
Kazuya grabbed her hand, forcing her to face him directly. Even then, her face remained perfectly neutral, her eyes closed and lips drawn in an emotionless line. Then a small twitch at the corner of her mouth gave her away.
"I get it. You're just messing with me."
Her eyes slid open as her lips curled into a grin. "You can tease my poor Isane but you won't allow me to tease you?"
"Jeez, I do it as a show of affection. You're doing it just to mess with me."
She giggled. "Who said it wasn't a show of affection?"
"Was it?"
"No."
"..."
Kazuya let out a long sigh. Grabbing Unohana's hand once more, he tugged her along through the hallways and entered the living room.
Three out of the four couches were occupied by Harribel and Apacci, the unusual duo of Izumi and Cirucci, and the thorny yet sweet pairing of Mila Rose and Sung-Sun.
The harmony between everyone made his heart swell with affection.
{Hollows together strong!} Nami chuckled. {Apacci is such a dumbass. I love her.}
'That makes the two of us.'
As one, the women rolled an appreciative gaze over Kazuya, taking in his new Shinigami attire. The sheer blatant desire in their eyes was both flattering and a little unnerving — he hadn't expected them to find his outfit so appealing.
Sung-Sun in particular was eyeing him like a tasty snack, eyes roving slowly up and down his body. "Don't move a muscle, darling," she purred, licking her lips. "I need to commit every detail to memory... so I can design a similar outfit for myself later."
Her lustful grin left zero doubt in Kazuya's mind just where she intended to wear said theoretical outfit.
Mila Rose's lips parted with a gasp. "You will look like a stick in that. It's better you make one for me instead."
"Absolutely not."
"What? Why the hell not, Snake?"
Sung-Sun placed her elbow on Mila Rose's shoulder and leaned against her. "Because I'd have to charge you an entire month's salary for my service."
Mila Rose's eyes widened. "Are you drunk?! No way am I blowing that kinda cash on a stupid dress!"
"Then back the fuck off and let me memorize Dear's outfit."
"Ugh, fine…"
As the Arrancar ladies bickered, Unohana silently assessed them with a keen, calculating gaze, as though taking mental notes. "I had thought Kazuya was an exceptional case, but it seems every Arrancar here is nearly indistinguishable from ordinary humans, save for a few unique traits."
The crazy captain sounded genuinely surprised to see the Arrancars having such resemblance with humans.
Harribel gave a soft smile. "Our physical and spiritual evolution follows the shape of our desires to an extent. In our case, the desires were formed and inspired by him. Without him, we would have remained stuck in a limbo — more than a beast but less than true humans."
Unohana glanced at him, an amused smirk on her face. "His actions earned him a group of extremely powerful and devoted women."
"Yes, well, let's discuss that later. Come take a seat." He made Unohana sit on the last couch and took a seat beside her. "So, did everyone like the surprise visit?"
Apacci crossed her arms with a frown. "Not much of a surprise after Harribel sent that message."
Sung-Sun chucked the tv remote at Apacci's face, which Apacci caught without blinking. "Dear, don't listen to this ass. We loved your surprise."
Izumi nodded in agreement, a soft smile on her face. "Feel free to do it again… in fact, many of us wouldn't want you to leave again."
"Damn right!" Mila Rose chimed in with a boisterous laugh. "Enough about us. Kazuya, introduce us to the pretty Shinigami lady already."
"I was getting to that." He cleared his throat and gestured to Unohana. "This is the Captain of my squad, Retsu Unohana. She'll be lending me a hand in exterminating my enemy."
"Well hot damn!" Mila Rose cheered, clapped excitedly. "Wait, hold up. Does this mean you might be able to finish your mission and come home for good way sooner?"
He gave a slight nod. "Kind of. Before we continue, I want to hear about Gin. Harribel."
Harribel assumed a stern expression as she leaned forward. "About Gin…"
...
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