Chapter 310: Chapter 310: Why Don't You Know Anything?
"There's a child over there, Kensei!"
Mashiro Kuna, unlike Kensei Muguruma who was scanning the entire area, spotted the movements of small creatures amidst the devastation—a few children. With a nimble leap, she jumped onto Kensei's back, her feet sticking to his ribs like a frog. She pressed her hands against his temples and twisted his head forcefully towards the direction of Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku Matsumoto.
Rangiku, carrying H'el on her back and supported by Gin, was struggling to walk out of the scorched forest.
The surrounding heat from the blackened terrain was dehydrating them rapidly, making them extremely fatigued. Rangiku, already malnourished, had only eaten a few days' worth of meat since following H'el. Despite her weakness, she was the healthiest among the three. Gin, with severe internal injuries, could barely move but still managed to help Rangiku carry H'el.
The sulfurous smell of molten lava and the scorching ground beneath their feet was overwhelming for them as children. They were drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, and their eyelids were drooping.
Rangiku's face was covered in sweat as she trudged on with Gin's help, each step a struggle to leave the burning forest.
Kensei felt a sharp crack in his neck from Mashiro's sudden twist. He roared, "Mashiro!!!"
Mashiro quickly leaped away, pouting and whistling innocently with her hands behind her head as if she had nothing to do with it.
Kensei, his face contorted with anger, cracked his neck to relieve the muscle and bone tension, glaring at Mashiro. Then, he turned his attention back to the environment, spotting Rangiku and Gin struggling ahead.
Seeing children surviving such a destructive attack that could have easily wiped out even Hollows was astonishing. How did they manage to walk out from the center of the energy blast?
Kensei and Mashiro landed before Gin and Rangiku. Considering they were children, Kensei tried to put on a kind smile, which ended up looking menacing and terrifying to them. He asked gruffly yet with a forced friendliness, "Kids, what are you doing here?"
*Clap clap clap...*
"Kensei, your smile is so ugly! It's hilarious, hahaha!"
Mashiro Kuna, standing next to Kensei, couldn't help but clutch her stomach in laughter, tears streaming from her eyes. She continuously slapped Kensei's exposed arm, making his blood pressure rise and veins pop on his forehead, causing his already menacing smile to appear even more terrifying.
Gin Ichimaru and Rangiku Matsumoto froze, their hearts filled with dread.
To them, Shinigami were no longer trustworthy figures. Unahara Ichiro, Masaki Seino, and Aizen—each one they had encountered had shown a righteous facade while committing evil deeds. Unahara Ichiro had ordered his brother to kidnap children for Hollow experiments. Masaki Seino had tried to harm Rangiku. Aizen had fought H'el for several rounds before H'el managed to drive him away.
Now, two new Shinigami appeared while H'el was exhausted and asleep. This did not bode well for them.
"You're scaring them!" Mashiro, still laughing uncontrollably, continued slapping Kensei's arm.
"Go back to sleep!" Kensei roared at Mashiro, veins bulging on his face as he breathed heavily in anger.
Turning back to the children, Kensei abandoned any pretense of friendliness. His stern, fearsome expression bore down on them. "Kids, what happened here?"
Mashiro, meanwhile, was rolling on the ground in laughter, nearly choking on her mirth, making Kensei's expression darken further.
Rangiku paused, sweat streaming down her face, and slightly bent her body to let H'el's feet touch the ground while she supported him, taking a moment to rest. H'el continued to snore softly, still asleep.
Gin, his eyes narrowed, watched the interaction between Kensei and Mashiro, feeling a slight sense of relief.
---
Kensei's relaxed demeanor and joking interactions with Mashiro, despite his irritable nature, made Gin realize something important. Though Kensei seemed hot-tempered, he hadn't actually acted out aggressively. Instead, when he descended from the sky, he had tried to give a reassuring smile to the children, despite it looking more sinister than comforting.
This interaction showed Gin that Kensei was just a naturally impatient person who struggled to express his kindness effectively. His attempt at a smile, although it looked terrifying, was his way of trying to calm and reassure the children.
Gin's observation brought him some relief. Kensei, despite his rough exterior and clumsy attempts at reassurance, had achieved his goal to an extent.
"There were people fighting in the sky, and then the forest ended up like this," Gin explained.
Kensei's face hardened. "Who was fighting?"
"I don't know."
"How many people were there?"
"I don't know."
"What were they wearing?"
"I don't know."
"Kid, why don't you know anything?"
"They were moving too fast. How could I see anything with these small eyes of mine?"
Kensei was speechless.
Your eyes are indeed small, almost squinting shut. Why don't you open them wider?
"Then how did you survive?"
"I don't know. After a flash of fire, we were still alive, and everyone else was gone. We were just trying to walk out."
Mashiro burst into uncontrollable laughter, clutching her stomach and slapping the ground. Tears of mirth streamed from her eyes as she laughed so hard she could barely breathe, practically choking on her own laughter.
Kensei's face darkened as his gaze drifted to the Zanpakutō clutched in H'el's hand, which lay across Rangiku's chest.
°°°
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