Ichigo nodded in understanding. Those words made sense. No matter what, in the world of Shinigami, strength speaks the loudest.
The reason the Four Great Noble Houses of the Soul Society have remained dominant for so long is entirely because of the power they control!
Each family possesses unique strengths, which is exactly why they've managed to stay at the top of the Soul Society's hierarchy.
Ichigo stopped thinking about the Kasumiooji issue.
But Rukia and Senna were pondering more deeply.
"Rukia, you're not the type to be overly kind. Why did you agree to help the Kasumiooji family?" Senna asked, watching her closely.
"As expected, I can fool Ichigo but not you, huh?" Rukia smiled approvingly at her.
"Hmph, I'm not as clueless as Ichigo. How could I not see through something so simple?" Senna scoffed.
"Right now, Ichigo doesn't have enough power. He's never lived in the Soul Society, so he doesn't understand just how tightly the Central 46 controls the Shinigami," Rukia explained as she sat down.
Senna sat opposite her, listening closely.
"The previous Central 46 was wiped out by the traitor Aizen Sōsuke and his men. The newly reestablished Central 46…"
"Is even harsher?" Senna asked curiously.
"No, more afraid of death," Rukia replied with contempt. "After what Aizen did, they realized how terrifying an uncontrollable Captain-class Shinigami can be!"
"They have authority but no power. They're completely reliant on Head-Captain Yamamoto for protection. That's not a life they want!"
Rukia's disdain only deepened as she spoke.
Senna nodded. "So someone like Ichigo, who isn't under Soul Society's jurisdiction, is a threat. They're afraid he'll one day do what Aizen did."
"Exactly. If Ichigo didn't have a family tying him down, the Central 46 would probably have sealed him away long ago," Rukia said grimly.
Senna understood. "Which makes the Kasumiooji family—just below the Four Great Houses—a perfect target to reclaim and stabilize."
Rukia snapped her fingers. "That's right. With a young head and powerful retainers, the family is unstable—perfect for the Gotei 13 to exploit. But that brings Ichigo no benefit at all."
"If we eliminate the retainers and make Ichigo the Kasumiooji's new pillar of support, then…" Senna didn't finish her sentence, but both women understood the implication.
"Hmph, Ichigo would never think that far ahead," Senna said, genuinely impressed by Rukia's foresight.
But Rukia shook her head. "You're wrong. Ichigo has thought about it. He just doesn't want to do it."
"But if he won't… I will. I'm the heiress of the Kuchiki family. Having one or two subordinate families under me is perfectly normal."
Rukia's expression changed completely—this was not the Rukia they knew in daily life.
Clearly, the Kuchiki family hadn't raised her to be soft. As the heiress, she had all the political sharpness expected of her.
Senna looked at her and sighed lightly. "I'm honestly a little jealous of Ichigo. To think you'd go this far for him."
Rukia looked at her. "You could do the same, couldn't you?"
Senna simply smiled and nodded.
...
The next day—
Ichigo, Rukia, and Senna took Rurichiyo out for a day of fun.
After all, Inuzō and Sarugaki had told her they came to the Human World to have fun. If that's the story, then they needed to play the part.
With two rich girls around—Rukia and Rurichiyo—Ichigo didn't have to spend a single yen. He happily embraced the life of a freeloader.
Although Rurichiyo was the head of the Kasumiooji family, this was her first time in the Human World. The food, the entertainment—everything was new and exciting.
She had a blast the entire day.
Rukia and Senna were like two moms pampering a child. They helped her win stuffed animals, pushed her on swings, and even took her on the Ferris wheel.
Well… that last one was definitely Senna's idea. Ichigo had a strong suspicion she wanted to experience it herself.
Watching the two girls' bright smiles, Ichigo smiled too.
After the Ferris wheel, Rurichiyo said she needed to use the bathroom, so Rukia took her, leaving Ichigo alone with Senna.
Looking at Ichigo's face, Senna asked, "What's with that smile? Something wrong?"
Ichigo shook his head slightly. "Nothing's wrong. Just watching you two play with Rurichiyo, you looked like real moms."
He grinned. "I bet both you and Rukia will make great moms someday."
Senna's face turned bright red.
"M-Moms?! Isn't it a little early for that...?" she stammered.
Ichigo hadn't expected such a strong reaction and was momentarily stunned, then laughed out loud.
Realizing she was being teased, Senna lightly punched him. "Idiot! Always picking on me!"
Ichigo burst out laughing again.
After their fun day, they brought Rurichiyo back home for dinner.
Even though she had lived in the Soul Society for many years, her mental age seemed to match that of Yuzu and Karin.
Yuzu even invited her to eat dinner at their house.
But then…
"Ah, there are carrots in this?" Rurichiyo stared at her curry with a troubled expression.
"What's wrong with carrots?" Ichigo asked.
"I've never eaten them since I was little…" she said sheepishly.
Senna, in full mom mode, gently encouraged her, "It's okay, Rurichiyo. Carrots aren't bad. Farmers worked hard to grow them—we shouldn't waste food."
But Rurichiyo just stared at the piece of carrot on her chopsticks, unwilling to eat it.
Rukia was about to step in and help when—
The lightbulb in Ichigo's house suddenly got unscrewed and removed!
Two heads popped out from the ceiling.
"Wait a moment, please!" said Inuzō.
Ichigo looked up and shouted, "Don't take apart my light fixture without asking!"
Inuzō and Sarugaki apologized and dropped down to the floor. Yuzu and Karin were both surprised.
As for Isshin… he claimed he was out making house calls. Truth was, he didn't want to be recognized—after all, he used to be a captain, and plenty of people still knew his face.
"Princess Rurichiyo has refused to eat carrots since she was a child. We've fired dozens of chefs for using carrots!" Inuzō said proudly.
Ichigo was speechless. "You're spoiling her too much. Kids need to be taught better!"
"Our Princess's preferences are everything to us. Education is someone else's job," Inuzō insisted stubbornly.
When Rurichiyo saw that Ichigo and Inuzō were arguing over whether she should eat carrots, she suddenly put down her chopsticks.
"I'm not eating anymore!"
She ran out the door.
And even tossed her gigai—which suppressed her spiritual pressure—onto the floor.
"Princess Rurichiyo!" Inuzō and Sarugaki panicked and chased after her.
Rukia shook her head. "No wonder the Kasumiooji family lost control to their retainers. Just look at how they've raised their current head."
Senna agreed. "Blind obedience isn't a good thing. Even if Rurichiyo is young, she can't be spoiled forever."
Ichigo snorted coldly but said nothing.
Rukia knelt beside the discarded gigai. "This girl's got quite the temper—she just tossed her gigai like it's nothing."
Ichigo scanned the area and shook his head. "I don't sense her reiatsu. She must have another item that suppresses it."
Senna quickly ushered Yuzu and Karin back into their rooms. After all, the less the girls knew about Shinigami business, the better.
That said, both Rukia and Senna could sense it—Yuzu and Karin held tremendous spiritual power.
But with Ichigo around, they never had the chance to grow.
(This is known as the Big Fish Theory: when small fish live near a big one, they never grow.)
(In the future, when Ichigo loses his powers, Karin's spiritual pressure will finally begin to surge.)
Meanwhile, Rurichiyo hadn't gone far. She ran into Tatsuki and Orihime, who were out shopping.
The two gently talked her down, helping her understand that Ichigo was only looking out for her.
Just then, a gust of wind blew Rurichiyo's hat off.
She scrambled to grab it, calling out to Tatsuki and Orihime.
She thought they were playing hide and seek.
Tatsuki and Orihime froze—because a masked assassin in the same outfit as the one from last night suddenly appeared!
"So there you are, Princess Rurichiyo!" the masked man sneered.
He raised his zanpakutō and slashed down at her!
Smack!
Tatsuki dashed forward and blocked the attack with her kick!
Flames burst from her headband as she glared at the assassin. "Who the hell are you?"
The assassin didn't reply. That kick hurt more than he expected, and he realized this girl wasn't an easy target.
Without another word, he removed a weapon from his back.
It looked like a spear—but the base was wrapped in tentacle-like appendages that latched onto his arm like a living parasite.
"What the hell is that…?" Tatsuki muttered.
Orihime, meanwhile, moved to shield Rurichiyo.
The assassin lunged at Tatsuki with the strange spear.
Tatsuki was extra cautious and used her full strength to dodge the attacks.
But the spear had a surprise—when close combat didn't work, the assassin began using it to launch ranged attacks!
Projectiles shot out from the spear, flying toward Tatsuki.
Unsure of its true power, she dodged to the side.
But it was a trap—one of the shots transformed midair and encased her in a spiritual barrier!
"Tatsuki!" Orihime cried out.
"Don't worry, Orihime! I'll break out of this in no time!" Tatsuki called back.
Though the barrier was formed from spirit energy, Tatsuki's strength had reached early Captain-class after her battles in the Soul Society.
No way this wall could hold her for long!
However…
The assassin used this brief opening to charge at Orihime and Rurichiyo!
Orihime knew exactly what the enemy's weapon could do—there was no way she'd block it with her Shun Shun Rikka shield.
She could only run while protecting Rurichiyo.
But Orihime wasn't a frontline fighter. Her stamina was poor, and with a child in tow, she couldn't run far.
In just a few steps, the assassin cut them off again!
That's when Inuzō and Sarugaki arrived on the battlefield.
"Princess Rurichiyo!" they shouted, shielding her and Orihime with their bodies.
The assassin moved in to finish them off—but suddenly, the sound of slicing wind echoed from the side!
The assassin jumped skyward just in time to avoid Rukia's surprise attack!
Ichigo and Senna also arrived on the scene.
Senna smirked. "Told you it wouldn't work. Missed your chance, didn't you?"
Rukia snapped, "Shut it! That was just a misstep. I'll take him down myself!"
She leapt into the air to strike the assassin down with one slash.
But—
The assassin swung his weapon and launched a strange slash!
From a distance, Orihime shouted, "Be careful! His attacks can turn into spiritual walls!"
"What!?"
Rukia tried to dodge, but it was too late—she blocked the strike with her zanpakutō, but the energy wall formed and trapped her blade in midair!
Ichigo and Senna received the same treatment—spiritual walls cutting off their attacks!
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