"Little White, you're nowhere near as cute as before—you used to call me Yoruichi-nee."
Yoruichi eyed Byakuya in annoyance.
Byakuya's face darkened. "Shut it, cat-demon. I don't know any savage woman who greets me by kicking me across the yard."
He glanced at Soi Fong, Cole, and Orihime, frowning. "Why are you together? Don't tell me you're about to start something."
One Cole was trouble enough.
Add Yoruichi and Soul Society wouldn't survive the week.
Cole's eyes gleamed. "Little White, where's Rukia? We're about to pull a big one—bring her too."
Metal rang—"clang!"
Cole caught Byakuya's sudden strike without budging.
Byakuya's face went black. "Human, who are you calling 'Little White'?"
"Alright, alright, don't sweat the details," Yoruichi said, bright with mischief. "We're going to the Tsunayashiro estate to make trouble. You don't get along with them either—want to come play?"
"Tsunayashiro?" Byakuya frowned. "They are one of Seireitei's Four Great Noble Houses. Raising a ruckus there violates—"
"Don't forget what happened back then. I'm here out of the goodness of my heart to push you into taking revenge," Yoruichi said, displeased.
A hundred years ago, when the Shiba family was expelled from Seireitei, the Kuchiki family tried to help—only to be ambushed by the Tsunayashiro. Byakuya's grandfather, Ginrei, was gravely injured. Afterward, the Tsunayashiro smoothed it over with a crooked Central 46 ruling.
Byakuya thought a moment. "It's past. Don't bring it up. If you want to go, go yourselves." He turned for the room. "Rukia is resting in the side chamber."
"Perfect!"
Yoruichi grinned, dragging the three straight to Rukia's room.
Soi Fong pouted at Byakuya. "Yoruichi-sama, Captain Byakuya didn't agree to come with us."
"You don't know Little White," Yoruichi shook her head. "He's a tsundere. Not refusing is already agreeing. He'll sneak over later."
Cole nodded solemnly. "Hard to climb ranks with tsundere this season—you get read like a book."
"Rukia, let's go!"
They seized the bewildered Rukia and pushed her along toward the Tsunayashiro grounds.
"W-wait—what are we even doing? Where are we going!?" Rukia flustered.
Soon, they arrived at the Tsunayashiro estate—its buildings even grander and more refined than the Shihouin's, exuding a scholarly air.
When Cole asked why, Yoruichi waved it off. "Of course. The Shihouin hold the Punishment Corps and Onmitsukidō. That's nothing compared to the Tsunayashiro controlling the Great Spirit Book Gallery."
Cole understood.
Warriors versus courtiers.
The former get few chances to skim; the latter live on skimming.
"In that case, I won't be shy."
He licked his lips and pressed both palms to a wall carved with book motifs.
In a breath, the wall dissolved into blue spirit energy and poured into him.
Soi Fong peered close. "How is it? Is the reishi here richer? The carvings are so exquisite."
Cole planted his hands on the opposite wall. "Reishi is reishi. Fancy engravings all go down the same."
Rukia watched their surroundings, tense. "Yoruichi-sama, is this really okay? This is the Tsunayashiro. We're… stealing from nobles."
Yoruichi stepped out of a room with arms full of gold and jewels, grinning. "It's fine as long as we don't get caught. Worst case, we blame Aizen."
Poor Aizen…
Cole spared him two seconds of silence, then happily kept absorbing.
The more he absorbed, the more elated he became.
He'd already chewed Seireitei to pieces—everywhere was rubble; finding reishi to absorb was a chore.
But the Tsunayashiro were different.
Whether flaunting noble pomp, or simply stockpiling for ages—whatever the reasons—everywhere here were structures, towering and lavish. Even empty, they were built to dazzle.
Anyone would mistake this for a royal palace.
Cole, though, was overjoyed. There were just too many buildings. Too close. Too big.
He'd stumbled into an ocean of spirit energy.
In under a minute, two walls and three great halls winked out of existence.
Yoruichi and the others stared.
A humanoid bulldozer.
Nothing survived his pass.
Good thing the Head-Captain was farsighted—if Cole stayed any longer, all Seireitei would be eaten hollow.
A few Tsunayashiro servants wandered over, puzzled at the open ground. "Wasn't there a street and buildings here? No one said anything about new construction…"
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
They collapsed on the spot.
Behind them, Yoruichi, Rukia, Soi Fong, and Orihime lowered clenched fists. Yoruichi and Soi Fong looked unfazed; Rukia and Orihime were flushed—whether from nerves or excitement.
"This is my first time ambushing someone from behind."
"Mine too."
Perched on a wall, Yoruichi pumped a fist. "Cole, harder! Strip this whole block!"
Soi Fong chimed in. "Hurry, hurry—knock every building down!"
Buoyed by cheers, Cole worked even faster, hands flying—he wished he had eight.
A buffet.
A free buffet.
With pretty girls urging him to eat more.
When had he ever fought such a rich battle?
He had to go all out.
Night fell quickly.
By then, Cole had devoured seventy-nine walls, sixty-two great halls, eighteen flowerbeds, and tens of thousands of reishi floor-tiles.
Swaying her little legs atop a wall, Soi Fong fretted. "Cole, you won't… explode, will you?"
These were all compressed reishi. Ordinary shinigami would refill their tanks with a few tiles. Cole had sucked up the equivalent of thousands of captains' worth.
"Relax. We're only getting started."
He waved both hands and kept drawing in wall after wall.
With more and more empty space, even the Tsunayashiro couldn't stay oblivious.
Angry shouts converged from all sides.
"Which bastard is rampaging in our Tsunayashiro estate!"
"Destroying a noble domain—how dare he!"
"Seize him! Throw him into Muken Hell!"
They didn't even need Cole. Yoruichi and the others handled the servants easily.
"Bang! Bang! Bang…"
Bodies fell one after another.
In the midst of it, Cole saw red sakura drifting through the night sky.
"Thanks, Little White!"
He waved at the blossoms.
They flew on without a backward glance—just like Byakuya.
"Bang!"
Another servant down.
Rukia lifted the flat of her blade, surprised. "Yoruichi-sama, are Tsunayashiro shinigami really this weak?"
Unlike the Kuchiki, Shihouin, and Ise, the Tsunayashiro had no Gotei 13 posts. They were mysterious; no one knew their true depths.
"Don't underestimate them," Yoruichi said, smiling. "They also possess artifacts."
Rukia nodded. In Seireitei, each of the five great houses had its own artifact—every one with uncanny powers.
Soi Fong added, "And not just artifacts—the Tsunayashiro have strong fighters too. They just haven't shown yet."
As they spoke, a surge of spiritual pressure boiled from deep within the estate.
Two or three near-captain-level auras raced toward them.
"They're coming!"
Yoruichi barked, "Cole, Rukia, Orihime—run. Whatever you do, don't get caught."
Cole's hands itched. He wanted to see what those so-called artifacts could do. How would they compare to Ryujin Jakka (Flowing Blade Like Fire)?
"No," Yoruichi grabbed his arm. "If they confirm who you are, your enemies won't just be the Tsunayashiro. The entire Gotei 13 will move."
Cole could only leave, regretful.
After they slipped away, several Tsunayashiro powerhouses arrived. Faced with the vast emptiness—no bricks left, just bare ground—they nearly spat blood.
"It was that human shinigami from Seireitei—had to be. I heard he loves absorbing compressed reishi."
"That lowly wretch dared ruin the Tsunayashiro!"
"He had accomplices. Who were they!?"
"Doesn't matter. Report to the Head-Captain. Have him arrest that damned human."
"But I caught their profiles—why did they look like Shihouin Yoruichi-sama and… Kuchiki Rukia?"
…
The matter reached Yamamoto soon enough. Hearing what those brats had done, Yamamoto's eyelid twitched; his grip tightened on the cane.
"That damned human punk…"
He'd warned Cole only two days ago.
And the brat immediately stirred up a hornet's nest.
Beside him, the recovered Chojiro asked carefully, "Head-Captain, what should we do?"
"Hrmph. What can we do? Arrest those brats ourselves?" Yamamoto snorted.
Per the Tsunayashiro report, the intruders were Cole, Shihouin Yoruichi, Rukia, Soi Fong… with hints of Byakuya mixed in.
"We haven't confirmed identities. Investigate first. Decide after," Yamamoto said, cold.
"Yes."
Chojiro bowed.
Late that night, the Tsunayashiro heard the Head-Captain's answer—and nearly burst their lungs.
"Not confirmed," was it?
Who in Seireitei didn't know a starving ghost came from the Living World and almost ate the Gotei 13?
Elsewhere—
After saying his goodbyes, Cole returned to Second Division and, seeing the gentle older-sister figure on the bed, blinked.
"Miss Hana?"
Unohana slipped her arms around him, licking her lips. She breathed into his ear, "Cole-kun, my body's a little itchy. Could you treat me?"
Blood thundered through Cole's veins. Without hesitation, the shameless doctor pounced, conquering that luscious figure.
The night passed without words.
The following days were the same.
Sleeping by day; at night, siphoning the Tsunayashiro—then, late-late night, "treating" Unohana and "comforting" Orihime.
On the seventh day—
It was time for Cole to leave.
Gazing at the Senkaimon, then back at the tearfully excited shinigami behind him, Cole couldn't help but sigh, heartfelt. "Honestly, I want to stay another half-month."
Yamamoto finally lost patience and cracked his cane across Cole's back. "Enough, brat. Give you two more days and you'll eat the rest of the Four Great Houses' estates bare."
The Tsunayashiro had pestered him daily about Cole's departure. Give that brat two more weeks and not a single floor-tile would remain.
As Cole stepped into the gate, Ichigo and the others hustled after.
Rukia, reluctant, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Cole! When you die, I'll personally come for you. Then we'll be together forever!"
Cole: "…"
He stared, lines filling his forehead.
She wasn't wrong.
But it sounded… off.
He was still alive, and someone was already planning for after his death?
Just as the gate was closing, Unohana stepped in with a smile. "Head-Captain, I'll be taking… about a hundred years of leave."
(End of Chapter)
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