"That… does sound like something I'd do."
Knowing her own tendencies better than anyone, Yoruichi gave a helpless shrug.
She lifted her seemingly slender right arm and flexed, proudly showing off the muscle beneath.
"Not bad, right? Even without my Zanpakutō, I'm still this strong!"
"How about it—jealous of your big sister's powerful arms?"
Her nerves were thick enough that she instantly forgot the divination Akira had just explained to her.
Fortunately, since she was still considered a premium customer, Kisaragi Akira didn't forget to remind her while kneading her biceps to check the hardness.
"The reading shouldn't be wrong."
"And I'm pretty accurate. Which means the problem isn't the reading—it's your Zanpakutō."
In his memory, Shihōin Yoruichi had never once used her own Zanpakutō.She always relied on hakuda and shunpo, occasionally tossing out a kidō spell.Judging purely by her physical prowess, she could already flatten a crowd of people into the ground without breaking a sweat.
So the result of his divination—Yoruichi punching a Menos Grande's head clean off—was absolutely within the realm of possibility.After all, a certain "unit of measurement" had already proven such feats doable.
Hearing that, Yoruichi planted both hands on the floor, leaning forward as she frowned, confused.
"But… I definitely have a Zanpakutō."
"Something must have happened to it!"
Akira put away the tortoiseshell, now almost covered in cracks. Judging by its state, he could probably use it once more.He casually tossed a low-grade Red Fire Cannon talisman toward a nearby dirt mound—it exploded instantly, carving out a neat little pit.
"I only provide the divination. The reason behind it is something you'll have to figure out yourself."
"Besides, divination isn't all-powerful."
"When using tortoiseshell pyromancy, the reading is determined by the crack patterns and the sounds produced as the shell burns—supposedly the will of the gods made manifest."
"But even gods can make mistakes."
By the end, Akira's expression turned a bit more serious. His sharp black-and-white eyes locked onto hers.
"Fate is the most unstable thing in existence. Do not place blind faith in it."
Their gazes met.Yoruichi stiffened slightly, then sank into contemplation.
"Divination complete. That'll be three thousand kan."
And just like that, Akira shattered the mood—exactly as always.
Yoruichi shot him an irritated glare and snorted."I didn't bring any. Have you ever seen a noble from one of the Five Great Clans carry cash around?"
"We always just—"
"I've seen it." Akira nodded seriously. "That soft-hearted guy Kazuhito always carries money. He bought quite a few talismans from me."
"…Seriously?"Yoruichi froze. Speechless.
To be fair, she never carried money. With Ōmaeda Hishinobu following her everywhere, she rarely had to think about such matters.
But this time… she had slipped out without telling anyone.
Which meant Ōmaeda Hishinobu was probably still scouring Seireitei, desperately looking for her.
"…Then put it on my tab."
Akira didn't mind.Kazuhito's payment from earlier was still partly untouched, and thanks to Mishiro Souya donating part of his family estate to him, his wallet was more than healthy.Charging money was simply part of maintaining his "miko fortune-teller" persona.
After all—who had ever heard of a shrine diviner working for free?
"Ugh, 'put it on my tab' sounds terrible. If people heard that, it'd stain the honor of the entire Shihōin family."
Yoruichi shook her head. Her golden eyes spun mischievously, a foxlike smile spreading across her beautiful face.
"Why don't you just come with me to the Shihōin estate? I'll pay you there!"
"I'll even throw in ten times the amount!"
Before Akira could refuse, her slender hand clamped tightly around his wrist.
Her hand looked delicate—but the strength in it was anything but.
He didn't even have time to resist.Yoruichi simply yanked him, and his entire body was dragged forward as she burst into shunpo.
They streaked across the Spiritual Arts Academy like twin shadows, vaulted over the walls, and disappeared into the vast streets of Seireitei.
Akira considered objecting… but seeing how determined she was, he decided against it.
Besides—this was the Shihōin estate.
One of the most significant places in all of Soul Society.
The probability of it meeting the "sign-in" requirements was extremely high.
Meanwhile—
Not long after they left, a blue-white figure carrying a food box appeared in the back mountains of the Academy.
Aizen glanced around. Feeling his friend's spiritual pressure completely vanish, his brow tightened.
"…Did someone kidnap him?"
.........
A short while later, two figures arrived before a sprawling, opulent mansion radiating wealth and prestige.
The massive vermillion gate bore a plaque with gold-inlaid calligraphy:
Shihōin Clan
Akira also noticed the hexagonal clan crest carved into the side pillars—luxurious yet ancient, carrying a quiet depth of history.
Yoruichi's sudden arrival didn't surprise the guards.To them, this was practically routine.
With a casual greeting, they opened the gate, and Yoruichi led Akira straight inside.
After walking through a wide corridor, they encountered a very familiar face—
The white-hakama instructor of hakuda from the Spiritual Arts Academy:
Ōmaeda Hishinobu.
His broad face was currently twisted with pure panic.
As the acting Captain of Squad Two and future vice-captain, his job was to assist Yoruichi.And yet he had lost track of her. Again.
Although it wasn't the first time, every additional incident gnawed deeper into his guilt.If this kept happening, he could practically see himself writing a resignation letter.
Then he remembered what his own son was like and felt a sudden, crushing despair about life and the darkness of his future.
Strictly speaking, Hishinobu was the most accomplished member of the entire Ōmaeda family.
If someone else were appointed to assist Yoruichi, the whole clan would probably get demoted to the Rukongai—maybe even thrown into the Dangai.
"Lady Yoruichi! You're safe!"
Seeing Yoruichi unharmed, Hishinobu finally exhaled.But moments later, he spotted a certain familiar figure looking around curiously, eyes darting everywhere.
"KISARAGI! AKIRA!"
"Sensei, long time no see," Akira said with a pleasant smile. He genuinely liked Hishinobu.Sure, his son was mediocre, but the man himself was strong, dutiful, and aside from boasting about his family's assets, nearly flawless.
"'Long time no see' my ass!"
"Other than yesterday and today, I teach class every single day!"
"You skip classes constantly, and you even dared skip the final exam!"
Hishinobu didn't dare raise his voice at Yoruichi—but scolding his own student? That he could do.Even if said student had a reputation for beating up teachers.
"…Uh."Akira froze, eyes going blank.
Because Hishinobu repeated material constantly to accommodate slower students, Akira had stopped attending ages ago.He either trained under a waterfall with weights or experimented with new kidō formulas.
"Haha, come on now—it's fine, Hishinobu."
Yoruichi wrapped one arm around Akira's shoulders, grinning proudly.
"Akira is my invited guest today!"