Shihōin Family Shrine
Blue-gray bricks, dark tiled roofs, and elegantly upturned eaves—the ancient shrine stood quietly beneath a lattice of sunlight, dust drifting lazily in the air, giving the place a muted, indescribable aura of mystery.
"This is where the family's Zanpakutō is enshrined," Yoruichi explained. "Until it recognizes its chosen wielder, no one is allowed to take it from the shrine."
Both sides of the walkway were lined with black-clad Shinigami—fully masked, fully still. Their presence had been suppressed to such an extreme that if Yoruichi hadn't mentioned them, Akira wouldn't have sensed a thing.
Not even a flicker of spiritual pressure.
"Stop staring. It's one of the secret arts of the Stealth Force," Yoruichi added with a grin. "Once you join the Second Division, I'll teach you myself."
With that, she grabbed Kisaragi Akira's hand and marched boldly toward the shrine.
"You're awfully sure I'm joining Second Division," Akira said, confused. "Captain Unohana offered some pretty tempting conditions."
Yoruichi shot him a sidelong look, snorted, and said:
"I can't speak for everyone, but judging by the limits of your self-control…there's no way you'll turn down the conditions I offered."
After a few interactions, she had already figured him out. As long as you hit the right pressure points, Kisaragi Akira was easy to reel in.
Such was the talent of the Shihōin heiress—mastery of people and situations.
"Lady Yoruichi."
As they reached the doors, the shrine guards bowed respectfully.
"I'm taking a friend inside to settle the Zanpakutō issue," she said casually, waving a hand.
Much to Akira's surprise, the guards just let them in—no questioning, no checks, no second inspection.
"…Is security at the Shihōin family shrine always this laid-back?" he asked. "At this rate, even I could do it."
Yoruichi laughed."It's only because too many people have been coming through recently. Not just you—Captain Yamamoto, Captain Tsunayashiro, Captain Unohana… all of them came to deal with the Zanpakutō problem."
Ah.So the guards were simply worn down from repetition.
The two stepped smoothly into the inner shrine.
Akira hadn't expected the layout to resemble the Reversed-Bone Shrine so closely—the only difference was the central platform, where a Zanpakutō was embedded into a jagged spire of stone.
On both sides of the blade were the memorial tablets of the past Shihōin patriarchs.
Akira counted twenty-one plaques.
Yoruichi would be the twenty-second head.Which meant the previous twenty-one… were all gone.
No wonder the family elders were in such a panic.
With noble clans in Soul Society constantly feuding, if the Shihōin failed to establish a new leader soon, some rival faction would certainly move to erase or absorb them entirely.
"Almost forgot—do you need anything for the exorcism?" Yoruichi asked suddenly, turning around. "The priests of the Ise family always prepare half a shrine's worth of items—incense, ofuda, sacred wands, stones, mini altars… If you need anything I can have someone bring it."
Akira waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. I'm not like those second-rate shrine priests."
"…But I will need your help."
As he said that, he pulled from his empty sleeve—an entire set of Shinto priest vestments, then ritual wands, incense sticks, cinnabar ink, brushes, even a full offering table.
Yoruichi's expression froze.She stared.She blinked.
Then she immediately leaned forward and started patting down Akira's torso and sleeves, hands roaming everywhere as she tried to locate whatever pocket dimension he was hiding things in.
She found nothing.
"Where do you even keep all this stuff?!"
"Trade secret," Akira replied without even looking up—he was busy rummaging through the system inventory for something he'd obtained from a previous sign-in.
"…Ah, found it."
In Yoruichi's stunned gaze, he reached into his chest pocket and pulled out—
A brand-new miko outfit.
Cat-shocked Yoruichi.exe crashed on the spot.
Of all things, she did not understand this.Okay, fine—ritual items were normal for a priest.But why in the world did he carry a shrine maiden outfit around like everyday luggage?!
"Here. Put it on."
Akira held out the miko outfit toward the frozen girl.
"…"
She didn't respond.So he calmly stuffed the outfit into her arms and began changing into his own priest garments.
He was already extremely familiar with Mimi-Hagi rituals, but formality was important.And besides… this exorcism was definitely not going to be easy.
The moment they stepped into the shrine, Akira could feel a heavy oppressive force saturating the air. The reishi density had been forcibly compressed to near zero—as if something was actively suppressing it.
Watching Akira change like he owned the place, Yoruichi looked increasingly conflicted.
"…Fine, I'll change over there!"
Flustered, she darted into a shadowed corner of the shrine, rustling as she changed.
When she stepped back into view, even Akira couldn't help but blink.
Her long violet hair spilled down her back, her lightly flushed cheeks showing a mix of reluctance and embarrassment.The red-and-white miko outfit contrasted beautifully against her warm, sun-kissed skin—creating a surprising charm that she clearly wasn't used to.
She probably wore tight suits and stealth uniforms so often that the loose miko attire felt alien to her—especially since the hakama tied a bit too snugly, outlining a graceful curve at her waist.
And then there were the two soft arcs hinted at beneath the top and her smooth, slender arms…
"Perfect. Miko-Yoruichi gets a thumbs-up from me."
Akira raised a hand approvingly, staring openly.At this point, hiding his nature was pointless—better to just appreciate the view.
Black and white together really did make a stunning picture.
For a moment, he even found himself looking forward to life in Second Division.
Yoruichi spread her arms out, turning lightly as if getting used to the feel of the outfit—clearly struggling with the sudden change from form-fitting uniforms to a loose ceremonial robe.
"Alright," Akira declared with a sweeping gesture, "everything is ready. Time to begin the exorcism ritual!"
Incense flared to life atop the offering table.A phantom wind stirred through the shrine.
Exorcism or not, it was also a form of divine invocation.
As for what exactly was wrong with the Zanpakutō—Akira didn't have enough specialized knowledge to diagnose it.
But that was fine.He had a secret weapon.
Summon help.
He gently shook a ritual bell.Clear, bright chimes rang across the dark shrine.
"In the name of Kisaragi Akira, Shrine Priest—I offer this ceremony to the One-Eyed Great Deity… Mimi-Hagi-sama."
His fingers danced like butterflies in a storm, forming intricate seals at blinding speed.As he chanted, spiritual pressure surged from him in heavy waves.
A deep, resonant boom echoed from the altar.
In Yoruichi's wide-eyed stare, an enormous, sacred black shadow rose behind Akira—an oppressive divine silhouette towering over him.Reishi warped violently in all directions.
Tendrils of black crept through the shrine, spreading like ink into water—drowning the entire hall in an abyss of darkness.
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