The door to the medical room was pushed open. Ryūken Ishida and Soifon walked side by side down the stairs to the living room.
Two small figures were sitting side by side on the sofa. They weren't playing or talking, just staring blankly at the gray sky and the continuous curtain of rain outside the window.
When they heard footsteps, two pairs of eyes turned simultaneously. They ran to the foot of the stairs, looking up at the adults...
"Father..." Uryū Ishida asked with cautious probing. "Mother, she..."
Ichigo Kurosaki also tightly gripped the corner of Soifon's clothes.
Soifon crouched down on the last step of the stairs. She reached out and gently rubbed their heads. Uryū Ishida immediately looked at his father.
"Mn, she's fine now."
Behind Soifon, Ryūken Ishida remained silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding his head.
The shoulders of the two children visibly relaxed, and they followed the two adults into the living room.
Simple dishes were set on the Ishida family dining table.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, with only the soft clinking of cutlery and the sound of rain outside. Seeing Soifon eating with relish, Ryūken Ishida hesitated to speak, putting down his knife and fork only to pick them up again.
Finally, after drinking half a glass of lemonade, he broke the silence.
"Captain Soifon, why were Uryū, myself, and my father..."
"Because you are pure-blooded Quincys. Yhwach's target for this Auswählen was the mixed-bloods."
"Kanae Katagiri goes without saying, and since Masaki Kurosaki was eroded by the power of a Hollow, her bloodline is no longer pure either."
Soifon answered before he could finish.
Immediately after, she asked Ryūken Ishida a question: "By the way, I wonder where Mr. Sōken is right now?"
Soifon had been thinking about the other party's Key to the Gate of the Sun for a long time. After all, she was a Quincy now; how could she not go on a pilgrimage to the holy land of the Quincys?
"Father, he..." Ryūken Ishida put down his glass. "I don't know where he went either, but he occasionally comes back to teach Uryū some Quincy techniques."
Having his train of thought interrupted by Soifon, Ryūken Ishida pondered Soifon's earlier words once he regained his composure.
—Mixed-bloods?!
Suddenly, he turned his head to stare at his son, who was cutting a steak.
Isn't Uryū also a mixed-blood?!
The two children beside them listened silently. Although they couldn't understand what "pure-blood" or "mixed-blood" meant, they managed to sort out a simple narrative logic:
A Quincy named Yhwach used something called 'Auswählen' to put their mothers in hospital beds.
The next morning, at the entrance of the Ishida villa.
Masaki Kurosaki was already able to get out of bed and walk on her own, though her face was still somewhat pale. Kanae Katagiri's condition was a bit worse, but she had also regained consciousness.
However, although they were spared the persecution of the Silver Thrombosis, their Quincy powers had completely disappeared. They could now only be considered ordinary humans with spiritual power.
Meanwhile, Isshin Kurosaki had only received the notification from Ryūken Ishida this morning and had rushed over in a hurry.
After hearing the sequence of events from Ryūken Ishida, Isshin Kurosaki bowed solemnly to Soifon:
"Captain Soifon... The Kurosaki family and the Shiba family will engrave this kindness in our hearts."
Soifon accepted the other party's gratitude as a matter of course, but she still added a teasing remark: "I heard that Captain Shiba has married into the Kurosaki family now. Is the promise of the Shiba family still valid?"
"Perhaps it's still of some use over with Kukaku and Ganju..."
Isshin Kurosaki scratched his cheek and stood up straight, looking awkward.
"Forget it. However, I am the one who needs to remind you of something..."
"I hope you do not leak what happened yesterday. Especially to that fellow Kisuke Urahara—don't let him know."
Soifon's gaze slowly swept over Ryūken, Isshin, Masaki, and the two children present.
Before parting ways, Soifon stopped the Kurosaki couple.
"The potential of this child, Ichigo... I think you should be clear about it."
Soifon wasn't looking at Masaki, but at Isshin. She understood that Isshin Kurosaki, who used all his Shinigami powers to suppress White, knew exactly how strong his son's power was.
"If possible, we still want Ichigo to be an ordinary person."
Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki looked at each other and gave Soifon their answer.
And Ichigo Kurosaki did not oppose his parents' opinion, merely looking at the weak Masaki with concern from time to time.
"Is that so..."
Seeming to have known their answer long ago, Soifon took out a model of the latest Soul Pager dedicated for the World of the Living and handed it over.
"It has both distress signal and protection functions. It can stall for time until rescue arrives, though I hope you won't need to use it."
Finally, Soifon rubbed Ichigo Kurosaki's head, leaving the boy with an image as gentle as possible.
Returning to the living room, Soifon heard the sound of the father and son arguing as soon as she entered the door.
Standing in the shadows to eavesdrop for a while, Soifon roughly sorted out the whole story.
Uryū Ishida wanted to find Ryūken to learn Quincy arts in order to protect his mother, but he was rejected by his father.
"You don't have that talent. Give up."
"Grandfather used to... be willing to teach me."
"The past is the past, and now is now. Your grandfather isn't here. He would teach you; I will not."
With Ryūken Ishida's refusal, the atmosphere in the living room suddenly became somewhat stiff.
Just then, Soifon deliberately made her footsteps audible.
Sensing her approach, Ryūken Ishida turned his head apologetically: "Apologies, Captain Soifon. I let you see something laughable."
Soifon shook her head and walked to the center of the living room.
She looked at the stalemated father and son, her gaze finally landing on Ryūken.
"Escaping is useless, Ryūken." Soifon paused. "Uryū has the potential. I can see it."
Hearing this, Ryūken Ishida frowned slightly. He kept some impolite words suppressed in his heart and didn't say them out loud.
How can a Shinigami see the potential of a Quincy...
Buzz—
Just as he was thinking this, Soifon raised her right hand, her five fingers grasping at the void. Azure blue Reishi instantly gathered in her palm.
In the blink of an eye, a Spirit Bow, even taller than Soifon herself, appeared in her hand, illuminating the living room.
The expression on Ryūken Ishida's face solidified; Uryū also opened his mouth wide. It was the first time he had seen a Spirit Bow of such size.
Undoubtedly, this was not some paper tiger pieced together with flashy tricks, but a genuine Quincy Spirit Bow.
"Since you won't teach..." Soifon spoke slowly. "Then I will take responsibility for teaching him."
Taking a few deep breaths to suppress the urge to attack, Ryūken Ishida shielded Uryū behind him.
"Why?" Ryūken Ishida finally asked, his voice containing suppressed anger. "Why hide your identity as a Quincy... and approach us?"
Retracting the Spirit Bow, Soifon raised an objection to Ryūken Ishida's accusation:
"To be precise, I only awakened the Quincy abilities after coming into contact with you all."
"Secondly, whether as a Shinigami or a Quincy, our goals are consistent."
"—Yhwach must die."
____
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