LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 163 – Hakuro Party
Thus, on a dark night, driven by the need to survive, Hisana abandoned Rukia.
As fate would have it, she encountered Byakuya Kuchiki that very same night.
Though Byakuya's strength had grown considerably in the years since, the memory that remained etched in his mind was of the time when he was a teenager, and Uncle Ailin had taken him to the Rukongai, demonstrating the power achievable through mastering the four Shinigami arts.
Since then, Byakuya had diligently practiced his skills every night after completing his duties at the 6th Division.
Meeting Hisana was both a coincidence and an inevitability.
Once, Hisana had abandoned her sister to survive.
Now, would she have to abandon Byakuya for the same reason?
Hisana looked up at Byakuya, standing beside her.
Uncle Ailin was right. Byakuya appeared intelligent, but at times, his stubbornness made him seem foolish.
For a moment, Byakuya's image blurred, morphing into that of her younger sister.
"Sigh..."
Hisana's heart ached, but a smile soon appeared on her face.
"Uncle, even if I only have a few years left, I choose to spend them with Byakuya. I'm not afraid of death!"
"Hisana, you..." Byakuya began, but Hisana embraced him tightly.
"Lord Byakuya, please don't say anything. This is my decision. I'm glad I took this step. You should be happy for me, Lord Byakuya."
"Yes," Byakuya nodded, holding her close.
"Ugh!" Ailin nearly kicked Byakuya out of the room, exasperated by their public display of affection.
"Fine, since you've both made your decision, I won't interfere any further," he said. Take Hisana to see your aunt later. I'm going out for a walk."
With that, Ailin vanished from the room...
...
"Time flies," Ailin thought as he walked away from the Kuchiki Manor, heading towards an izakaya in the cosmmercial district. "Byakuya is getting married already..."
He was feeling down and decided to seek out Captain Shunsui Kyoraku for a drink...
Byakuya's marriage was naturally a matter of concern for Ailin. However, Hisana wasn't his ideal choice for a niece-in-law.
He preferred Hisana's younger sister, Rukia!
Ailin didn't know much about Hisana, but what little he did know left him with a negative impression.
He could understand abandoning Rukia to survive. In those circumstances, keeping Rukia might have resulted in her starving to death before Hisana. After all, Hisana was a mere soul, requiring only water to sustain her existence, while Rukia, with her reiatsu, would experience hunger.
However, what bothered Ailin was that Hisana, even after marrying into the Kuchiki clan, never mentioned Rukia to Byakuya.
It was only on her deathbed that she revealed Rukia's existence, asking Byakuya to find her sister and care for her in her stead.
What kind of behavior was that?
If Hisana truly wanted to care for Rukia, why hadn't she told Byakuya sooner?
With the Kuchiki clan's resources, Rukia would have been reunited with Hisana within days if she had simply spoken up.
And that's exactly what happened. After Hisana's death, Byakuya found Rukia at the Shin'ō Academy within a few days and adopted her as his "younger sister."
Ailin preferred Rukia over Hisana. In his previous life, he had been a staunch supporter of the "Hakuro" pairing – Byakuya and Rukia.
He disregarded Rukia's childhood friendship with Renji Abarai and her experiences with Ichigo Kurosaki...
The abilities of Rukia's Zanpakuto alone revealed her true feelings for Byakuya.
A Zanpakuto was formed by nurturing the "spirit" within an Asauchi with the Shinigami's own soul. In a sense, a Zanpakuto's abilities reflected the deepest desires of its wielder.
Renji Abarai had always been a natural leader, and after Rukia was adopted by the Kuchiki clan, he yearned for the strength to stand before Byakuya as an equal and face Rukia with confidence.
He desired to become a powerful "king," protecting Rukia from harm.
Hence, Renji's Zanpakuto was the "Baboon King," symbolizing strength, and "Zabimaru," representing encirclement and protection.
Upon entering the Royal Guard, Ichibei Hyosube informed Renji that his Zanpakuto's name was incorrect. However, Ailin believed that Ichibei had simply changed the name of "Zabimaru" to "Snake King" to bolster Soul Society's forces.
This change granted Renji a more powerful Bankai, "Sōō Zabimaru," but the aspect of protection represented by "Zabimaru" had vanished.
And what about the abilities of Rukia's Zanpakuto?
Some no mai, Tsukishiro
Tsugi no mai, Hakuren
San no mai, Shirafune
Ju no mai, Hakka no Togame
Bankai, Hakka no Togame
All her abilities contained the character "Shiro" – white.
Byakuya Kuchiki's "Shiro."
Although Rukia's understanding of her Zanpakuto's abilities shifted towards "absolute zero" after returning from the Soul King Palace, Ailin believed this was simply Rukia acknowledging the impossibility of her feelings for Byakuya and freezing her own heart as a result.
Arriving at the izakaya where he often drank with Shunsui Kyoraku, Ailin found his friend absent.
He ordered a bottle of sake, feeling dejected. Who would have thought that the original wife would appear before his chosen niece-in-law even entered the picture?
Ailin recalled that Byakuya had met Hisana after the death of Ginrei Kuchiki. The grief and responsibility that weighed heavily on Byakuya's shoulders had led him to unconsciously seek escape from Soul Society.
And it was in the Rukongai that he encountered Hisana.
With Hisana's support, Byakuya emerged from the shadows of his sorrow, and they eventually became husband and wife.
Now, with Ailin's presence in this world, Ginrei Kuchiki had been killed by Tokinada decades earlier than in the original timeline. Ailin had assumed that Byakuya and Hisana's paths would never cross. Yet, despite the altered course of fate, their destinies had still intertwined.
As Ailin finished his drink, his mood lightened slightly.
Perhaps without Hisana, Byakuya wouldn't have noticed Rukia.
However, if Byakuya still intended to adopt Rukia as his "younger sister" after Hisana's death, he would have to seek Ailin's approval...
This time, the "Hakuro" party would prevail!
"Hehehe..." Ailin chuckled to himself, unable to contain his amusement.
"Oh? What has you so happy, Ailin?" a familiar voice called out. "I just arrived, and I already find you giggling to yourself."
"Hahaha, it's you, Kyoraku." Ailin turned to see Shunsui Kyoraku entering the izakaya, his pink haori draped over his shoulders.
Behind him followed Nanao Ise, holding a book in her arms.
"Now, this is just unfair, Kyoraku," Ailin frowned after greeting his friend. "Nanao is still young. How could you bring her to an izakaya? Are you treating her properly?"
Kyoraku sighed and sat down opposite Ailin. "Believe me, Captain Ailin, I wouldn't bring her here if I had a choice. But I've tried everything, and I can't escape Nanao-chan's watchful eye..."
"Tsk, so Nanao is the one keeping an eye on you? Then it's fine," Ailin's response perfectly demonstrated his double standards.
So, it was unacceptable for him to bring Nanao to an izakaya, but it was perfectly alright for her to monitor Kyoraku?
Ailin turned his attention to Nanao, his smile softening. "Nanao, has this guy been treating you poorly? Tell Uncle Ailin, and I'll teach him a lesson."
"Please spare me, Captain Ailin," Kyoraku pleaded, "I don't want to show up at the division with a swollen face tomorrow..."
"Get lost, I wasn't talking to you," Ailin waved him away dismissively.
"Uncle Ailin, don't worry, I'm doing well at the 8th Division," Nanao assured him, a smile appearing on her face as she watched her two closest elders bicker playfully. Despite the injustices of the world, she knew there were still people who cared for her.
"Nanao, your strength is a bit lacking," Ailin observed. Seeing Hisana earlier had reminded him that the main storyline of Bleach was only a few decades away. And Nanao's strength...
"Kyoraku, how are you doing as an uncle?" Ailin questioned. "Nanao has been with you for so many years, and her reiatsu hasn't even reached the level of a vice-captain."
"Yare yare, Captain Ailin, you're mistaken," Kyoraku raised his hands in surrender, anticipating another lecture from Ailin. "Since Nanao-chan took over the intelligence department, she's dedicated most of her energy to gathering and analyzing information. Her current level of strength is the result of my best efforts to get her to train."
"Is that so?" Ailin glanced at Nanao, seeing no objection from her, and knew that Kyoraku was likely telling the truth.
He didn't need Kyoraku to explain why Nanao prioritized intelligence gathering.
Decades ago, Nanao's father had been killed in an attack, and her mother had committed suicide out of grief.
Since then, Nanao had been gathering information about the individuals responsible for her father's death.
Although her father's death was related to the curse of the Ise clan's heirloom, the "Eight Mirror Sword," a curse was a curse, and the perpetrators still deserved punishment.
The 8th Division was the intelligence unit. Only here did Nanao have a chance of finding information related to her father's murder.
In her pursuit of the truth, Nanao had neglected her own training.
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