By the time the meeting ended, all the instructors wore heavy expressions, many with tightly furrowed brows.
It had to be said—
Those from the Rukongai knew far too little about the world.
So little, in fact, that Shihōin Senju's mere glimpse into its true scale had left them inexplicably unsettled.
Some couldn't help but wonder—
Could Genryūsai really lead them to exterminate all the nobles of the Soul Society?
He was undoubtedly powerful.
But in the span of a million years, had the Soul Society never produced someone stronger?
The mere emergence of such thoughts was enough to shake the confidence they had built through countless victories.
After all, the Five Great Noble Families still stood.
As they had for a million years.
Yet, faced with this wavering morale, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni remained seated, his expression calm.
Almost as if he had anticipated this very reaction.
Only Fujimiya Seiichi watched the scene with a quiet sigh.
Before a person truly succeeds, no one can be certain they'll keep winning forever.
Even if that person is Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Thud.
Finally, the old man's ancient scabbard struck the wooden floor once more, its deep, hollow resonance filling the hall.
He opened his eyes, surveying the instructors.
"Does anyone else have questions?"
"..."
The dojo remained silent.
Those with brains were busy strategizing; those without hadn't been listening in the first place.
"If that's the case, this meeting is adjourned."
With that, the old man rose and retreated into the inner chambers.
The instructors dispersed.
Though no one spoke, an unspoken tension lingered in the air.
Fujimiya was just thinking this when—
"Haaaah~"
The rugged-faced Obana Danjirō let out an exaggerated yawn.
"Hic—hic—"
Zenteiji Uhin, who had been sneakily eating pork cracklings under the table, hiccupped.
…Okay, maybe not that much tension.
Some people were still perfectly relaxed.
Fujimiya turned to the visibly troubled instructors—the ones who had been paying attention—and concluded that he was probably the most at-ease among all the sane people present.
Also, it's been a while since I went home. I should check how Kirio and Senjumaru are getting along.
But the moment he stepped outside, a hand yanked his sleeve.
"U-um… Fujimiya -kun."
He blinked, turning to see Takatori Hōzuki standing behind him, her cheeks faintly flushed.
The soft curves of her face, framed by her glasses, gave her a youthful charm, but her posture was stiff—hands clasped nervously in front of her, inadvertently emphasizing the considerable topography hidden beneath her black robes.
Her fingers pinched the edge of his sleeve like a lovestruck girl mustering the courage to speak to her crush—gently, hesitantly, as if afraid to pull too hard.
"C-could you… come with me for a bit?"
She glanced at the passing instructors and trainees, clearly uncomfortable with public interactions, and whispered:
"...There's something I want to talk about."
Fujimiya 's steps froze.
A certain memory resurfaced.
Before he could respond, Shigyō Take no Mikoto—pale as a consumptive ghost—whirled around, eyes bulging.
"T-this brat!"
"He's actually got game?!"
"Last time I tried talking to that girl, I was this close to getting sliced!"
Gen'ō Kinroku adjusted his glasses with a sneer. "With a face like yours, anyone with eyes would want to take a swing."
"Ha!"
"You wanna fight, punk?!"
"Bring it on!"
"Back when I ruled North Rukongai, your mom hadn't even changed genders yet!"
"You son of a—!"
Before anyone could fully enjoy Fujimiya 's predicament, another spectacle erupted.
But he was already being dragged into a shadowy corner by Takatori, who looked up at him with eyes full of desperate hope.
"Fujimiya -kun… You've had so many days off. You must have finished all the chapters you owe me by now, right?"
"Can you give them to me now? I-I've been waiting forever."
"Oh! How about tonight?"
"I'll wait for you at the usual place."
Fujimiya 's expression twisted into something complicated.
Hōzuki was, of course, talking about his novel serialization—the "usual place" being the newly built library.
But for the past few months, he'd been busy massacring people in the Rukongai. Updating his novel was the last thing on his mind.
Fighting for your life isn't exactly conducive to creative writing.
Now, however, the situation had changed.
A powerful, temperamental, and eagerly waiting reader was standing before him. If she found out her favorite author had spent months slacking off and brawling instead of writing a single word—
What would she do?
Forcing a smile, Fujimiya patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"The new chapters? Oh, I've been writing them nonstop during my recovery! A-any day now!"
"But, y'know, writer's block is a real thing, so… maybe give me another, uh, one-two-three-four days?"
"Tell you what!"
"Next week! Next week, I'll definitely have the drafts ready!"
"..."
"Oh?"
Hōzuki's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. Her sweet, fair face darkened as if shadows had swallowed it whole, her voice dropping an octave.
"Fujimiya . Kun."
"We had a deal, didn't we?"
"Three chapters a day."
Thud.
She slammed a hand against the wall, caging him in. Her glasses slid down her nose, revealing murderous eyes as she leaned in, her considerable assets swaying perilously close under the loose white haori.
Her breath was warm against his skin.
But Fujimiya had zero mental bandwidth to appreciate the view.
"Fujimiya -kun."
Her tone was eerily calm.
"You do know what happens when you break our agreement, right?"
Yet, the more dire the situation, the calmer one must remain.
Back against the wall, Fujimiya took a deep breath and summoned his kindest protagonist smile.
"Hōzuki, you've got to trust me!"
But just as he mustered every ounce of his "yasashii" charm to weasel his way out—
"Hmm? Are you sure that's okay?"
The voice came from the battered sword at his waist, adorned with one white and one pink tabi.
But this time, it wasn't the usual lewd, unhinged, yandere gremlin voice—
It was the older sister persona.
The one who had broken him with a single sentence last time.
Her tone was soft, rational, and infuriatingly casual as she mused:
"Heeeh~ But Fujimiya -kun, everything you just said was a lie, wasn't it?"
"Unohana-san mentioned you'll be leaving for another mission next week, right? You won't even be at the Genji School."
"If Hōzuki-chan believes you, something terrible might happen later~"
"Fujimiya , you should really start catching up from Chapter One."
Her helpful reminder hung in the air.
Both Fujimiya and Hōzuki heard it.
For a split second, Fujimiya 's heart stopped.
[SOUL SOCIETY EXPLETIVE]—
Hōzuki's gaze locked onto him.
Her eyes were lifeless.
Like she was staring at a talking corpse.
"..."
A horrifying silence stretched between them.
Until—
Fujimiya gripped her shoulders, tears streaming.
"HŌZUKI!"
"I WAS WRONG! I'LL PROSTRATE! JUST GIVE ME A FEW MORE DAYS!"