Central 46 did not widely publicize the details of Kōe Shihouin's punishment throughout the Seireitei. Only a select few captains within the Gotei 13 knew the inside story.
"So, for at least the next seventy-two years, that kid Kōe gets to stay at the Shin'ō Academy." Dressed in his usual flamboyant attire, Squad 8 Captain Kyōraku Shunsui spoke with a surprising hint of envy in his voice. "Sounds pretty relaxing."
Sitting across from Shunsui, Ukitake Jūshirō smiled. He didn't think Kōe would be like Shunsui, happily enjoying this forced idleness.
"Don't go thinking that kid is all that serious. Just think back to when he first enrolled." Shunsui curled his lips and continued, "So many young, lively girls around... That kid really stumbled into a good thing."
"Hahaha, let's hope so." Ukitake was amused by Shunsui's demeanor. "If he truly considers it a good thing, then that wouldn't be so bad."
In Ukitake's eyes, neither his current predicament nor the departure of Urahara and the others would be easy for Kōe to accept. But was that really the truth?
Shin'ō Academy, inside an ordinary teacher's office.
Shiba Kaien stared at Kōe, who was calmly reading the documents in his hands, his heart full of doubt. Even though he had just told him the truth behind the disappearance of Urahara and the others, wasn't Kōe accepting it a bit too quickly?
Although Central 46's orders were to be executed immediately, Kōe had still stayed one last night at the Squad 1 barracks before moving to the Shin'ō Academy. After all, he was no longer a member of the Gotei 13; it was inappropriate for him to continue living there.
The person who had helped him move early this morning was none other than Shiba Kaien. Catching up was one thing, but getting Kōe up to speed was this kid's ultimate goal.
On the way to the Shin'ō Academy, Kaien had recounted his version of events in full detail, forcing Kōe to clock in and put on his act for the third time...
In Kaien's understanding, the Hollowfication experiments from fifty-two years ago were indeed Urahara's doing, but even Urahara himself hadn't anticipated such a disastrous outcome.
Paying the price for his own mistakes was one thing, but the Hollowfied captains were innocent. If left alone, they would undoubtedly be executed by Central 46.
Therefore, Urahara had asked Yoruichi in advance to rescue him if anything went wrong, because he had to personally rectify his mistake and restore those Hollowfied individuals back to their Shinigami bodies. Once that was accomplished, Urahara and Yoruichi would return to Soul Society to turn themselves in.
From Kōe's perspective, what else could he do after hearing this version of the story? Feign furious disappointment and declare that he would personally teach Urahara a lesson? Or claim that there was more to this than meets the eye and form a detective duo with Kaien?
It was better to just play dead and accept reality. Otherwise, this energetic, righteous youth standing before him would definitely start causing trouble.
"Stop staring at me." Kōe, feeling a bit creeped out by the intense gaze, was the first to break the silence. "Since that was Urahara's own choice, we shouldn't interfere. Besides, he did do something wrong, didn't he?"
"I just feel like this isn't like you. You shouldn't be this calm."
"It's just an illusion. In reality, I'm far more devastated inside than you think." Kōe lifted his eyelids, shooting Kaien a glance, and replied coolly, "But you also know I have to stay here for seventy-two years. I can't just stay mad at myself the whole time, can I?"
"By the way, didn't you say you got married? Why didn't your wife come today? Is she out on a mission?" Turning a page of the student files in his hand, Kōe continued to ask casually.
"You're asking about Miyako? She went over to Kūkaku's place yesterday. She probably doesn't know you're back yet." Kaien's expression became slightly unnatural as he spoke.
He hadn't yet had the chance to tell Kōe that over the past seventy-two years, his younger sister, Shiba Kūkaku, had become a famous fireworks master in West Rukongai, essentially fulfilling her childhood dream.
Having a career worth dedicating oneself to was a good thing—at least, that was what Kaien originally thought. It wasn't until their house was blown sky-high for the first time that Kaien realized the severity of the situation.
Their home had become one of the most high-risk zones in the Rukongai, and its exterior grew stranger by the day. Even Kaien himself couldn't be sure what the house would look like the next time he went back.
Naturally, he didn't want anyone to know about something so embarrassing. Stealing a glance at Kōe and seeing that the other man was still flipping through his documents, Kaien breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, he suddenly felt that Kōe being locked up in the Shin'ō Academy for seventy-two years was actually a blessing in disguise.
Of course, Kōe hadn't connected this to Kūkaku's identity as a fireworks master. However, his mind wasn't on the student files in his hands either. Right now, he was thinking about something else entirely.
In his past life, he hadn't known the exact timeline of Shiba Kaien's death in the manga. He only knew that it happened after Rukia joined Squad 13.
However, Kōe knew the details of the incident itself very well.
According to Rukia's memories, it all started when Shiba Kaien's wife, Shiba Miyako, was devoured and killed during a mission by Metastacia, a Hollow with special abilities modified by Aizen.
Enduring the pain of losing his wife, a vengeance-driven Kaien had rushed to Metastacia's location despite a severe lack of intel. During their battle, his Zanpakutō was sealed, and his spiritual body was possessed, ultimately leading to his death at Rukia's blade.
In other words, Shiba Miyako's death was the signal. If he wanted to save Kaien, Kōe could simply pay closer attention to the news coming out of Squad 13, or just give Ukitake a heads-up to contact him immediately if anything happened to Kaien.
*But does Shiba Miyako really have to be sacrificed?* That wasn't a necessary price to pay to save Kaien, even if it was the easiest method.
But as for how to save both of them without leaving any traces, Kōe didn't have a great plan at the moment. After all, he couldn't keep an eye on Squad 13 around the clock to determine which Hollow was Metastacia.
Of course, this didn't mean he lacked the energy to monitor Squad 13. However, his entire reason for returning to the Seireitei was to distract Aizen. If he frequently interacted with Kaien for this reason, not only would Kaien face unexpected danger, but Rukia's existence might also be exposed prematurely.
*Could there be a turning point with Aizen?* A bizarre and bold idea suddenly popped into Kōe's mind. Right now, he needed to think carefully. *Could Aizen and I temporarily achieve a win-win situation on certain matters? But at this point in time, wouldn't it be a bit too early?*
He flipped through the documents in his hands page by page, but Kōe didn't actually absorb much of the content. A single misstep could trigger a chain reaction; saving the man standing before him was truly not going to be easy.