Just as Kisuke went through the gates of the manor, the main door swung open and he saw his cute little cousin in a full on sprint coming towards him, "Nii-chan!!!"
Kisuke carefully caught her while chuckling, "I see that you instantly sensed my presence. It looks like you're working hard on your assignments and training."
Claire nodded in delight and tightly hugged Kisuke, "Unn!"
Patting her head, Kisuke replied with a gentle tone, "That's great~ But although your studies and training are important, having fun is the same. If things are getting tiresome or making your head hurt, make sure to take a break."
Claire looked up to him and said, "Phis-chan and Ta-chan always play with me! And the other big sisters too!", and as if recalling something, Claire's expression instantly changed, "Welcome back, Nii-chan!"
Kisuke then picked her up and carried her on his arm, "I'm home~ Let's go in first."
But before they could enter the building, Claire suddenly asked with a quiet voice, "Nii-chan... Can I talk with mom and dad?"
That innocent question of her gave Kisuke a headache and a slight pain in the chest. Nevertheless, his gentle smile never disappeared and reassured Claire, "I'm sorry Claire, but not for now. Don't you worry, though~ I've been working on contacting auntie and uncle so it shouldn't take too long so please wait for a little more?"
Although Claire's young and innocent mind still couldn't grasp what's going on, she knew that it wouldn't be easy for them to return home and never asked about it. Nonetheless, Claire couldn't help herself thinking about her parents despite being distracted and having fun every day.
Claire was considerate. Way too considerate for someone of her age. In spite of this, she couldn't take it anymore after suddenly being separated from the people she was always staying with as she grew up, 'It's already been more than five months. She endured well, but it's not something she should really endure.'
Claire smiled and nodded but it was painfully obvious to Kisuke that it was just an attempt to hide her loneliness, 'Dang it! What a failure... This is not an expression a child should have. The framework of the communication line was already done, but it'll still take some time to fine-tune it. Looks like I won't be able to return to the Dizara Region immediately.'
But after this small talk with Claire, Kisuke finally realized something important. Although making countermeasures against their enemies is important, it shouldn't have been this way from the start. He wasn't alone, 'I've been neglecting everyone too much. I have to make some adjustments. After all, I can't really call this a successful re-life if I can't enjoy this life.'
'Instead of the world, my responsibility lies in those around me. I should never forget that. This is not the exiled Shinigami, Kisuke Urahara's life anymore, but the son of Sarah Belial, Kisuke Urahara.', while daydreaming, Kisuke and Claire entered the manor with the former consoling the latter.
"I'm home~!" Kisuke greeted everyone who was not participating in retaking Knossos with a big smile and just like the other kids, Hestia tackled him without thinking about it, "Welcome back!"
Kisuke could only smile wryly at this old child's action, "I'm back, Hestia-sama. Thank you for taking care of everyone."
But Hestia pouted when she heard that, "But they're too capable to be taken care of!"
"That's not true. Just with you and Artemis-sama's presence and assistance, you've provided everyone with valuable experience and tried your best to resolve the confusion they might have."
Hestia and Artemis looked at him with confusion and indeed recalled a few instances that they gave the girls some answers to their questions. Seeing that, Kisuke couldn't help but chuckle, "You're wondering how in the world would I know that? Of course, I would check up on everyone the moment I return and I've noticed that they're a lot more stable than before. It's as if they've recovered their 'innocence' and that could only be thanks to you."
In this kind of lifestyle, Yoruichi, Kuroka, Medusa, Serafall and he might have been fine, however, that was not the same with the rest of the girls. With training that gave them vast improvements, it was also the truth that it had taken something important away from them, since they were still young and they were in the years that would largely shape their future actions.
'I might have been subconsciously avoiding them lately because I'm afraid that I'll destroy them further. And now that I've thought about it, Yoruichi might have been in the same spot as me.'
If it was the previous Kisuke, he should have long prepared Aika to release her Bankai. But he had been delaying it as much as possible with his own concocted reason that her Zanpakuto was special and it shouldn't be rushed.
As for Yoruichi, she should have started teaching Sona, Koneko and Kuroka how to absorb their Magic or Ki's special attributes directly to their bodies, but had been putting it off thinking that the former two needed more experience.
Of course, as the wise Goddesses, Hestia and Artemis saw this large flaw in their group and did their best to fill up the hole they were missing. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they've become mothers to whom they could retreat to if things became too hard where they normally would just push through with sheer willpower, but also in the exchange for some of their 'innocence' that may leave a hole in their hearts.
Hestia separated from Kisuke and started patting his shoulder, "If you need to sit down and just talk, I could fulfill the role of the partner so don't hesitate to ask whenever you have some downtime!"
Kisuke laughed and replied, "I'll take you up on that offer then."
He then proceeded to greet Artemis, Medusa and Tanis who seemed to be still afraid of him because their time together hadn't been long. And after reassuring Tanis, he went beside Ophis who had been quietly taking care of the black egg within her arms, and noticed that the formerly pure black egg now had white spots, "How is it?"
"It's going out soon.", answered Ophis.
However, Kisuke had no idea of how soon it really was since he knew how skewed Ophis's perception of time was. With that in mind, Kisuke touched the egg to probe it and saw the development inside, 'So it's really soon... A few days to a week, maybe?'