Kisuke left the isolated space to let everyone do what they want and arrived in the Human World, which was already eerily silent, considering he's currently standing on a normally busy street in Karakura Town. Like Mayuri, Kisuke was secretly communicating with Serafall, and the two of them had agreed to meet up in the Human World.
Within Karakura Town, there were only some police in full gear and military men equipped with rifles roaming around and talking to their radios. 'The evacuation was nearly done? That's fast,' Kisuke thought to himself. Additionally, some Shinigami were jumping from one building to another while carrying communication devices with them.
Kisuke found a seat in the deserted shopping district and took out his phone to browse the internet. As he expected, it was buzzing with activity, and there was only one topic circulating, "[Invisible People with Strange Abilities Announced the Imminent End of the World]."
'What a funny headline,' Kisuke thought and browsed more. After a few swipes, he found out the main reason for the speedy evacuation: large-scale Teleportation Magic set up all around the country to concentrate people into a few key locations for easier defense.
"I knew Sera-tan had been doing something else in her free time... Could it be this? She sure is prepared," Kisuke muttered when he saw the familiar insignia present on the Magic Circles within the photos posted online. What's more amazing was that these Circles were present throughout the world. 'The effort she invested in this was no joke,' Kisuke thought, but he shook his head and stopped thinking about it. 'Whatever the case may be, the important thing is that she's helping the people now.'
Naturally, not everything was going smoothly, as there were many who chose to defy the evacuation orders for one reason or another, making a mess out of everything. Kisuke couldn't blame them and thought that it was one of the natural reactions since their lives were all of a sudden disrupted by nonsensical and fairytale-like existences.
At that moment, a few soldiers finally noticed Kisuke casually sitting and swiping through his phone. "Hey, you! Didn't you hear the announcement?" One of them raised his voice while jogging towards him. "Follow us. We'll bring you to the shelter."
Before Kisuke could say anything, another voice resounded, and this time, it came from above their heads. "Please wait!!!"
And when they looked up, they saw a petite woman with long black hair, a pair of square glasses, and a link of chains wrapped around her head. The white garb, worn by the members of the 12th Division to serve as a lab coat, flapped around as she landed softly not far from them. "Captain!"
The soldiers were stunned. They still couldn't comprehend how this 'young' woman could casually jump off from a tall building and land without any effort. The one leading them, however, immediately recovered and asked, "Kuna-dono, is this man one of your people?"
The Shinigami turned to him and answered, "Ah, yes, Takao-san. You don't have to worry about him."
"I see." The soldier named Takao fixed his helmet and nodded in affirmation. "Then we'll continue our patrol."
"Thank you for your hard work," Kuna also lowered her head a bit.
The soldiers dispersed, and Kisuke was left with the Shinigami. "It's been a while, Kuna. And by the way, I'm not your Captain anymore." He noticed that there's a thin film of Magic Power surrounding her, which resulted in her being visible to normal people.
Kuna immediately shook her head, "You have been my Captain, and you're always going to be my Captain."
Kisuke smiled wryly, "Kurotsuchi-san won't let you go once he hears that."
"Captain Kurotsuchi won't care. All he cares about is our abilities, contributions, and professionalism. He doesn't need loyalty because he doesn't trust any of us to begin with, aside from Nemu. Although that doesn't mean I don't respect him."
Kisuke thought about it for a bit and chuckled, "That's true, isn't it? Anyways, enough of the greetings. Shouldn't you guys be busy dealing with the nobles?"
"That's mostly sorted out thanks to the former Captain-Commander actively pulling his weight. Due to that, most of the nobles gave up and started blaming the others to reduce the consequences that they'll get. The remaining ones are just the stubborn ones and those who knew they'd already dug their graves too deep. They're also the main perpetrators regarding the Hollowfied Shinigami soldiers.
"For now, the majority of the efforts are being refocused on reconnecting the worlds and setting up defenses in collaboration with the West Soul Society and various Human governments and organizations."
"I see," Kisuke muttered. However, he's curious about one thing, "Where are the Captains and Lieutenants? I've been browsing the internet and saw various news articles about the collaboration; however, the highest people I've seen are the 3rd seat and below."
Kuna paused for a moment before answering, "I'm not really sure. All I heard was that the Captains and Lieutenants are receiving a specially made Gigai that'll be useful for the upcoming defense. Beyond that, I haven't heard of anything."
'Hmm... So he already set it in motion the moment I left for the Royal Palace. As expected of him. Not hesitating and wasting any time. I wonder what he'd do if I had failed back then?'
Kuna reported the other small things to Kisuke until he finally felt Serafall's aura appear.
"Kuna, Serafall is here. I'll talk to you later."
"Yes, Captain! I'll return to my duty. Please be careful!"
"You too. Prioritize your survival. Although we are preparing, it may become more bloody than the Quincy War from a decade ago."
Serafall arrived just as Kuna left, and the first thing that she said in a serious tone was, "I'll take care of things on this side... So do your thing... And make sure to return alive."
Kisuke stared at her, and although she was trying to hide it, Kisuke noticed that there was a pained expression behind her facade. With a sigh, Kisuke approached Serafall and said, "I'm really lucky and grateful that I brought you with me. I couldn't have possibly handled all of this on my own. Thank you."
But instead of acknowledging it, Serafall lowered her body and gritted her teeth before throwing a fist straight into his stomach.
"Guh!!!" Kisuke couldn't dodge because he was not expecting her to suddenly attack him and was sent back tumbling for a few feet. Kisuke slowly stood up while rubbing his stomach and looked up to Serafall with an angry expression.
With her fast movement, Serafall suddenly appeared in front of him, crouched down, and grabbed his clothes to bring his face close to hers. "Why're you speaking like you're going on a suicide mission!?"
"...Er... Because I am?"
"Deny it! Dammit!"
"I'm telling the truth though?"
"If you're thankful, then at least reassure me that you'll be returning!"
Kisuke was silent and could only stare at her furious face.
"If you're thankful... At least promise that you'll return for sure... Even if it seems like an impossible feat."
Kisuke sighed again, "Fine... I'll return. I promise. What do you want as a souvenir?"
It was Serafall's turn to become silent, and after a few moments of thinking, her angry expression disappeared and was replaced by a big grin. "Forget about the souvenir. Just take me on a nice long date. And I'm taking a down payment."
"What? Downpay..." Kisuke was incredibly confused and started to ask; however, his words were cut off when unexpectedly, he found his lips locked with Serafall.
Kisuke was shocked. Nevertheless, he didn't move nor try to do anything extra with his lips because he knew. He knew that Serafall didn't have any type of experience at all, and he didn't know how to respond to her sudden action.
Thankfully, or not, Serafall moved back and let go of Kisuke, dropping him down on the ground. She then hurriedly turned around while saying, "If you don't return for a week, I'll follow you."
Without waiting for his reply, Serafall disappeared with Teleportation Magic. But before she did, Kisuke noticed her red ears.
"...I guess that's another reason to do my extra best."