Kuchiki Ginrei arrived swiftly. He didn't need Satotani to explain the severity of the situation. Upon learning the detailed circumstances of the battle that took place in the Ninth Division barracks, the stern-looking old man immediately rushed to the scene. He didn't even bother asking about Tokikaze's extortion. However, when there was no one around, he quietly discussed with Tokikaze, "Since you left the Gold Seal Association, Byakuya, has been unruly, defying any form of teaching. Being helpless, this old man had to bring him back to the Kuchiki Clan and personally guide him. However, due to an incident several hundred years ago, I adopted a method of allowing him to grow freely in education. As a result, Byakuya's character became even more introverted and strict."
"If I may interrupt, what happened then?" Tokikaze pondered.
Interrupted but not angered, Kuchiki Ginrei continued, "However, I discovered by chance that whenever anything related to you was mentioned, Byakuya's expression would change to varying degrees. And before assuming the position of the head of the Clan, he immediately looked for you, initiating a duel to erase his past humiliations."
It had to be admitted that having lived for who knows how many years made Kuchiki Ginrei more perceptive than Tokikaze.
"Do you know what this means?" Kuchiki Ginrei's eyes emitted a dangerous light.
Tokikaze was perplexed and unconsciously replied, "What does it mean?"
"It means you have a special place in his heart!" Kuchiki Ginrei declared with a gaze filled with intensity.
Tokikaze wrinkled his brow in confusion, a bit puzzled. He responded, "What kind of place?"
"I mean, Byakuya considers you as a formidable rival."
"Oh, a rival, that's not a problem then." Tokikaze released his hands from behind his back. "So, what exactly do you mean, Lord Ginrei? Are you trying to negotiate about the compensation? Well, as a fellow noble, I will give you 95% discount at most"
"Don't get me wrong. That's not what I'm trying to do." Kuchiki Ginrei shook his head. "Since Byakuya holds you in such a high regard, it means you have the most potential to change his personality."
"In my opinion, although such a character suits the role of the Clan head, it will undoubtedly affect his mental state in the long run. If significant events related to him occur in the future, Byakuya is likely to lean towards extremes and become another Koga."
When the name Koga was mentioned, Tokikaze raised an eyebrow, recalling relevant information. Kuchiki Ginrei's son-in-law, a genius Shinigami, and the former Third Seat of the Sixth Division. He was one of the few seat officers who possessed Bankai. Due to character issues and the scheming of other faction Shinigami, the once-in-a-century genius spiraled into extremism. Eventually, he was sealed in the human world through the joint efforts of Yamamoto Genryusai and Kuchiki Ginrei.
Obviously, Kuchiki Ginrei didn't want his grandson to follow the same path.
"Uh, it is indeed a problem, but it shouldn't be as serious as you're saying." Tokikaze contemplated.
In the future, Byakuya Kuchiki would meet his destined partner, and the two would fall in love deeply. For her sake, Byakuya would even break the rules of the Kuchiki Clan. However, due to her illness and death, Byakuya's character became colder and more ruthless, almost showing signs of extremism.
But in reality, Byakuya Kuchiki was far stronger than what Kuchiki Ginrei imagined, and these painful experiences would eventually become the foundation for his strength.
Perhaps, when several hundred or even thousands of years have passed, Kuchiki Ginrei might look back and say something like, "Just a bit of hardship."
Of course, all of this was the ideal situation. Who knew what major events might occur in the process, events significant enough to influence the current situation. After all, Tokikaze's existence is already the biggest variable.
"There isn't much this old man can do for Byakuya anymore," Kuchiki Ginrei sighed deeply. "From now on, you, Captain Tokikaze, are the one we can rely on."
What's with this expression of passing on responsibilities? Tokikaze frowned with disdain, "Byakuya sure is a handful. This is really troublesome."
"Not troublesome," Kuchiki Ginrei waved his hand, saying casually, "Captain Tokikaze only needs to occasionally give Byakuya a beating, just like earlier."
"Proper chastisement will help him reflect on himself. And your existence is a powerful motivation for Byakuya to become a better person."
Upon hearing this, Tokikaze felt a series of question marks rising above his head. Was Kuchiki Byakuya adopted or something? How come a grandfather would ask an outsider to discipline his grandson?
"Of course, all expenses during this period will be reimbursed by the Kuchiki Clan." Kuchiki Ginrei waved his large hand, directly treating his own grandson as merchandise to be sold. "Apart from that, the expenses of the Ninth Division members will also be covered by the Kuchiki Clan."
Indeed, having money allowed one to do as they pleased. It seems that the Kuchiki Clan's wealth surpassed that of the Tokikaze Clan.
"No problem, I'm looking forward to our cooperation." Tokikaze readily agreed. While he wasn't short on money, he wouldn't refuse the money that came knocking on his door.
Given Kuchiki Byakuya's personality, he would not easily give up. In the future, there would certainly be challenges and duels to redeem himself. Since it couldn't be avoided, why not accept it willingly, and even get some extra money out of it?
As for whether Kuchiki Byakuya would one day surpass Tokikaze and turn the tables, Tokikaze felt completely fearless. Even if Kuchiki Byakuya went all out and became stronger overnight, Tokikaze was confident that Byakuya wouldn't surpass figures like Yamamoto Genryusai and Soi Fon in a short period.
The cooperation was finalized amid the cheerful smiles of both parties. They both felt they had made a bloody profit. Kuchiki Ginrei found someone who could change his grandson's character, at the cost of only a trivial monthly expense. Tokikaze thought that since he had to fight anyway, he might as well accept the money offered to him. Occasionally, he could even use Kuchiki Byakuya to help his own training and practice the newly developed abilities. In this way, it was a win-win situation.
Only Kuchiki Byakuya, lying in the Ninth Division's resting room, drowsy and half asleep, felt an inexplicable chill as if he were in the freezing winter of December. His long eyebrows instinctively furrowed deeply, as if he had fallen into a terrifying nightmare. He always felt that this world was full of malice towards him...