"That sounds like something I would do."
Yoruichi knew herself well enough to admit that. She raised her seemingly delicate right arm and flexed her muscles with pride.
"Not bad for someone without a Zanpakutō, right? Jealous of big sister's powerful arms?"
Her cockiness made her quickly forget about Akira's earlier divination.
Fortunately, while testing the hardness of her biceps, he didn't forget to remind her, considering she was a valued customer.
"The divination reading should be accurate. I'm quite precise with my readings, which means the issue must be with your Zanpakutō."
In his memory, Yoruichi had never used her Zanpakutō. She relied on Hakuda and Shunpo, with occasional use of Kidō. In physical combat alone, she could easily overpower many opponents.
Based on his divination, her future self would certainly be capable of punching through a Hollow's head — a feat others had achieved before.
Yoruichi placed both hands before her in contemplation, her thin eyebrows furrowing as she spoke.
"But I definitely have a Zanpakutō. Something must have gone wrong!"
Akira stored away the turtle shell, half-covered in cracks. Thinking he could use it once more, he casually cast the low-grade Shakkahō at a nearby dirt hill, forming a small crater.
"I'm only responsible for the divination. You'll need to find the specific reason yourself. Besides, divination isn't perfect. The turtle shell burning merely interprets divine will through its sounds and cracks — and even the gods can be wrong."
His expression grew serious, his clear orange eyes meeting Yoruichi's as he spoke gravely.
"Fate is the most unstable thing of all — don't be superstitious!"
Their eyes met, and her expression tensed before settling into thoughtfulness.
"Divination complete, that'll be ₭3,000." Akira broke the atmosphere with his usual practicality.
Yoruichi glared at him irritably and snorted, "I didn't bring any. Have you ever seen one of the five noble families carrying money around? We always..."
"Yes, I have." He nodded, "Old Sōjun always carries money. He's bought quite a few protection talismans from me."
Hearing this, Yoruichi was speechless.
She had never needed to carry money since Marenoshin Ōmaeda always followed her and handled such matters. But now she had snuck out, and her Lieutenant was probably searching for her throughout the Seireitei.
"Then let's put it on credit."
Akira wasn't concerned — he had plenty of money from Sōjun's purchases and Kenpachi Sōya's inheritance. A few thousand Kan wouldn't matter.
He only asked for payment to maintain appearances. After all, what kind of diviner offers free services?
"Hey, 'credit' sounds so crude — it would tarnish the Shihōin family name if word got out." Yoruichi shook her head, her eyes gleaming mischievously as a cunning smile spread across her delicate face, "Why don't you come with me to the Shihōin estate? I'll pay you ten times the amount!"
Before Akira could refuse, her delicate yet surprisingly strong hand seized his wrist.
In an instant, she yanked him away!
Using Shunpo, Yoruichi raced through the Shin'ō Academy grounds, scaling the walls and darting into the Seireitei.
Akira wanted to protest but found himself speechless in the face of her determination.
Besides, this was the Shihōin estate — one of the most important places in Soul Society. It would likely meet the conditions for a Location Check-in.
Shortly after they left, a figure in blue and white carrying a food box appeared on the back mountain of the Shin'ō Academy.
Aizen looked around, and noticing his friend's Reiatsu had completely vanished, his brows furrowed.
"Has he been kidnapped by someone?"
⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬⤫⤬
Two figures materialized before a magnificent mansion that exuded luxury. A plaque with gilt lettering adorned the vermillion main gate.
[Shihōin]
Akira studied the nearby pillars, each carved with a regular hexagonal family crest — their grandeur and antiquity speaking to centuries of noble heritage.
The guard Shinigami barely reacted to Yoruichi's appearance; for them, this was routine.
After exchanging casual greetings, she led him into the estate.
As they walked through the spacious corridor, they encountered Marenoshin Ōmaeda, the Shin'ō Academy's Hakuda instructor.
Anxiety was etched across his broad face.
As the 2nd Division's acting Captain and future Vice-Captain assigned to assist Yoruichi Shihōin, he had lost track of her yet… again!
Though not the first such incident, each occurrence deepened his shame. A few more lapses, and resignation might become inevitable.
Contemplating his son's inadequacies only darkened his mood further. In truth, he was the Ōmaeda family's most competent member. If anyone else were tasked with assisting Yoruichi, their entire family might face demotion to the Rukongai — or worse, the Dangai.
"Lady Yoruichi, I'm relieved to see you safe."
While Marenoshin's tension eased at finding her unharmed, his attention quickly shifted to her companion — a familiar figure whose curious eyes were taking in every detail of the surroundings.
"Ki! Sa! Ra! Gi!"
"Hello, Marenoshin-sensei, long time no see." Akira offered a warm smile, genuinely fond of his Hakuda instructor.
{T/N: This is the moment I realize I might have made a mistake in the first chapters. This is the right person, and I used his son's name.}
Unlike his mediocre son, Marenoshin was strong and dedicated to his duties. His only flaw was a tendency to flaunt his wealth.
"Long time no see, my foot! I hold class almost every day except yesterday and today. You've been constantly skipping, and now you dare to miss the final exam!" While Marenoshin wouldn't dare scold Yoruichi, he had no qualms about disciplining his student.
Even though this particular student was rumored to have defeated several instructors.
"Ah, well..." Akira stood speechless, his gaze vacant.
He had stopped attending class long ago because Marenoshin's lectures were too repetitive, accommodating the slower progress of other students. Instead, he spent his time training with weights under the waterfall or developing innovative Kidō.
"Ha, don't worry about such details, Marenoshin." Yoruichi, ever loyal to her friends, draped her arm around Akira's shoulders and smiled, "Akira is my invited guest!"
⤫⤬⤫
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