Chapter 99: Sunbeam Melts the Frost

Chapter 99: Sunbeam Melts the Frost

Toshiro and Momo beheld an isolated house in the wilderness after a few hours of journey. The dwelling set a perfect eerie backdrop for the mystery that had led them here. Their age might have spanned nearly a century, yet this uncharted side of their district was entirely new to them. They had only ever seen the vibrant fireworks, spewing color and excitement, from their house. They didn’t know it came from the towering chimney of this very house.

Momo placed her hands on her chest. “This is the fireworks girl’s house. It looks quite good.”

Her ears had been filled with rumors of Kūkaku Shiba from her neighbors, all of them singing praises for the beautiful woman’s kind gestures towards the District residents.

However, Toshiro stood with suspicion creeping across his young face, not sharing Momo’s innocence. “The fireworks were a ruse for her deep schemes.”

Unlike Momo, Toshiro had caught sight of Kūkaku leaving the district on multiple occasions. His intuition about busty women hiding an insidious side seemed to be spot on. Trust was not something to be handed out to women with large breasts. They were all evil, or so young Toshiro believed.

“Momo, we’re leaving.”

Momo sent the featherweight boy stumbling forward with a slap on his back. “It’s just a neighbor’s house. Let’s just greet her before we leave, Shiro-chan.”

“Quit calling me 'Shiro-chan,' you bedwetter,” Toshiro grumbled. “I’m not sticking around here.”

Everyone compared him to ice. Perhaps it was his silver hair, reflecting the moonlight, his piercing blue-green eyes, or his stand-offish demeanor that brought about a chill in others, but he remained a disliked figure across from his neighbor. This reality was a hard pill to swallow initially, but over the decades, he had grown to accept this situation.

Unlike him, Momo was a social butterfly. Unlike him, she could strike a conversation with anyone and draw smiles with her cute demeanor. Unlike him, people approached her for radiance. And unlike him, everyone spoke highly of her.

He wasn’t letting his ice field freeze the flames of Momo’s bright social life.

That’s why he would always make his leave whenever Momo bumped into acquaintances or friends.

Today was supposed to be the same, until a voice echoed from behind him, shattering his expectations.

“Kūkaku got guests, huh?”

If Momo’s voice was a spark of joy that could melt ice, then the voice behind him was as radiant and welcoming as a morning sun, a melodious tune that made people’s day within seconds.

Swallowing hard, Toshiro turned to see a man with long, messy silver hair. Despite his small stature, Toshiro was an eternal optimist, always believing that he’d match Momo’s height one day. But achieving the man’s height seemed as faraway of a dream as him making ten friends.

It was impossible.Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

“Who are you...?”

Momo, however, seemed frozen in place, as still as a tree in winter. Her interactions with men were limited to her small social circle. And none of her friends held the same allure as the charming man before her.

Overwhelmed, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, her words not reaching the tip of her tongue.

The sleek black cat by the stranger’s side pricked up her ears, her eyes twinkling with intrigue. “These kids have significant potential.”

“Did Kaien and Miyako leave?”

Kazuya merely nodded in response. The married couple had dropped them at the Western Gate before heading off for their duty in the Seireitei.

Kūkaku harrumphed and strode back into the house. “Kuragenohiko made some extra. Eat it or else I’ll need to throw it away.”

“Tough on the outside and a big softie on the inside,” Yoruichi stated as she looked up at him. “Isn’t she?”

“Yup.”

“I have a question, Kazuya. Are you going to seduce that young girl as well?”

He blinked in surprise. While he found Momo’s cuteness endearing, her innocence wasn't exactly his type. “I only have eyes for mature women like you.”

{Ah yes. Kazuya Ishihara, the tall dommy mommy lover.}

‘A proud member of the mature lover society.’

“I like your determination. Keep at it, and I might fall for you in a thousand years~.”

She cheerfully announced and walked into the house. He had the urge to grab her dancing tail but he didn’t act on his impulses. She went into a frenzy the last time he touched her tail.

...

Momo and Toshiro returned to their dwelling, greeted at the door by an elderly, hunched over woman. Her weary visage was a constant source of worry for the young duo.

“Shiro, Momo, where were you?”

“Grandma, you won't believe what just happened!”

Momo excitedly relayed her encounter with Kazuya, Kūkaku Shiba, and the talking cat. Toshiro’s grandmother, Nozomi, wouldn’t have believed it if Toshiro wasn’t confirming Momo’s story by her side.

“I’m going to become a Shinigami, Grandma!”

Nozomi beamed a smile. “That is good... what about you, Shiro? Will you accompany Momo?”

Toshiro crossed his arms, looking unconvinced. “No. What’s so special about those Shinigami anyway?”

Someone needed to stay behind and care for his grandmother, who was losing more and more of her weight as time passed. His grandmother had showered him with love and care for over a century. He couldn’t abandon her, even if the prospect of joining Momo and starting anew in the Seireitei was tempting.

“Come on.”

Momo tried to persuade him, but he refused to budge.