Chapter 239-240: Purrsuasion

Chapter 239-240: Purrsuasion

Unohana immediately jumped off before anyone could see her in such a compromised position. “Listen. If you try to harm anyone here, I’ll not hesitate in slitting your throat.”

Though she lied a little, she was confident Kazuya’s senses weren’t keen enough to detect the minuscule waver in her resolve.

“I’m just gonna heal,” Kazuya muttered under his breath, once again reminding her of the absurd regeneration — a feat she would have dismissed as impossible had she not witnessed it first hand moments ago. “Now then, Captain, if you’d be so kind as to accompany me to meet with Captain—”

Suddenly feeling a familiar Reiatsu, both individuals turned to watch as the door to the barracks swung open. A bespectacled beauty stood on the other side, showing nary an ounce of surprise at the two unexpected guests at her doorstep.

Nanao’s poker expression was on par if not better than Lisa — she had come here specifically to greet them. “Kazuya, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”

“Come now, Nanao-chan. Can’t a guy visit a friend without some ulterior motive?”

“No.” Her rejection was swift and without a hint of hesitation. Shifting her attention to Unohana, she offered a polite smile. “It’s a welcome surprise to have you here, Captain Unohana. Please come inside.”

Kazuya put a hand between Nanao and Unohana. “I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve earned a warm welcome after the sacrifices I made for your Captain.”

“You should’ve known by now that I’m not a warm welcome type of girl,” Nanao said with a small smile. “Your uniform is quite fancy. Which poor man did you bully for this?”

Kazuya brushed his sleeves with a smug grin. “Byakuya Kuchiki.”

“Good grief. This punk is stealing from aristocats now. Us ladies were right in launching an operation to take you down for good.”

The throwback to their first meeting made him chuckle. “There’s not a woman in the Soul Society who can take me down... I’m just too damn charming for ladies.”

Nanao rolled her eyes. “Let me test that with my fists.”

“As long as you promise to nurse the wound afterwards.”

“...”

Unohana observed their playful back-and-forth with her usual serene smile, though inwardly she found herself intrigued by the unlikely friendship between Kazuya and the usually reserved Nanao. In all her years, she had never known the bespectacled vice-captain to joke around with anyone other than her uncle.

Unohana regarded Kazuya with a sharp gaze. “Why don’t you enlighten Nanao about our business here?”

Nanao naturally noticed the undercurrent of tension in Unohana’s words, however, she thought it prudent not to remark upon it. “Kazuya, you lied about coming here to see me...”

The faint note of disappointment in Nanao’s voice did not escape Unohana’s keen perception. At this point, she would have been more surprised if the young woman hadn’t developed a bit of a crush on Kazuya.

Had Unohana followed through with her initial decision to execute Kazuya for his perceived betrayal, his legion of admirers would have hunted her to the ends of the earth.

Kazuya cleared his throat. “Nanao, is your Captain here?”

“Where else will his lazy ass be?” Nanao muttered under her breath and forced a bright smile. “Of course. My Captain is tending to... the garden. Follow me.”

Nanao led the pair to a cozy little cottage nestled in the heart of the division’s sprawling backyard. The rustic charm of the place reminded Kazuya of Kūkaku Shiba's humble abode in the middle of nowhere — both structures had a clear view of lush gardens from their rooms.

“I wouldn’t mind living here forever.”

Nanao cleared her throat, her cheeks reddening for some inscrutable reason. “Captain Unohana, please wait here while I fetch Shunsui-san. Do keep an eye on this ruffian. He’ll steal something just to mess with me.”

A look of realization crossed his face. “Ah, this is your place. That explains why your scent is everywhere.”

Nanao’s blush deepened to an even more vivid shade of scarlet. “K-Kazuya! Stop saying weird things, or I’ll smack your face with this book!”

He flashed a cheeky thumbs up. “Relax, Nanao-chan. It’s very pleasant for the senses. A solid nine out of ten.”

Nanao clutched her book and tossed it in his face. “Die.”

He snatched the book out of the air and lobbed it right back at her. “Nanao-chan tsundere... so cute.”

Shunsui took off his straw hat with a sad smile. “It took everything to escape the gentle embrace of afternoon slumber. But it was worth it for the rare arrival of Dai Senpai.”

Unohana didn’t bat an eye at his flattery, which made his eyebrows twitch. “I was brought here by Kazuya.”

“Oh? Do you need something?”

Kazuya put aside Yoruichi and rose to his feet. “Shunsui-san, Captain Unohana believes I’m some sort of villain, hell-bent on using her squad to destroy the Soul Society at Kisuke’s orders. Can you kindly set the record straight?”

Shunsui’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in understanding. “I see. Dai Senpai, Kazuya is here to rid the Soul Society of a great evil... His name is Aizen Sosuke, the mastermind behind the Arrancars’ incursion to the Living World.”

Unohana cocked her head slightly, showing barely any surprise at the revelation. “I see.”

“That’s it? That's all you have to say?!” Shunsui almost yelled, clearly taken aback by her nonchalance. “I lost a day of sleep when I learned about it. How can you take it so easily?!”

Unohana shook her head. “You simply confirmed the suspicions I had about Captain Sosuke. I assume his treachery dates back to centuries. He also played a pivotal role in the first Hollowfication incident.”

“As expected of Dai Senpai.” Shunsui nodded his head in admiration. “All this while Kazuya has been working to earn your trust. Through you he wanted to relay this information to Captain Yama and have him deal with the traitor.”

Unohana shifted her attention to Kazuya and lowered her head. “I owe you an apology...”

Kazuya waved off her apology with a dismissive gesture. “Just tell Captain Yama about Aizen. I don’t want to fight that guy again.”

Unohana’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Again, you say? When did you fight him before?”

“Yoruichi, put up a force field.” Kazuya requested, turning his back on the assembled group of Shinigami. “I’m about to do something crazy. Try not to look too surprised.”

As soon as Yoruichi covered the house within her force fields, Kazuya let the flames flow through him, reshaping him into his original race. Horns erupted from the side of his head and black leathery wings sprouted on his back.

In a matter of seconds, he went from the friendly Shinigami to the nightmare of Shinigami — a terrifyingly powerful Arrancar.

Nanao swallowed hard, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of his presence, despite having seen his transformation once before. “Those Arrancars were like a flickering candle before him.”

Unohana, too, realized that he didn’t lie about having the power to kill everyone in the Soul Society. Rather than feeling terrified like a normal Shinigami, she was gulping excitedly as if she was a hungry man staring at heavenly delicacies.

The scar on her chest pulsed, begging and pleading her to unsheath her katana and battle the Hollow right here and now.

Kazuya turned around and gave Unohana an odd look. “Captain, it’s not the time to lose control of your bloodlust.”

He wasn’t the least surprised by Unohana’s nonchalance about him being a Hollow or her thirst to battle him.

{Partner, she is gonna attack you one of these days.}

Unohana looked away and nodded. “Forgive me for the blunder.”

“It’s fine. Anyways, I’m an Arrancar who can transform into other races at a whim.”

Unohana reached out and touched his horns. “It seems like you battled Captain Sosuke in this form... still, why didn’t he recognize you when you met him—”

Her words died in her throat as Kazuya's features began to warp and shift before her very eyes. In a few seconds, his face took on the appearance of someone recognizable — the female Hollow woman who had sworn revenge on Aizen in Karakura Town.

Everyone was holding their breaths in the face of his stark transformation — he had gone from burly demonic being to an exotic beauty with glowing silver hair as if she was a divine being out of this world.

Kazuya let out a sigh at their predictable reactions. Without waiting for them to fawn over him, he assumed his Shinigami form.

Shunsui couldn’t help but applaud Kazuya. “Lad, wanna go out sometime with me in that form? Every drink will be on me.”

Unohana slapped the back of Shunsui’s head. “He is already spoken for by my Isane.”

“Ah, what a pity...”