Today was the wedding day of the head of the Shihoin clan, and the entire Seireitei was bustling with excitement.
In front of the Shihoin estate, luxurious carriages were parked, adorned with the family crests of various noble families in the Seireitei.
People came and went, a cacophony of voices filling the air.
Besides these nobles, even the captains of the Gotei 13, accompanied by their respective squad members, entered the Shihoin residence.
"Whoa, there are so many people! The Shihoin clan's display is really grand!"
A captain wearing a haori put his hand to his forehead, looking at the people coming in and out of the Shihoin estate, his face showing an exaggerated look of surprise, the exclamation in his mouth having a very distinct accent.
This captain had long yellow hair draped behind him, and the back of his haori had the character for "Five" written on it. He was the captain of Squad 5, Hirako Shinji.
Arriving at the gate, he suddenly turned his head and looked at the vice-captain who was four or five meters behind him, urging him impatiently.
"Aizen, hurry up! If you keep dawdling like this, you'll only get to eat the leftovers!"
With that, Hirako Shinji walked in without looking back.
"Captain, slow down. Such recklessness is not befitting of a captain. Besides, it's still early for the wedding."
The vice-captain behind him pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a bright white light, and quickened his pace to catch up.
The attendant at the gate, seeing that he was a captain, immediately led him inside to a place of honor.
"Ha, you bald Aizen, you're implying I'm not fit to be a captain? What, are you saying a rotten person like you is what a captain should be like?" Hirako Shinji's face showed disdain as he spoke without turning his head.
Aizen gave a wry smile. "Captain, that's not what I meant. I just wanted you to be a little more composed. After all, this is the great noble Shihoin clan."
"Nagging, are you my mother? Minding my business so much. Shut up, Aizen."
This was the daily routine between the captain and vice-captain of Squad 5.
Led by the Shihoin clan's attendant into the main hall, it was basically filled with the top figures of the Soul Society.
The other three of the Four Great Noble Clans had all sent representatives.
Among them, the Kuchiki clan was the most prominent. The current head of the Kuchiki clan and captain of Squad 6, Kuchiki Ginrei, had come in person.
In addition, the captain of Squad 8, Kyōraku Shunsui, and the captain of Squad 12, Hikifune Kirio, had also come with their squad members to offer their congratulations.
And among these guests, the most special was a vice-captain wearing a white haori of the same material.
The vice-captain of Squad 1, Sasakibe Chōjirō.
As the second-in-command to the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Sasakibe Chōjirō's presence meant that the old man, the Captain-Commander, was also paying attention to this wedding.
While Hirako Shinji was messing around with the vice-captain of Squad 12, the captain of Squad 4 also entered the room with her vice-captain.
However, they did not enter through the main door, but from the inner residence.
Kyōraku Shunsui raised the straw hat on his head and said in surprise, "Oh my, the great senior is here. It seems she's treating the previous clan head."
"How is the old master of the Shihoin clan doing?"
Unohana Retsu, her hands tucked in her sleeves, nodded and said, "After treatment, he has barely recovered some of his strength. Although he can't engage in strenuous exercise, he can at least last through this wedding."
"That's good."
'If the father were to suddenly pass away at the wedding, it would turn a joyous occasion into a mourning one for the Shihoin clan, which would not be good.'
"I never thought that the mischievous little girl of the Shihoin clan would also have her wedding day. It's truly unpredictable, anything can happen."
Kyōraku Shunsui sighed, then suddenly looked at Aizen, who was standing at a loss, watching his captain's antics.
He glanced around again. Seeing that the captain of Squad 6 and the representative of the Ise family were far apart, his gaze finally fell on Aizen, and his voice lowered a notch.
"Speaking of which, Vice-Captain Aizen, the other two of the 'Three Greats' you were associated with are already married, and both have married into great noble families. Would you like to marry into a great noble family as well? Forget the Ise family, the people in that family are too annoying. How about the Shiba family?"
Aizen scratched his head, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Captain Kyōraku, please don't make fun of me. I have no such thoughts right now."
"Is that so? What a pity..."
And in the inner residence of the Shihoin estate, Shihoin Shun'gen, who had been treated by Unohana Retsu, stood up with difficulty with the help of an attendant and put on his formal black attire.
"Father, how are you feeling? Should I ask the captain of Squad 4 to come and have another look at you?"
Kenma quickly went to support the old man, who was as frail as a withered tree.
The old man shook his head, his tone more energetic than before.
"I'm fine. I feel much better now. To be able to see you two get married, my wish has been fulfilled."
Yoruichi, in a white wedding dress, supported her father on the other side. "Old man, why don't you skip the wedding for now and rest here? To avoid getting tired."
Hearing this, Shihoin Shun'gen's face became stern.
"What are you talking about? My daughter is getting married, and I, her father, am not there? What would that look like?"
"Yoruichi, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
"You are the star of this wedding, a person who is about to start a family. Put away your little schemes and marry Kenma obediently. Do you hear me!"
The corner of Yoruichi's mouth twitched, her face full of defiance, but she still agreed.
"I know. Don't worry, Father. I will marry Kenma. I don't have any of those messy thoughts right now."
"You'd better not!"
After reprimanding his daughter, the old man immediately looked at Kenma.
The moment he turned his head, his face underwent a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree transformation. The serious expression disappeared, replaced by a kind and amiable one.
"Kenma, you don't have to stay by this old man's side. Go and spend some time with your friends and family."
"Father, then your side..."
"Go, go. Although Yoruichi is reckless, she's more than capable of taking care of this old man."
Seeing the old man say this, Kenma nodded. After giving some instructions to the surrounding attendants, he left.
Just as Kenma was pushing open the door, the old man's voice sounded again.
"By the way, Kenma, come and see me tonight."
Kenma stopped, turned, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
The old man said, "Don't ask why for now. Just come over tonight. I have a special guest for you to meet."
'What kind of guest required such mystery?'
But since the old man didn't want to say, Kenma didn't ask any more questions.
"Alright, Father."
With that, he left.
When he arrived at the courtyard where his friends and family were temporarily seated, he heard a lively argument from outside.
He pushed open the door and saw Shisui standing to one side, holding a cup of tea, looking a little awkward and at a loss.
Besides Shisui, there were three other people of various appearances in the room.
A one-eyed old man with an eyepatch, a middle-aged man with short hair in his fifties, and a young man with a beautiful, womanly appearance.
Seeing Kenma enter, the three of them stopped their argument and all looked over, their faces full of joy.
"Oh, Kenma, you're here."
"Today is the wedding day. Our little Kenma will be a real man from now on."
"Don't mind these two idiots. In any case, congratulations, Kenma."
Seeing these three people, Kenma's brow relaxed, and a rare look of ease appeared on his face.
"Grandpa, Lord Nobunaga, and Yoichi, long time no see."
These three were the people Kenma had known like family before he became a Shinigami.
The middle-aged man had a genuine smile on his face. "Kenma, congratulations on your wedding."
The man's voice had a thick accent, a little slurred and indistinct.
But after living with him for many years, Kenma had long since gotten used to it and could understand him clearly.
"Yes, Grandpa. I'm getting married."
This middle-aged man was the grandfather who had once adopted Kenma, and also his "oyabun" in the yakuza organization he had been in before becoming a Shinigami.
Because he was already dead, he used his posthumous Buddhist name, Tensen Shōun.
In his life, he was said to have been the nephew of a lord. His uncle was known as the "Oni" and was called "Kiseki Manji." He himself had died on the battlefield while covering his uncle's retreat and was very skilled with the nodachi.
Kenma's swordsmanship had been taught to him by this man.
At this moment, the man with the womanly face suddenly had his expression darken. He pointed at the two beside him and said to Kenma, "I say, Kenma, I'm clearly older than these two and died earlier. How come you don't use honorifics with me?"
Kenma looked at his extremely young face and sighed inwardly. 'What else could be the reason?'
He was so young and beautiful, looking even younger than Kenma. Even if Kenma wanted to use an honorific, it would feel incredibly awkward.
This young man's name was Nasu no Yoichi. He had taught Kenma skills like archery, language, and writing, and could be considered one of his teachers.
As Yoichi's voice fell, before Kenma could speak, the one-eyed old man spoke first. "Stupid Yoichi, of course it's because you're not an important person!"
"Ha? Stupid Nobunaga, are you some great person?" Yoichi retorted without showing any weakness.
The old man grinned, full of arrogance. "Of course! In my life, I was a great man who was famous throughout the land!"
"But you're dead now, and you were burned to death by your own subordinate."
Yoichi shot back, and the two immediately started to scuffle.
Tensen Shōun quickly tried to mediate. "You two, stop fighting! Today is Kenma's wedding day."
"Ha? A country bumpkin from a remote region like you, what right do you have to tell me what to do?"
"That's right, that's right."
With this, the argument between two people became a three-way brawl.
The room was once again filled with noisy clamor.
Seeing this, Kenma shook his head slightly at the helpless Shisui, signaling him not to worry.
Kenma had seen the three of them bicker and argue like this many times and was already used to it.
And this last one-eyed old man's name was Nobunaga.
Just as he had said, in his life, he had been a great man who had once ruled the land, but he was later betrayed by his subordinate and burned to death in a temple.
After his death, he met Yoichi and Kenma's grandfather in the Soul Society, formed a yakuza organization, and became its strategist.
Later, when Kenma became a Shinigami, the yakuza organization was disbanded on the spot, and the three of them also began to live a retired life.
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