Kuchinoki Sōjun never did get the answer he was hoping for.
Kisaragi Akira's reply had been completely perfunctory — nothing but "Shikeiryu this," "peerless swordsmanship genius that." He even claimed that Captain Unohana praised him endlessly and had tried multiple times to recruit him into Squad Four as her successor.
But none of that was what Sōjun wanted to know.
Just when he looked ready to pry further, Akira tossed out a single line — "If you want details, ask Captain Unohana yourself."Then he rolled over and went straight to sleep.
To be fair, the guy had spent his stamina recklessly these past few days.
First he annihilated the Kishaku-class Hollow, then wiped out the rebel assassins, then fought the Kishaku Great Hollow, then received Unohana-level medical treatment… and after that, he trained deep into the night learning Shikeiryu swordsmanship.
Even Sōsuke Aizen would have to tip his hat to that level of overwork.
A diligent man such as myself… If everyone in the Spirit Academy put in even a third of my effort, how could the Soul Realm not flourish?With that deeply self-satisfied thought, Kisaragi Akira drifted off peacefully.
Meanwhile, Kuchinoki Sōjun stared blankly at Akira's back, unable to close his eyes for a very, very long time.
Having a massive piece of gossip practically shoved in your face but being unable to confirm it… it was like having a thousand ants crawl under your uniform. Forget sleeping — he couldn't even calm down.
But his upbringing and sense of propriety made it impossible for him to shake Akira awake.
And so, Sōjun sat there the entire night, dark bags under his eyes, without sleeping a single minute.
A night passed without another word.
The following morning, Unohana Rei personally visited the infirmary to check on the two of them.
"You didn't follow my medical instructions? A lack of proper rest will slow down your recovery," she said after a quick examination, a faint crease appearing between her brows.
As a doctor, the thing she despised most was patients who ignored her orders.
Sōjun glanced at her through his panda-like dark circles, then shifted his gaze to Akira — who looked annoyingly lively — and let out a defeated sigh.With his inherently frail constitution, his wounds healed painfully slowly. He still needed more time in bed.
Kisaragi Akira, on the other hand, was a walking contradiction to medical science.
Due to his abnormal spiritual body, his recovery was monstrous — even the severe puncture wounds inflicted by the Kishaku Great Hollow were already eighty percent healed.Of course, Unohana Rei's medical mastery and healing arts played a massive role as well.
Even with Akira's 「Healing Hands」 passive, his medical skills were nowhere near Unohana's.Honestly, hardly anyone in the entire Soul Realm could compare to her.
After giving them a list of things to be mindful of, Unohana headed off in a hurry — Squad Four's captain was always busy.
"I really envy you," Sōjun grumbled while watching Akira stretch inside the ward, his handsome face filled with melancholy."Your wounds were so serious, yet you're already walking around. At this rate, you'll probably be discharged in a few days, right?"
Still checking the flexibility of his limbs, Akira replied without looking back:
"We'll see what Captain Unohana decides."
"But honestly? I feel like I could leave today."
Sōjun's shoulders sagged even further.
Compared to a normal Shinigami, his recovery was already slow — compared to a monster like Kisaragi Akira, the gap was just humiliating.
"I wish I could be like you…"
For once, he didn't bother hiding the envy in his eyes.
Akira suddenly turned around."Ah—right. I almost forgot. This time, you owe me compensation."
Sōjun blinked. "...Huh?"
Akira sighed dramatically."You used the protective charm, didn't you?"
Sōjun nodded.
"And the war's outcome was reversed because of it, right?"
Sōjun's pupils contracted.
Only a handful of captains knew about the war between the Kuchinoki Clan, Squad Six, and the rebels.It was strictly confidential.
So how did Akira know?
Could… could there be a traitor among us?
Sōjun's heart tightened, anxiety instantly rising as he thought of his father and the others still at the front line.
But Akira's next sentence shattered that theory completely.
"The rebels sent assassins after me."
"A traitor inside the Spiritual Arts Academy leaked the origin of the charm — meaning me."
"Even if it was just a few small fry, you, Young Master Kuchinoki, owe me an explanation. Right?"
Akira's clear gaze locked onto him.
For a single charm, this young noble could casually pay one hundred thousand rings.With such a serious incident happening now…Not giving compensation would be unreasonable, right?
As expected, Sōjun's brows furrowed deeply.
He had never imagined the rebels would target Akira.
The charm had been that effective.
Which meant Akira wasn't just his savior — he had effectively saved the entire Kuchinoki Clan.
After a long silence, Sōjun lifted his eyes and looked at the expectant Akira.
Then, with utter seriousness, he said:
"How about… you join the Kuchinoki Clan?"
Kisaragi Akira: "???"
Sōjun continued, giving his reasoning:
"The so-called 'rebels' aren't rebels in the literal sense. It's really a power struggle among major factions."
"They dare to assassinate you precisely because you have no backing."
"But if you joined the Kuchinoki Clan, they would hesitate. They wouldn't dare act this boldly."
Akira immediately scoffed.
"And get dragged into you nobles' disgusting faction wars?"
"Become a convenient knife for you to stab other houses with?"
Sōjun froze. He genuinely hadn't expected carefree, shameless Akira to say something so sharp.
"Don't misunderstand. I would never let you get pulled into any of that. One charm alone has helped me so much — it saved my life multiple times."
"I swear on the name of the Kuchinoki—"
Akira raised a hand to stop him and sighed.
"Okay, okay. Listen, Rich Boy—no, Young Master Kuchinoki. I know you mean well."
"But have you thought about this? Even your dad, Kuchinoki Ginrei, doesn't have full authority over your clan."
"You're just the heir. Can you really guarantee anything?"
Sōjun fell silent.
Harsh as it sounded, Akira wasn't wrong.
For someone who seemed frivolous, his understanding of this subject was surprisingly deep.
"Besides," Akira added, patting Sōjun's shoulder, rubbing his fingers together slyly,"this concerns my future, my career, my trajectory."
"Do you know what the Shihōin Clan offered to recruit me?"
"A cute girl. No—two. One black-haired, one white-haired."
"And you think your offer is enough to make me serve the Kuchinoki Clan for life?"