After chasing the men away, I lightly spread my senses to scan the surroundings.
As expected, there was no one left nearby except for Shiryu.
I was thinking that if someone had actually gritted their teeth and stayed despite my display of force, I'd have acknowledged them and let them sit beside us to listen.
"Kids these days have no backbone."
"Haha…. There aren't many who can stand tall in the face of a natural disaster, after all."
Well, I happen to know one such impressive fellow who ended up in Hell.
Smacking my lips, I sat down across from Shiryu.
"I'm sure you're curious why I've come. I don't intend to drag this out, so I'll get straight to the point."
"Please do."
"Shiba Hozuki—that brat is currently in Hell."
"…I beg your pardon?"
"Hard to believe, right? I couldn't believe it myself. I wondered what the hell a guy like that was doing in such a place."
Thanks to him, I learned that not everyone who falls to Hell is a criminal bastard.
To be honest, until I saw him with my own eyes, I wondered if he was just putting on an act. But seeing him in person confirmed it was the real deal.
Why didn't I believe it until I arrived?
Because, damn it, it's Hell.
"I've seen bastards who repent and reach enlightenment in Hell, but I never imagined someone who seemed to have absolutely no connection to it would end up there."
"How…. What could that child have possibly done to be sent to Hell…!!"
"That's exactly why I came here. It made no sense to me that a guy who's beyond 'good'—someone you could call a total sucker—wound up in Hell."
In terms of personality alone, he's someone who wouldn't be out of place being called a saint.
He was a man who tried to dive into magma just to save the vermin who had fallen to Hell with him.
In fact, even if he were a criminal like the others and had tried to save them out of mere 'camaraderie,' I would have been impressed enough to give him a round of applause.
But that brat genuinely felt pity for those who had melted into the magma and tried to save them.
If that isn't a saint, then what is?
"He isn't the type of person who belongs in Hell. His death was a tragedy, but at the very least, he's not someone who should be there."
"…What should I do?"
"Have you reached that age and still can't find the answer on your own?"
Shiryu couldn't respond to my words and lowered his head.
His face, cast in shadow, was filled with profound grief.
I reached out and patted Shiryu on the shoulder.
Not as an encouragement. Telling someone who has no strength left to 'cheer up' only drains them more.
"But you're not wrong to struggle. This is a question with no answer."
"…?"
"What? Did you think I'd give you the solution? That I would know the answer?"
As I spoke with a smirk, he hung his head lower as if I'd hit the mark.
Well, I suppose if a superior being appeared before me in a situation like that, I might find myself reflexively leaning on them too.
It's not that I don't understand, but….
Seeking an answer like that when you're well past a certain age is a bit much.
"After living for a thousand years, you should have at least learned that the world isn't so accommodating."
"…Yes. However, I thought that if it were you, Master, you might know a way."
A way, huh.
"There is a way."
Surprised, he snapped his head up, eyes wide.
How unexpected. I thought he'd be annoyed, thinking I was mocking him.
As I watched him with that thought, Shiryu looked away with a bitter expression.
"I assume that 'way' isn't exactly a proper one."
"Correct. It's to literally shatter Hell and merge it with the Three Worlds. Of course, the Three Worlds you all created will transform into Hell—both physically and conceptually."
"Haha…. There was a method even more extreme than what I had imagined."
"I take it you were thinking of a way to simply pull Hozuki out of Hell."
"Yes. You see right through me."
Sure, the method Shiryu was thinking of is indeed a way.
But it must not be done.
"These are the Three Worlds you created, and this is the order you established. You cannot make an exception just because he's your kin."
"I am well aware. That is why…. I seek the answer, not just a method."
"Then give up on Hozuki. It's an unsolvable problem."
It's not an unsolvable problem because I'm too lazy to think of one; it truly has no 'answer.'
What would happen if we removed Hozuki from Hell just because he doesn't belong there?
To talk about this, one first needs to understand exactly how the Three Worlds operate.
And that's exactly why I came here.
"You must know how the Three Worlds function."
"Even I do not know the details. I only created Hueco Mundo—the prison intended to house the Hollows."
"Is that so? Then the one who knows best would be Tsunayashiro, right?"
"No, it would be Shihoin. Tsunayashiro has…. stayed confined within the Royal Guard's Palace ever since that day, never venturing out."
The fact that Tsunayashiro is acting like a shut-in isn't particularly surprising, given he was always like that back in the forest. But to hear that Shihoin would know the most…
"That's unexpected."
That tomboy knowing something so complex?
It's truly a surprise.
"That is how much time has passed."
"I guess she's turned into an old hag by now. She hasn't gone senile, has she?"
"Fortunately, no."
"I see."
Well, at least she isn't senile.
I need to discuss something very complicated, and it would be a problem if she were just spouting nonsense.
"Pardon?"
"No need for pardons. You must have felt it too."
As I spoke, I turned my head toward a familiar presence.
Standing there was an old woman with disheveled dark purple hair who looked gaunt, and another old woman with black hair who had aged quite gracefully.
They were Shihoin Rasatsu and Kuchiki Myoren, respectively.
Even these kids grow old. Especially Rasatsu—since her image was so childish, I almost expected her never to age. I was a bit surprised.
"Rasatsu, Myoren. It's been a long time."
"…."
"We have been busy with the affairs of the Three Worlds, hence our long silence. Have you been in good health, Master?"
Rasatsu bit her lip without saying a word, while Myoren politely knelt and lowered her head in greeting.
Myoren was one thing, but Rasatsu really hasn't changed a bit.
"Don't you have anything to say? What, are you going to try and lead with a kick this time too?"
As I spoke with a chuckle, Rasatsu's wrinkled face contorted.
"Why…. Why have you decided to return only now?"
"What, is that what you were curious about? Don't worry, once my business is done, I'll be heading back."
"It has been an entire millennium!!"
Wait, why is she suddenly getting angry?
As I stared at her with one eyebrow raised, the huffing Rasatsu clutched her chest and gasped for air.
"Rasatsu…. I told you not to overexert yourself."
"Let go, Myoren…! I…. *Gasp! Cough!* I…! I have things I must ask him…!"
"Hmm…."
Heart, lungs…. Her breathing sounds strange. This seems like a long-standing issue.
The heart likely weakened naturally with age, but is the problem pulmonary edema?
"I'm surprised you're even alive with a body like that. Every breath must be agonizing. You must be coughing up blood, too."
"My pain…. matters not…! Just answer me…!"
"Tsk, what a piece of work."
She seems to have even less manners than before.
Besides, why get so worked up and suffer for it?
"Hey, Shiryu. You said she wasn't senile. This brat looks pretty senile to me."
"Haha…."
This guy's the same as always too.
I let out a long sigh and stood up to face Rasatsu.
"Stand up straight, Rasatsu."
"*Cough! Hack, urgh….*"
"Myoren, help her up."
"Yes."
Myoren helped Rasatsu to her feet, and I took another look at Rasatsu's condition.
It was definitely pulmonary edema.
"This is going to hurt a bit."
All three of them, including Rasatsu herself, looked at me with confusion.
Not that they won't find out soon enough.
Extending my pinky, I thrust it straight into Rasatsu's solar plexus.
Pulmonary edema is a condition where fluid builds up in the alveoli—basically, the air sacs in the lungs. Therefore, the cure is simple.
"*Gack!*"
"*Kahaak…!*"
"Master!? Even if Rasatsu was rude, how could you do this to a sick person…!"
"Quiet. I can't hear the sound."
Air continued to escape from Rasatsu's mouth.
As the remaining air in her lungs decreased, the lungs shrank, and naturally, the fluid trapped in the alveoli…
"*Gurgle….*"
…Would naturally be forced out.
Watching Rasatsu vomit out bright red bloody foam, I withdrew my pinky.
"Leave her like that for a bit. She'll get up on her own soon enough."
"…Yes."
Leaving the collapsed, trembling Rasatsu to Myoren, I shook the bloody foam off my arm and returned to my seat.
Aw, dammit. I got blood on my clothes.
"Shiryu, get me a change of clothes."
"Certainly. I shall prepare several sets for you to take back as well."
"Yeah, thanks."
See? This is how a disciple should act.
Look at how attentive he is, unlike a certain mannerless brat.
"*Cough! Hack! Urgh…! Haa…. Haa….*"
While I was thinking that, I glanced over at Rasatsu. After spitting out blood for a long while and coughing a few times, she began to breathe again.
Her breathing sounded far clearer than before; that crude method I just used actually worked.
…I can't believe that worked.
She's old, but I'm glad she's still as tough as ever.
Thank you, Kagaya.
It's thanks to you serving as my test subject that I could put this to use.
What if she died?
Then it would be divine punishment; why should I have to worry about that?
Well, maybe I would have worried just a little.
I still need to hear their story, after all.
"Well, how does it feel to take a proper breath for the first time in ages?"
"…."
Still no answer, you ill-mannered brat.
Maybe I should have just punctured her diaphragm.
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