"You have quite the sense of humor, Master. Haha..."
Kōe replied with a dry laugh, but Yamamoto offered no response, merely staring at him quietly with an expressionless face.
"Really?"
"Do you think I look like I am joking with you?"
*You're getting married!*
*Yes, you are the groom!*
*What? You didn't know? What does that matter? Congratulations!*
This was exactly how Kōe felt right now. It was simply too absurd. A wife had been arranged for him without any rhyme or reason. Was this some sort of tradition for taking up a captaincy in the Seireitei? The organization's sympathy for single young men was going a bit overboard!
Getting a wife for free sounded pretty good in theory, but when it actually happened to him, it was truly hard to accept. Though, if it were Unohana, maybe he could barely accept it?
"Who is the other party?" Kōe asked cautiously.
"Shihōin Yoruichi. You two grew up together and can be considered childhood friends. Your conditions are well-matched in every aspect." Yamamoto took a sip of tea and continued, "On that day, Yoruichi will also take over the position of head of the Shihōin clan. Three joyous occasions at once. The entire Seireitei has been in turmoil for so long; it is time for a proper celebration."
"No way! Yoruichi and I aren't suitable for each other!" Kōe hurriedly refused. He and Yoruichi were simply too familiar with each other. To tell the truth, except for a few rare occasions, he genuinely saw Yoruichi as a brother. And now he was suddenly being told to marry her? No way! Just thinking about the scene made Kōe cringe with sheer awkwardness.
"How are you not suitable?" Yamamoto raised his left eyebrow slightly, glancing at Kōe. He continued, "You are familiar with each other, and I can tell that you care for her deeply."
"That is true, but..."
Before Kōe could finish his sentence, Yamamoto interrupted him, saying, "Then there is no problem. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to visit the Shihōin estate."
"I don't have those kinds of feelings for Yoruichi! Shouldn't something like this depend on what the two of us want?"
"Nonsense!" Yamamoto suddenly slammed his hand on the desk and stood up, glaring down at Kōe as he scolded, "The matter has already been settled. Do you intend to make both me and the Shihōin clan lose face just because of your whims?"
"I..."
"Enough!" Yamamoto raised a hand to stop whatever Kōe was about to say next. "Today, you will stay in the Squad 1 barracks and not take a single step outside. Tomorrow, you will come with me to visit the Shihōin clan. That is final!"
With that said, Yamamoto clasped his hands behind his back and left the Head Captain's office, leaving Kōe alone to agonize over the situation. His stance had been made abundantly clear.
Remaining in the office, Kōe truly felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn't that Yoruichi was bad in any way; he simply couldn't accept this method of doing things.
Emotionally, it was unacceptable, but rationally, he felt it wasn't that big of a deal. Was he really going to fall out with Yamamoto over this, or defect from the Seireitei in a fit of pique? That wouldn't be worth it at all.
While Kōe's mind was in turmoil, Yamamoto, who had already left, felt just as troubled despite his resolute exterior.
Back then, Kamidera Miya had given him three proposals. The first two were essentially forcing Yamamoto to choose between letting Kōe succeed him as Head Captain, or letting him become the next Kenpachi.
As for the third proposal, it felt a bit like a mockery.
The specific details of this proposal were: abandon the idea of making Shihōin Kōe the successor to the Head Captain, allow him to become the new Captain of Squad 11, and permit him to marry.
However, there were restrictive conditions. Kōe's marriage partner had to be from one of the Five Great Noble Clans. If the bride was from the Tsunayashiro or Kamidera clans, Kōe would merely need to reside within their estates after marriage.
If she was from any of the remaining three clans, he would have to marry into her family and change his surname. Kōe could continue serving as the Captain of Squad 11 until their direct descendant was born. The time limit was one thousand years. If they still had no descendants after a millennium, Kōe would automatically be stripped of his position as Squad 11 Captain.
Such a proposal further increased the Five Great Noble Clans' control over Kōe, while also gradually diluting the relationship between Yamamoto and Kōe—a bond that was master and disciple on the surface, but truly akin to father and son.
There were only two possibilities that posed a threat. The first was that the chosen noble clan would ally with Yamamoto, though determining who held the dominant position between the two factions would be a difficult issue to resolve.
The second was that Kōe would completely bring that clan under his own control. However, once Yamamoto chose this proposal, even that would no longer be a threat.
There was only one reason Yamamoto could accept this entirely unbeneficial proposal: he had truly realized that he harbored familial affection for Kōe. The very act of presenting this proposal was meant to make Yamamoto recognize his own change of heart.
And that was indeed the case. Despite it being a completely disadvantageous proposal, Yamamoto had subconsciously chosen it the moment he heard it. Perhaps his initial expectations and plans for Kōe had gradually shifted over time.
Now, he simply wanted to watch the child he had raised from a young age have his own wife and his own family, without having to give up the normal things in life just because of his existence.
When had this change occurred? Was it when he sent Unohana to find Kōe? Perhaps even earlier. He might have already harbored such thoughts back at the Huaixiang Pavilion.
Yoruichi was a girl he had also watched grow up, and her personality and character were quite good. Moreover, Kōe was a hot potato that not just any clan would be willing to take on. The fact that the Shihōin clan took the initiative to accept him was entirely because Dōzō thought highly of the two youngsters.
As for leaving it up to their own wishes—given Kōe's dense and indecisive nature, waiting for him to make a move would probably take hundreds or thousands of years. It was a complete waste of time!
In short, Kōe didn't sleep well that night, and neither did Yamamoto. Both had their own thoughts weighing on them. Neither could understand the other on this matter. This was a collision of two vastly different eras with a massive generational gap; neither side could fully integrate into the other's perspective.
Fortunately, neither of them were ordinary people, so when they headed to the Shihōin estate the next day, they both still looked radiant and full of energy.
Today, Yamamoto was uncharacteristically not wearing his captain's haori. Instead, he wore a dark gray kimono, which made him look much more approachable.
Kōe, on the other hand, wore a dark blue kimono. It wasn't too flashy, nor did it feel overly somber, making him appear much more mature and steady.
Arriving at the grand Shihōin estate, it wasn't Kōe's first time here, but it was the first time he felt a sense of unfamiliarity, and even a bit of restraint.
Aside from the father-daughter pair of Dōzō and Yoruichi, even Yoruichi's younger brother, Shihōin Yūshirō—whom Kōe rarely saw—was present at the gathering. These were all the surviving direct lineage members of the Shihōin clan.
In the past, Kōe had jokingly remarked that Yoruichi and Yūshirō were born as the wrong genders. Of course, it wasn't that Yūshirō was overly effeminate, but rather that Yoruichi acted far too masculine. Coupled with Yūshirō's delicate sensibilities and shy demeanor, the contrast made him seem somewhat submissive.
But today, the two of them were completely reversed. Yūshirō, who usually barely even looked up at Kōe, was now staring daggers at him with his large eyes, looking as if he wanted to dissect him.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi kept her head bowed with a constant smile. Paired with the pale pink kimono she was wearing, it was the first time Kōe ever thought Yoruichi was actually this beautiful, this gentle, and this much like a woman.
*Did Yoruichi actually accept such an absurd arrangement too?*
Kōe felt a headache coming on. He turned to look at Yamamoto, who was chatting and laughing with Shihōin Dōzō beside him, and then at Dōzō, who occasionally cast a smiling glance his way. He had absolutely no doubt that if he said anything inappropriate right now, these two old men would string him up and beat him.
Things seemed to be progressing in an irreversible direction.
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