Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

Compared to the World of the Living, Soul Society and the Seireitei certainly lacked many industrial chains, but some basic art forms still existed. In fact, the older the art form, the more likely it was to be preserved.

Among these were novels. The quantity might not be large, but there were those among the nobility who entrusted their emotions to pen and ink. The prime example of this was Kōe’s senior martial brother, the current Captain of Squad 8, Kyōraku Shunsui.

Aside from his duties as a captain, he also serialized romance novels in the Seireitei Communication. He was probably Yadomaru Lisa’s initiator into the world of reading!

Of course, Shunsui’s novels shouldn’t be too excessive. For Lisa to evolve into her current state, she either read some much more uninhibited novels, or she simply evolved after coming to the World of the Living.

The misunderstanding was finally cleared up. Kōe covered his face, glaring resentfully at Lisa, who had just casually set him up. What did she mean by, ’The ones he buys are pretty good, very much to my taste’? She had spouted such nonsense so nonchalantly that even he had almost believed it.

"You guys can make a fuss over such a trivial matter. Are you and Yoruichi really husband and wife?" Hirako dug his ear with his pinky finger. "Never mind that what Lisa said was fake; even if it were true, it wouldn’t be a big deal."

Kōe rolled his eyes at the guy who clearly didn’t mind watching the world burn, snapping back, "Our lives have been fraught with hardship, constantly on the run, and we spend more time apart than together. We haven’t even had a wedding yet!"

"Oh!"

"What do you mean ’Oh’? Have you all had enough?!" Yoruichi slammed the table, stopping this group of centuries-old children from continuing their playful banter. "Are you all that free?!"

"Indeed. With two Arrancar invasions in a short period and the predicament Mr. Ichigo is facing, we have many problems to deal with," Urahara chimed in with a completely serious expression. But Kōe knew he hadn’t been like this just a moment ago—this guy had been smiling the whole time without stopping!

"Let’s talk about Ichigo first. Who told someone to gamble and cause trouble for others?" Hirako said sarcastically. "Tell us, what did you do this time?"

Kōe felt helpless. It was hard for him to say whether his actions toward Ichigo served as a wake-up call or the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

After he practically recreated the scene from earlier, everyone present felt that although Kōe’s words were harsh, they were the truth. As for how Ichigo would ultimately react, no one had any idea.

But just because the words were true didn’t mean Kōe’s actions were beneficial. Yoruichi certainly didn’t think so. "Before we came, didn’t you instruct Rukia to properly counsel Ichigo? Dead-Fish Eyes, you were simply doing too much."

"But it’s an indisputable fact that the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse." Urahara stroked his chin, speaking up for Kōe. "The enemy has once again refreshed his understanding of them, both in terms of numbers and strength. Even though I believe Mr. Ichigo is someone with a strong heart, I think it’s entirely possible for him to be disheartened by this blow."

"I couldn’t care less about what that brat thinks, but Kōe, your actions have indeed introduced a variable into whether Ichigo will accept us." Hirako leaned back slightly, resting his head on his hands. How should they handle this next?

Sarugaki Hiyori had already thought of a solution for him. "Just give up. Not having that wishy-washy baldy around might not be a bad thing! Besides, trying to control Hollowfication without a strong heart? Hmph, he might just end up turning into a real Hollow in the end."

"Don’t be too arrogant, Hiyori," Hirako turned his head and said lazily. "At a time like this, having one more helper is definitely better than having one more burden."

"Do you have a brain, you bald idiot Hirako?! The way he is now, he can’t control his Hollowfication at all. Having one more burden is still better than having one more enemy!" After Hiyori finished speaking, she turned to Urahara. "You be the judge, Urahara!"

Hirako smiled and shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Hiyori’s statement. Urahara then explained the reasoning for him: "Mr. Ichigo is currently an unstable bomb, destined to explode. The only difference is whose hands he explodes in. Even if he might completely turn into a Hollow, it’s better to deal with it sooner rather than later."

"That’s exactly what I meant. Did you understand that, Hiyori?"

"Shut up, you bald idiot." Hiyori crossed her arms, looking furious. She absolutely wasn’t going to talk to this bastard Hirako anymore—for at least ten minutes!

"You understand too, right, Kōe? Ichigo must try to control his Hollowfication, and the sooner the better."

Kōe nodded; of course he understood this. "Therefore, how we guide him is the key. In the worst-case scenario, we also have to consider how to control him. If Ichigo is already crushed by the pressure, do we gently guide him or forcefully push him?"

The room suddenly fell silent. Discussing everything based on the worst-case scenario, the two approaches Kōe mentioned represented two completely different attitudes.

Gentle guidance required time. They would first need to help Ichigo regain his sense of self, encouraging him to actively challenge himself and control his Hollowfication. This approach also required everyone to hope that Ichigo could become an asset to their side, investing time and energy into him.

Forceful pushing was different. No one could be certain if Ichigo would be crushed by this continuous pressure. Whether he successfully controlled his Hollowfication would still depend on him, but just as Hiyori said, without a strong heart, it was impossible to control Hollowfication.

Therefore, in this situation, rather than saying they were helping Ichigo, it was more like they were observing and stimulating him—stimulating this bomb to explode as soon as possible so that everyone could proceed without any worries.

"I think..." Yoruichi started to speak but couldn’t finish her sentence. To be safe, the second approach was definitely the choice, but was it really worth it? She couldn’t be sure.

The others felt the same way. It was a complete dilemma. The only solution might be to hold onto a sliver of hope, praying that the situation wouldn’t deteriorate to that point.

"Let’s wait and see for now." Kōe voiced that sliver of hope for them. Hirako frowned and then added, "If your words had a positive effect, he will come looking for us as soon as possible."

That was the problem. They couldn’t wait indefinitely for Ichigo to heal his own wounds. Of course, it would be great if he wasn’t wounded, but if he truly was, the sooner a decision was made, the better. Tonight would be a good time.

So, what they really needed to consider was whether to rely on that sliver of hope.

"If things don’t look right, I’ll have Rukia go try again. Rather than giving up, I’m more inclined to take a risk. All actions will be aimed at helping Ichigo master Hollowfication."

"Chōzuka!"

Hirako wanted to persuade Kōe but couldn’t bring himself to speak. They were people who had been given up on before. Now that it was their turn, could they so easily give up on a child who had been implicated by them?

"How long do we wait?"

"Let’s wait two days first. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll send Rukia over."

Two days was acceptable, but Kōe didn’t mean that Hollowfication training would begin in two days. Hirako reminded him, "Then how much time are you going to give Rukia?"

"As much time as we can give."

"What do you mean ’as much time as we can give’?"

"I mean right up until the great war begins, the moment he truly turns into a Hollow and swings his blade at us. Until then, I do not intend to consider failure."

No one present objected. Kōe had already made his decision. Even if Ichigo was a bomb, he was going to hold onto him until the very moment he exploded.

He said he wanted to take a risk, and he certainly wasn’t kidding. But this risk was perhaps a bit too extreme.

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