On Saturday afternoon, Hasumi Ren arrived at the entrance of the Spiritual Arts Academy as promised.
He had shed his academy uniform, opting instead for a simple set of plain civilian clothes.
Nanao hadn't come. Seeing Ren appear alone, Kaien understood the situation and didn't pry.
After meeting up, the two left the Seireitei and entered the West Rukongai.
After passing through several relatively bustling streets, the buildings gradually thinned out, and the terrain began to slope upward.
Eventually, they arrived at a spacious estate situated on a low hill, far from the busy city center.
"Um... the place is a bit of a mess, and there are two rowdy siblings to deal with. Please bear with us, Senior."
"Alright, no need for such formalities with me. Let's go."
Ren chuckled, though he was secretly curious about the Shiba estate he was about to see.
The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of striking, almost exaggerated, giant stone arms flanking the main gate.
Rising from the ground with bulging, lifelike muscles, they held aloft a massive banner displaying four bold, sweeping characters: SHIBA KAIEN.
Ren stared at the imposing decoration, momentarily stunned.
Kaien rubbed his nose and gave a dry laugh.
"Cough, well, this is a tradition left behind by my father's generation. He said the Shiba clan might decline, but our spirit must never falter. The family just kept the tradition alive."
Just as he spoke, a sudden clamor and the beastly grunts of an animal echoed from the distance.
"Ohhh! Big Bro, you're back! I just finished buying the groceries!"
A sturdy wild boar with protruding tusks came thundering toward them, carrying a rugged-looking boy on its back.
The boar charged wildly, kicking up clouds of dust, seemingly on a collision course with Ren and Kaien standing outside the gate.
"Ganju!!"
Kaien felt his vision darken with exasperation.
In the next instant, he blurred next to the boar, grabbing the boy by his collar with one hand while pinning the boar's head down with the other.
The reckless beast's front legs buckled under the weight of his single hand, and it skidded to a grunting halt.
Kaien set his brother down and immediately delivered a sharp rap to the boy's head.
"How many times have I told you to watch where you're going? You almost hit our guest! Apologize at once!"
"My bad, my bad, Bro..."
"Apologize to the guest!"
Clutching his head, Ganju finally noticed Ren standing nearby with a nuanced expression and gave a stuttering bow.
"Sumimasen, Hasumi-san."
"It's no problem. He's certainly energetic."
Ren waved it off.
"Ren, you're here!"
A lively voice called out from inside the gate.
Ren looked over as Kukaku came running out.
Today, she had changed into a simple red outfit. With a bright smile on her face, her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
"Yo, Kukaku."
"Come on in, don't just stand at the door. Ganju, get that stupid pig of yours to the backyard!"
Kukaku kicked Ganju in the lower back, sending him stumbling.
"Bonnie isn't a stupid pig..."
Ganju rubbed his back, muttering under his breath as he led the boar toward the rear of the estate.
Stepping inside the Shiba estate, the interior proved to be even more... peculiar than the exterior.
Upon opening the door, they were met with a staircase leading downward. To enter the house, one had to go downstairs first.
"Our family is in the fireworks business. We used to accidentally blow the house up all the time, so we just decided to build it underground."
Kaien explained to Ren with a grin.
Once they were settled in the parlor, Kukaku called out.
"Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Our guest is here!"
Two tall, solemn-faced middle-aged men dressed in gold and silver outfits emerged. Moving in perfect unison, they bowed deeply to Ren.
"Welcome to the Shiba residence."
Their presence was steady and their spiritual pressure refined. Although they were clearly suppressing it, Ren could tell they were quite capable.
"Thank you for having me."
Ren returned the greeting.
He noticed a hint of scrutiny in Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko's respectful gazes, but there was no malice.
"These two have been with us since we were kids. They're called servants, but they're basically family."
Kaien introduced them.
The two quickly waved their hands in protest.
"We wouldn't dare overstep our bounds. Please, Master, say no more."
"Oh, you two..."
Ren understood. These two had likely been with the Shiba clan since the days they were still nobles within the Seireitei.
After the introductions, Kaien invited Ren to sit, and Kukaku soon brought out tea and snacks.
Ganju, having finished his chores, rushed over to join them, eyeing Ren with curiosity.
Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko handled the cooking for dinner. After a brief chat, several hearty, home-cooked dishes were served.
Kukaku naturally took the seat next to Ren, frequently piling food onto his plate.
"Try this. It's Koganehiko's specialty stew."
"I personally kept an eye on this fried fish; it's cooked perfectly."
A small mountain of food piled up in Ren's bowl, making it hard for him to keep up.
Beside them, Ganju was stuffing his face, his mind clearly wandering elsewhere.
Watching his carefree brother and recalling the earlier incident, Kaien's irritation flared up again.
"Ganju, you're not a kid anymore. What's the point of riding that wild boar and tearing through the streets all day?"
"You won't learn the family's fireworks techniques, and instead, you spend your time hanging out with those street punks. Didn't you almost flip over someone's vegetable stall the other day?"
Hearing this, Kukaku chimed in, though her tone was more teasing.
"Exactly. The Shiba family was wealthy and prestigious once. Even if things are... well, different now, we've never had someone who spent their days entertaining themselves by riding a pig."
"Big Brother is worried sick about it. He told me the other day that if you don't shape up, he'll send Bonnie to a distant farm for a while just to make you settle down."
"Huh? No! Not that, Big Bro!"
Ganju panicked at the thought of his beloved boar being sent away. Forgetting his meal, his face twisted in distress.
"Bonnie is a good girl! We haven't done anything wrong, we just go a little fast. I'll be more careful, okay...?"
His voice trailed off as his confidence wavered, but his eyes were full of stubborn reluctance and inner conflict at the thought of losing his fun.
Seeing him like this, Kaien felt both annoyed and helpless. He rubbed his temples.
"Setting aside whether it's 'wrong' or not, tell me, can you do anything productive? Getting you to sit still and learn something is harder than climbing to the heavens."
Ganju opened his mouth but found no rebuttal. He could only hang his head in frustration, absentmindedly scratching his hair.
He knew his brother meant well, but he truly had no interest in crafts that required quiet, meticulous study.
The vast Rukongai and the freedom of racing against the wind—that was what he yearned for.
Kaien sighed softly.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about this now. Just eat your dinner."
Ganju gave a muffled response, clearly dejected.
Kaien offered Ren an apologetic smile, and Ren shook his head to indicate it was fine.
He took in the scene, his mind racing.
'I didn't expect to run into a clash of family values here.'
Ganju's problem was that he was passionate about his hobby, but it didn't align with his family's expectations.
The way he trained and rode that boar... he made it feel like a motorcycle. He'd even gathered a group of subordinates to ride with him.
To an ordinary person, it was just fooling around, but from another perspective...
'How does this seem to fit perfectly with one of my ideas?'
He set down his teacup and spoke softly.
"Kaien, Kukaku, I actually think Ganju's hobby might not be without its uses."
"I've had an idea for a while now. I'm not sure if you'd be interested."
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