The sliding door shut silently, and the tea room was once again shrouded in stillness.
Tsunayashiro Tokiying remained in his seat, his fingertips idly tracing the rim of the warm tea cup.
The Nagano family was a submissive pawn. While their methods lacked finesse, they were sufficient for his purposes.
He intended for Hasumi Ren to suffer through mounting daily losses, ensuring his business's reputation in the Rukongai was utterly ground into the dirt.
Once that was achieved, he would humiliate him mercilessly, teaching him the price of defiance.
Tokiying lifted the tea cup and brought it to his lips.
Bang!
The tea room door was kicked open with brutal force. A figure stumbled inside and collapsed onto the tatami mats.
"Who is it!"
Tokiying stood up abruptly and looked down, only to find Nagano Masayasu.
The man was unrecognizable compared to before. A distinct fist mark was bruised into his face, his nose was mangled, and blood poured from his mouth and nostrils, staining his garments.
Then, another figure appeared in the doorway.
The man was tall and slender, wearing a kimono adorned with the Tsunayashiro family crest. His face shared a slight resemblance to Tokiying's, but his eyes were far more piercing and malicious, and a thin, mocking smile played on his lips.
His right knuckles were stained with fresh blood, which he was calmly wiping away with a silk handkerchief.
Tsunayashiro Tokinada.
A member of the branch family's lowest tier and Tokiying's cousin, he was a well-known lunatic among the clan's current generation.
Tokiying's voice grew icy.
"Tokinada, what are you doing?"
Tokinada chuckled and strolled into the room, paying no mind to the moaning Nagano Masayasu on the tatami.
He sat across from Tokiying, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a leisurely sip.
"Simply teaching him some manners."
Tokinada glanced at the man on the floor.
"A piece of trash from who-knows-where dared to omit the proper kneeling etiquette in my presence. Since when did the Tsunayashiro family's hierarchy become so cheap?"
Nagano Masayasu struggled to sit up, clutching his bleeding nose as he whimpered incoherently.
"L-Lord Tokiying, I had only just left your presence... I didn't see this young master approaching..."
"You didn't see me? Or perhaps you've recently latched onto the main family and decided you no longer need to respect a branch family scrap like me."
"Let this be a lesson. If there is a next time..."
Tokinada's eyes flashed with naked murderous intent as he stared at Nagano.
The man shivered, paralyzed by fear.
Tokiying looked at the blood on Tokinada's hand and the wretched state of his pawn, his face darkening.
This man was showing him absolutely no respect.
"Tokinada, this man is working for me. You're overstepping your bounds."
"Working?"
Tokinada laughed as if he had just heard a hilarious joke.
"You mean that ramen shop? That little stall run by a Rukongai lowlife?"
He leaned forward, his gaze narrowing like a viper's.
"My dear cousin, are you playing house?"
"Does it really take this much effort to crush an ant?"
Tokiying's grip on his cup tightened.
"Were you eavesdropping?"
"Eavesdropping? Don't put it so crudely. I merely saw an outsider enter and decided to take an interest, that is all."
Tokinada chuckled, inspecting the blood on his fist.
"Rumors, petty harassment, sending stray dogs to bite... you're dragging the Tsunayashiro name through the mud."
"And what would you suggest, cousin?"
Tokiying's voice remained steady, though his eyes were cold.
"Should I have simply drawn my sword and killed him? You're far too extreme, Tokinada."
"Moreover, he has the Shihoin family's protection. I can't move against him personally, or there would be hell to pay."
Tokinada scoffed.
"The Shihoin?"
He tilted his head mockingly.
"So you're afraid. Just because of one person's word, you hide away and play these puerile games?"
Tokiying stayed silent, watching him coldly.
"Don't give me that. Weren't you the one who murdered several Soul Reapers on a whim and got reported to Central 46 by Kyoraku Shunsui? You've been confined by the elders ever since."
"It's been over a century. Haven't you reflected on your actions at all?"
Tokiying allowed a trace of mockery to surface in his eyes.
"I have no intention of causing an uproar just to satisfy a momentary impulse."
"Besides," Tokiying's gaze turned grim, "that fellow is currently very close to Kyoraku Shunsui's niece."
The tea room fell silent for a moment.
Tokinada stopped his wiping.
"Kyoraku..."
He whispered the name, a foul and chilling murderous intent swirling in his eyes, nearly manifesting into a physical weight.
But a moment later, the killing intent vanished, replaced by a twisted grin.
"You say he's close to Kyoraku's niece? Well... that is interesting."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the courtyard with his back to Tokiying, his voice trembling with a sick joy.
"Tokiying, if you want to teach him a lesson but are too afraid to act, I'll handle it for you."
Tokiying felt a surge of unease.
"Tokinada, don't do anything reckless."
"Rash?" Tokinada turned, his smile unnaturally wide. "Don't worry. Whatever I do won't be traced back to you."
He walked back to the center of the room and looked down at the trembling Nagano.
"Those little games of yours... you can stop now."
"After all, a corpse can't beg for your forgiveness."
Tokiying's pupils constricted at Tokinada's audacity.
"You..."
Tokinada grinned, baring his teeth.
"Wait for my news, my dear cousin."
He stood tall, casting one last look at the shivering man on the floor.
"Harassing a noodle shop... you really are a disgrace to the nobility."
"They're just lowlifes. If you want them gone, kill them. If you're too cowardly for that, then leave the Seireitei. Why even bother being a noble?"
He kicked Nagano down and ground his heel into the man's face several times.
Tokiying's face was like lead as he watched him.
Tokinada appeared to be berating Nagano, but he was clearly using the man as a proxy to insult Tokiying himself.
With that, Tokinada turned and left the tea room, vanishing into the corridor.
The room was silent once more, except for Nagano's labored breathing.
Tokiying remained quiet for a long time before finally letting out a breath.
He didn't know what complications Tokinada's involvement would cause.
If Tokinada actually killed Hasumi Ren, how would Shihoin Yoruichi respond?
Would Kyoraku Shunsui notice?
And more importantly, would the fallout eventually burn back to the Tsunayashiro family—to him?
Tokiying closed his eyes in frustration, his fingers tapping his knee in agitation.
After a moment, he opened them and looked at Nagano Masayasu, who was still gasping on the floor.
"Nagano."
"Y-Young Master..."
Nagano struggled to regain his composure.
"You heard what Tokinada said," Tokiying said flatly. "On your end, there's no need to rush. Go back and wait for my word."
Nagano was stunned.
"But..."
"I said, wait for my word."
Tokiying cut him off with a frozen stare.
Nagano trembled and immediately prostrated himself.
"Yes! I will follow your every command, Lord Tokiying!"
"Leave. And find a medic to look at those wounds."
Nagano shakily retreated from the room, leaving Tokiying in solitude.
Tokiying stared at the dead branches outside, his mind a whirlwind of concern and his brow tightly furrowed.
He was starting to regret this.