An hour later, in front of the Head Captain's estate.
Yoruichi and Urahara were waiting for Kōe. Just as Yoruichi couldn't hold back anymore and wanted to go inside to remind Kōe that he was late again, Kōe appeared. However, he looked quite downcast, seemingly in a terrible mood.
Yoruichi stepped closer and noticed his eyes were a bit red. It was obvious he had been crying.
"What, did Old Man Yama scold you until you cried?" Yoruichi asked hurriedly. Although Urahara didn't speak, his concern was evident on his face.
"Do you guys know that the crying baby gets the milk?" Kōe didn't answer, but instead asked the two of them a question.
"I guess I know a bit..."
"So you cried because you wanted to drink milk?" Yoruichi asked bluntly.
"Then do you know," Kōe continued to ignore her question, "if a child suffers a grievance but doesn't cry or make a fuss, can they get everything they want?"
"Can you speak human?" Yoruichi reached out and felt Kōe's forehead, continuing, "What, did the old man beat you silly?"
"Forget it, there's no talking to you!"
Kōe swatted Yoruichi's hand away. Originally, he thought he looked quite melancholic, like a brooding little prince. But after Yoruichi's antics, he really wanted to laugh, feeling like an absolute idiot.
"If you want to laugh, don't hold it in. Generally speaking, I wouldn't be able to hold it in either..."
Looking at Urahara, who had leaned in with a completely serious expression, Kōe finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. *'Has a two-faced, squinty-eyed freak like you ever had to hold back a laugh? How do you have the nerve to shift the blame onto Yoruichi? Turns out you're the funniest one here!'*
"I must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to become best friends with you guys!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't forget, you're currently only on 'probationary best friend' status with us!" Yoruichi reminded him with a look of disdain before turning to leave.
Because of Kōe's sudden Shikai release, Yoruichi and Urahara felt deceived and deeply hurt. To put it bluntly, they felt that Shihouin Kōe was hiding things from them and wasn't treating them as true comrades.
Well, actually, only Yoruichi felt that way. But in the vast majority of situations, Yoruichi could represent them all—especially when it came to having absolute authority over such trivial matters.
Therefore, Kōe had his best friend privileges temporarily revoked. Although it didn't make much difference from before, if he wanted to restore his status, he would have to put on a good performance at their base later and move Yoruichi and Urahara with his sincere attitude.
Even though Kōe felt that being expelled or not made no difference, saying that out loud would probably cause even more trouble. He had no choice but to play along with Yoruichi's antics.
Besides, having just formulated the persona fabrication plan with the old man, lying to Yoruichi would actually help push the plan forward. It was a blessing in disguise.
A few minutes later, in the secret base beneath Sōkyoku Hill, the three of them sat in a circle.
"Your interrogation begins now!" Yoruichi spoke first, asking with feigned ferocity, "Name of the culprit?"
"Don't you already know?"
"You are no longer the Shihouin Kōe we know, but the culprit, Shihouin Kōe!" Yoruichi raised her Zanpakutō to intimidate him. "So watch your attitude!"
"You just said it... Shihouin Kōe..."
Yoruichi nodded in satisfaction and smilingly sheathed her blade. *'Wouldn't it have been easier to just do this from the start? He just had to force my hand.'*
"I mean, is this really necessary?" Kōe smiled bitterly. It wasn't like he had committed some heinous crime that angered the heavens; was there really a need to draw swords?
"Don't change the subject!" Yoruichi said impatiently. "Continue confessing your crimes!"
"My crimes? You mean this?" Kōe pointed at Kōki in his hand. Seeing Yoruichi nod, he continued, "Well, I have two Zanpakutō!"
"..."
Yoruichi froze. She wasn't shocked by the claim of having two Zanpakutō, but rather, she didn't know how to curse out the shameless bastard sitting in front of her.
*'Forget it, getting physical is much more direct!'*
However, she didn't draw her blade this time, because Urahara had clamped a hand down on hers.
"Do you really have two Zanpakutō?" Although he was still smiling, a hint of gravity had settled over Urahara's face.
"You actually believe that nonsense? If he really had two Zanpakutō, the old man would have already sent him to Central 46 by now!"
Yoruichi's words didn't change Urahara's demeanor in the slightest. He kept his eyes fixed on Kōe, waiting for an answer.
Anyone in Seireitei would react exactly like Yoruichi upon hearing someone claim to possess two Zanpakutō. This was the very definition of the truest truths sounding like the falsest lies.
But Urahara Kisuke was the exception. Perhaps only someone like Urahara Kisuke—a man who would one day invent the Hōgyoku—would attempt to believe in all possibilities!
"As expected, it sounds too fake, doesn't it?" Kōe smiled bitterly. "Save me some face, will you?"
The old man had miscalculated and underestimated the young Urahara Kisuke. As for why Kōe did this, perhaps he wanted to test Urahara, or perhaps he simply wanted to tell his best friends the truth. Regardless, he just wanted to say it out loud.
However, for the sake of his future grand plan, he still had to use a lie to gloss over the matter.
"Actually, I never had an Asauchi to begin with." Kōe took a deep breath, resting a hand against his forehead as he continued, "Back in the Sword Room, that was the first time I had ever seen an Asauchi."
"I knew it!" Yoruichi pumped her fist in delight. Beside her, Urahara was still curious, but he was no longer as intensely interested as before.
"Wait, that's not right!" Yoruichi seemed to realize something. She stared at Kōe and asked, "How could Old Man Yama not give you an Asauchi?"
"Uh, it's a long story..."
"That's fine, we have plenty of time!"
"..."
A few minutes later, Yoruichi looked at Kōe, clutching her stomach with one hand as she asked in a trembling voice, "So... you lied because you were jealous of us?"
"No need to hold back. If you want to laugh, just laugh..." Kōe said, his face dark.
"Hahaha! You finally got what was coming to you, Shihouin Kōe!" Yoruichi literally rolled on the ground laughing. Kōe's dark expression was simply too hilarious.
Simply put, because Kōe's talent was too high, Old Man Yama wanted him to build a solid foundation. He didn't want Kōe to achieve Shikai too early and become reliant on it, so he had never given him an Asauchi.
Later on, since Kōe heavily neglected his other studies, it became even more impossible for Old Man Yama to give him an Asauchi.
But Yoruichi and Urahara had received their Asauchi when they were young. Kōe, being someone who cared deeply about his pride, didn't want to be outdone by his best friends. So, he constantly lied. If they had an Asauchi, he had one too. If they achieved Shikai, then he had achieved it two days earlier. In short, he absolutely refused to lose face!
Even this time in the Sword Room, despite desperately wanting an Asauchi, he had to pretend to be completely indifferent to them. With such an Oscar-worthy performance, he ended up playing himself in the end.
He usually acted so aloof and unbothered, like some transcendent master, but to think he was actually this kind of person! Yoruichi hardly dared to look at his face now; just one glance made her want to burst into laughter.
Watching Yoruichi laughing hysterically with her head down and Urahara sneaking glances at him, Kōe's face darkened even further. Although this was the cover story he had agreed upon with the old man, the humiliation was very real.
"Is there anything else? If not, I'm leaving!"
"How did you know there was something else?"
Kōe pointed at the items in Yoruichi's hands. "Not only did you tell me to bring mine, but you two brought yours as well. You couldn't possibly be carrying them just for self-defense, right?"
At this moment, Yoruichi and Urahara were each holding a sword. These weren't the standard Asauchi from the Shin'ō Academy, but their respective Zanpakutō—Zanpakutō that had already awakened their Shikai!
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