CHAPTER 166-167: The List

A/N: Well, my older brother got engaged yesterday. What a stressful but exciting day for everyone involved.

...

Upon opening the door, Kazuya was met with three pairs of eyes — Rangiku, Isane, and Nanao, whose presence in the room didn't surprise him. He expected her to pop up any day since she had handled the dormitory destruction incident with her Captain.

{Woah, says Kazuya, the Incarnation of Phenex, upon seeing four beautiful ladies waiting for him in his room. Will he disrobe his kimono and jump at the ladies like a fiend?}

'Nami, write your fanfiction somewhere else.'

Kazuya nipped Nami's growing hobby in the bud. "If it isn't my future Vice Captains. Who is the new guest?"

Nanao froze upon hearing his voice for the first time. Her reaction wasn't that different from every other woman during their first meeting. After recovering her composure, she narrowed her eyes. "You're him?"

"Yes, I'm him. And this is my cat, her." He pointed at Yoruichi, who jumped down and left the room, tail swinging. "Well, she is anti-social."

Nanao's hand twitched, almost as if she wanted to hurl her heavy book at him — reaction she usually reserved for her own Captain. "...You're unbelievable."

He grinned. "What you mean to say is I'm unbelievably handsome and charming."

Nanao's frown deepened as she observed Momo shift closer to Kazuya. She opened her book and tore out a page. "Shizu, Amane, Himeko…" She proceeded to list every girl he had seduced in the Soul Society. "And Momo Hinamori. You were intimate in some manner with the girls I just mentioned."

Rangiku covered her face with her palm, feeling immediate regret for giving Nanao the opportunity to start the argument. She exchanged a subtle nod with Isane, both understanding that they had to find a way to diffuse the situation. Having gained personal acquaintance with him, they strongly objected to the 'Operation: Humble the Genius' initiated by the Shinigami Women's Association.

Momo cupped her flushed cheeks, stealing shy glances at him. "D-Do we look like couples from your perspective?"

Her serious accusations left Kazuya bewildered but Momo's bashful response was even more surprising. Curious, he stayed silent and let Momo handle the situation, taking it as an opportunity to assess her yandere level.

{Partner, your yandere will own this Karen wannabe.}

'Let's see.'

Meanwhile, Nanao fixed her gaze on Momo, her eyes filled with exasperation as she watched Momo fail to comprehend the weight of her accusations. "Were my words not loud and clear? Every girl on this list has been intimate with this lustful man in some capacity. EVERY one of them."

Momo lowered her hands and met Nanao's gaze steadily. "And?"

Nanao's eyes grew wider with disbelief. "You're already smitten."

"How is that a problem to you?" Momo asked, her lips curving into a smile. A sickly sweet smile, yet her eyes carried a certain emptiness. "Have you grown so delusional with power and authority that you can't fathom a girl wholeheartedly loving a boy?"

The notion of defending her man brought out a confidence she didn't know she possessed.

"You are delusional, incapable of seeing things clearly." Nanao pointed at Kazuya. "This man has seduced numerous girls. As the Vice-President of the Shinigami Women's Association, I can't sit by and watch him ruin the lives of girls in the Soul Society."

"Then stand up," Momo growled. "And change your glasses. Because you can't see that Kazuya-kun didn't ruin any lives. I have talked to every girl you mentioned — none of them had any bad things to say about him. All of them knew that their relationship would be transactional."

Rangiku and Isane froze, unable to match the fierce Momo with the meek girl from earlier. Even Kazuya was baffled by Momo's thorough research.

Nanao was visibly shaken, finding it unbelievable she had overlooked something as crucial as interviewing the girls in question. "You're right. I should have done more investigation before pointing fingers… It doesn't excuse him from using the girls to further his means."

"Stop mimicking those braindead nobles, Ise-san," Momo said in a condescending tone. "Nobles don't have the right to intervene in our personal affairs. We're free to choose our partners."

"I'm not a noble...." Nanao replied, a lack of confidence in her voice. "What Ishihara-san did was unethical. Transactional or not, he played with their feelings."

"This again…" Momo gave Nanao a blank stare. "Kazuya-kun showed them a good time, and in return, they let him access the secured sections of the library. His Zanpakutō needed him, and he did everything in his power to help it. Ethics weren't his concern."

Just as Nanao was about to speak, Rangiku extended her hand and playfully squeezed the younger woman's cheek. "Let it go, Nanao. Kazuya assured me this was a one-off thing. It won't happen again."

Nanao glared at Rangiku. Although they had the same position, Rangiku was her senior. "Okay, Rangiku-san… I apologize for my earlier behavior."

She didn't act stubborn once she realized her argument held no meaning.

Rangiku then turned towards Kazuya and Momo. "Don't be too hard on Nanao. She's still learning. And let's not forget, she helped him when his Reiatsu spiraled out of control. Without her Captain, the academy would've imposed a heavy penalty on you."

Isane affirmed Rangiku's statement with a nod. "You may have suffered severe consequences without immediate treatment. Fortunately, my Kaido stabilized your fluctuating spiritual energy."

Their roles as mediators seemed to bridge the gap between the conflicting parties, easing the atmosphere in the room.

Momo unveiled a soft smile before glancing over her shoulder. Catching sight of his gentle smile, her newfound boldness seemed to melt away. "K-Kazuya-kun, I successfully defended your honor."

Kazuya's hand reached out, tenderly brushing through her hair, admiring the transformation she had undergone in the past months. From a shy, innocent girl to a fierce tigress, unafraid to confront a Vice Captain for his sake. "You were incredible."

She couldn't help but fidget and giggle, leaving those around her in surprise once more. "I stood up for myself and… you."

{Yandere level: Stage 2, potentially escalating to Stage 3. The obsession has taken root in heart and mind.}

'What is Stage 3?'

{Stage 3 is where the obsession dominates completely. The yandere struggles to function without her beloved. Stage 4 is the final stage, where she might go to any lengths, even harm her beloved. Entity Izanami is nearing Stage 4.}

'Nami…'

{Luckily for both of us, Tsubasa won't let it happen.}

With a sigh of relief, he turned his attention to Nanao, acknowledging her apology with a nod. "I'm sorry, your name was?"

He already knew almost everything about her, but he had to act clueless to maintain his character.

"Nanao Ise," Nanao said, emphasizing each syllable to properly introduce herself. "The current Vice Captain of the 8th Squad."

"Ise Clan? You're from that clan of priests?"

The Ise Clan, although lacking noble status, held great prominence in the Soul Society. They were a matrilineal line of Shinto Priests responsible for overseeing and conducting sacred rituals.

Nanao remained composed, unfazed by the customary looks of surprise she received when she mentioned her clan name. "Yes, I was born in that clan of priests."

He cleared his throat. "I didn't mean it in any offensive way. It's just, I find your clan interesting and unique. Doesn't a curse targeting men make you curious?"

The Ise clan enjoyed a strange reputation for only having a female born into the clan and always having to bring in husbands from other families into the clan. The strangeness only grew from there. The men who joined the Ise Clan by marrying the Clan Head died an untimely death. These deaths occurred so often that this phenomenon became known as the Ise Curse. This curse struck even if the Clan Head left the family and married into another.

{You should've phrased it as 'a curse targeting walking dead men.'}

Nanao shook her head in a dismissive manner. "There is no curse. It's all a series of convenient deaths that someone exaggerated to the heavens."

Rangiku struck her palm, as if a sudden realization dawned on her. "I bet it was some grumpy aristocrat who didn't like the prestige of the Ise Clan. It happens all the time in the Seireitei."

"I don't believe so," he refuted her theory. "Tsunayashiro Clan has a Zanpakutō that shaves its wielder's life force bit by bit. The Zanpakutō inherited by the Ise Clan Head might work similarly. As for why it targets the Clan Head's husband, I believe it changes its target to Clan Head's husband once they engage in a physical relationship."

Rangiku frowned, her curiosity piqued by this theory, but paused upon noticing Nanao's reaction. The mention of the curse seemed to have stirred something within her. Nanao was subconsciously embracing her heavy book close to her chest, her body quivering imperceptibly.

Isane also observed Nanao's apprehension and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nanao?"

Nanao's hand came to rest on top of Isane's, as she gave a strained smile. "I'm fine, Isane-san. I just remembered my mother's passing… she was executed for the crime of losing the Zanpakutō."

Though she was only a child when it happened, the haunting memory of her mother's hanging execution occasionally resurfaced in her nightmares.

"I didn't know about that," Isane replied softly. "I'm sorry."

Nanao shook her head slightly. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

Rangiku massaged the back of her head, visibly thrown off by the sudden shift in mood. She glanced at Kazuya, who seemed to be lost in a sea of thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

He shook his head and looked at Nanao with a serious expression. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions about your mother?"

Isane stared at him in disbelief. She and Rangiku gave him the same 'Read the air before opening your mouth!' looks. 

Nanao brushed Isane's hand away and nodded firmly. "As long as you say nothing disrespectful towards my mother."

"Did your mother lose her husband?"

"Yes, when I was very young. I've heard Captain Kyoraku was just a teenager then."

"Your mother blamed her Zanpakutō for her loss. To prevent you from going through the same experience, she hid the Zanpakutō somewhere, practically ending the 'Ise Curse' from claiming any more victims."

Nanao leaned in, hugging her book, as if her shoulders suddenly grew heavier. "Mother didn't have to do that… for a superficial phenomenon."

Her skepticism about the curse was clear. If she only knew the true potential of her family's Zanpakutō, her perspective might change. The curse was a short price to pay in exchange for the borderline broken ability of Ise Clan's Zanpakutō.

Leaving Nanao to deal with her emotional strain, he turned to Rangiku. "So, why are you here?"

"Before I answer, tell me how did you grow the nerves to oppose Kuchikis?"

"Some friendships are worth dying for. Besides, Captain Kuchiki would've made for a good assessment of my strength."

Isane wasn't surprised by his audacity. Nanao, however, seemed taken aback by the idea of someone willingly challenging one of the most formidable captains in the Soul Society as a test of strength. Captains were, after all, the single most destructive forces in the Soul Society. They had to be sealed before going to the Living World or they'd distort their surroundings with their mere Reiatsu.

"Boy, that's the blind confidence I need in my superstar."

Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "You're still pursuing that idea?"

Rangiku held her chin up, looking at him with a narrow-eyed glare. "How cute of you to think I'll give up."

"Can we fulfill your unconventional fetish after I join your squad?"

"Don't twist my revolutionary idea into some fetish," Rangiku retorted and pointed at the ceiling as if aiming for the stars. "You and I will change the way the Soul Society functions. We'll pioneer new exciting means of entertainment for both commoners and aristocrats."

Her eyes sparkled as if she could already envision the impact her idea would bring. Once she changed everyone's minds, a big portion of the Soul Society would join her in bringing a fresh wave of excitement to the Soul Society. She wouldn't have to leave the Soul Society just to have some entertainment outside of the conventional books published in the Seireitei. The books found in the Soul Society were always a hit or miss.

Momo gave him a strange look. "Kazuya-kun, what is this superstar stuff?"

Rangiku eagerly dived into an explanation, her enthusiasm infectious enough to draw a smile from even the solemn Nanao. Not even Isane expected Rangiku to have such passion for something not named alcohol.

Next, Kazuya asked Isane about her reason for leaving her job and coming over to meet him.

She pressed a hand against her cheek. "I wanted to start your Kaido lessons today…"

"Not today," he said, shaking his head. "I have to spoil young Hinamori."

"Let's start tomorrow."

...

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