Chapter #26 - Suprise Kick!

Within the walls of Las Noches, there were various rooms. Unlike the early days when nothing was certain, it could now be said that Las Noches truly resembled a grand castle.

Each Espada had their own special region within this castle. Some were content with a simple rest room, while others had their own residence. Perhaps in the future, there could even be a large laboratory, who knows?

Of course, this was of little concern to the small and young female Arrancar. Coyote Starrk, her other half, was, as usual, busy being lazy. Thus, she walked around, idly rubbing the flame-design part of her helmet-shaped mask out of mild boredom. The single horn on her mask curved upwards, while the left horn was broken.

There wasn't much to do within the palace. To Lilynette, Hueco Mundo, especially Las Noches, was an extremely stifling place, completely devoid of any concept of fun.

She tugged at her underwear with her long white fingerless gloves to adjust it. Her open right eye squinted in rare boredom. She was looking for something to relieve her boredom but couldn't find anything. Even tormenting Starrk didn't bring much pleasure at the moment.

As she wandered through the corridors, a man approaching caught her attention.

He didn't look particularly young, but it was clear he was handsome. The young man, whose eyes scanned the surroundings, exuded a different aura, not like a hollow at all. He seemed to be taking in everything as if he were there for the first time.

With his white hair and wolf-like pointed ears, Lilynette had no trouble recognizing who he was. She grinned.

'So, he's here, huh?'

Maybe she had found the entertainment she was looking for.

***

As Kizuna walked through Las Noches, he couldn't help but feel a strange tension. It wasn't that he didn't know these places; of course, he did. He had almost toured every floor and learned what everyone was up to through Antonella.

But ever since he fought Nnoitra, he felt that something was wrong, and he could almost swear something was about to happen.

'Maybe I'm overthinking it...'

One of the biggest problems he was facing lately was this overthinking. It could have been a factor, but he kept looking around just in case it would be a problem. However, when nothing happened in this boring corridor, he eventually gave up.

At that moment, his eyes glanced upward, and he saw something coming towards his head.

Huh?

Instinctively, he raised his arms in defense as a white boot sole stomped down hard.

Bam!

Shockwaves quickly spread out, and Kizuna grinned, revealing sharp teeth as he teased, "Attacking someone like this isn't very nice behavior."

Kizuna pushed the attacker back. The attacker flipped in the air and landed, laughter audible as she did so.

"Ha ha! You're sharp, dog boy!"

As the attacker landed, she was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach. Her short green hair complemented her natural laughter, and Kizuna joined her with a light chuckle.

"Thanks, thanks. I won't reject this compliment," he said, scratching his neck. He hadn't expected such an encounter, so he wasn't sure what to say.

Lilynette squinted her eyes and laughed a bit more before carefully looking at him. She then began circling around him. As she hopped in a circle, she teasingly asked, "You're the famous Kizuna, aren't you?"

He was even more handsome than she expected. Well, if he was a pervert collecting women as the rumors suggested, it made sense for him to be handsome.

Kizuna nodded slightly. He followed her with his eyes, maintaining his confident demeanor.

"Yes, that's me. The one you told to 'get his butt over here.' Although I didn't expect to be attacked in the middle of the road."

Lilynette stopped in front of him, staring at his swaying, fluffy tail. She wore a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, but come on, who uses a subordinate to talk?"

Kizuna noticed where Lilynette was looking and felt a bad premonition. "Some Espada might get annoyed with a direct visit," he was about to explain when Lilynette suddenly pounced on his tail!

In response, he quickly leaped forward to dodge the attack. At least, that's what he thought, but she came at him again. After a few unexpected quick moves, Kizuna found himself on the ground...

"I see, I see. You've got a fluffy tail."

As Lilynette laughed and held his tail tightly, a shiver ran down Kizuna's spine from bottom to top. His whole body screamed to throw off the child climbing on him, but he restrained himself.

"Do you ever get tired?" Kizuna asked. Lilynette grinned and responded with a question:

"Do I look weak to you from there?"

Kizuna didn't give a direct answer. From what he could sense of Lilynette's strength, she wasn't extremely weak, but she was weaker than him. Considering some points, it made sense. As he shook his head, his tail was tugged again.

As a groan escaped Kizuna's lips, Lilynette looked at him with amusement:

"Alright, tell me. What business do you have with Starrk?"

As Kizuna struggled to stand, his tail was tugged again, and he fell back to the ground. He could have stood up if he wanted to, but in this situation, he wanted to play along. Although it gave him the strangest feelings he had ever experienced.

Groaning once more, he asked, "C-Can you please stop pulling my tail first?"

Lilynette loosened her grip before pulling it again. "Wait, let me think," she said with a thoughtful expression. Then she pulled it again. "Naaaah!" she said with an amused expression. Meanwhile, she wondered why Kizuna didn't just leave if he could.

Clenching his teeth to suppress the feelings he was experiencing, Kizuna took a deep breath and suddenly rolled to the right!

With his roll to the right, Lilynette had to put in a lot of effort to avoid falling, but she managed to stay balanced. Kizuna's tail now protruded as a small bulge on Lilynette's right side, and Kizuna looked at her with a grin.

"This way is more comfortable."

Lilynette punched him lightly in the chest and sighed. The dissatisfaction of losing the toy she was playing with and the satisfaction of having fun playing intertwined. Turning her gaze to him, she asked seriously:

"Alright... Let's say you've won for now. What do you want?"

Meanwhile, Lilynette felt something hard pressing into her hip. Her eyebrow raised in surprise. Then she grinned mischievously.

Curious about her intentions, Kizuna answered:

"I was going to propose an alliance."

Lilynette paused. She set aside the mischievous thought in her mind. One eyebrow raised.

"An alliance? For what?"

Kizuna paused for a moment. Taking deep breaths as he tried to organize his thoughts, he spoke with his usual directness.

"For you."

Surprised by Kizuna's words, Lilynette blinked a few times and pointed at herself. Her lips parted in shock.

"For me?"

Then she paused for a moment. A blush spread from her neck up, and without giving Kizuna a chance to explain, she threw a fierce punch at his stomach.

"You jerk, womanizer!"

Kizuna caught her punch before it landed and looked at her embarrassed expression. He wanted to say something, but a few more insults followed. Then Lilynette shouted angrily:

"You pervert! Do you think you can just get me like an object?"

Kizuna paused for a moment. His facial expression became serious. His grip tightened, and the sudden change in atmosphere made Lilynette fall silent.

"I have never seen anyone as an object. I have never treated anyone with me like an object."

Kizuna had thought about this countless times and always reached different reasons. Some felt like excuses. Some were the real reasons, but among all these...

"I don't like being alone. Trust is not easily gained in Hueco Mundo. I want to create this environment of trust within my own pack."

Lilynette repeated the word, blinking in confusion.

"Pack?"

Kizuna, maintaining eye contact, continued to speak passionately.

"Yes. Inside and out."

As Kizuna released his grip, silver werewolves emerged around him. Yes, each of them had evolved after his latest evolution and transformed from wolves to werewolves.

They all bowed respectfully, emitting no reiatsu. However, Kizuna, influenced by the werewolves he released, gained a slightly furrier appearance.

He smiled.

"I can be considered a natural Arrancar. All the voices and souls within me are a pack with me."

As he continued his explanation, the werewolves returned to Kizuna.

"But only with them I am no different than a madman. I don't want to be alone. I want the women who interest me to be with me and to create a large harem."

Lilynette, stunned by the directness of his words, struggled to process what he was saying.

As they silently looked at each other, Lilynette stood up and took a few steps back.

"Alright, alright... Okay, big guy. Let's slow down a bit."

The moment he mentioned loneliness, he had struck a chord in her heart. Feeling mixed emotions, she retreated and leaned against a pillar.

As Kizuna stood up, Lilynette continued speaking:

"You said I caught your interest. I don't remember having a proper conversation with you. How exactly did I catch your interest?"

Her eye narrowed slightly. The playful and childish demeanor was long gone. "Don't come to me with physical compliments or nonsense," she warned sharply.

Before answering, Kizuna looked at her face. His real reason for coming here had been selfish up until now.

Honestly, he didn't have a reason in her eyes, but... Seeing the distrust mixed with hurt on her face, he took a deep breath.

"Because..." he began. Kizuna continued, maintaining eye contact: "There's no specific reason. I just strive for people I can trust."

Kizuna caressed the helmet-shaped mask that covered his head. "I see you as trustworthy. Why? Because I feel that way, and I haven't been wrong in my feelings so far."

With Kizuna's answer, a brief silence ensued. Lilynette stared at him, and finally, she grabbed and pulled his obvious organ, driving her knee into his crotch, and Kizuna's painful groan echoed throughout the room.