CHAPTER 129: The Calm Before the Storm

A/N: Forgot to add Harribel's new outfit in the last chapter. Check the paragraph comment.

…

As the door creaked open with a note of foreboding, Mila Rose found herself staring at Kazuya. "Gosh, he brought a new girl home."

Apacci shrugged her shoulders. "She's not a woman, you dimwit. I see them all the time outside—oh right, you never go outside!"

She pointed a finger at Mila Rose and erupted into laughter. The biting scorn rattled Mila Rose to her core, causing her teeth to grind in suppressed fury. With a roar of pent-up frustration, she jumped off the couch and dashed up the stairs, vanishing into the sanctuary of her room like a wounded animal.

"There she goes." Kazuya shook his head. "Jeez, Mila Rose was already feeling depressed. You kicked her mood all the way down to the abyss. It's not right."

Sung-Sun nodded her head in somber agreement. "That was truly mean, Apacci. Husband, why don't you spend some time with Rose later?"

His absence had an undeniable effect on Mila Rose's psyche, despite what the lioness claimed. A sprinkle of his affectionate teasing would certainly uplift Mila Rose's mood.

Mimicking Lisa, Aikawa looked at Apacci with pure disdain in her eyes. "Evil Onee-chan. Bullying is bad!"

Harribel flicked Aikawa's forehead. "You aren't innocent either. Remember what you did to children at the school."

"Ugh…" she averted her gaze. "I-I was bored of waiting."

He chuckled at their banter and gestured to Apacci to leave with Aikawa. She didn't resist and dragged the mischievous little girl to her room. Once everything was set, he invited everyone to take a seat.

"Tier, let's talk about your job. I take it you work at a school. In what capacity?"

With her arms elegantly crossed and a hint of a smile gracing her lips, Tier Harribel revealed, "A teacher at an elementary school."

Spending time with kids and nurturing them — she landed her dream job while he was banging his teachers and senior students to find a solution for his Zanpakutō's problem. Just the thought of Harribel fulfilling her desires made him smile.

"That's wild. How did you do it without an education degree?"

Harribel didn't even have a proper identity, much less the qualifications to be a teacher. He was curious if she lied or intimidated her way into her dream job.

She cast a knowing, sidelong glance at Sung-Sun, who theatrically puffed out her chest in pride. "I couldn't have done it without you or Sung-Sun. She's friends with Izumi, which helped me get in."

"Onee-chan helped out Tier. I guess I'll thank her later."

"You absolutely must meet her," Lisa interjected, her voice laced with a rare sternness. "Between her madman training and her obsession with Quincy, she is abusing her body…"

Izumi's remarkable prowess today was the byproduct of an unyielding training regime. He hadn't anticipated that her escapism would manifest through rigorous training rather than enacting her Quincy revival masterplan — repopulating the Quincy race.

"Onee-chan is still far from her thirties. She can endure these hardships."

Irritated, Lisa thumped her thigh. "I can't help but worry, dammit. She's shining so brightly with passion that I fear she'll burn out… you know, like a firefly."

With her obsession regarding literature, especially erotic ones, one wouldn't take her for the sentimental type. She had become so attached to Izumi and her service that it had completely changed her priorities. Nothing like this would have happened had he stayed away from Karakura Town.

{That is just the beginning, for we are the storm that will sweep away every atom of the 'canon timeline.'}

"The light of a firefly is all the more beautiful because it is destined to fade," he whispered with a playful smile. "Maybe her brilliant light is what the Quincy race needs to rise again."

"What use is the brilliant light if it leaves a shadow of sorrow in its wake?" Harribel questioned with a calm face. "Sacrificing yourself for a cause is noble… it's also sad."

Her gaze turned distant, as if she were grappling with the weighty philosophical implications concealed within her own statement. After all, she embodied the Aspect of Sacrifice, yet wished to never see any sacrifice.

With a melodramatic sigh, Lisa threw her head back. "Fuck, don't get me started on the Quincy shit. I fucking hate her 'Quincy needs to repopulate the world again' mindset. Does she not know she can't do it alone?"

It was surreal to hear Lisa venting and cursing her employer, Izumi, while wearing a maid dress.

{A certain demographic will kill to date this Lisa.}

He wholeheartedly agreed with Nami while feeling happy that he wasn't a part of that demographic.

"Enough, Lisa," Sung-Sun interjected, her voice icy with restrained emotion. "My husband returned after so long. This should be a day of jubilance for us all. Instead, Rose is depressed, Apacci is steeped in melancholy, and here you are, bitching about your employer. What the fuck, friend?"

Lisa's eyes widened, as if struck by a bolt of realization. "Sorry," she murmured, bowing her head slightly. "I got swept by my emotions."

He revealed a smile at the exchange. "Don't be like that, Sung-Sun. You know how much I cherish Izumi. I'd be mad if anyone hid her status from me."

Lisa returned his smile with a sly grin. "Yeah, Kouhai. It's up to you to fix Izumi. How about we make a deal? You take care of my employer and I'll deal with the child you brought. I promise the kid will pass onto the Soul Society with zero regrets."

"Deal."

{She scammed herself. Silly pervert.}

Harribel looked intrigued with their arrangement. Unlike Kazuya, Lisa was a Shinigami with decades of experience. She could rest assured that Aikawa would get her proper send-off to the afterlife.

"By the way, I want you all to meet Izanami."

At his beckoning, his Zanpakutō Spirit materialized before them, capturing their attention as though she were a rare, enchanting creature. Far from shrinking under their gazes, Nami puffed out her chest and smirked. "Ahhh~, Partner. You have a nasty kink of showing off your soulmate like a commodity."

"You are a commodity, my sword."

"Awww, can't I just be your trusty kitchen knife instead? That way I can justify a massacre in the name of thinning out my competition."

"Hell no."

Lisa adjusted her glasses with an imperceptible smirk. "The chances of a man having a female Zanpakutō Spirit is quite slim. You willed her into existence with your sheer lust."

Sung-Sun couldn't help but giggle. "That's my adorable husband for you."

Nami licked her lips deviantly. "Partner is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will. And fuck him I will."

"..."

Sung-Sun turned to Harribel. "Any words for your favorite egg?"

Harribel crossed her arms with a complicated look. She had nurtured Nami's egg as if it were her own flesh and blood. Now, witnessing Nami as a full-grown Zanpakutō Spirit made her recall all the fond memories of Heuco Mundo. "Welcome to family, Izanami."

Nami smiled at the warm welcome. "You can call me Nami. Thank you for protecting me during my most fragile phase, Mama Harribel."

Suddenly, Apacci dashed down the stairs, her Reiatsu leaking through her Gigai. "Mila Rose and Cirucci—they disappeared!"

***

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