Restricted Death

Chapter 183 Girl
After parting ways with Gin, Shin made no attempt to find Hinamori, instead wandering aimlessly through the plaza alone.

As night deepened, colorful lights adorned each stall, and students from the Spirit Arts Academy energetically promoted their class's products, attracting the attention of passing Death Gods who paused to admire them.

The bustling crowd seemed to be shut out like white noise.

As the student council president, Rukia is probably still busy dealing with some things. If I go to see her now, wouldn't it seem a bit too obvious that I have ulterior motives?
Xin pondered this matter deeply.

There was no better chance of a "chance encounter" than tonight.

However, besides Rukia, Shiba Kukaku, who is currently on the rooftop of the school building, also seems to be a viable option.

Just as Xin was pondering this, he unexpectedly encountered two people around the corner.

Mao no Hana Retsu, Kotetsu Yuune.

Two people dressed in white haori appeared in the crowd at the same time, and no one could pretend not to see them.

Unohana Retsu remained calm, but a faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Kotetsu Isane, however, instinctively clutched the hem of her clothes, seemingly not expecting to run into Shin here.

Retsu Unohana smiled gently and spoke first: "What a coincidence, Captain Tachikawa."

The message read: "It's quite a coincidence."

Retsu Unohana smiled and said, "The scale of the Shinigami Academy Cultural Festival is expanding every year. It will definitely become one of the traditions of Soul Society in the future. Captain Tachikawa has done something remarkable."

"It was just some immature idea that suddenly came to me back then."

"This idea has indeed added a lot of vitality to the Spirit Arts Academy. Some of the ideas that Captain Tachikawa left behind when he was in the Fourth Division are still being carried on. I think the Fourth Division will really become what you described in the future."

"hope so."

The conversation between Shin and Unohana Retsu was like an awkward compliment between two people who didn't know each other very well. Shin's attention was mostly focused on Kotetsu Isane, but Kotetsu Isane seemed to avoid his gaze and hadn't even greeted him since they met.

At this moment, Retsu Unohana said, "Yune."

"Ah... Captain?"

"Don't you have anything you want to say to Captain Tachikawa?"

Kotetsu Isane, who was suddenly asked the question, seemed completely unprepared and began to stammer.

"I……"

"You two chat, I'm thinking of wandering around by myself."

"Hey, Captain?"

Kotetsu Isane immediately wanted to call out to Unohana Retsu, but the other had already walked away. She wanted to follow, but felt that it would be too impolite to do so, so she could only stand there awkwardly.

What could she possibly have to talk about with Xin...?

Yongyin couldn't think of any opening remarks either. It seemed that there was nothing left to say. The two had been separated for several months, and she had gradually gotten through the most heartbreaking and painful period. She felt that she was about to get over that relationship.

Now, what else is there to talk about?
Kotetsu Isane mustered his courage to read the letter, and met those gentle eyes.

This made her heart skip a beat, and she quickly turned her head away.

"How are you lately?"

"Let's change places."

After saying this, Shin stepped forward without further ado and directly took Kotetsu Isane's hand in front of everyone, then walked through the crowd.

Kotetsu Isane was led by him like that, letting him take her somewhere she didn't know.

After leaving the square, the surrounding environment became dark and the crowd thinned out, and Yongyin finally managed to pull her hand away from Xin's.

This is a flower bed located behind the teaching building. Back when Xin was still in the Spirit Arts Academy, he could see this place from the classroom windows.

Xin sat down at the edge of the flower bed, casually picked a flower from it, and gently twirled the stem in his hand.

Yongyin looked at the flower he was playing with in his hand, feeling a pang of regret that it had been picked when it was in full bloom.

She pursed her lips and said, "Our captain probably doesn't know about what happened between you and me, so... I'm sorry for troubling you."

"What am I troubled by?" Shin said. "Yongyin, stop thinking about what will happen to me or others. Have you ever thought about yourself?"

"..."

"Captain Unohana has kept you here without permission. If you don't like this, why don't you just say so? A single sentence could save you from suffering. Do you think it's wrong to refuse Captain Unohana, or do you think it would make me lose face?"

Yongyin said in a low voice, "I didn't think that much about it."

The letter said, "That's the scariest thing. You always subconsciously don't think about yourself. You really should change your personality."

"……sorry."

After finishing her sentence, Yongyin added, "I don't feel like being with you is torture, it's just..."

"You're just uncomfortable, right? Doesn't that mean you still don't like it? Why are you explaining this? Are you afraid I'll misunderstand and think you're too heartless? Does my opinion matter that much? Even if I see you as the best girl in the world, we've already come this far, haven't we? Does knowing how I feel make you feel any better?"

“I…” Yongyin stammered again and lowered her head.

Xin felt a wave of boredom. He gestured to the flower in his hand and said, "Like this flower, it's at its most beautiful now, and tonight is when it's desperately absorbing nutrients to bloom. Yet I just casually picked it. Although it's still beautiful, it's dead. It must have been resisting being picked, but what good is resistance if it can't speak? It can't open its mouth. Yongyin, how can you let others know your heart if you don't dare to express yourself? You only think about silently processing your emotions by yourself. There's no one in this world worth doing this for."

Yuune remained silent, listening to the letter's words for a long time before finally asking, "You're with... that Hinamori, right?"

“Yes.” Xin nodded in agreement. “She’s different from you. She’s a girl who dares to speak her mind and act on her beliefs, someone who dares to fight for herself.”

Yongyin lowered her eyes and said, "Is she better than me?"

Xin tilted his head and asked, "Why is she better than you?"

"Aren't you saying that she's... braver than me? Compared to her, I must be pretty boring..."

Xin sighed silently and tossed the flower branch in his hand into the flower bed.

"Does what I think really matter? And what right do I have to blame you for lacking courage and being boring? If Hinamori were in your current situation, she would probably angrily question me, then accuse and berate me. Yuzune, the biggest difference between you and me is that I am a very self-centered person, while you are almost a person without a self. Before you were with me, you were Captain Unohana's subordinate, and after you were with me, you did everything to please me. Yuzune, the one sentence you should learn most is to say 'No!' to others."

Yongyin lowered her head even further, and slowly moved to the edge of the flower bed to sit down, so that Xin could look down at her slightly.

“So we’re destined to be incompatible, right?” she whispered. “Does saying ‘no’ mean it’ll all be as if nothing ever happened?”

My answer is no longer important.

A fiery meteor shot into the sky, exploding with dazzling light, which drew cheers from the crowd in the distant square.

Kotetsu Isane looked up at the night sky, the blooming fireworks reflected in her watery eyes.

When she came to her senses and looked at the letter again, she found that he had left sometime earlier. She turned her head and saw a flower that had been carelessly discarded among the flowers in the flower bed.

She reached out and picked it up.

#
After the fireworks display ended, the cultural festival also came to a close.

The Grim Reapers who had lingered in the square gradually departed, and the student council members packed up their stalls one last time.

Rukia stretched and yawned as she walked out of the office building.

The tents had already been taken down, and she saw the large stage in the center of the square, where some student council members were busy working.

Rukia suddenly remembered that she had also performed on stage during the first cultural festival.

Time flies.

"President, we're leaving now. See you tomorrow."

The students who were passing by greeted him.

"Well, see you tomorrow."

Rukia responded as well.

A few scattered stars hung in the sky, and figures lay scattered on the ground. A gentle evening breeze calmed all my thoughts.

"Just finished?"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out behind her, startling Rukia.

She quickly turned her head to look.

For some reason, Xin appeared behind her.

Rukia was momentarily stunned, then murmured, "Guild Master..."

She regained consciousness and asked, "How...how did you get here?"

Xin smiled and said, "It's the cultural festival today, so I came to take a look. I just went to see Professor Nantian and chatted with him for a while."

"That's it."

Rukia quickly looked away, her expression tense before relaxing.

"Long time no see," the letter said.

"Ah."

The letter then asked, "Are you in a hurry to go home? Would you like to find a place to sit down?"

"..."

Rukia lowered her head, looked at her toes, and then gazed into the distance.

She felt she should politely decline, but the words stuck in her throat.

Does the president have something he wants to say to me?
"it is good."

The two left the Spirit Arts Academy together and found an izakaya (Japanese pub) nearby to sit down. The owner, seeing Xin's attire, specially gave them a private room.

Rukia actually frequents this izakaya. When she dines with members of the student council, she either chooses this place or another yakiniku restaurant.

And a long time ago, Xin also brought her here.

It was a place that was quite familiar to her, but this time, the person beside her was Shin, which brought back a flood of memories for Rukia.

Once the simple food and drinks were served, Rukia asked, "What does Captain Tachikawa want to say to me?"

Xin noticed the change in how she addressed him, simply smiled, and poured himself a drink.

"It's nothing, we just haven't seen each other in a long time and wanted to chat for a bit."

"……Oh."

"Do you want it?"

Xin gestured to the wine bottle in his hand.

Rukia paused for a moment, then slowly nodded: "A little is fine."

She rarely drinks, even when dining with student council members, because she dislikes the dizzying feeling of being drunk and losing control of herself.

"How are you lately?"

Rukia looked at the gleaming liquid in the glass on the table in front of her and said, "It's fine."

During her tenure as student council president, although she didn't have as many innovations as Xin had, she didn't make any mistakes or go wrong; everything was done in a very orderly manner.

In terms of academic performance at the Spiritual Arts Academy, she has always worked hard in her training and never slacked off, making her one of the top students in Class A.

After Kira and Hinamori graduated early, her ranking improved even further.

"The workload of the student union seems to be much heavier than it was a few years ago. I can tell you're quite tired."

“But it’s very fulfilling,” Rukia said in a low voice. “I like this feeling of fulfillment.”

What happens after graduation?

"I plan to join the 13th Division."

"Is this what your older brother wanted?"

"...That was also my own idea."

Rukia took a sip of her drink, feeling a fiery sensation spread through her stomach, and tried to calm the turmoil in her mind.

It really seems like it was just casual conversation...

But there were things she wanted to know.

Lucia stroked her wine glass, and Shin picked up the bottle and poured her some more.

"How is Momoko doing in the Tenth Division?"

Xin smiled and said, "That's good. You know her well and are aware of her abilities. Many officers in the team think highly of her, and I plan to promote her to an officer position in a couple of years."

"Ah."

"Also," Xin paused, "we're together now."

Rukia was stunned upon hearing this, staring blankly at the letter, feeling a sudden jolt in her heart.

Are they together?

“Not many people know about this yet,” Xin said.

"..."

Rukia didn't hear the last sentence of the letter; at that moment, her mind was a complete mess.

Momoko and the student council president... are they together?

They actually did it?!
This statement was just as impactful to Rukia as it was when she learned that the student council president was with Isane Kotetsu, and perhaps even more difficult for her to accept.

For Rukia, she and Shin had been separated for some time, and when they met again, she suddenly learned that he was with Momoko...

Why? Just because Peach didn't give up back then, but persisted?
So she got it.

As for myself, I chose to give up back then...

Rukia unconsciously clenched her fist while holding the wine glass.

She originally thought she had freed herself from this bad, fruitless relationship, and also felt that Taozi was too extreme in pursuing a relationship that wasn't worth it.

I should be glad that I made a wise choice.

That's certainly how it should be...

But now, she suddenly felt a sense of frustration.

If, if I had made the same choice as Momo back then, what would have happened?

You shouldn't think like that; it was clearly the president who did something wrong.

But she had always felt that her feelings for the chairman were no less than anyone else's.

This emotion is no less than anyone else's, yet it seems that one can give up on it faster than anyone else.

Rukia bit her lower lip, but finally couldn't help asking the question.

"why?"

Xin paused in drinking.

"like."

(End of this chapter)