Restricted Death

Chapter 212 Selfishness
The following day, Shin made a special trip to the Spirit Arts Academy to find Rukia.

His intention was to tell Rukia that he could help her resolve the issues that were making her unhappy, but Rukia told him that it was an internal matter of the Kuchiki family and she didn't want Shin to get involved.

Shin discovers that Rukia seems to have developed a sense of belonging to the Kuchiki family, and no longer sees herself as an outcast among the nobles, living cautiously as before.

"So what did you say to Kuchiki Byakuya?" Shin asked.

Rukia pursed her lips and said, "Byakuya-nii... told me some things about my background last night."

Shin paused, wondering if it was Byakuya Kuchiki who had told Rukia about Hisana.
Rukia chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I never knew I had an older sister..."

"..."

This was truly unexpected for Xin, because his intervention had already changed too many things.

But overall, this is a good thing, as it can resolve a long-standing issue for Rukia: she had never understood why the Kuchiki family had taken a liking to her.

Rukia then told Shin about her background, which she had only learned the night before. She had been raised by her older sister since she was very young, but in the Rukongai's Tokage district, it was already very difficult for a girl to live on her own, let alone with an infant. Her sister Hisa had no choice but to abandon her.

Later, Hisana met Byakuya Kuchiki, and the two fell in love and got married. However, the fact that she had abandoned her sister became an insurmountable obstacle in her heart.

Finally, Hisa contracted a serious illness and died young. Before she died, she asked Byakuya to find Rukia and make up for what she owed her.

Then came the incident where Kuchiki Ginrei met Rukia at the Shinigami Academy.

Xin had always known about these things, but he couldn't explain it, since he couldn't explain how he knew them.

The fact that she originally had an older sister and that her older brother was originally her brother-in-law relieved Rukia's long-standing unease, and she was no longer troubled by the anxiety and fear of loss caused by not knowing the reason.

Shin said, "Now you know why the Kuchiki family adopted you as their daughter. You don't need to make wild guesses anymore."

Rukia nodded gently, and then said, "Actually, before I knew about this... I could feel that Byakuya had always been very good to me, so I don't want anything unpleasant to happen between you and Byakuya."

Xin was taken aback upon hearing this.

These words sounded somewhat familiar to him…

It seems that Yuu-ne said something similar before, telling him that he and Captain Unohana were both very important people to her, and that she didn't want any conflict between them.

Later, he and Retsu Unohana engaged in a life-or-death battle, which also led to the breakdown of his relationship with Isane.

After a moment of silence, Xin suddenly laughed and said, "Don't worry, he's practically my brother-in-law. How could I possibly have a conflict with him? I'd rather curry favor with him than not."

Rukia blushed slightly, but Shin's words seemed to give her courage. She looked at him and said, "Byakuya asked me... that since our relationship has reached this point... when... when will we consider marriage..."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head shyly.

Xin fell silent.

The silence between the two gradually made the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Xin didn't want to get married. He knew his thoughts were awful, but that was just how it was.

It wasn't just because of the system or the idea that marriage would hinder his career development; he genuinely just didn't want to get married.

In terms of his own will, Xin is someone who is unwilling to compromise himself.

Silence, like a rising, icy tide, endlessly permeated the space between them. How long had passed—perhaps a few seconds, or perhaps an eternity—been before Rukia finally took a deep breath, breaking the suffocating stillness: "...However, I declined Byakuya-nii's offer."

She spoke casually, as if she wasn't talking about anything particularly important.

She raised her head again, looked at the letter, and said, "I told Byakuya that I have my own plans regarding my personal feelings, and asked him not to interfere too much. Byakuya agreed."

Did Rukia really reject Byakuya Kuchiki?
Shin didn't know, or rather, did Rukia really say such a thing to Kuchiki Byakuya?

He reached out and placed his hand on Rukia's head, gently rubbing it. The complex emotions contained in this gesture were difficult for even him to describe.

Rukia's faint smile faded as she removed his hand and said, "I have things to do in the student council, and you must have things to do in your team too, so you should go back first."

Xin looked at his empty hand, his throat tightened, and he could only utter a single syllable.

"……it is good."

As Rukia turned to walk towards the office building, she couldn't help but glance back. Shin was still standing there, watching her leave.

The distance... has never felt so distant yet so clear.

At that moment, Rukia suddenly had an incredibly clear understanding of the possible future she and Shin might have. It wasn't that there would be no outcome, but that outcome would be far removed from her deepest, most secret desires.

If... she tries to break through the status quo, forcibly taking a step further, attempting to touch that ideal outcome, then the resulting backlash and rifts might be an unbearable pain for her. This price is definitely not one she is willing to pay.

Can I accept such a future?

#
The 10th Squadron barracks.

When Matsumoto Rangiku returned from leading a patrol and entered her office, she was surprised to find someone lying on the bed.

This startled her, and when she saw who it was, she immediately frowned.

Shin's posture on the bed was somewhat unseemly; he hadn't taken off his haori, and his lower body was draped diagonally over the edge of the bed.

The bed remained untouched after that incident, and Matsumoto Rangiku simply stopped caring about it; she herself never lay on it again.

Matsumoto Rangiku stopped at the doorway, not taking another step inside. Her gaze was cold as she looked at the figure on the bed, a hint of scrutiny and impatience in her eyes. Her clear, cold voice broke the silence in the room: "Is there something you need?"

The questions were direct and to the point, without any unnecessary small talk.

Xin casually draped one arm over his forehead, obscuring most of his face, as if lost in his own world. Hearing the question, he didn't even flinch, replying softly, "It's nothing, come lie down and rest for a while." "..."

Matsumoto Rangiku hesitated for a moment, then went straight to her desk and sat down, completely ignoring the letter's presence, and began to organize the pile of official documents on her desk.

However, the door leading to the corridor remained half-open after she entered, seemingly deliberately leaving a crack for the noise to escape.

A subtle, stagnant silence settled over the room, broken only by the rustling of pages and the occasional scratching of Matsumoto Rangiku's pen. Time seemed to stand still, passing by in a froze.

About half an hour later, Hitsugaya suddenly came in to report on his work.

“Captain? So you’ve been here all along. I just left a document on your desk.” He gently nudged Xin’s leg.

Xin stood up helplessly and said quietly, "I'm really destined to be a workaholic, Hitsugaya. When will you be able to take over from me?"

Hitsugaya muttered to himself, "I haven't seen you all day since yesterday's captain's meeting, and now you're hiding here in peace and quiet. Who's been working so hard?"

As Shin left the vice-captain's office, Matsumoto Rangiku, who was sitting behind the desk, also breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Life remained as peaceful as ever. He went to get off work and came home as usual, and his work was nothing more than the same old routine. The so-called reform of the team's philosophy was also a way for Xin to find some enjoyment in his daily life.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Rukia Kuchiki and Renji Abarai graduated from the Spirit Arts Academy.

Renji finally got his wish and joined the 11th Division, while Rukia, as she had originally said, joined the 13th Division.

However, unlike the original work, Rukia was appointed as a seat officer immediately after joining the 13th Division. Although the rank was not high, it was still extremely rare for a recent graduate.

It's worth noting that top graduates like Hisagi Shuhei and Kani Sawa underwent a period of training and evaluation in their respective squads before being officially appointed as chairmen.

In the original history, because the Thirteenth Division had a very high probability of directly encountering Hollows in their daily work, Byakuya Kuchiki did not want Rukia to perform overly dangerous missions, so he kept suppressing her promotion.

But now that Rukia is the president of the Spirit Arts Academy Student Council, and has received system rewards from the letter in terms of strength, it would seem inappropriate and unreasonable for her to just become an ordinary team member after graduation.

Shin, Shuhei, Kira, Hinamori, and other "veterans" of the student council also held a celebration party for Rukia and Renji.

At the drinking party, Renji was in high spirits, claiming that although he graduated late, he would definitely become the vice-captain the fastest among everyone.

Kira said mercilessly, "Everyone here who is a Shinigami except you is a Seat Officer."

Kira then proudly said that the position of vice-captain of his third division had become vacant, and that Captain Kaien valued him highly, so he would definitely be promoted to vice-captain in a few years.

Hinamori was recently appointed as a seat officer by Shin, which, although not a high-ranking position, still means she is no longer an ordinary team member.

This dealt Renji a heavy blow. He had always harbored resentment towards Kira and Hinamori for graduating early, and he thought that now that he had graduated, he could catch up with them. But he didn't expect that the two of them hadn't stopped moving forward either.

He refused to back down, scoffing, "What's so special about this? If I were to become a seat official, I would be a high-ranking seat official right away. I wouldn't even bother with a seat below the tenth rank if it were given to me for free."

Hinamori rolled her eyes at him: "Yeah, yeah, you're the best. You might as well not be a seat officer anymore and just wait to become the vice-captain."

Renji brazenly replied, "I can consider it."

Shin was well aware of Renji's potential; this guy would be the second strongest fighter among everyone present, second only to Hitsugaya.

While at the Spirit Arts Academy, Kira's overall ranking wasn't top-tier due to limitations in various academic performances, but in a real combat situation, Kira, who had been the top student, might not be his match.

The Eleventh Division was indeed an excellent environment for Renji. In the original work, if Renji hadn't sought a higher position for Rukia, he might not have chosen to leave the Eleventh Division.

Hitsugaya then said, "The 11th Division's vice-captain, Yachiru Kusajishi, is a very special vice-captain. It probably won't be easy for you to replace her."

Renji naively said, "As long as we beat her, that's all that matters!"

He knew that the Eleventh Division followed the principle of strength above all else, which is why he had this idea.

Hitsugaya was speechless for a moment after hearing this. The appointment of the vice-captain required the captain's approval. He had heard that Captain Zaraki and Vice-Captain Kusajika had an unusual relationship. If Renji wanted to overcome this obstacle, he would be better off thinking about how to improve his strength and learn Bankai to seek the captain's position.

Ganju succeeded Rukia as the third president of the Shinigami Academy Student Council.

Unlike when Shin first met him at Shiba's house, where he was so timid and submissive, Ganju now seemed much more mature and composed. However, he was still a bit unreliable after drinking too much. He even boasted to Kira and Renji about his new girlfriend, a junior student in the student council. He said that if it weren't for the tradition of the student council president's assistant being tacitly considered the successor, he would have wanted to make this junior his assistant.

Xin couldn't help but grumble to himself: How did it become a tradition that the president's assistant is the president's successor? I didn't set this rule in the first place.

But since both Rukia and Ganju had served as assistants to the previous president, it's no wonder that outsiders tacitly accept this tradition.

Ganju's relationship with a girlfriend drew envy from Kira, Shuhei, and Aoshika.

Qinglu complained that he had been promoted to a captain in the Fourth Division, but he still couldn't find a girlfriend, even though there were quite a few cute girls in the Fourth Division.

Looking at Qinglu's rather unappealing appearance, Xin felt a pang of sadness for her.

After drinking quite a bit, Qinglu got a little tipsy and put his arm around Yanjiu's shoulder, asking his junior for advice. Yanjiu then seriously shared his dating experience, which drew disdain from the girls present.

The usually taciturn Xie Ze quietly observed the group. Apart from Xiu Bing, Qing Lu, and Xin, who were classmates, the rest of them were friends formed through the student council. In the next few years or even a decade or so, they would likely all hold high positions.

Moreover, the student council continuously sends elite personnel to the Thirteenth Division every year. With the inheritance and bonds from one generation to the next, after decades or even centuries, the student council members will gradually spread throughout the Thirteenth Division, and at that time, they will become an extraordinary circle and faction in the Soul Society.

Some people may not realize this, but there are certainly others who are.

Did Shin have this in mind when he founded the student council?

time flies.

(End of this chapter)