Kazuya, of course, saw Izumi when he snuck into the Visored’s basement. He would have left her alone if Lisa wasn’t present on the scene alongside Nanao and Shunsui. Lisa didn’t look panicky or flustered — she had mustered the courage to spill the beans about her affiliation with the Visored. He would never find a better opportunity to reveal the truth and stop Izumi from growing overly concerned with his absence.

He always had the option of using his voice to stop Izumi’s stress from escalating to extreme levels.

{Yooo, hypnosis is evil.}

‘Better than losing Izumi.’

He couldn’t care less about ethical concerns of using hypnosis when not using it could result in a disastrous situation.

Shunsui turned to Nanao. “Should I take his silence as a yes?”

“Yeah, he is Kazuya Ishihara,” Nanao replied, mistaking Kazuya’s silence for anger. “You better say thanks to him…”

Nanao didn’t know the whole picture, but she definitely knew two things: Shunsui had abandoned his duty to find her, and Kazuya had stepped up big time to slay the Arrancars, saving Isane, Rangiku, and Captain Shiba from grave danger in the process. Shunsui would be absolutely put on trial before Council 46 if any high-ranking member died on this mission.

Shunsui touched his nape, smiling foolishly. “It won’t look sincere with just my words. How about we go out for a drink later?”

Kazuya shrugged nonchalantly. “Let’s just return to the Soul Society first. We’ll have to brief everything to the General Commander.”

Shunsui shivered at the mention of Yamamoto. “Old man must have one helluva punishment in store for me.”

Even if Shunsui was like a son to Yamamoto, he wasn’t letting Shunsui off with a slap on the wrist.

Kazuya grinned. “Hey, isn’t that better—”

Before he could finish his words, a figure flashed past Shunsui using Hirenkyaku, the high-speed movement of Quincy.

Izumi, the only Quincy in the vicinity, threw herself in his arms. “Otouto!”

So desperate for his warmth, she embraced him right after she sensed his Reiatsu. She didn’t pay attention to his current outfit or his ‘Soul’ form for that matter.

He responded with a warm pat on her back and a reassuring smile. “Izumi, what happened?”

“I—I was worried. You were there, then you disappeared. I thought s-something happened to you.”

“Just a little scuffle with some minor Hollows. Nothing to worry about,” he lied smoothly, his hand gently caressing her hair to soothe her. “Ready to go home?”

She clung to him, her grip betraying a fear of losing him again. “Carry me, please…” 

“You spoiled little princess.” He chuckled and teasingly pinched her butt, acting oblivious to the three people in front of him.

“Otouto-kun…” she whispered, taking a shuddering breath. Pushing back slightly, she reached up, encircling his neck with her arms.

Then, in a bold, affectionate gesture, she captured his lips in a heartfelt kiss.

His eyes widened at her unexpected boldness. Their first kiss was his surprise, and the second was hers — she made the score even.

While savoring her soft lips, he unsheathed his katana and slashed the air. Flames erupted from the blade, cascading into a fiery barrier that enveloped them, shielding their intimate moment from Lisa and the others’ prying eyes.

He needed to give affection to the desperate yandere.

…

Outside the fiery veil, Shunsui and Nanao exchanged puzzled glances. Nanao, misconstruing the situation, speculated that Kazuya might be wooing one of Lisa’s friends from the Living World. Shunsui, however, knew the deeper truth of Izumi’s Quincy heritage.

“Kazuya is her Otouto… How is that—”

“Possible?” Lisa interjected with a knowing smile, nudging Shunsui playfully. “They’re not related by blood, but by passion.”

“But he is a Shinigami. She is a Quincy.”

“A former Quincy,” Lisa corrected her former Captain, sighing as she recalled the intimate kiss between Kazuya and Izumi. “She is a hopeless maiden in love now.”

Nanao felt utterly left out. Grabbing the sleeves of Shunsui and Lisa, she forced them to explain Kazuya and Izumi’s relationship. Shunsui told his side of the story as he sneakily closed the door behind him.

Lisa soon found herself in a precarious situation — either reveal everything about Kazuya or lie to the two people who considered her a part of their family.

‘No, it’s not my place to speak of his most-guarded secret.’

Clearing her throat loudly, she said, “I’ll let Kazuya speak for himself.”

As she spoke, the flame wall dispersed, revealing Izumi with a flushed expression. Her infatuation with him couldn’t be more evident. Lisa couldn’t tell if Izumi consciously filtered out his kimono or simply didn’t care about his affiliation with the Soul Society.

‘A bit of both I think.’

Kazuya assumed a solemn expression. “Izumi, look at me.”

Confused, she lifted her eyes to his. “T-That’s…”

“No, I’m not a Shinigami.” He closed his eyes and reached into his consciousness. His skin grew a shade paler as curved horns protruded from both sides of his head. A pair of black wings grew from behind him, opening in a massive radius. “I’ve always been a Hollow.”

His revelation was blunt and unguarded, exposing his true nature to all three present.

Nanao gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her Reiatsu spiking due to sheer shock of discovery.

Shunsui seemed both fascinated and scared of his ability.

Izumi stood petrified, her heart grappling with the reality that her beloved Otouto was not a Quincy, but a Hollow.

Lisa smiled faintly, completely supportive of his decision to tear down the web of lies.

{Oh boy, you have done it now. There is no coming back from this… unless you kill everyone. Don’t be angry, Partner! It was a joke.}

Izumi reached out with a shaking hand and touched his horn’s tough surface. “It’s real. How—how is this even possible?”

His ability to change race at the drop of a hat left three of them as equally astonishing as they were terrified.

Kazuya rubbed the back of his head with a wry smile. “Every Arrancar has a unique ability. I have the ability to switch freely between human and Hollow. Discarding my physical body in my human form lets me become a Shinigami.”

“This Reiatsu…” Shunsui whispered with narrowed eyes. “You were fighting Aizen out there. What was your goal behind joining the Soul Society and helping us against the Arrancars?”

Lisa placed a hand on Shunsui’s shoulder. “He was helping us. Aizen…”

She recounted the night of the Visored’s Hollowification, Aizen’s obsession with breaking the limits of Shinigami, and Kazuya’s reasoning behind posing as a Shinigami. Kazuya also helped fill in the missing pieces like Aizen’s real objective in orchestrating the entire plan to manipulate Kisuke into giving up his Hōgyoku.

For Nanao, who had been oblivious to Lisa’s predicament, the extent of Aizen’s betrayal was overwhelming. Shunsui felt the sting of betrayal even more acutely due to his deeper understanding of the broader implications. By close relationship to Aizen, both Tosen and Gin could be traitors.

Shunsui crossed his arms, his gaze distant. “I myself was sure of Kisuke’s innocence. He never struck me as the type to willingly harm anyone.”

Kazuya offered a knowing smile. “He’s being framed by Aizen once again.”

“Aizen always seemed like a man with many secrets. Still, who could’ve thought his treachery ran that deep.”

Lisa placed a hand on Shunsui’s shoulder. “Captain—”

“Yes, I don’t doubt a word they said to me,” Shunsui interrupted Lisa with a gentle look. “Nanao-chan seems distrustful of Kazuya.”

Nanao remained silent in the face of accusation. A few moments later, she turned to Kazuya. “Correct me if I get anything wrong. You came to Karakura Town to protect your Hollow companions from a dangerous Hollow. You stumbled into Izumi and met Lisa Nee-san through her… then you encountered Kisuke Urahara and entered the Soul Society to earn the trust of those close to Captain Commander. All for the sake of unveiling Captain Aizen’s schemes.”

He nodded firmly. “That’s the gist of it.”

“Why would you risk your life like that?” Nanao asked in a neutral, almost cold voice. “You had nothing to gain from exposing Captain Aizen but everything to lose from entering the realm of Shinigami.”

She didn’t doubt Lisa for one second but she wanted to probe his motive for sticking his neck out for the Soul Society.

“I owe Kisuke a favor,” he replied with a casual shrug. “I also have some vague memories of dying to Aizen’s sword. It’s also some revenge for me.”

{Ah yes. Aizen pins his crimes on Kisuke, and you pin made-up crimes on his ass. Well deserved I’d say.}

Nanao slowly nodded, coming to an understanding. “Thanks for sharing your secret with us. I-I’m also sorry for doubting you earlier.”

“It’d be weird if you didn’t question my motive.”

With Lisa acting as a mediator, he had successfully enlightened Shunsui and Nanao about Aizen's deceptions. Now, only Izumi remained, her expression reflective, lost in thought. The fact that she hadn’t succumbed to a breakdown was a relief far exceeding his expectations.

“Izumi, say something.”

She raised her gaze, an intense frown etched across her face. “Kazuya, you walked deep into enemy territory to help Lisa and others. You held me together when I was falling apart like a sandcastle without asking anything in return… your actions speak volumes about your compassion and loyalty.” 

“Well, you treated me like a family first. I was just repaying the favor. Things just escalated from there.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t out of kindness. I wanted to use you for the revival of my race.”

She omitted her plan to appoint him as a leader figure and make him impregnate every willing Quincy woman.

“I knew your plan from the start. I stuck around to stop you from shouldering the burden alone.”

“I see.” Izumi took his hand and brought it to her chest. “My affection for you is still here in my heart. Nothing can change that. I can’t, no, I don’t want everything to end because of a trivial matter.”

“Will you still be my Otouto-kun?”

Kazuya took a sigh of relief. “I won’t give it up for anything in the world.”

“I’m so glad…” She smiled and kissed his palm. “Lisa, you too. I don’t care if you’re a Shinigami or a Hollow. To me, you’re still a kind friend, who is somewhat of a pervert.”

“Hey, that was uncalled for!” Lisa’s laughter mingled with her words as she wrapped Izumi in a side hug. “Thanks, Izumi-sama. I’ll still be your maid, right?”

“No.” Izumi shook her head and smirked at Kazuya. “I’ll be with Otouto-kun wherever he goes… doesn’t matter if it’s Soul Society or Hueco Mundo.”

Kazuya felt a shiver run down his spine. It seemed like she was dead-set on following him.

“Otouto-kun, I promise I’ll work hard to learn everything to be of use. I can also leave my physical body behind to become a Shinigami.”

Shunsui laughed boisterously. “I can get you admission in the Shino Academy. It’s where you can learn to be a Shinigami.”

Izumi’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Shunsui-san!”

“Pleasure is all mine,” he said, grinning at Kazuya. “Nanao can also help you with the basics to reduce your graduation period.”

Nanao’s brows twitched. “I’ll try.”

Kazuya gave him a deadpan stare. “You can convince Captain Commander to take care of Aizen. With Kyōka Suigetsu out of the picture, Captain Yamamoto should be able to kill him.”

He, of course, was eager to return, but he couldn’t act desperate in front of them. After all, his only objective in the Soul Society could be taken care of by someone else.

Shunsui smiled. “I can’t help you with your mission, Young Man.”

“Why?”

“I lack the influence to persuade Old Man Yamamoto to use his Shikai against Aizen. Only someone of Unohana’s seniority could convince him of the true stakes. You’ll need to stick to your plan and inform Dai-Senpai about Aizen’s scheme.”

Nanao tugged at his sleeve. “That’s not true. He should know that you won’t lie about such accusations.”

“You don’t understand him like I do, Nanao-chan. I alone can’t make sure he understands Aizen’s threat.”

Kazuya rubbed his chin. “I wasn’t wrong about Shinigami’s incompetence.”

Shunsui laughed. “You were quite right. Nanao-chan, come with me for a second.”

His mischievous wink was a clear signal to Kazuya, who understood the hidden message.

Nanao and Shunsui made their way out of the shop, leaving him alone with Izumi and Lisa.

The erotica lover looked quite sad about Izumi’s decision to leave her behind but she didn’t oppose it.

He stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms. “She looks so sad. Izumi, you should stay back with her.”

Lisa pushed him away and shot him a deadly glare. “I can survive on my own like I always have. It’s more important that Izumi gets to live her dream life with you.”

A dream life for her but hell for everyone around him — Lisa kept the thought to herself.

Izumi narrowed her eyes. “Otouto-kun, I’ll stay here with Lisa. Your mission should prove Lisa’s innocence. We both can move in with you to the Soul Society.”

Lisa crossed her arms and nodded her head. “That’s good as well.”

“See ya then. I’ll work hard in the Soul Society to make it happen.”

He kissed Izumi again and hugged Lisa before rushing out of the warehouse.

Izumi caressed her lips, as if relishing the warmth left behind by him. “Otouto…”

“Izumi, let’s go. I’m a bit hungry.”

Izumi grasped Lisa’s hand before she could leave. “Lisa, the longing look in your eyes. You have some feelings for Otouto-kun if I am not mistaken.”

Lisa neither denied nor confirmed Izumi’s statement but her silence was enough proof of her budding affection. In fact she could hear Kazuya’s cheeky voice in her head, ‘Maid-chan, did my rejection pull you so down that you fell for me?’

She couldn’t suppress a giggle. “Just a fleeting crush. A little distance will clear it up.”

“Lisa, we’re friends. I don’t want you to suppress your feelings because of me.”

Kazuya already told her that he had other lovers. Including Lisa, her best friend, in his harem wouldn’t be an issue.

“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for myself.” She turned around and held Izumi’s shoulders. “I don’t want to ruin your relationship because of my lust. I have to make sure these feelings are genuine before committing to him.”

Izumi nodded, finding her reason satisfactory. “It’s good to hear you take it seriously.”

“Because it is, Izumi. I have never felt this way towards any man… mostly because I didn’t think of anyone as a potential lover until I met this cheeky mother—”

“Language, Lisa.”

“Hai, Izumi-sama!”

After a pause, they both burst into giggles.