Toshiro and Momo beheld an isolated house in the wilderness after a few hours of journey. The dwelling set a perfect eerie backdrop for the mystery that had led them here. Their age might have spanned nearly a century, yet this uncharted side of their district was entirely new to them. They had only ever seen the vibrant fireworks, spewing color and excitement, from their house. They didn’t know it came from the towering chimney of this very house.

Momo placed her hands on her chest. “This is the fireworks girl’s house. It looks quite good.”

Her ears had been filled with rumors of Kūkaku Shiba from her neighbors, all of them singing praises for the beautiful woman’s kind gestures towards the District residents.

However, Toshiro stood with suspicion creeping across his young face, not sharing Momo’s innocence. “The fireworks were a ruse for her deep schemes.”

Unlike Momo, Toshiro had caught sight of Kūkaku leaving the district on multiple occasions. His intuition about busty women hiding an insidious side seemed to be spot on. Trust was not something to be handed out to women with large breasts. They were all evil, or so young Toshiro believed.

“Momo, we’re leaving.”

Momo sent the featherweight boy stumbling forward with a slap on his back. “It’s just a neighbor’s house. Let’s just greet her before we leave, Shiro-chan.”

“Quit calling me 'Shiro-chan,' you bedwetter,” Toshiro grumbled. “I’m not sticking around here.”

Everyone compared him to ice. Perhaps it was his silver hair, reflecting the moonlight, his piercing blue-green eyes, or his stand-offish demeanor that brought about a chill in others, but he remained a disliked figure across from his neighbor. This reality was a hard pill to swallow initially, but over the decades, he had grown to accept this situation.

Unlike him, Momo was a social butterfly. Unlike him, she could strike a conversation with anyone and draw smiles with her cute demeanor. Unlike him, people approached her for radiance. And unlike him, everyone spoke highly of her.

He wasn’t letting his ice field freeze the flames of Momo’s bright social life.

That’s why he would always make his leave whenever Momo bumped into acquaintances or friends.

Today was supposed to be the same, until a voice echoed from behind him, shattering his expectations.

“Kūkaku got guests, huh?”

If Momo’s voice was a spark of joy that could melt ice, then the voice behind him was as radiant and welcoming as a morning sun, a melodious tune that made people’s day within seconds.

Swallowing hard, Toshiro turned to see a man with long, messy silver hair. Despite his small stature, Toshiro was an eternal optimist, always believing that he’d match Momo’s height one day. But achieving the man’s height seemed as faraway of a dream as him making ten friends.

It was impossible.

“Who are you…?”

Momo, however, seemed frozen in place, as still as a tree in winter. Her interactions with men were limited to her small social circle. And none of her friends held the same allure as the charming man before her.

Overwhelmed, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, her words not reaching the tip of her tongue.

The sleek black cat by the stranger’s side pricked up her ears, her eyes twinkling with intrigue. “These kids have significant potential.”

“Wha! A talking cat?!”

Shock ripped Momo from her daydream. Animals were commonplace in the Soul Society, but felines were a rarity. A talking one seemed straight out of the fantastical stories spun by their grandmother. “A-Are you a Shinigami?”

A grin, wide and scheming, spread across the stranger's face, like a villain who had just uncovered the final piece of his master plan. “Not at all.”

Toshiro felt visibly comfortable but Momo was sent into another daydream.

“What’s all this ruckus?” Kūkaku’s grumble echoed from inside as she slid open the door. “Who are these kids? Wait, they have pretty good Reiatsu. This silver-haired kid especially.”

Despite her job as a fireworks maker, Kūkaku, as a noble descendant, possessed inherent Reiatsu that rivaled a Vice Captain’s. Her decision to refrain from joining the Gotei 13 seemed like a wasted potential, given her impressive talent in Kidō. She could have easily secured a position as a high-ranking Seated Officer. Even a Vice-Captain Seat wouldn’t be far fetched if she poured effort into awakening her Zanpakutō.

Some geniuses never lived up to their true potential — the bitter reality of life.

Toshiro didn't comprehend what Reiatsu was, but he could discern that the woman was singling him out as special. It set off bells in his head, that he was going to be used for nefarious schemes of the adult woman. He wanted none of it.

The stranger flashed a disarming friendly smile. “I’m Kazuya. Care to introduce yourself?”

Momo quickly pressed her arms against her sides and executed a rushed bow. “I-I am Momo Hinamori.”

“Toshiro,” he replied, his words forced out more by obligation than desire. “Toshiro Hitsugaya.”

“What lovely names,” Kazuya said with a slow nod. “Momo, Toshiro. We can all sense your potential. Would you two be interested in joining the Shinigami Academy with me?”

In his eyes, bringing them along would be advantageous. He could change Momo’s fate from becoming Aizen’s plaything and earn Toshiro’s loyalty. Contrary to Toshiro’s height, his potential surpassed that of an average Captain. Momo Hinamori, though not as prodigious as her friend, had the capability to earn a Vice Captain position on her own. Their inclusion in Kazuya’s faction would only raise his influence in Gotei 13.

Momo raised her head, eyes sparkling. “We can become Shinigami!?”

Her curiosity had always piqued about life within the Seireitei, the thrilling adventures a Shinigami embarked on, forging unbreakable through numerous battles — a stark contrast to her monotonous life in the Rukongai.

“You can,” Kazuya confirmed with a confident nod. “Take your time. There’s no need to rush into a decision.”

His persuasive voice made Momo blush again. “O-Okay.”

His request was more of a formality since she had already made up her mind about joining the Shinigami Academy.

Grabbing Toshiro’s hand, she tugged him along and moved a short distance away. She turned back to wave at Kazuya. “We’ll let you know our decision later!”

And with that, she dashed away to her home in the far distance.

“That poor guy,” Kazuya muttered under his breath. “Kūkaku, I’m starving. You got something for me?”

Kūkaku’s brow twitched at his shameless request, which had become a regular tease these days. She had tried a dozen times to hit him, but he always evaded her, slithering away like a snake. She had no choice but to relent, recognizing that Yoruichi’s chosen candidate indeed had the potential to ascend to the rank of a Captain.

“Did Kaien and Miyako leave?”

Kazuya merely nodded in response. The married couple had dropped them at the Western Gate before heading off for their duty in the Seireitei.

Kūkaku harrumphed and strode back into the house. “Kuragenohiko made some extra. Eat it or else I’ll need to throw it away.”

“Tough on the outside and a big softie on the inside,” Yoruichi stated as she looked up at him. “Isn’t she?”

“Yup.”

“I have a question, Kazuya. Are you going to seduce that young girl as well?”

He blinked in surprise. While he found Momo’s cuteness endearing, her innocence wasn't exactly his type. “I only have eyes for mature women like you.”

{Ah yes. Kazuya Ishihara, the tall dommy mommy lover.}

‘A proud member of the mature lover society.’

“I like your determination. Keep at it, and I might fall for you in a thousand years~.”

She cheerfully announced and walked into the house. He had the urge to grab her dancing tail but he didn’t act on his impulses. She went into a frenzy the last time he touched her tail.

…

Momo and Toshiro returned to their dwelling, greeted at the door by an elderly, hunched over woman. Her weary visage was a constant source of worry for the young duo.

“Shiro, Momo, where were you?”

“Grandma, you won't believe what just happened!”

Momo excitedly relayed her encounter with Kazuya, Kūkaku Shiba, and the talking cat. Toshiro’s grandmother, Nozomi, wouldn’t have believed it if Toshiro wasn’t confirming Momo’s story by her side.

“I’m going to become a Shinigami, Grandma!”

Nozomi beamed a smile. “That is good… what about you, Shiro? Will you accompany Momo?”

Toshiro crossed his arms, looking unconvinced. “No. What’s so special about those Shinigami anyway?”

Someone needed to stay behind and care for his grandmother, who was losing more and more of her weight as time passed. His grandmother had showered him with love and care for over a century. He couldn’t abandon her, even if the prospect of joining Momo and starting anew in the Seireitei was tempting.

“Come on.”

Momo tried to persuade him, but he refused to budge.