NOVEL NEXT Chapter 79: Gone Yandere
Kazuya was a little stumped about choosing a name for his faction, which only consisted of six members — five ladies and him. He eventually wanted to introduce powerful Hollows like Starrk, but Mila Rose’s prejudice for men hadn’t completely vanished.
{I can help you with the name! How about Five Fingers of Doom? We can keep Cirucci as a mascot on the side.}
Nami's voice echoed in his mind, suggesting names that reeked of her own chuuni tendencies. As he narrowed his gaze on the crystal-clear water, a curious thought about her chuuni tendencies emerged. She could be the manifestation of a part of him buried deep in his soul. A side that he had never allowed to surface — a suppressed persona birthed from his disciplined upbringing under his grandfather.
{The Godslayers. The Cosmic Warriors. The Void Kings of Demonic Realm! The Dark Einherjar.}
She continued spitting out name after audacious name, each more grandiose and chuuni than the last but he didn’t nod his head to any.
{Keep ignoring me, Partner…}
Letting out a sigh, he turned his attention to Harribel. Her aqua green eyes stared back at him, as calm as the moonlit sea.
“You’re the leader of our group,” he reminded her in a soft voice. “You should decide the name. The name will stick with us when we move on to rule the Hueco Mundo.”
He had long since taken over as the voice of the group, mainly due to Harribel’s quiet and thoughtful nature — she spent more time in her head than engaging with others. That didn't imply his usurpation of her leadership. At best, he viewed himself as a co-leader, akin to a clan elder supporting the clan leader.
There was also the crown-like Hollow remnant on her head, which possibly reflected her hidden aspirations to rule the Hueco Mundo as this peaceful and sacrificing Queen. He was subtly testing the waters, gauging if such an ambition was harbored within her heart.
“I was the leader. Now you are,” Harribel said in a firm voice, bluntly putting down any doubts anyone had about her current position. “As for Hueco Mundo...”
A subtle shift occurred in her demeanor as she finally moved from her relaxed position. Leaning forward, a crease formed between her brows, a sign that they were delving into serious territory. “My dream is about achieving peace and minimizing meaningless deaths in the name of survival and evolution… I believe we can do it.”
She confidently revealed her vision with everyone. The vision that no longer seemed silly or impossible with Barragan’s death and her massive power surge.
She glanced at every one of her companions before settling her eyes on him. “I want Hueco Mundo and our race to be better… Will you help me?”
"With pleasure," he replied calmly. "I just need you to wait for some time. Until then, we can focus on breaking the Las Noches structure and clearing the seeds from the previous monarchy.”
He supported her wholeheartedly. However, an ominous shadow loomed over her dream. The problem was once again Aizen. The King of Hollows will soon become Aizen’s target. Letting her become the Ruler of Hollows was foolish in the current year, to say the least.
{Kill Aizen. All problems solved.}
‘Eventually.’
Aizen in his base state wasn’t invincible. Kazuya could overgrow Aizen as long as Aizen didn’t achieve his Hōgyoku fusion form.
A nod from Harribel marked her agreement, her eyes revealing a hint of delight at his foresight about her aspirations. “Cunning yet empathetic, there is no more suitable ruler than you… I’ll assist you in whichever role possible.”
There was no protest from the group. They had already embraced the prospect of him being the next King of Hollows the moment he destroyed Baraggan.
Looking at the crown on her head, he grinned. “How about you play the role of my queen?”
Her lips paused mid-word before splitting into a broad smile. “We’ll see.”
It was the biggest smile he had seen on her face. Alas, he couldn’t capture the moment.
Sung-Sun called for everyone’s attention. “Harribel-sama has decided to pass the crown to our Kazuya.”
“She is Queen and she treats Kazuya like a son,” Apacci interjected. “He should be the Crown Prince then.”
“The Prince of Hollows.” Yoruichi laughed. “It has a nice ring to it.”
Lisa nodded. “Sounds like a title from an erotica.”
Mila Rose raised her hand as if she was in a class. “If Harribel-sama is the queen, then what are we?”
Sung-Sun raised a brow. “Mistresses? Concubines? King’s brides? The Princesses of Hollows?”
Mila Rose winced. “Spare me from those fancy titles. I’ll just stay as Franceska Mila Rose.”
Apacci didn’t confirm nor deny Sung-Sun’s suggestion, her mind weaving thoughts one would consider obscene and lewd.
Sung-Sun clapped her hands. “It’s the official crowning of our new leader, the new King of Hollows, the Godslayer, and the most handsome darling in the world — Kazuya. Fall on your knees and acknowledge him!”
“That’s a lotta asslicking packed into one sentence,” Mila Rose guffawed. “Though, I have to admit his face is better than those monstrous Hollows.”
After the room filled with laughter and cheerful jeers, Kazuya steered the conversation back to their original dilemma — the name of their group. “Urahara-san said that Hollows are poison to Quincy, and Quincy’s abilities are deadly against Hollows. I’m a perfect specimen of both races. Since I’m the leader, the name should be based on me.”
Yoruichi frowned. “What’s it gonna be?”
“The Inverse.”
“The Inverse, huh? It suits you well,” Yoruichi said, a smirk playing on her lips. “You're the antithesis of your own existence. I quite like the name.”
On top of being lazy and playful, Yoruichi was quite a wise woman. One of the reasons for her immense popularity among her fans.
Nods and murmurs of agreement resonated throughout the room. Most members hadn’t been particularly concerned with their group name, else they would have settled on one already.
{Boooooo.}
Nami wasn’t happy about his choice.
‘Oh well, you can’t make everyone happy.’
{I’m not anyone. I’m your Partner. PARTNER. We live for each other. We die for each other. We murder the world to protect the other. We are SOULMATES born of the same soul,} she retorted, her tone hinting at an edge of intensity that was borderline obsessive.
Her words bore an uncanny resemblance to those of a yandere. While he wasn't necessarily bothered by yandere, Nami wielded an enormous amount of power. A yandere of her level was nightmare fuel.
‘Nami, I promise I’ll let you name something else later.’
{Really? You better keep the promise or I’ll transform into a kitchen knife and cut your throat.}
‘...’
