Yoriichi Tsugikuni reborn in the soul society

People say that the Rukongai is an extremely cruel place, and all kinds of souls have to use every possible means to survive.

However.

Yuichiro Tsugikuni has a different view on this.

It was midday.

The sun was scorching.

Two young men in simple clothes stood outside a modest dwelling and shouted loudly, "Yoriichi-san!"

"Please accept our thanks."

As the two of them finished speaking.

A girl who was a few years younger than them slowly walked out from the front door.

She looked at the packages they were carrying and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

"Hey, you two, how many times has this happened this month?"

"My brother doesn't need your thanks. After all, dispatching a Hollow is hardly worth such fuss."

"Why bother so much?"

"That won't do," the two brothers said in unison.

The elder brother spoke first: "Rukia-san, I know that Yoriichi-san doesn't require such paltry offerings, but it is a token of our gratitude nonetheless."

"Besides, Hollows are not mere beasts. They devour souls."

"When we were set upon by one, we were certain we were lost. If it weren't for Yoriichi-san happening to pass by, my brother and I would have been consumed."

"How can we disregard such a debt of life?"

"That's right, that's right." The younger brother took over the conversation.

"Rukia-san, please accept it. Our father specifically instructed us before we left. If you don't accept it, we cannot return."

"They are merely some simple necessities, not truly extravagant gifts."

The people who were talking were all Plus souls residing in the Rukongai.

While Plus souls don't require sustenance in the same way living beings do, those with higher spiritual power often require more spiritual energy to maintain their form and activity within the Rukongai. 

These "necessities" could be items that help with this or simply items of comfort within their Rukongai existence.

In response, Rukia sighed awkwardly: "Although they are not extravagant, still..."

"Very well."

"I will accept it on behalf of my brother this time. Please refrain from coming again so frequently."

"I've turned you away four times this month. My brother prefers solitude and avoids drawing attention. Such daily occurrences are disruptive."

"Even if you do come, you must be discreet, understood?"

She stared at the two of them, her hands on her hips, with a stern expression as if she would deliver a sharp reprimand if they disobeyed.

The two brothers nodded immediately: "We understand, we understand!"

As they turned and left, Rukia finally had a moment to carefully examine the package in her hands.

Through the gaps in the cloth wrapping, she could see a few pieces of dried bread, hardened and preserved, and a skin of clean water.

She estimated it was enough to sustain a Plus in the Rukongai for over a week.

A wave of emotion washed over Rukia.

Though these items seemed meager, within the harsh districts of the Rukongai, they could easily ignite conflict amongst dozens of souls struggling for survival.

Their value was immeasurable to those in dire need.

Yet she received them with such ease.

The disparity between their lives was...

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

As she crossed the threshold and closed the front door behind her.

A calm voice drifted from the courtyard: "Rukia, were those the same two children again?"

"...Yes, brother." Rukia paused, composed herself, and replied in a measured tone.

"But don't worry, they've already departed."

As she spoke, Rukia stepped onto the wooden veranda, rounded a few corners, and finally found the source of the voice in a secluded courtyard.

It was a crimson-haired man who appeared to be in early adulthood.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, dappling his sharp features with golden light.

The deep crimson mark on his left forehead stood out prominently.

He wore a simple yet dignified black and white Shihakusho and sat in a meditative posture upon a wooden plank.

The plank was precariously balanced on top of a jagged rock.

A gentle breeze stirred, breaking the silence. Amidst the rustling of leaves from the trees lining the small pond, Yoriichi slowly opened his eyes.

His dark crimson eyes were like still pools, devoid of any discernible emotion. He fixed his gaze on Rukia and said, "Just leave them."

"Remember to return the offerings later."

"Yes."

Rukia lowered her head in acknowledgment.

After a brief pause, she looked at Yoroichi and asked softly, "Brother, do you recall what day it is today?"

He closed his eyes, considered for a moment, and then opened them once more.

"I remember. The day I first encountered you, which was also your birthday. What of it?"

Rukia hesitated and then said:

"Well... I was wondering if you might recount the story you told me when we first met."

"I would like to hear it again."

"The one about my past and about the existence of demons."

"I remember you mentioning that you, brother, are not originally from this world."

Yoriichi fell silent.

Rukia's words evoked memories of the past.

Ten years ago, he was a dying old man from a world where demons existed.

The so-called demons are those abhorrent creatures that possess regenerative abilities and crave the flesh and blood of the living.

His brother was transformed into one of these creatures, and he encountered him at the very end of his life.

He was still so young, yet... he possessed three pairs of eyes.

That tragic sight filled Yoriichi with immense sorrow.

After striking him down...

He ceased to exist.

He retained little memory of the events following his brother's demise, nor did he know what became of his body.

He only recalled his consciousness descending, falling into what would become this world known as the Soul Society.

It was as if fate were mocking him. Upon his arrival, he initially believed he had been cast into Jigoku, hell itself.

(TN: Jigoku is a Japanese Buddhist term for hell.)

The surroundings were desolate and barren, devoid of vegetation, and even the structures were crumbling ruins.

Having been born into a samurai family, he had only witnessed such scenes amongst the most destitute of refugees.

At the same time, his physical form reverted from that of an eighty-year-old man to that of a child of approximately ten years.

He knew not the cause of this transformation, though he surmised it was connected to the nature of the afterlife.

Facing this harsh environment, he offered no resistance, accepting it as just retribution.

He had, after all, allowed Muzan Kibutsuiji to escape, an act that indirectly led to the deaths of countless innocents.

He could not even save his own brother.

He had intended to atone for his sins in Jigoku until his existence ended.

Instead, he encountered a petty thief wielding a blade.

He finally understood that he had not arrived in Jigoku but rather in the 80th District of South Rukongai within the Soul Society—a region notorious for harboring more criminals than grains of sand.

He learned from these vagrants that the higher the district number, the more unforgiving the environment.

Therefore, seeking answers to his predicament, he resolved to journey towards the more centralized districts.

Along his path, he discovered the infant Rukia within a makeshift crib. Seeing her alone and vulnerable, he took her under his wing.

Yoriichi could not explain his actions, even though he was unfamiliar with the world around him...

Perhaps he was reminded of his own lost child and of Uta.

Though six decades had passed.

He had never forgotten them.

Now, having interacted with souls who had existed for centuries, he had finally come to understand the mysteries that had previously eluded him.

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New translation!!!

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