Chapter 261: Hot and Cold
With Kukaku departing to determine a location for the 14th Division's headquarters and barracks, Vahn was left alone with Rukia in his study, the two of them sitting side by side with a respectful distance between them and a large, light-formed display hovering in front of them.
"That strawberry-headed fool...he went through all that trouble to save me and then just left me in the Soul Society...?" sighed Rukia, closing her eyes and exhaling loudly with her hands clenched into fists—having just completed the first three seasons of the Bleach anime, culminating in the return of Ichigo and his friends to the human world after her successful rescue.
"It's not too late, you know," remarked Vahn, his voice low and guiding as he contended, "From the moment your world became integrated with the Tower, its fate was no longer predetermined. Whichever path you choose, the Dragon's Pavilion will support you."
Shaking her head, Rukia asserted, "I've already chosen which path I will walk. And now that I know the truth, I have even fewer reasons to waver. Ichigo and his friends never should have become entangled in the affairs of the Soul Society. Now, even if I can't shoulder the entire thing, I can at least carry the burden of my world's fate alongside others entrusted to do the same..."
"Which is precisely why I didn't hesitate to accept you as a First-Grade Maid—or reveal the truth to you," hummed Vahn, his expression and tone softening as he proclaimed, "You're strong, Rukia. And your sense of duty will enable you to become one of the central pillars hoisting your world to a grander stage..."
"And here I was thinking you had approved of my appointment as a First-Grade Maid because you found my appearance to your liking..." revealed Rukia, turning her head and staring at Vahn with narrowed eyes and a cool expression reminiscent of her elder brother despite them having no blood relation.
"And you'd be right," affirmed Vahn, adopting a narrow-eyed, smoldering look as he smoothly appended, "But if appearance alone made a woman exceptional, there wouldn't be so many petty, vain, and cruel villainesses. Lucky for me, you have character and appeal in equal measure...Renji and Ichigo really dropped the ball..."
"Renji...?" repeated Rukia, incredulous. She had witnessed the crimson-haired Shinigami's battles against Ichigo and her brother, but it didn't change that he was one of the people who had arrested her while being very mean about it. He also proactively attempted to prevent Ichigo from rescuing her, only appearing to have a change of heart after failing to kill one of her friends. Then there was the reality that the two of them hadn't so much as greeted one another for four decades, so she couldn't fathom why Vahn would feel sorry for him.
"Should we continue watching?" asked Vahn, gesturing with his right hand to the mini-theater-sized display.