"Marriage, huh? Coming from a kid like you, it's surprisingly hard to refuse."
Masatsuki Aozaki stroked his chin, a faint smile forming at the corners of his lips as he gazed at the girl before him.
The pint-sized princess of the Kasumiōji Clan barely reached his waist.
Marrying her gave off an inexplicable sense of guilt, yet, technically speaking, it was perfectly legal.
This was... tricky.
"See! I knew you'd think so too!"
Rurichiyo Kasumiōji jumped up excitedly, clenching her fists with confidence.
"Then it's settled! We're getting married! From now on, you're my fiancé!"
Masatsuki nodded.
"Marriage isn't a problem, but do the elders of the Kasumiōji Clan agree?"
Despite how things might look, he wasn't exactly new to this.
Leaving aside the girls in Hueco Mundo, every one of his lovers in Seireitei was already legally married to him.
Marriage wasn't prohibited in Soul Society—on the contrary, it was encouraged, with financial incentives provided to boost Shinigami birthrates.
The marriage subsidies Masatsuki had received were enough to buy a house in the noble district.
After all, Shinigami reproduction rates were notoriously low.
Take Sōjun Kuchiki, for example. After centuries of effort, all he managed was a single heir—Byakuya.
Rurichiyo nodded, immediately catching the underlying meaning in Masatsuki's words.
He was asking whether the Kasumiōji Clan would allow her to marry into the Aozaki family.
The Kasumiōji were different from most noble families.
For generations, they had been a matriarchal clan, with only women serving as family heads.
Traditionally, the head of the family would take a husband into the household rather than marrying out.
As the head of the Aozaki Clan, Masatsuki had faced similar offers before—like when the former head of the Shihōin Clan invited him to marry in.
He declined.
Had he agreed, not only would it have caused problems for himself, but it would have severely impacted the Shihōin Clan's reputation.
As a key noble house, their image was crucial.
Even though the current head of the Shihōin Clan was a good person who might not have cared, certain traditions couldn't be ignored.
And after the chaos brought by Gyōkaku Kumoi, the weakened Kasumiōji Clan had to tread carefully.
They couldn't afford to offend the Shihōin Clan.
"You're not planning to marry into the Aozaki Clan, are you?"
Masatsuki chuckled, half-joking.
"I've already convinced the family elders. They have no objections to our marriage, nor will they require you to marry into the Kasumiōji household."
Rurichiyo spoke with surprising confidence, already carrying herself like a proper family head.
This decision wasn't made on a whim.
She had thought it through carefully and even gathered opinions from her elders.
First, Masatsuki Aozaki was Captain of the 11th Division—the 11th Kenpachi. A man of overwhelming strength.
Second, he was a high-ranking noble, holding an esteemed status with the backing of other major noble houses. His influence was at its peak.
And most importantly…
He was very good-looking.
After weighing all factors, both Rurichiyo and her cousins agreed—this was the ideal choice.
Her cousins, by the way, were now the new ruling elders of the Kasumiōji Clan.
As for the older generation?
Well… after the recent upheaval, most of them were dead.
Now, a new era had begun.
An era for the young!
"After we marry, you will remain the head of the Aozaki Clan, and I will remain the head of the Kasumiōji Clan."
"We will be husband and wife, but our individual statuses won't change."
"However, if we have a daughter in the future, I hope she will inherit the position of Kasumiōji family head."
"Once she succeeds me, I will step down and leave the Kasumiōji Clan, fully becoming part of the Aozaki family."
This was a carefully planned arrangement—one that she and the other clan members had agreed upon.
The Kasumiōji weren't fools.
If Rurichiyo married Masatsuki, the Aozaki and Kasumiōji families would become in-laws.
Not that they intended to exploit his influence, but at the very least, they wouldn't have to fear the predatory eyes of other nobles.
If the Kasumiōji Clan were ever bullied, would Masatsuki Aozaki—the husband of their clan head—really stand by and do nothing?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Masatsuki Aozaki was infamous for spoiling his wives.
"Hmm… now that you put it that way, it sounds like I'm the one getting the short end of the deal."
Masatsuki smirked.
She wanted his protection.
She wanted his body.
Where in the world was there such a one-sided bargain?
"We, the Kasumiōji Clan, are willing to offer one-third of our family's wealth as a dowry to the Aozaki Clan," Rurichiyo Kasumiōji declared.
"Make it fifty percent," Masatsuki Aozaki said with a smile, raising five fingers.
"Deal!"
Rurichiyo nodded so quickly it was as if she feared he might change his mind.
For her, keeping fifty percent of the clan's wealth was already a victory compared to having it carved up by the other noble houses.
"Hmph, you're pretty sharp," Masatsuki said, sitting up with a chuckle.
"Of course! I spent a long time coming up with this plan."
Hearing his praise, Rurichiyo's face lit up with a proud smile, her demeanor shifting in an instant.
Gone was the calculated strategist and family head—in her place stood the mischievous young lady she had always been.
"When's the wedding? Give me a date so I can have Yūshirō submit an application to the Golden Seal Nobles' Meeting."
Masatsuki reached out, running his fingers through her golden hair as he spoke.
"The Golden Seal Meeting? Isn't that only for marriages between the Five Great Noble Houses?" Rurichiyo asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"I thought we just needed to go through the noble council in Central District One."
"Did you forget? I'm part of the Shihōin Clan, and also the son-in-law of the Shiba Clan."
Masatsuki spread his hands and grinned.
"Strictly speaking, I'm the head of the Aozaki Clan, but I also count as a member of both those families. That makes me an honorary member of the Five Great Noble Houses—understand now?"
"And it's not just the Golden Seal Meeting. My marriage also has to be announced at a Captain's Meeting, where all captains and lieutenants will be informed."
Masatsuki spoke from experience.
He had attended quite a few of these special Captain's Meetings—always as the main topic of discussion.
At this point, many captains and lieutenants had grown so numb to it that they would call in sick the moment his name came up.
Only Yamamoto, the stubborn old man, still insisted on following tradition and attending every single time.
Every meeting, he would glare daggers at Masatsuki as if contemplating murder.
But as an honorary noble of the Five Great Houses, Masatsuki was entitled to these formalities, and on such an occasion, it wouldn't be appropriate for Yamamoto to lash out.
So instead, the old man had no choice but to bottle up his anger—who knew, maybe it was even bad for his health.
Truly pitiful.
Masatsuki shook his head, suddenly a little concerned for his Master's well-being.
"...So, are you still sure you want to marry me?"
He reached under Rurichiyo's arms and lifted her up high, looking up at her as he spoke.
Her face instantly turned crimson.
"Stop treating me like a child! I won't regret this!"
"In that case, when you have time, you should go find Retsu at the 4th Division."
Masatsuki smirked.
"Retsu... you mean Big Sister?"
Rurichiyo suddenly recalled that whenever she visited Masatsuki, the women around him all seemed to listen to Retsu Unohana.
That woman... was definitely a formidable opponent.
"You could put it that way."
Masatsuki shrugged.
Rurichiyo puffed up her cheeks, looking like an angry little goldfish.
"Damn it, I actually lost to her!"
Retsu Unohana.
Just thinking about that woman gave Rurichiyo a headache.
But she was the head of the Kasumiōji Clan!
"I refuse to lose!"
Hands on her hips, she muttered to herself with determination.
"I'm not afraid at all!"
She had every intention of challenging Unohana's dominance...
Unfortunately, her voice was so quiet that it completely lacked the presence a noble lady should have.
"...Before that," Masatsuki said, raising his hand, "do you even know what it takes to be a proper wife, you little brat?"
Rurichiyo's face turned even redder.
"Don't underestimate me! I already told you—I'm not a child!"
"Even I know how to please a man!"
Masatsuki placed his hands on her shoulders.
Rurichiyo looked up at him, confused.
His usual teasing smile slowly closed in...
Like always, he kissed her.
Like always, he pried her lips apart...
But unlike before, he didn't stop there.
She felt the warmth of his lips.
She shut her eyes tightly as a pair of strong hands began to wander across her body.
Yet, she did not resist.
She surrendered herself entirely to Masatsuki Aozaki.