Well. I have no excuses. Seriously, nothing. This has been sitting on my PC for a long time, waiting to be checked and edited, and I've been useless at it xD

This chapter is not betaed, so be pre-warned. I lost contact with my beta sometime ago and I feel bad poking her, seeing as she has been busy, as well.

Finally, a lot of thanks to all who've reviewed in the meantime, especially ThatOneFrenchGirl. You, my dear, have made my summer, officially.

Without further ado, I leave you with this bit of wisdom and the following chapter:

"When you're comfortable with someone, you don't look for anyone else."
— Daniela Pestova

Chapter 25: Kobashigawa Hinagiku's mogi

"Taicho, please stop fidgeting." Tōshirō jumped at the clear reprimand, his hands flying away from his obi. Tsutsui Tomoka smiled from beside him in the carriage, giving him a once over. "I assure you that you look great. That kimono is utter perfection~" she giggled, nodding at him, before turning back to the window on her side. Tōshirō, however, still wasn't convinced.

He felt utterly ridiculous.

Tomoka had been relentless in preparing him for Hinagiku's mogi. It had begun with the meticulous search of his closet, continued onto taking him to her tailor for a fitting and then talking his ear off about the usual goings-on of a typical coming of age ceremony. By the end of the whole ordeal, Tōshirō felt like he was intruding on some kind of a sacred act within the noble society. Knowing what he knew of the aristocrats, he definitely was.

"We're here." Tomoka told him with a small smile, breaking him out of his minor freak out. Tōshirō took a deep breath, feeling his reiatsu spike, reiryoku flowing through his body like a cool river, before he opened his eyes again, focused. Tomoka accepted the driver's hand, letting the man help her out of the carriage. She truly was a picture, in her multilayered awase kimono of expensive silver with a sasanqua camellia flower pattern. The black, gold and red fabric made her pale skin glow like porcelain and it highlighted her face, framed by an intricate traditional updo of her long black hair. Tomoka looked every bit the noble lady that she was.

Tōshirō struggled for a second with his long kimono to exit the carriage. He had been dressed in it by the Tsutsui personal tailor, who had also instructed him how to fix it after going to the bathroom and how to adjust it if he felt uncomfortable or if it was slipping out of place. It had more layers than he was used to, making his steps difficult. But, the pattern of pale green leaves coupled with silver and white outlines was stunning and undoubtedly something he could never afford himself. The only part of the getup which Tōshirō felt comfortable with was the haori which shimmered as he moved, like it had been frosted over.

"This way, ojou-sama," one of the women dressed in an all-black kimono bowed her head, keeping her eyes on the ground as she showed Tomoka and Tōshirō the way into the compound. He took a moment to look around the estate, pushing down the intimidation he felt. It was ginormous. Tōshirō had been to the Kuchiki compound only once in his life. He'd needed an urgent signature of approval from the 6th Division's Captain, so he'd ended up navigating the large estate to find Byakuya. And, when comparing the two compounds, he could clearly spot why the Kobashigawa family were held in high regards, despite being one of the lesser nobles. What they didn't have regarding the bloodline respectability, they made up for in grandeur.

After passing the giant gates at the entrance, there was a wide area with a single path leading towards the mansion in the distance. Flowerbeds, meticulously cared for grass, and a small stream which seemed to flow all around the garden surrounded the line of guests who were being led by clad black servants. They crossed a single red bridge on their way, coming to the entrance of a massive two-story building which was longer than higher. The red shoji doors and polished wooden floor perfectly complimented the waning sun in the background, leaving Tōshirō in a sense of awe.

"Taicho, your arm," Tomoka whispered under her breath, walking closer to him. Tōshirō instantly accommodated, as the woman had explained to him how these proceedings usually went. Tomoka's lithe hand gripped the crook of his elbow gently, the heat of it barely seeping through the layers of his clothing.

"Tsutsui-ojou-sama and…" the servant who had brought them up to the mansion seemed lost as to how to address him.

"10th Division's Captain, Hitsugaya Tōshirō," the man at the door didn't seem to have any trouble, giving him a low bow. "We are happy to have you both attend our Lady's mogi." Tomoka gripped Tōshirō's elbow tighter when he opened his mouth to reply, pulling him towards the entrance gently. They followed the line of guests into the mansion.

"Don't talk to the people dressed only in black, taicho," Tomoka instructed in a whisper. "Now, we need to go and greet Kobashigawa-sama, Hina-chan's esteemed Grandmother. After that, there is the gifting ceremony." Tōshirō nodded tightly. He'd known that going to the genpuku would mean seeing the Judge. However, he'd hoped to only have a single moment of awkward nodding or greeting while mingling with the guests.

"Kobashigawa-sama is expecting you," the two servants around a tall vermillion door told them, opening it from both sides. The room they entered didn't look that much like a room at all. There was a path which led directly from the entrance to another door and a wider expanse to their right where a small platform stood, in red and gold. Tōshirō looked to see a lavish seat there where a familiar woman sat with a straight back. Judge Kobashigawa had her hair up and was dressed in an expensive autumn kimono of reds and yellows with maple leaves. Seeing her out of her uniform, though, did nothing to make her any less intimidating or hostile-looking. Her eyes, purple, much like her granddaughter's, sharply glared at her guests. Her gaze was different from Hinagiku's, however. While the younger Kobashigawa had that same analytic side to her facial expression and eyes, she always had a bit of room for wonder and almost a sense of innocence. The Judge, though, was anything but. There was only ice there.

"Setsuko-sama." Tomoka offered a small bow as soon as they were right in the middle of the pale green pathway, in front of the Judge. "It's an honor to attend Hinagiku-sama's mogi. My family and I thank you for your kind invitation." Tōshirō had to suppress his chuckles at the overly formal tone of his 8th Seat's voice. It had none of its usual teasing note or lilt at the ending of her sentences. He'd only had the privilege of hearing it during his first few weeks as Captain.

"It's nice to see you again, Tomoka-san," Judge Kobashigawa spoke and Tōshirō felt his teeth clench. That voice. With a single sentence from that woman he was back in that dark room, facing down his friend, the voice urging him to run the man through. "You've grown into a fine lady." Tōshirō's hands felt slick with blood which didn't belong to him and his heart was beating wildly as he saw the life leave his friend's eyes. He felt like he would puke. This had been a horrible idea. He should've stayed away, like he had planned to.

"Taicho." Tomoka's elbow nudged his side, making him snap out of staring at his feet, trying to ignore the drops of red steadily falling from his hands onto the pale green walkway. Tōshirō looked up, faintly aware of his reiatsu spiking and focusing on the woman in front of them.

"Judge Kobashigawa," he greeted in a tight tone which made her lips pull at the sides into a frown. "I'm glad to attend Kobashigawa's genpuku." Tōshirō couldn't help himself, a small smile made its way onto his face, making the Judge's frown grow.

"It's very nice to see you again, Hitsugaya-san," replied the woman in the same tone which she'd used to address Tomoka. And, Tōshirō was certain, if it had been anyone else but him, they wouldn't've noticed the displeasure on the woman's face. Fortunately for him, he was used to watching Hinagiku's face and looking for her tells during a shogi game. He knew that he had placed his jibe perfectly, though the Judge's retaliation had stung.

"I'm a Captain now," Tōshirō parried her verbal attack with his own, hearing Tomoka gasp from his side. The Judge's face was worth it, though. She looked ready to blow a fuse.

"So you are." The woman replied with in a dismissive tone, looking away from them and to the door. Tomoka's grip was stronger once more as she bowed, before leading him towards the exit. As soon as the doors closed behind them, she rounded on Tōshirō.

"Taicho, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but couldn't you suck it up for one evening?" The noblewoman was frowning in displeasure as she led him along the pathway.

"Not with her," Tōshirō replied in an icy tone, wiping his palms on the smooth silk of his haori, as if checking if they were, indeed, bloody.

Hinagiku couldn't breathe.

The air in the room was stuffy, the lights were too dim for her liking and there were too many people. The numerous layers of her kimono didn't help at all. She had known that the clothing for her mogi would be multilayered, but she hadn't expected her Grandmother to order the whole twelve layers of expensive silk done in the most modern pattern she could find. Ten, she had thought she could perhaps handle. A twelve layered jūnihitoe… That was a whole different story. Her face felt like it was melting underneath all the makeup her three ladies had piled on and she could barely feel her scalp due to the tightness of her updo.

So, Hinagiku was about as ready to bolt as a first-timer facing a Menos.

To make matters worse, she had absolutely no comfort in the guests who kept piling into the room. They were mostly nobles, expensively dressed with straight faces and slightly uninterested eyes. Hinagiku had known that none of her friends would be present. The 11th Division had only three aristocrats other than her who would come and Hinagiku wasn't close with either of them. Perhaps Uehara Shō. He still had to show, though. So, the petite Shinigami sucked in another tiny breath, feeling the obi strain against her ribs and tried to keep a level head, forcing the black dots swimming in her vision away.

That was when the doors opened again and more people piled in. Hinagiku kept her eyes, careful to look blankly, on the guests, taking them in one by one. After a few moments, Tomoka entered, looking as beautiful as ever. She offered Hinagiku a smile of pure sympathy and pity before she grinned at her companion. Then, Hinagiku knew that all air left her lungs.

Hitsugaya Tōshirō was standing at the entrance with wide eyes.

Hinagiku forced herself to take in another small breath and made her mouth stay in the impassive pout her Grandmother had coached onto her face before the ceremony. But, she couldn't keep her eyes from reacting. She was certain that she had a wide-eyed, obviously happy and excited look in her eyes. The Captain didn't break their gaze as the pair came closer, standing in front of the small podium where Hinagiku was kneeling in a proper seiza. The group in front of the two 10th Division members knelt in front of her, offering a small bow and congratulating her on her eligibility. Hinagiku bowed low, her fingers coming together in front of her in a small triangle and her forehead touching them as she honored their congratulations. Despite the fact that she was looking at the tatami in front of her, Hinagiku could only see those striking turquoise eyes.

Sure enough, as soon as she raised her head there was Tōshirō, looking at her as intensely as he had been seconds ago. Tomoka knelt down in front of Hinagiku, pulling the Captain down with her.

"How are you holding up, Hina-chan?" she asked in a low tone, her lips barely moving. "Right, you can't talk to us." The noblewoman gave a small sigh. "Hang in there, honey, it's almost over. Breaths as deep as you can." Now, Tomoka smiled and then bowed. "Congratulations on your mogi, Hinagiku-sama. I welcome you into the society." Hinagiku managed a small nod, barely moving her head. Then, her eyes found Tōshirō's once more and she was gone. The stuffy room faded away and she was standing, limb-locked, in an icy blizzard of sharp cool air which soothed her tired lungs. Her own reiatsu spiked, answering the gentle breath of cool air which the Captain's had brought.

Tomoka's fingers caught onto Tōshirō's elbow once more, squeezing in warning. But, the Captain's lips merely quirked up on one end in a familiar gesture Hinagiku knew too well. It was the face which he made just before he cornered her with a brilliant move on the shogi board. It had been the smile he'd offered her that evening after their dinner and shogi game at the Western restaurant, before seeing her back to her shared room at the barracks. Hinagiku didn't hesitate to stroke her reiatsu once more against the cool presence of the Captain in front of her. With that one action she felt it. The slumbering beast underneath all of that gentle icy breeze. It was a blizzard, raging in the turquoise eyes locked with hers, with absolutely no intentions to harm a single hair on her head.

"Congratulations," the Captain spoke in an even tone, his voice like another breath of fresh, icy air into her lungs. Hinagiku dropped her head once more, bowing low to the two guests. When she rose, they were standing, the turquoise eyes looking around for anyone else he knew in the room. Yet, even after the 10th Division duo left and the familiar icy reiatsu vanished, Hinagiku could breathe as well as anytime in her life.

Tōshirō was bored out of his mind. He had managed to snag a spot against the wall in the corner. Leaning against the surface as comfortably as he could in his current clothing and watching the mingling nobles. He could spot the top of Hinagiku's updo from his position, the black hair tied as tightly as possible in a delicate bun. Tomoka had filled him in how that was the adult hairstyle, symbolic of the new status of the Kobashigawa heiress in the society. Ridiculous, if he had any say in it. No one should be forced to dress up in that atrocity of a kimono and have their hair tied back so tightly at the same time. He had briefly wondered how Tomoka had looked during her own mogi. Just as Tōshirō's mind was starting to wander once more, the doors to the room opened, Judge Kobashigawa entering, her haori trailing behind her, head raised high.

"It's starting." Tomoka appeared at his side again, a small smile on her face. "It's going to become a bit more informal after the official gifting ceremony is done." Tōshirō gave a curt nod. Soon enough, Judge Kobashigawa sat on the small platform where Hinagiku knelt, in the very back. Then, all of the nobles followed suit, lowering themselves onto comfortable pillows in seiza. Tōshirō dropped down as well, right next to Tomoka. "I wonder who Hina's capping parent is."

"The what?" Tōshirō couldn't help but ask, his eyes going to Tomoka for a mere second.

"A member of the aristocracy who is going to present Hinagiku with her adult clothing. It's supposed to be someone with influence who can become a confidant later on in her life," the noblewoman explained. "My bets are on someone from the high nobility. Spirit King knows that Kobashigawa-sama wouldn't settle for anyone else." The girl gave a small shrug.

Before Tōshirō could reply, the doors opened once more, Kuchiki Byakuya entering. He had a blank look on his face, as usual, and was wearing a modest kimono, compared to everyone else in attendance. There were a few gasps and murmurs running through the crowd as he walked through the seated guests, finally getting to the podium. He stepped onto it, locking eyes with Judge Kobashigawa for a mere second and giving her a nod. Then, he turned to Hinagiku.

"Kobashigawa Hinagiku, with this garment you are welcomed into the noble society as a lady of age and you are eligible for marriage." Byakuya's tone was as impassive as always, making Tōshirō press his lips together, so that he wouldn't snicker openly. There was a purple and red pleated cloth in the Captain's hands which he presented to the kneeling lady. She bowed her head, taking it. Then, Byakuya helped her stand, offering a polite bow of his own. "I wish you luck on your journey into adulthood."

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Kuchiki-dono." Tomoka openly snickered at that, tilting her head to whisper to Tōshirō.

"That's a super informal thank you," she explained with a small grin.

"If everyone would continue into the next room," Judge Kobashigawa spoke up, rising from her seat. "I believe that there is a feast to be had."

Tōshirō finally managed to snag a moment with Hinagiku after the meal. He hadn't been too keen on the numerous dishes on the table, eating only enough to be polite, and feeling out of place the whole time. It was only when the doors to the back garden opened and the guests were welcomed to walk through it and mingle that he let out a sigh and escaped Tomoka's chatter with numerous noblemen. Tōshirō had a small conversation with Byakuya, mostly focusing on their work, and then he was approached by a man named Uehara Shō, who was apparently a member of the 11th Division and rather pleasant to chat with. After all that, he saw Hinagiku waddling, yes, very much waddling, into a corner and trying to escape the men who had been crowding her. Tōshirō decided that it was time to save her from the attention.

"Kobashigawa." She jumped at his voice, before offering a relieved smile. "You survived." Hinagiku giggled at that.

"For now." The girl offered a small shrug which could be barely seen due to all the layers of her kimono. "I still can't breathe in this and I think that I might vomit all of that food from earlier." Then, she seemed to realize what she'd said and looked down, a blush pinking her white cheeks. There was too much makeup on her face, Tōshirō decided. Though, the purple in her kimono made her eyes pop very nicely.

"Well, if you feel the urge to do so, do tell," Tōshirō helpfully supplied. "I'd be happy to get us both out of here with a Shunpo at any time." Hinagiku's eyes met his again and she smiled, making his heart do a weird jump.

"Thank you." Her voice was a low whisper. "For everything."

"It was the least I could do," he replied. "I figured you'd need at least one person in the crowd not hoping for you to embarrass yourself." Tōshirō delighted in the way Hinagiku's smile lit up her face. "Shall we walk and mingle?" He offered the girl his elbow and she took it, leaning on him as they descended the two steps and walked into the garden. It was lit up by traditional lights at the sides of the path of white stones and paper lanterns which hung above them. Tōshirō took the lead, navigating them to an area where there were no guests and finding a small stone bench.

"Ah." Hinagiku sighed in relief as she sat down, wriggling a bit in an attempt to become more comfortable in her getup. Tōshirō noticed that it seemed like a futile attempt, but he held his tongue. "Did you enjoy the ceremony, Hitsugaya-taicho?" At the formal title, Tōshirō gave Hinagiku a pointed look.

"Quite." He decided not to get into it with her and plopped down next to the girl. "I especially loved seeing your grandmother again. Charming woman." Hinagiku giggled again and Tōshirō cheered inwardly at the small victory.

"She can be a bit… difficult," the petite woman told him. "However, she has good intentions for the family. It's very hard being a noblewoman in today's day and age."

"I will defer to you on that." Tōshirō shrugged. "Are you taking a long leave?" Hinagiku scoffed.

"I will be out of here as soon as I can. Estate life isn't for me." She smiled at him. "Zaraki-dono has a mission for me. I need to leave the day after tomorrow."

"Zaraki to the rescue." Tōshirō's lips quirked up and Hinagiku joined in his laughter at the ridiculous notion.

"We need to go back," Hinagiku told him, struggling to stand and he quickly took her hand, helping her up. "If we stay away from eyes too long, rumors will start spreading and that's never a good ending for mogi."

"Oh?" Tōshirō hummed, leading the young woman back to the main path and towards the mansion.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, Hatano-san ended up in a quick marriage only two days after her mogi, which spread quite a few rumors about her and her lover." Hinagiku looked around, leaning in to whisper to the Captain. "They were seen by multiple nobles walking into a secluded area during the celebrations."

"So, I should prepare for a quick marriage before you leave for your mission?" Tōshirō couldn't help himself, waiting for the embarrassed face of the petite woman. He'd come to like that expression on her quite a bit. But, Hinagiku surprised him, as she always did, painted lips quirking to the side.

"I expect a proper ceremony at a shrine, Tōshirō-dono." But, even though her retaliation was quite clever, there was a blush making its way to her cheeks under all the white powder yet again.

"I wouldn't disrespect you with anything less." Tōshirō shrugged. They locked eyes and chuckled together, still smiling at the small joke as they entered the main room once again. Soon enough, there were a few noble men crowding Hinagiku, starting up conversation left and right. Tōshirō offered a small bow, leaving the petite Shinigami to the wolves.

He circled, taking a cup of sake which was offered by one of the servants and thanking the young man, positively shocking him. Tomoka found her Captain fairly easily, bounding over to his side when he tried to become one with the wall.

"Having fun, taicho?~" Her teasing tone was back again. Tōshirō looked around the room, glancing at the various nobles.

"How does anyone have fun at these things?" He asked absent-mindedly.

"It's an acquired taste, I think." Tomoka shrugged. "I caught a moment with Hina-chan earlier. Can you believe what she said to me?" The noblewoman changed the tone of her voice, imitating Hinagiku's soft speech. "'They took my eyebrows.'" At that, Tōshirō couldn't help himself and started laughing. He had noticed the fact that Hinagiku's eyebrows were shaved off and then repainted onto her face. But, he'd decided not to comment on them. Nor had he commented the blackened teeth, being warned before the genpuku about that tradition by his 8th Seat.

"Poor girl." The Captain managed to compose himself. "I hope that they grow back by the time she's back from her mission, or she'll be left to deal with those rascals of the 11th."

"Yachiru-fukutaicho is going to have a field day, I'm certain," Tomoka agreed with a soft giggle. "Look, she's trying to fend them off." She nodded at Hinagiku in the distance, who was trying to save herself from an eager young nobleman with clever positioning of her fan.

"Doesn't look like it's working." Tōshirō shook his head. "Should we help her?"

"There is an unwritten rule about leaving the host to the suitors at a genpuku." Tomoka replied with a pitying tone. "I managed to snag quite a few good offers at mine. Hopefully, Hina-chan will, too."

"Is it some kind of a requirement?" He asked, seeing the way Hinagiku cleverly turned herself to a man who seemed to have something intelligent to say without crowding her too much.

"No, but if you don't do the work yourself your parents need to arrange the marriage proposals. And, I can't really imagine Hina-chan agreeing with any of her Grandmother's choices." The noblewoman hummed, in thought. "Maybe Byakuya-taicho can find her a good one, though. Seeing as he's her capping parent now."

"I see." Before Tōshirō could say anything else, however, a number of gasps rang out from Hinagiku's direction. He glanced that way to see the small figure in a multilayered kimono on the floor, nobles and servants rushing to her side.

Now, onto my favorite part! Some replies to reviews:

Metherlence Ren:
Thank you for so many reviews! I'm going to pack up my answers in one, I hope that's not an issue xD
I'm glad that you enjoyed the story from the ridiculousness to the serious stuff :) I had to have Hinagiku have her embarrassing moments, and Hisagi of course (who can resist to mess around with the Matsumoto drinking gang?), I think it's in human nature, and it makes everyone cackle ugly, which is always fun xD
I live for Tōshirō. He scares the living shiz outta me to write, but I live for his POV xD It's so fun and different from Hinagiku who is always so proper hahahha Though, they're both kinda proper… I seem to have a type xD I promise there will be more Zaraki and Tōshirō later on, the upcoming relationship will surely bring some interesting topics to table there…
I hope this, belated, chapter brought you some peace of mind… Though I'm an endless slow-burn horrid tease and I know it xD If you want to help me out, that would be amazing! I'm hoping to get in touch with my current beta, but we've drifted apart for now and I know she was busy last time we talked, so I would greatly appreciate the help! Shoot me a PM and let's work out the kinks :D
Meanwhile, thank you so much, really, ridiculously so much, for the reviews and for enjoying the story and I hope that you liked the new chapter :)
All my best!
P.S.: I inspired you to writeeeee omg! I wanna seeeee nooooow Q.Q You give me too much praise… I don't think I'm that good of an author… There are so many interesting Tōshirō fics here, after all Q.Q I'm so glad that you enjoyed it twice over, though Q.Q

Guest:
Thank you so much for the lovely review!
I'm kinda hidden in the cracks because of my updates, I reckon… I'm just a lazy person Q.Q
I'm so glad that you enjoyed the fic! You gave me too much praise T_T I don't think I'm that good, but, as long as you all enjoy, I'll do my best to write :D
I will try to get more work into this one, I promise.
All my best!

melbell21:
Hi there!
I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story :D
I'm sort of updating, mostly when the mojo comes xD I try to keep a schedule, but recently I've been in a writing slump… Hopefully this works off the dust from my keyboard…

RulerOfCats:
Thanks so much! I hope you'll keep enjoying the show :D
Best!

Rigoudon3:
Thank you so much for the lovely review! I'm so glad that a lot of people find Hina realistic and enjoy her POV around Seireitei. I hope you'll keep enjoying the fic!
Best!

MarvellousFaery:
Nema frke! Drago mi je da si jos tu, sobzirom na to kako ja pisem cesto, toliko cesto…
To sam I mislila, posto si mi retki review na srp xD Oooo moracu da pogledam onda sta ima novo kod tebe od prica :D
Nemoj da mi mnogo diras Tomoku Q.Q Ona je misguided hahahhaha Doduse, ja sve svoje OCeve branim do smrti xD
Nadam se da ti se svidelo novo poglavlje, iako nije bilo haosa :P
Daaaa, nema nas puno, ali nas ima ponesto… Sacica xD
Ja sam se preporodila na drugom faksu, sad kruzujem I brizujem xD Odlicno I prezadovoljno :D Kako kod tebe ovih dana?
Lots of love :D

Mariana Lestrange:
Thanks so much for the review! I hope you're still enjoying the story!

GreyMoon . Huntress:
I hope the new chapter didn't disappoint! Thanks so much for the lovely review and I hope you liked the bits and pieces of Grandma meddling :P It wasn't too much, I think hahahhaah
All my best!

Wowfam:
Thanks so much for the lovely review! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story and that you can relate to Hina :D I'm a real OCD when making OCs and try to make them as human as possible :) So, I'm always happy when someone says they can relate to one of my creations :D
Hope you enjoyed the update!
All my best!

Hybrid301:
Thank you so much for the lovely review! I'm glad that you got the feeling of a silent war, it's definitely there xD But, isn't that partially normal for any family?
I hope Tōshirō's experience at the mogi lived up to expectations? :P
All the best!

Cooliceprincess:
Thanks so much for the amazing review :D Made my day :)
Shin is just adorable :) I almost scrapped the idea for that OC, so I'm glad that I pushed through and included him xD
Tōshirō's life should be like: 'The endless torture at the hands of women and the migraines that follow' Poor thing xD From Momo, to Matsumoto and now my OCs xD
I hope you enjoyed the update!
Best!

Most Mouse:
Hey there! Seriously, your reviews give me life xD They're so long and a mixture of aggressive excitement and ideas that they make me giddy. Your energy is nuts and off the charts! And fricking epic xD
I'm glad that you enjoyed the omake xD I always try to make them either a total humor roast or an emotional cliffy xD I'm horrid like that hahahahah He legit set himself up for that roast, though…
Rini is always a bonus! And a riot xD She makes me laugh and gosh, she's fun to write Q.Q
I hope that you liked the party scenes :P I tried not to make them too much of a clusterfuck, but more of a journey for all xD Still, the bit at the end was fun to write :) Poor Toshiro, though xD He's lost af
Here's the kicker, though… Imagine if Hina had called her Squad to the mogi… Just… let that sit there a while… Can you imagine? I was on the verge of writing that, but then I was like naaaah I wanna do Toshiro POV xD And I went with being selfish af xD
I can imagine Hina and Momo as buddies, though! I think they would gang up on Toshiro xD Arsenal of Blackmail sounds about right…
I live for Kenpachi. Like, I live for that dude. He gives 0 fucks. They are nowhere to be seen xD And, of course, he's one of the rare Captains who can just flip Setsuko off and not give a thought to it afterwards xD Everyone else she can somehow get to xD He'd legit challenge her to a duel hahahahahah I don't think he'd respect anyone who isn't at least strong enough to stand in his presence under his released reiatsu xD
Shin is a cutie with a lil crush xD On all women. Like, all xD It's cute though, I enjoy writing it hahahaha
I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic and I promise to try and get my writing schedule under control xD It's gotten out of hand, really… Like, really xD
Lots of love!

Books1993:
Thanks so much for the lovely review! I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic :D I will do my best to have the reveal of who's sending the notes soon :)
Hope you liked the update!
All my best :D

Omake:

Uehara Shō watched as the guests piled out of the Kobashigawa mansion, chatting and chuckling. He glanced at the petite woman standing beside him, whom he still had to bid goodnight before leaving. She was looking at the floor with intense concentration, as if she was hoping that a hole would open right there and then, to swallow her. More nobles bowed, whispered their 'goodnight' and then walked out. Shō leaned down, speaking in a low tone.

"It wasn't that bad, Hinagiku-san."

"It was worse," she refuted in a tiny voice.

"Fainting at a mogi surely is a new one," Shō chuckled. "Better than accidentally undoing your own obi, right?" He attempted to cheer her up. As soon as she looked up at him with a small smile, he knew that he had succeeded.

"Definitely," Hinagiku agreed and Shō nodded, bowing slightly, ready to take his leave.

That's almost all folks!

Just wanted to add that recently I've been doubting my skills in writing, imagination and everything else that comes with being an author of any kind and I wanted to thank you all. This website and all the reviews (flames included) have taught me so much about quality writing and expressing myself properly. You guys are the reason I want to keep imagining and communicating stories. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!