Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

After discussing the daily antics of the Eleventh Division and complaining about Captain Zaraki's incomprehensible "training" methods, the topic subtly circled back to that name after a brief silence.

Liu Chuan held his wine glass, his gaze fixed on the swirling, clear liquid within. He asked a question casually, his voice steady, revealing little inquisitiveness:

"Speaking of which, Renji, you were by Rukia's side when she decided... to accept the Kuchiki family's arrangement, weren't you?"

Renji paused slightly as he raised his glass to drink, then gulped down most of it before wiping his mouth and mumbling a "hmm" as he stared at the wood grain on the table.

"Back then," Liu Chuan asked, his gaze shifting from his wine glass to his friend's profile, continuing in his straightforward tone, "

"Have you ever thought about doing anything? Or, looking back now, do you ever feel... perhaps you should have done something to stop her from stepping into that world?"

"Bang."

Renji slammed the wine glass back onto the table with a heavy thud.

He suddenly raised his head, his bright red eyebrows furrowed tightly, and his usual arrogance and straightforwardness disappeared.

Instead, there was a restlessness caused by a sudden touch on a sore spot, and a deeper, almost overflowing, complex emotion.

"Stop? What can I use to stop you?!" His voice unconsciously rose a little, but he didn't care, or rather, he had no time to care at the moment.

"That's the Kuchiki family! The head of the four noble families! Captain Kuchiki himself came forward, and the conditions they offered Rukia are things that someone like me, who's just rolling around in the mud of Rukongai, wouldn't even dare to dream of!"

"Safety, status, no more worries about going hungry, no more fear of being attacked by phantoms... Why should I stop it? What right do I have to stop it?!"

His words came out like a machine gun, carrying strong emotions that were unclear whether they were directed at Yanagawa's problem or at his own powerless and frustrated self from back then.

But after the roar, his momentum quickly subsided. He lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously digging into the rough texture of the cup.

The noise in the tavern seemed to be isolated, leaving only a slightly oppressive silence at their table.

"Do you regret it...?" Renji's voice lowered, becoming terribly hoarse, repeating the sharper word from Yanagawa's question.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, trying to give his usual nonchalant sneer, but failed, his expression twisting into an indescribable bitter smile.

"To say I've never thought about it is nonsense." He stared at his wine glass, as if he could see the past reflected in it.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his breath reeking of alcohol: "I regret... I regret why I was so weak back then."

"At the Shinigami Academy, my grades weren't as good as yours. I didn't have any Kido talent, all I had was brute strength. After graduating, I desperately wanted to become stronger and joined the Eleventh Division, thinking that as long as I was good at fighting, that would be enough. But some things can't be solved just by slashing."

"I even..." His voice trailed off, almost as if he were talking to himself.

"I even regret that back in Rukongai, I should have always taken her around causing trouble. If I had been more reliable and become stronger sooner, I could have given her... a safe place where she wouldn't have to rely on others' charity?"

But he spoke these words without any conviction. They knew the cruelty of Rukongai better than anyone else.

In that dog-eat-dog world, the so-called "stability" is such a luxury and an illusion.

"But..." Renji took another gulp of sake, this time drinking too quickly and choking, coughing twice. His eyes were a little red, whether from choking or something else, it was hard to tell.

"But what can I change? What can I say? Can I just cling to her legs and cry, 'Don't go!' That would be truly despicable!"

Liu Chuan listened quietly, without interrupting or making any judgments.

He was merely a listener, watching his friend pour out his emotions, which had been suppressed for many years, fueled by alcohol and this direct question.

He understood Renji's pain, which did not stem from a lack of love or care, but rather from the immense sense of unease between his profound concern and his own powerlessness to provide a "better option."

And the loneliness of watching someone important walk down a path destined to be filled with estrangement, a path you are powerless to accompany.

Renji finally seemed to have exhausted all his strength; his shoulders slumped slightly, and his voice was weary.

"So what's the use of regretting it? She chose the path herself, and it was the best path for her that I could see at the time."

"What I can do now is to keep getting stronger, strong enough that at least when she needs help, I will have the power to do something, instead of just watching like I did back then."

Yanagawa picked up his almost untouched glass of wine and gently pushed it towards Renji.

"You're not wrong, Renji." Yanagawa finally spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a strange persuasive power.

"Rukia wasn't wrong either. At that moment, you all made the best choices you could, based on your own understanding and abilities."

"Ah...maybe," he murmured, downing the wine in his glass in one gulp, this time swallowing much more smoothly.

"Thanks, Liuchuan. Sometimes talking to you is quite sobering." He tried to force a smile, though it was still somewhat strained.

Liu Chuan smiled slightly and did not continue this heavy topic.

He knew that some knots in one's heart take time to untie and that the person involved needs to resolve them themselves. All he could do was offer a listening ear and a calm, objective analysis from an outsider's perspective.

"Boss, another pot!" Renji shouted toward the counter, his voice regaining some of its former vitality, although the complex shadow deep in his eyes had not completely disappeared.