"Oh", Michiko stutters. "Oh. Is that so?" She'd lie if she'd claim she was ever very close to the geezer - but he'd been a constant in her life for ages. A pillar of Gotei, seemingly capable of weathering the worsts of blows time could throw at him.

"It was a natural occurrence, right? Well, I hope he'll find happiness in his new life. The cycle has waited for him for a long time." In the end, death for Shinigami is not such a sorrowful thing - after all, there is no judgement, just... erasal, of duties and burdens. A turn of the cycle, and the chance to begin again.

"If you'd kindly send my regards to his family... Ichi... myori-san, wasn't it? You're Kazuo's men, I gather. It's sad this happened at such an inopportune time. I regret I could not take part in his funeral."