"I never believed a single word you said from the start."
Yūshirō Shihōin stood behind Kisuke Urahara, completely relaxed. "A half-baked liar like you could probably trick my sister, someone innocent like her—but me? That doesn't work on my type."
"Hahaha… Don't joke like that, Yūshirō!" Kisuke forced a laugh to ease the tension. "If you knew I was lying, why would you show up behind me?"
"Good question." Yūshirō tilted his head, feigning confusion. Then his voice dropped, and a cold, villainous smile crept across his face. "Why do you think? Guess, Kisuke—you're a genius, aren't you?"
"A genius is just slightly smarter than normal people, not a god. There's no way I could know what you're thinking."
"But even if I don't know what you're planning, my Zanpakutō's power is real. As long as you're inside my range, I can reshape you—"
Kisuke suddenly froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Reshape me? What a terrifying ability. Then hurry up and use it on me—I've been waiting for this, Kisuke."
Yūshirō draped an arm over Kisuke's shoulder, leaning close with a mocking grin. "Or… did you already activate it? Too bad—it doesn't work on me, does it?"
"Why?"
Kisuke knew then that he had lost. He wasn't the kind of man who couldn't accept defeat, but he wanted to know why—how he failed.
"Still don't get it?" Yūshirō shook his head. "Remember what I asked you before? What is a Shinigami's true battle?"
"Spiritual pressure?!" Kisuke blurted out as the realization struck him.
"Correct." Yūshirō nodded. "The gap between us is decisive. No Zanpakutō, Kidō, or technique can bridge it. The name of that gap… is spiritual pressure. Sure, Zanpakutō compatibility, Kidō mastery, and battle experience—they all matter… but only when spiritual pressures are equal or close. When the foundation itself—the spiritual pressure—is leagues apart, none of those factors matter. Remember this, Kisuke. It's on the test."
"The difference in spiritual pressure…" Kisuke muttered, still struggling to understand how it nullified his ability.
"You still don't get it? Fine, maybe this will help."
Yūshirō stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Come on. Touch my hand."
He waved his hand in front of Kisuke's face, teasing him.
"Huh?!"
Kisuke frowned at the seemingly childish gesture.
"Hurry up. Don't you want to know why you lost so you can plan around it next time? Then try it."
Thinking Yūshirō wasn't just messing with him, Kisuke pressed his hand forward—and froze in shock.
No matter how hard he tried, his palm couldn't reach Yūshirō's. There was only a tiny gap—ten centimeters at most—yet it felt like an unbreachable wall, an absolute barrier no mortal could cross.
"I… can't touch you?"
"Exactly, Kisuke." Yūshirō's tone was calm, almost like a teacher. "Even though I'm inside your Zanpakutō's domain, the sheer density of my spiritual pressure forms a barrier around me. Your Zanpakutō's power can't affect me at all. Not because your ability is weak—but because your spiritual pressure is too low."
"My spiritual pressure…" Kisuke laughed bitterly. "So I dragged Benihime down with me."
He knew the reason for his loss—and it stung. Worse, there was no quick fix. Unlike Shunpo, Hakuda, or Kidō, spiritual pressure was painfully slow to grow.
"Good. Class dismissed."
Yūshirō smiled. "Now for break time."
"That's it? It's over already? I barely started fighting—"
Boom!
Before Kisuke could finish, Yūshirō drove a fist into his stomach.
"Urgh—!"
The brutal impact flipped his stomach inside out. Acid burned his throat as consciousness faded. His Zanpakutō returned to its sealed state, reverting to an ordinary katana.
"You think I waited hours for you to finish learning Bankai just to let you off easy?" Yūshirō muttered, hoisting Kisuke onto his shoulder and carrying him toward the healing springs.
Splash!
He tossed Kisuke into the hot spring without ceremony, then strolled off cheerfully toward the dining hall.
"The greatest joy in life is eating."
"Ah…"
"I lost. Completely and utterly lost."
Kisuke lay floating in the water, his pride as a genius shattered. But his mental resilience kicked in quickly, curiosity stirring as his body mended in the steaming pool.
"This spring… interesting. Let's see… oh, so that's how it works… Fascinating."
He began studying the spring's design, intent on recreating it with Benihime.