The next day, at the training grounds.
"I'm coming at you, Yūshirō! "
After spending the entire night remodeling the Kirin Palace, Kisuke Urahara looked completely worn out, his eyes bloodshot, but his expression was still full of energy.
"Alright."
Yūshirō casually nodded, flash-stepped in front of Kisuke without much thought, and drove his fist straight into Kisuke's stomach.
"Urgh—!"
Kisuke clutched his abdomen as a wave of searing pain tore through his gut, stomach acid churning. He dropped to his knees, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
"Leaving the Soul Society, huh…? "
Yūshirō ignored the unconscious Kisuke kneeling before him, his gaze drifting upward to the training hall ceiling, deep in thought.
By the time his mind returned from that spiral, Kisuke was foaming at the mouth.
"Better toss him in the healing springs."
With that thought, Yūshirō slung Kisuke over his shoulder and carried him toward the restoration hot spring. Thanks to Kisuke's late-night renovation efforts, the spring was now divided into male and female sections. Yūshirō tossed Kisuke into the men's side without a second glance and sat at the edge, resuming his contemplation.
"Hey, Yūshirō, if something's bothering you, why not tell me? Maybe I'll come up with something useful."
Half-dead, Kisuke crawled out of the steaming water, forcing a bitter smile as he spoke.
"It's nothing major."
"As long as you focus on training and improving yourself, you don't need to worry about anything else."
Yūshirō gave him a faint smile before turning and walking away, leaving behind nothing but a cool silhouette.
No, if you keep 'training me absentmindedly' like this, I'll probably die soon. That's something I do need to worry about! And if Miss Yoruichi sees you like this, she'll start to worry too…
Kisuke's eyelid twitched as he stared at Yūshirō's back. He came here to grow stronger, not to be used as a punching bag. There's a big difference between the two!
"What was that? "
Yūshirō turned back with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"N-Nothing."
Kisuke shook his head quickly. He didn't notice what was really wrong with Yūshirō.
"Good."
Yūshirō nodded with satisfaction, then added in the softest, most pleasant voice imaginable:
"If my sister notices anything… you'll die."
"U-Understood, Yūshirō-dono! "
Kisuke's heart skipped a beat. He could feel it—the man in front of him was absolutely serious.
"As long as you understand. Do your best from here on out."
Yūshirō lifted the edge of his eyepatch slightly, his narrow eyes glinting as he smiled.
"If you keep your head down, I'll make sure you return to the Soul Society safe and sound. After all, I'm not a complete devil."
"R-Right…"
Kisuke felt his body stiffen as he bowed his head against the suffocating pressure of Yūshirō's spiritual energy.
"For now… just survive this month."
He planned to send his sister away first—then negotiate with the rest of Squad Zero.
Over the following days, Yūshirō trained Kisuke methodically. Day three, a blow to the neck—knockout. Day four, to the head. Day five, broke all four limbs. Day six, smashed the face. Day seven, the full package… and then repeated the cycle again.
Other than the very first day, when Kisuke had to attack while Yūshirō dodged, Kisuke was knocked out in a single hit every time. No suspense, no exceptions.
Two weeks passed like this. Under Yūshirō's brutal training, Kisuke's spiritual body grew far stronger. By now, even an average captain's hand-to-hand skills would barely leave a scratch on him…
"What have I been doing for the past two weeks? "
"Soaking in the hot springs? And… more soaking in the hot springs? "
Kisuke lay in the steaming pool, eyes blank.
Since arriving in Squad Zero territory, he'd spent more time in these springs than anywhere else. Still, there was a silver lining: by now, he had nearly unraveled the entire structure of the healing hot spring. Given time, he could easily recreate something similar using Benihime's power.
"Ahhh… this isn't so bad, is it? "
"When you return to the Soul Society, you won't get time to relax like this again."
A voice spoke from the side. Yūshirō slid into the spring beside him, savoring the warmth on his skin.
"Huh? Yūshirō-san… why are you here? "
Cold sweat beaded on Kisuke's forehead. This felt exactly like when you unexpectedly run into your teacher outside school.
"What? Not happy to see me? "
Yūshirō chuckled softly.
"N-Not at all! Happy! Very happy! "
Kisuke flailed his hands nervously.
"She really trusts you, you know—my sister." Yūshirō's tone shifted, losing its usual lightness. "She's opened her heart to you. Don't do anything to hurt her… or you'll die."
"Ha… haha… Yūshirō-san, you're suddenly so serious… I'm not used to this…"
Kisuke tried to laugh it off, but Yūshirō's expression didn't waver.
"I understand. You can trust me."
"Good. Because if I ever find out you've broken her heart—I'll kill you."
Yūshirō rose, wading toward the edge of the spring. "Enjoy your soak. You'll relax better without me around."
"Wait… are you… entrusting her to me? Is something wrong with you? "
Kisuke hesitated before blurting it out.
"Entrusting…?"
Yūshirō froze, then realized what he'd said. It really did sound like the final words of someone about to die.
"No, nothing like that! Don't get the wrong idea. If you lay a hand on my sister, I'll still kill you. I just… won't be in the Soul Society for a while. That's all. I'm counting on you during that time."
"Got it. You can rely on me."
Kisuke answered with surprising seriousness.