"Huh?"
Hearing Satoru's words, Tessai Tsukabishi was taken aback.
He pointed at himself:
"Great Kidō Chief... you mean me?"
Seeing Tessai's reaction, Satoru suddenly realized he'd jumped to conclusions.
It seemed this flamboyant uncle hadn't attained that position yet.
"My apologies, I just recovered from injuries and my brain isn't working properly."
Satoru laughed it off, forcibly changing the subject.
Tessai nodded. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Satoru. Lady Yoruichi speaks of you often."
"My name is Tessai Tsukabishi. Currently, I serve as a retainer of the Shihōin family, handling matters related to Kidō for them."
Satoru was slightly surprised.
He had assumed Tessai would at least be a high-ranking officer in the Kidō Corps, if not the Great Kidō Chief himself.
Yet, it turned out he was merely a retainer of the Shihōin family...
Yoruichi raised her hand.
"Yo, Tessai. Is everything ready?"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi! All preparations are complete!"
Tessai straightened his posture and answered solemnly.
"Good. Then... let's begin!"
Yoruichi set Soi Fon down and walked over to a large pit, directing Tessai as they busied themselves.
As the two placed various materials into the pit, weaving hand seals and Kidō incantations, a faint red glow gradually emerged from within.
Once the final step of the ritual was complete, Tessai clapped his hands together—
"Open!!!"
With his shout, a massive boulder sealing the adjacent stone wall slowly rose.
Gushing spring water flowed through the channel, filling the pit.
Once the pit was completely full, the boulder descended once more.
And the water inside had transformed into a steaming hot spring!
Satoru approached the edge and peered inside curiously.
With his keen eyes, he could discern that the hot spring possessed self-heating and self-purifying properties.
From the crevices in the rock, fresh water trickled in, replenishing what was lost to evaporation.
After confirming the hot spring was functioning properly, Tessai took his leave.
Satoru watched the man's retreating back with mild curiosity.
Tessai's mastery of space-time Kidō was among the most extraordinary abilities in the Shinigami world.
If he could learn it, he might uncover something entirely new.
But for now, healing his injuries took priority.
With that thought, he turned back to the hot spring—
And nearly choked on his own breath.
Yoruichi was crouched by the edge, having stripped the unconscious Soi Fon completely naked before unceremoniously tossing her into the water.
Then, she undid her own sash and shed her form-fitting shihakushō.
In moments, a bare-skinned, dark-toned beauty stood at the water's edge.
After dipping a toe to test the temperature, Yoruichi let out a small cheer and plunged in with a splash.
Swimming leisurely to the side, she draped an arm over the edge.
"Satoru! Come on in, it's amazing!"
Satoru blinked at her, momentarily stunned.
Then, his expression turned grave.
Noticing his hesitation, Yoruichi suddenly realized.
"Ah, sorry! Forgot you can't undo your clothes right now!"
She stood up, grabbed a nearby towel, wrapped it loosely around herself, and strode over to help him with his sash.
As she reached for him, Satoru suddenly spoke.
"Yoruichi."
"Hm?"
She paused, tilting her head in confusion.
His face was deadly serious.
Staring at the hot spring, he suddenly remembered.
In the anime, when Ichigo Kurosaki first fought Byakuya and was left severely injured, Yoruichi had taken him to a similar hot spring to recover.
Having just transformed back from her black cat form, she had been completely naked at the time.
Without the slightest hesitation, she had stepped into the water right in front of Ichigo, utterly unguarded.
Although there was a significant age gap between the two at the time, and their mental states were on completely different levels, the image that came to Satoru's mind made him unable to suppress a certain thought.
Could it be that, to Yoruichi, there was absolutely no distinction between men and women?
Was exposing her body in front of a man something utterly trivial to her?
Though he didn't know what Yoruichi's mindset would be like in the future, he knew there was something he had to tell her now.
Under the dark-skinned girl's gaze, he spoke earnestly:
"Yoruichi, what happened today—you must never do it with anyone else!"
"What happened today?" Yoruichi tilted her head. "Sneaking away from the Fourth Division?"
"No." Satoru shook his head. "I mean, exposing yourself in front of a man and getting so close to one like you just did. Don't do that with anyone else."
Yoruichi blinked.
Satoru continued, "By the way, didn't you say you wanted to thank me on behalf of the Second Division?"
"If that's the case, then consider this my repayment… From now on, don't do this with any other man!"
After a brief moment of confusion, Yoruichi seemed to realize something.
Under Satoru's gaze, she flashed a mischievous smile.
"So that's how it is…"
"Satoru, you may have refused to marry into my family several times, but you've actually had a crush on me all along, haven't you?"
Satoru retorted irritably, "Stop talking nonsense. Can you do it or not?"
"If you can't, I won't have much to say, but it seems the dignity of the Second Division that was saved isn't worth much after all."
Looking at Satoru, Yoruichi's lips curled slightly.
She nodded. "Fine, since you put it that way, as repayment for saving everyone, I'll do as you say from now on!"
With that, she reached out to undo Satoru's belt.
Just as Satoru sighed in relief, he was startled by her action.
"Wait, Yoruichi, you—"
"You only said not to do this with others, right?"
Satoru wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Yoruichi seemed to be wearing a delighted smile.
"If I recall correctly, the word 'others' doesn't include yourself, does it?"
As she spoke, Yoruichi swayed left and right, effortlessly stripping Satoru of his hospital gown.
Once done, she lifted her foot and kicked Satoru straight into the hot spring.
Watching him flounder in the water, Yoruichi chuckled and jumped in after him.
Today, she was in a good mood.
An exceptionally good one.
...
...
Seireitei, First Division barracks.
Yamamoto stood in the room, listening quietly to his subordinate's report.
Upon hearing one particular detail, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Captain-Commander, a patrol squad reported that on the night of the incident, they witnessed a Shinobi concealed by a light-shadow Kido."
"Based on the scene, the one who defeated the Seventh Division's Vice-Captain, Naoki Sakamoto, was likely this individual!"
"His characteristics perfectly match those of the Light-Shadow Killer we've been tracking in the Rukongai!"
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