"I'm truly sorry, Yoruichi-sama, 3rd Seat Masatsuki. As a member of the guard, I should have been protecting you, yet instead, you both had to take care of me… This is unacceptable."
In the underground training ground's rest area, Suì-Fēng, now fully awake and dressed neatly, knelt before the two of them in a deep bow.
Yoruichi waved her hand dismissively. "No need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one saying sorry—I was the one who knocked you out, after all."
"No, Yoruichi-sama warned me. I chose to come here of my own free will," Suì-Fēng said, her face tinged with red.
I was just in the hot spring with Yoruichi-sama… but that man was there too…
The happiness on her face slowly faded, replaced by a conflicted expression as she looked at the only man in the room.
What's with that look? I contributed to that hot spring too, you know.
Also, why hasn't she tried to punch me yet?
Masatsuki Aozaki tilted his head, thinking it over.
Even if she wasn't mad for herself, surely she'd be furious that I saw Yoruichi too, right?
"M-Masatsuki-sama…" Suì-Fēng stammered, addressing him with an honorific—her tone laced with embarrassment.
Masatsuki blinked in disbelief.
Did she just call me 'sama'?
Was this some kind of polite courtesy before she attacked?
"Thank you… for saving my life!"
Masatsuki Aozaki only grew more confused.
"Saving your life? What are you talking about?"
"Back at the Nest of Maggots… you held off Kenpachi Kiganjō by yourself so that I and the other squad members could retreat."
Suì-Fēng lowered her head even further, her face flushing once again.
"Although I ended up encountering stronger enemies afterward and ended up in this state, I regret disappointing you both."
"But your kindness in saving me… I will never forget it."
"Oh, so you're talking about Kiganjō."
Masatsuki finally understood and waved a hand dismissively, looking a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't some noble act—I just charged in on instinct."
At the time, he had only just broken into Third-Class Reiatsu a few days prior. After dealing with Mayuri Kurotsuchi and casually eliminating a few assassins, he had stepped out of the dungeon to find Kiganjō bullying Gin Ichimaru.
A chance to fight a real captain wasn't something that came often.
There was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity. The fact that he saved Gin in the process was just a bonus.
Telling Suì-Fēng to lead the others away was nothing more than a spur-of-the-moment decision—he hadn't given it much thought at all.
Saving her had never even crossed his mind.
But Suì-Fēng had completely misunderstood his intentions.
Her already-flushed face deepened in color, and for the first time, admiration flickered in her eyes.
Back when they first met, she had been so quick to assume that he was nothing more than a shameless scoundrel trying to steal Yoruichi-sama's heart.
But in reality, beneath that flirtatious exterior, he was an exceptional Shinigami with an unwavering sense of self-sacrifice!
She recalled a line from the Shin'ō Academy textbooks:
A Shinigami must never consider their own life first.
Masatsuki Aozaki embodied that ideal.
A man who instinctively helped others, who threw himself into battle without hesitation—how could someone like that possibly be a bad person?
No wonder a prodigy like Gin Ichimaru willingly followed him around like an unassuming shadow. No wonder Seated Officers Ryuuseki and Izumo admired him so fervently.
If she weren't already sworn to Yoruichi-sama, she might have found herself wanting to follow him too.
Lowering her head, Suì-Fēng let her long hair conceal her face, carefully masking her emotions.
Then, suddenly—
Her eyes widened in shock.
First, she looked at her hands. Then, at her body.
No pain.
"My body…"
A look of astonishment crossed her face, and a joyful smile unconsciously tugged at her lips.
Her injuries were supposed to take nearly half a year to heal—
Yet in just a few days, she was already almost fully recovered?!
This hot spring… was miraculous!
Unable to contain herself, she shot to her feet, running her hands over her body to make sure this wasn't some illusion—
Or a dream.
Yoruichi Shihōin gently patted Suì-Fēng's head with a smile.
"If you want to thank Masatsuki, then don't just thank him for saving your life—this hot spring is his doing too."
"Actually, all I did was chat with Captain Unohana. It wasn't anything major," Masatsuki Aozaki said casually. "Yoruichi and I brought the materials back together, and Kisuke was the one who made the hot spring."
Suì-Fēng felt as if she had uncovered yet another admirable trait in him, and the admiration in her eyes deepened.
Masatsuki Aozaki probably had no idea that, in the heart of this young girl, he was already becoming the ideal model of a Shinigami.
Yoruichi looked at Masatsuki with a helpless expression.
"You sure are full of yourself. After this whole incident, the 2nd Division is in shambles."
"The Detention Unit, in particular, lost more than half of its members."
Suì-Fēng lowered her head.
"Please don't blame Masatsuki-sama, Yoruichi-sama. It was my fault. Masatsuki-sama was showing me the Nest of Maggots, which is why we failed to detect the enemy in time. This all happened because of me."
Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, her tone unimpressed.
"Oh? So now you're taking all the blame? I never said I was blaming him. I was the one who gave the orders—if anyone's at fault, it's me as the captain."
"Yoruichi-sama…" Suì-Fēng whispered.
Suddenly, Yoruichi's voice rang out sharply.
"Suì-Fēng!"
"Yes!" The girl immediately straightened up, standing at attention.
Yoruichi smiled slightly, crossing her arms behind her back in a commanding stance.
"You're still my personal guard, but I'm temporarily assigning you to assist the Detention Unit."
She glanced at Masatsuki.
"The Detention Unit suffered heavy losses this time, and soon, they might need to make even bigger sacrifices. Right now, we need all the manpower we can get…"
Then, like an older sister, she took Suì-Fēng's hand.
"So don't slack off, alright~?"
"Yes." Suì-Fēng responded immediately, without hesitation.
…
The next morning, after confirming that they were in good condition, the three of them returned to the 4th Division.
This time, Yoruichi seemed to have a little more trust in her young protégé—she didn't knock Suì-Fēng unconscious.
And because of that, Suì-Fēng nearly had her jaw drop to the floor when she realized that the underground training ground was located directly beneath Sōkyoku Hill.
Sōkyoku Hill—the execution grounds of Seireitei—where the legendary execution weapon, the Sōkyoku, was kept.
When released into its true form, the Sōkyoku transformed into a "Kikōō (Blaze Fledgling King)," said to hold the destructive power of a million Zanpakutō!
Masatsuki-sama, Yoruichi-sama… and that Kisuke Urahara—these people were way too bold!
The three of them made their way back…
Well, to be precise, Masatsuki and Yoruichi were having a great time teasing the still-flustered Suì-Fēng.
They arrived at the 4th Division in high spirits, only to run straight into Retsu Unohana.
It looked like she had been about to leave but had coincidentally bumped into the returning trio.
Trying to sneak past her was out of the question.
Even members of the Onmitsukidō, trained in stealth, wouldn't be able to slip by unnoticed.
And so, when the three of them returned to the ward, they found themselves bandaged up once again.
Fortunately, Unohana had gone easy on them. And even better—Isane Kotetsu, who was on duty that night, was much more easygoing.
With a bit of persuasion from Masatsuki Aozaki, the flustered Isane blushed and ended up moving all three of them into the same ward.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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