Amamiya Miyako did not bother forming a reishi bow above the surface—he simply dove straight into the lake.
The water rippled, then stilled, returning to its calm, glassy state as if nothing had happened.
Beneath the surface, Miyako tried to mold the gathered reishi into the shape of a bow. He reached out with both hands, pulling as if stringing it, but… nothing happened.
The reishi refused to condense. It was as though something invisible stood in his way, disrupting the flow. Still, Miyako kept his stance underwater, stubbornly maintaining the bow-drawing posture as he struggled to pull the particles together.
Minutes passed. His chest burned, but he endured before finally kicking upward, breaking the surface with a gasp.
"Haaah…" He sucked in a deep breath of air, then dived back down without hesitation.
The cycle repeated again and again. Dive, strain, fail, surface, breathe. Dive again.
He continued this training for hours, but today there was a matter far more pressing. With a reluctant sigh, Miyako finally pulled himself onto the shore, droplets streaming from his hair. He formed a bow of reishi in his hand—above water this time—and tested his control.
The collection of reishi felt noticeably smoother now, flowing into his grasp like a current instead of a trickle. "Hmph. Definitely faster than before… or maybe it's just my imagination."
He dispersed the bow and glanced back at the lake. "I'll be back to train here again. No doubt about it."
But before that, he had something more urgent. He clenched his fist.
The Hōgyoku.
"…This can't stay a secret. I have to tell Yoruichi-san."
He exhaled slowly, shaking his head.
"Not like I can hand it back anyway. It's already inside my soul. Unless someone invents some tool to pull it out—which doesn't exist—I'm stuck with it. Yare yare…"
With that, Miyako made his way toward the Second Division barracks.
As expected, a guard blocked his way at the gate.
"Please inform Captain Suì-Fēng that I've come to see Yoruichi Shihouin-san. She and I made an appointment."
The soldier bowed slightly. "Understood."
Miyako waited patiently until a member of the Second Division returned to lead him inside. The halls were tense and silent, until they finally reached the entrance of the Division's VIP chamber.
The door opened. Suì-Fēng stood there, sharp-eyed, her hand resting on her sword hilt.
"Thirteenth Division Vice-Captain Amamiya Miyako," she said, voice clipped. "Why are you here to see Lady Yoruichi?"
Miyako raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. I'm only keeping a promise. Yoruichi-san and I agreed to meet after the last matter was resolved. That's all."
Her frown deepened. "Unfortunately, Lady Yoruichi is resting. Come back another time." Her tone dripped with suspicion, and her posture screamed vigilance.
Miyako scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Captain Suì-Fēng…"
Then he cupped a hand around his mouth, calling toward the inside. "Hey, Yoruichi-san! I'm here!"
"What—?!" Suì-Fēng's eyes widened, fury sparking. Killing intent rolled off her like a storm, and her hand nearly drew her Zanpakutō.
Before the moment could escalate, the VIP door slid fully open.
Yoruichi Shihouin stepped out, appearing in her human form. A playful smirk tugged at her lips. "Oh? Miyako. Healed already? I didn't expect you to show up this quickly."
"Lady Yoruichi!" Suì-Fēng's voice cracked with outrage. "Please, allow me to discipline this rude man!" She took half a step forward, ready to unsheathe her blade.
Yoruichi reached out and flicked her forehead. "Enough, Soi Fon. He's here because we arranged it. And this is… important." Her expression shifted—playfulness fading into seriousness.
Suì-Fēng froze, realizing instantly that this wasn't something trivial. She bowed deeply. "…Understood."
"Soi Fon, guard the door. No one comes in, and no one listens in," Yoruichi commanded.
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi." She crouched low, eyes sharp as she took her post outside.
Miyako stepped into the chamber, the sliding door shutting behind him. The air grew heavy as Yoruichi turned to face him, her amber eyes sharpening.
"All right, Miyako," she said quietly. "Tell me—where did you hide the Hōgyoku after you extracted it?"
Miyako exhaled lightly. He had already talked this through with Urahara-san back in the Human World. If the Hōgyoku was removed, he would temporarily hide it. Thanks to his position in the Thirteenth Division, it was something he alone could manage without raising suspicion.
But after Rukia-chan's execution, the device Urahara-san had crafted to mask the Hōgyoku's spiritual pressure had nearly lost its effectiveness. That meant its hiding place needed to be changed again.
The plan had been simple: hand the Hōgyoku to Yoruichi-san and let her and Urahara-san come up with a new countermeasure.
Miyako scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "About that, Yoruichi-san… it's kinda hard to explain."
Yoruichi tilted her head. "What, is it somewhere embarrassing? Don't worry, you managed to fool Aizen of all people. I won't laugh, no matter where it is." She waved her hand casually, but her eyes were sharp with curiosity.
Miyako pointed to himself. "The Hōgyoku… is right here."
"Eh?" Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed in confusion. "Wait… don't tell me you've been carrying it on you this whole time, kid…?" A bead of cold sweat slid down her temple as the implications hit her. If the Hōgyoku had been with him during everything, the danger had been far greater than she wanted to imagine.
Miyako shook his head quickly. "No, Yoruichi-san. What I mean is… the moment I pulled it out, the Hōgyoku moved on its own and entered my body."
"What?!" Yoruichi's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Lady Yoruichi!" Suì-Fēng burst into the room, blade half-drawn, her eyes blazing. "Did something happen? Do you want me to cut this fool down right now?!"
"It's fine, Soi Fon," Yoruichi groaned, pressing her hand to her head. "Nothing happened. Just keep guarding the door."
"…Yes, my lady." Suì-Fēng lowered her blade reluctantly, but her glare lingered on Miyako. "If I catch you disrespecting Lady Yoruichi even once…" Her cold eyes promised a swift death before she closed the door again.
Miyako raised his hands with a helpless sigh. "Yare yare… she really doesn't like me, huh?"
The room settled again into tense silence. Yoruichi folded her arms, pacing. "So you're saying… right when you extracted the Hōgyoku, it just flew into your body on its own?"
"That's right. You know better than anyone, Yoruichi-san — the Hōgyoku isn't something just anyone can implant into a soul. I don't have the ability to fuse it with myself. It… acted on its own."
Yoruichi's brows furrowed. "Then it's been inside you this whole time… and Aizen didn't notice?"
"This is where my Zanpakutō's ability comes in," Miyako admitted. "Its power sealed the Hōgyoku's spiritual presence. That's probably why Aizen never realized."
"…Tch. This is a nightmare. How am I supposed to explain this to Kisuke?" Yoruichi raked her fingers through her hair in frustration.
"Are you certain Aizen never caught on?" she pressed, her tone suddenly sharper.
Miyako hesitated. "…It's better if we prepare for the worst. I think my Zanpakutō's Shikai hid it well enough, but… I can't say for sure he didn't notice."
He remembered all too clearly the cold glint in Aizen's eyes back at Sōkyoku Hill. Extracting the Hōgyoku from Rukia's soul had taken time, precision, and planning. Even for Aizen, it would've seemed impossible for it to suddenly bind itself into someone else's soul of its own will. That uncertainty was the only advantage Miyako could cling to.
Yoruichi sighed deeply, flopping onto a nearby seat. "Man… this is a real headache. On one hand, it's good — we still have the Hōgyoku, which buys us time to prepare for the inevitable war against Aizen. But on the other… it's a ticking time bomb sitting inside you. One wrong move, and everything comes crashing down."
She glanced at Miyako again, her usual smirk gone, replaced with genuine worry.
"If Aizen had taken it, at least it would've been straightforward. We'd just have to wait and fight. But now… this complicates everything."
Miyako remained calm, though the weight of her words pressed against his chest. "So… what now?"
"…Forget it. I get it," Yoruichi finally muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "The Hōgyoku will stay with you for now. I'll explain the situation to Kisuke-san. He was the one who made this cursed thing anyway… so he can figure out the solution."
Miyako let out a tired chuckle. "Guess I'm stuck babysitting the most dangerous object in Soul Society, huh? Yare yare…"
Yoruichi didn't even smile this time. Her golden eyes locked onto his, filled with both trust and heavy responsibility.
"Don't screw this up, Miyako. Too many lives are riding on it."