"The Hell Hot Springs recipe?"
Unohana Retsu slowly flipped through the old book Yoruichi had brought to her.
"So this was in the Shihōin archives… I didn't expect Kirinji to have held onto a copy."
After a moment, she lifted her head. Across from her, the dark-skinned girl stood nervously, watching every change in her expression.
Unohana smiled.
"It's real. This is the genuine recipe."
"But," she continued, "the ingredients listed here are extremely rare. Even with the Fourth Division's storerooms, it may be difficult to gather everything quickly."
Yoruichi tilted her head back with a confident grin.
"Captain Unohana seems to have forgotten my other identity. With the Shihōin clan's resources, even rare materials can be sourced easily."
"And besides—if the Shihōin don't have something, isn't there still the Ōmaeda clan?"
"Shinojin's family has golden gates. This kind of thing won't even make him blink."
Unohana gave a soft laugh.
"In that case, there will be no problem."
"But have you chosen a place to set up the hot spring?
If not, the emergency care center has a quiet garden you're welcome to use."
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Unohana was smiling far too pleasantly. Her instincts said danger.
"…That won't be necessary, Captain."
"I already picked a location before coming. It's in one of the Shihōin family's training grounds."
Unohana nodded without further comment.
Soon after, the three slipped out of the Fourth Division under the cover of night—Yoruichi leading, Kisaragi Akira wrapped heavily in bandages in the middle, and Unohana at the back.
For some reason, watching the two figures sneaking ahead, Unohana felt an odd sensation rising in her chest.
Perhaps she'd spent too much time around younger people—her mindset seemed to have grown younger as well.
The journey was short. Before long, they entered a dense forest. Passing through layers of concealing trees, the group arrived at a cave entrance.
Through a long, narrow tunnel, a hidden cavern finally opened up before them.
Inside was a perfectly intact hot spring. The rock walls were polished smooth, warm steam rising continuously.
Seeing Akira and Unohana's puzzled looks, Yoruichi explained:
"This is my private training ground. Whenever I get exhausted from training, I come here to soak and recover."
"You two wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
Before long, Yoruichi came jogging back, her arms full of bulging bags. She dropped everything on the ground and spread out the ingredients.
Unohana knelt beside her, checking methodically.
"Everything's here."
She nodded, satisfied. "We can start recreating the Hell Hot Springs."
Yoruichi blinked. "Don't you need time to review the method first?"
"Reproducing it isn't difficult."
Carrying several materials, Unohana walked toward the spring. Behind her, her voice remained calm:
"The only pity is that the effect will be a bit weaker than the original."
"But for treatment purposes, it's more than enough."
As she began adding the ingredients one by one, a faint fragrance filled the cavern.
Akira's nose twitched; even his reiryoku felt more active.
Then Unohana began weaving kido signs with both hands.
Countless healing spell-circles unfolded between her fingers.
A massive wave of spiritual pressure crashed downward like a tidal wall.
Pebbles on the ground trembled violently, as if something enormous was walking through the cave.
Yoruichi's jaw dropped.
She knew Unohana was strong. She knew her seniority was overwhelming.
But this level—
This was absurd.
Ōmaeda Shinojin's reiatsu was already captain-class, yet compared to what Unohana was releasing now, it was the difference between earth and sky.
No—between two entirely different dimensions.
And worse: the more reiatsu Unohana poured out, the more suffocating the air became. An icy pressure crept into Yoruichi's lungs like needles, a murderous intent seeping into her bones.
As if the gentle Unohana before them had been replaced by a carnivorous demon from the deepest reaches of hell.
Instinctively, Yoruichi stepped closer to Kisaragi Akira.
To her annoyance—
Akira stood there completely unfazed, staring directly at Unohana with full focus.
As if he were…
Admiring her figure?
Wait.
WAIT.
Yoruichi's eyes widened.
I'm practically pressed up against you and you ignore me completely, but you stare at Captain Unohana?!
She was about to grab Akira's head and forcibly turn it when the crushing reiatsu suddenly vibrated.
With a deep hum, Unohana completed the final sequence, pouring all the reiryoku into the spring.
The water began glowing—soft white and red light rising from below.
Steam billowed outward, thickening the cavern air.
"…It's done," Unohana said, exhaling softly.
"I used binding barriers to separate the hot spring into two types of effects."
"The white one is White-Bone Hell. It squeezes out a bather's reiatsu and blood, taking impurities and injuries with it. Recovery is very fast."
"The red one is Blood-Pool Hell. It replaces the bather's spiritual energy and blood, giving a temporary boost in strength."
"Because it's a replica, the effects are much weaker. I once saw Kirinji erase an enemy's flesh with the original White-Bone Hell—only bones remained."
"If one stays too long in the real one, similar things happen."
"The replica won't cause anything severe—maybe just a little skin irritation."
Akira nodded, recalling intelligence reports about Kirinji Tenshirō.
The pompadour guy did, indeed, weaponize hot spring water.
Strong—but with a questionable track record.
Akira approached the white spring and dipped his hand in. Warmth rushed up his arm, and his reiryoku surged.
Minor wounds healed visibly in seconds.
"Wow… this is pretty incredible."
He nodded in admiration, casually stripping off the top half of his patient clothes.
He was about to remove the last inner layer when—
Someone moved faster.
A flash of pale skin flickered in his peripheral vision.
Splash!
Someone had jumped in.
White spring water.
Akira froze.
Wait—WHITE?!
It hit him.
Eyes wide, he turned toward the source. Through the thick steam, he could just barely make out a large, floating object in the water, two hands resting on top of it gently to keep it under control—
Before he could see more, a small foot shot out from the side and kicked him cleanly into the spring.
He swallowed several mouthfuls of water before a delicate hand lifted him back up.
"Cough—! Cough!"
Akira finally saw her up close.
Unohana Retsu, smiling softly—a mischievous glint hidden beneath her calm expression.
Because of… buoyancy, she had one hand occupied holding certain things down.
Even her long black braid resting across her chest wasn't enough to help.
"No need to worry, Akira-kun," she said kindly.
"I was the one who changed your clothes when you were unconscious, so you don't need to be shy."
Akira: "?"
While he was still mentally sputtering punctuation marks, Yoruichi had already shed her haori and sleeveless uniform—standing boldly at the water's edge without a hint of embarrassment.
She dipped a toe, grinned, and leapt straight in.
Water splashed everywhere.
Akira's expression stiffened.
When he came here for treatment, this was not what he expected.
After helping him stand, Unohana moved gracefully to the edge, leaning her back against the smooth rock wall, letting the healing warmth wash over her in peace.
Yoruichi, meanwhile, swam over and deftly removed the bandages from Akira's arm, lowering his limp right hand into the water to let the healing begin.
The red drained from his pores, dissolved spiritual waste dispersing, injuries closing rapidly.
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at her as if deep in thought.
After a moment:
"Yoruichi… do you soak in hot springs like this with other people too?"
"Like what?"
Yoruichi blinked, then looked down at herself—skin flushed from the heat, curves youthful but already defined.
"You mean naked? Obviously!"
Akira almost choked again.
But Yoruichi grinned slyly.
"Remember I told you about Kozue Aya? Ever since she joined the disciplinary corps, we soak together after training all the time."
She leaned closer, whispering:
"And between us… Aya gets super shy. It's adorable."
Akira nodded in understanding.
Ah. So Kozue Aya was a girl.
No problem then.
No wonder the name sounded familiar. Cute-girl names were easier to remember.
It was a talent.
"Speaking of which…"
Yoruichi suddenly smirked.
"You've stared, you've touched, and you've enjoyed every benefit. So—when exactly are you planning to marry into the Shihōin family?"
Akira: "??"
Of course. She had an ulterior motive.
This woman was absolutely targeting him.
"…We can talk about that later," Akira deflected quickly.
"By the way—now that Kōmyōdai Anzai is dead, can the remaining clan members even protect their assets?"
Yoruichi rolled her eyes.
Every time the topic of marriage came up, Akira dodged it with a serious political question.
Every. Single. Time.
Sometimes she wondered if his "simple-minded" moments were an act.
"Of course they can't," Yoruichi sighed, stretching lazily on the rock ledge.
"The noble families in Soul Society are far more numerous than you think."
"There are vassals, upper nobles, lower nobles, and many neutral ones."
"So even though many nobles died that night, there are still plenty enough to swallow the remains of the Kōmyōdai household."
"That clan is like a giant whale washed ashore, dead on the ocean surface."
"A whale falls, and life blooms."
Akira nodded. He'd heard the term "shark-fall" too—seemed about the same idea.
"Their external holdings are gone," Yoruichi continued.
"At best, they'll keep the title of a great noble house."
"That meaningless honor."
She didn't enjoy political maneuvering, but her position forced her into it.
If she didn't move to control the fallout, lesser nobles would tear the whole region apart fighting over scraps.
"The clan head died, their heir died, and their chief combatant died in a duel with Kuchiki Kōha."
"You know Kuchiki Kōha, right?"
Akira nodded.
"Saw him earlier. He visited my room with Captain Kuchiki."
Yoruichi frowned.
"Be careful around him. His Zanpakutō is dangerous. If it affects you, your Soul Reaper career ends."
Akira blinked.
Wasn't it just a Zanpakutō rebellion issue…?
Seeing his confusion, Yoruichi smacked her own forehead.
Right. Akira was a complete outlier.
In all of Seireitei's history, no Soul Reaper like him had ever existed.
"Just be cautious," she insisted.
"And one more thing—due to certain… complications, the Kōmyōdai clan still counts as one of the Five Great Noble Houses."
"So you might face revenge in the future."
"The person who inherited the clan is a branch member."
"His name is—"
"Kōmyōdai Tokitani…"
Akira frowned, digging through his memory.
Nothing. Not even a trace of recognition.
A branch family inheritor…
Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west.
Maybe this guy would be the one to revive the fallen clan.
While he pondered, Yoruichi slipped into the red spring.
The scorching energy seeped into her body and she let out a low, satisfied moan.
"Akiraaa, come over here! It feels amazing!"
Hearing that, Akira abandoned his thoughts and sank into relaxation.
The sound of water echoed softly through the cavern.
Leaning against the rock wall, Unohana let out a gentle breath, her smile serene.
A moment of peace like this…
was nice once in a while.