From morning until dusk.
Suō Tsukasa's figure never ceased moving among the hospital beds.
Unohana Retsu remained by his side the entire time, occasionally offering a word or two of guidance, but more often simply observing in silence.
As the treatment of the patients in the intensive care unit concluded, the room was no longer filled with agonizing groans; they had been replaced by the steady breathing of the wounded who had fallen into a peaceful slumber.
That the treatment had proceeded with such speed was something even Unohana Retsu had not anticipated.
For Suō Tsukasa, Kaido was unexpectedly simple to master.
It wasn't that the technique itself was easy, but rather that his journey from grasping the basics to achieving proficiency was so smooth it felt as if it were second nature.
"It's over."
Withdrawing his hand from the patient's Hakusui, Suō Tsukasa straightened his back and slowly exhaled.
After a continuous stretch of high-intensity healing, even with his profound reserves, a hint of exhaustion inevitably colored his brow, yet his eyes remained clear and bright.
He clearly perceived where his current limits lay.
This upper bound would likely only allow him to treat perhaps two more batches of patients in a similar condition.
In a state of extreme exertion, he couldn't rule out the possibility of managing three. After all, as his techniques became more practiced, his consumption of Spiritual Pressure and mental energy was decreasing.
These calculations flashed through Tsukasa's mind for a fleeting moment.
Regardless, the experience of today's healing session was indeed a substantial improvement for him.
"Captain Unohana, are there any other patients in need of treatment?"
Tsukasa turned to Unohana Retsu with a look of anticipation.
His voice remained steady, though the tail end of his words carried a slight rasp of fatigue.
His manner was natural, no different than when he faced Captain Ukitake.
Unohana Retsu looked back at him with approval, offering a warm and gentle smile.
She was very pleased—not just with Tsukasa's ability, but with his diligence. He had worked tirelessly all day without complaint, saving her a great deal of trouble.
"There are no more. You've worked hard."
"You did far better than I expected. Stabilizing these critically injured patients to the point where they only require quiet rest has greatly lightened the medical burden on the squad."
She looked out the window at the deepening twilight, her tone shifting slightly.
"At this hour, the squad barracks' canteen should have dinner ready."
"Shall we have dinner together? Consider it a small token of thanks for your hard work today."
"Then I shall impose upon your hospitality."
Suō Tsukasa followed her lead with a nod.
He hadn't eaten much at noon, hastily stuffing down a few rice balls before returning to his post. He had spent the entire day immersing his mind and soul in honing his Kaido skills.
To him, personal guidance from Unohana Retsu was a rare opportunity, one he had to grasp with every fiber of his being.
Even more gratifying was that he had found a perfect solution for the spiritual aperture damage caused by high-intensity training: he could simply perform self-treatment after each day's session.
This was not difficult for him. Given his clear understanding of the source of spiritual power—far exceeding that of an average Shinigami—coupled with his practiced Kaido skills, he could manage it.
While he couldn't yet achieve High-Speed Regeneration like a Hollow, simple self-healing was well within his capabilities. Even if his Saketsu and Hakusui were damaged simultaneously, as long as he could gain a moment's respite, he could complete his own recovery.
The only slight complication was that he still needed to consciously focus on controlling the Kaido. He was still a long way from achieving the effortless, instinctual performance shown by Unohana Retsu in the original story.
However, the core techniques were already mastered; the rest was a matter of continuous practice to consolidate them. One day, he would turn these skills into instinct, reaching a point where the healing spells would trigger automatically upon injury.
"Let's go," Unohana Retsu said, a faint smile touching her lips.
As the two of them left the intensive care unit side-by-side, the members of the Fourth Squad along the way stopped to pay their respects.
The looks they directed at Suō Tsukasa were filled with genuine recognition and reverence. Throughout the day, they had witnessed with their own eyes as this young Shinigami used his warm Spiritual Pressure to pull one hopeless casualty after another back from the brink of death.
Unohana Retsu walked at the front with slow, graceful steps. Her loose white haori swayed gently with her pace, exuding a serene aura. Suō Tsukasa and Kotetsu Isane followed quietly behind her, flanking her left and right.
The trio arrived at the canteen.
The Fourth Squad's canteen had no special decorations; it was largely identical to the standard layout of other squads in the Seireitei. Polished wooden tables and chairs were arranged neatly, and the air carried a light, pleasant aroma. The only difference, perhaps, was that to accommodate the number of members and the needs of shift-based dining, the space was slightly more spacious than an average squad's canteen.
After picking up their meals, the three sat in the captain's private dining room and placed their trays on the table.
On Tsukasa's tray was an ordinary washoku meal, the portion size as generous as always. In contrast, the dishes before Captain Unohana were almost identical to his, but the portions were back to normal levels, making them appear much more delicate.
However, in one corner of her tray, a small dish of bright, glossy red mentaiko sat prominently. Even from across the table, its rich and unique salty-spicy scent reached Tsukasa's nose clearly.
It formed an intriguing contrast with Unohana Retsu's gentle, water-like appearance.
While Tsukasa usually enjoyed spicy food, this particular item had such a heavy flavor that he found it a bit difficult to get used to.
And yet, she wasn't the most peculiar one at the table.
When Tsukasa's gaze fell upon Kotetsu Isane's tray beside him, he couldn't help but pause.
The contents of her tray were excessively sparse. Aside from a bowl of plain congee and a small dish containing a few slices of pickled radish, there was absolutely nothing else.
Is that enough to get full?
Without a second thought, words of concern escaped his lips.
"Isane-san, is that all you're eating?"
"? I... this is enough for me."
"Today... I don't have much of an appetite."
Being asked so suddenly, Kotetsu Isane's face was instantly tinged with a faint blush. She lowered her head in a slight panic, her voice softening with a trace of embarrassment she couldn't quite hide.
She certainly couldn't say that she was deliberately controlling her diet because she was worried her height—already far exceeding that of a normal woman—would continue to grow out of control. That reason was simply too mortifying to speak aloud.
Seated at the head of the table, Unohana Retsu looked up at her lieutenant and then at Suō Tsukasa beside her. Comparing their seated heights, a flash of realization crossed her eyes.
She did not expose the young girl's private worries, merely speaking in a gentle tone.
"Isane, maintaining your physical strength is a fundamental duty for a healer."
"At least finish this. As the Lieutenant of the Fourth Squad, you must be responsible for your own body."
As she spoke, she naturally pushed the dish containing a whole grilled fish from her tray toward Kotetsu Isane.
"Yes."
The tips of Isane's ears turned even redder. She gave a small affirmative response and obediently accepted the grilled fish offered by the captain.
Usually, she tried her best to hide and eat alone. Occasionally, when dining alone with the captain, she could find some excuse to brush it off. But today, the captain had specifically brought Suō Tsukasa along to find her, leaving her nowhere to hide.
"Itadakimasu."
With those words, the three of them picked up their utensils.
Unohana Retsu ate at a leisurely pace, chewing slowly and thoroughly. Kotetsu Isane also ate with quiet elegance; neither had a large appetite.
In contrast, Suō Tsukasa moved with crisp efficiency once he picked up his chopsticks. Though he was a veritables food-processing machine, even while eating quickly and in large quantities, his posture maintained the grace of a good upbringing.
For a time, the only sounds in the private room were the faint noises of chewing and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.