Orihime Inoue watched Retsu Unohana closely as she lifted a bite to her mouth. For some reason, Orihime suddenly felt nervous.
"Mmm~" Retsu Unohana chewed slowly, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "This is delicious. What is it?"
"It's pineapple beef rolls~" Orihime Inoue let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, then brightened as she explained. "I season thin slices of beef with black pepper, wrap them around pineapple strips, pan-fry them, then add teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle on white sesame seeds and chopped green onions, and it's done!"
The lightly seared beef was fragrant and tender, melting on the tongue. The pan-cooked pineapple was sweet and tangy, bursting with juice. With the rich teriyaki sauce, every bite brought the beef's depth together with the fruit's fresh sweetness. Paired with steaming rice, it was impossible to stop.
"Muten is pretty lazy when it comes to everyday life. If he can get by, he will," Retsu Unohana said, finding herself liking Orihime Inoue more and more the longer she looked at her. "I was worried he might not be doing well, but after tasting your cooking, I'm completely at ease. You've worked hard, Orihime."
"Hehe~ Not at all," Orihime Inoue said, swinging her legs lightly. "It's because Muten's always been looking after me that I've had the room to do things like this. In the beginning, I even gave him a stomachache."
"There's always a learning curve," Retsu Unohana said gently. "It's normal to struggle at first. Muten was the same… back then…"
"Ahem." Muten Natsu cleared his throat twice, forcing the topic away. "So, you came to the World of the Living this time to check on Rukia?"
Rukia Kuchiki shot him a look, clearly irritated that he'd used her to change the subject.
Muten Natsu turned his head away, pretending not to notice.
Rukia was furious. Under the table, she kicked at him with her foot.
Muten Natsu was ready for it. He shifted his legs, dodged the kick, and caught her by the slender ankle instead.
"Behave during dinner, okay?" Retsu Unohana said, taking a sip of Calpis. "The World of the Living is complicated. Even if I came just to take a look, I still can't fully relax. I originally planned to ask a few questions and head back, but now…"
Muten Natsu released Rukia Kuchiki's ankle. "But now what?"
"Since it's not often I come to the World of the Living, how about you accompany me tomorrow?" A hint of anticipation surfaced on Retsu Unohana's face. "Soul Society does sell some clothes from the World of the Living, but the selection is limited. Hmm… I should pick out a couple for Isane too. It's hard to find sizes that fit her."
At the mention of shopping for clothes, both Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue immediately remembered what had happened before. Their cheeks reddened almost instantly.
"Hm?" Retsu Unohana looked from one to the other, then settled her gaze on Muten Natsu. "What is it?"
"Nothing… nothing," Muten Natsu said, his expression turning a little stiff as well. "We can all go together."
"Oh, and I want to visit your school too."
"School?" Muten Natsu shook his head. "What's there to see?"
"I want to see where you study," Retsu Unohana said sweetly, "and talk to your teachers about how you usually behave."
"I behave perfectly well."
Retsu Unohana tilted her head. "You mean the kind of 'well' where you rely on your excellent grades and openly sleep on your desk during class?"
Muten Natsu tried to argue. "Having good sleep quality is a good thing."
"It would be even better if you were actually sleeping," Retsu Unohana replied. "Have you made any new friends?"
"I have plenty of friends," Muten Natsu said after a pause. "Um… lots of people know me."
"And who do you know?"
Muten Natsu: "..."
Rukia Kuchiki looked absolutely delighted at his misery, while Orihime Inoue watched with genuine awe. It was the first time she'd ever seen Muten Natsu this docile.
Dinner ended in a warm, peaceful atmosphere. After they tidied up a bit, Retsu Unohana put on her Gokon Tekkō and helped Muten Natsu leave his Gigai.
"Take off your clothes."
Ririn almost couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
And when she saw Muten Natsu obediently start undressing, she almost couldn't believe her eyes.
Right now? Here?
"Mm…" Retsu Unohana pressed her pale fingertip lightly against Muten Natsu's chest, leaving a small indentation. "You've recovered very well. It seems my original assumption was correct."
Rukia Kuchiki followed suit and poked him twice. "Assumption?"
"Hellfire releases tremendous power by destroying the stable structure of Reishi, but his body is also caught within that destructive range," Retsu Unohana explained patiently. "Once his body is burned by the hellfire past a certain point, his entire being will collapse. Have you seen the wounds he had before?"
It was like warming yourself by a fire inside a wooden cabin. A small flame could keep you warm, but once the whole cabin caught fire, you would be cooked along with it.
Orihime Inoue poked his chest twice as well. "There used to be a really big circle here. It's gone now."
"When he left Soul Society, he overused Hellfire and ended up on the brink of death," Retsu Unohana said, her lashes lowering slightly as she recalled how dire his condition had been back then. "I couldn't heal the wound on his chest at the time. That required a far more stable supply of Reishi. Soul Society is rich in Reishi, but because there are so many spiritual bodies, the Reishi in the atmosphere is overly active. In comparison, the thinner yet more stable Reishi of the World of the Living is much better for his recovery."
If Muten Natsu had stayed in Soul Society, his condition would only have worsened.
Only in the World of the Living could his wounds truly heal.
That was one of the reasons Retsu Unohana had sent him there.
Ririn poked his chest twice with her soft, fluffy cotton hands. "Um… should I say something?"
"Are you clocking in or something?" Muten Natsu said helplessly. "If you've got nothing to say, why are you poking me?"
Ririn answered with complete confidence. "Everyone else is poking you. Wouldn't I be missing out if I didn't?"
Muten Natsu hadn't felt much at first, but hearing that, he immediately felt wronged. "Then doesn't that mean I'm the one losing out the most?"
"Then poke back," Ririn suggested.
Muten Natsu looked up.
Rukia Kuchiki quickly scooped Ririn up and held her in front of her chest, glaring at Muten Natsu with full vigilance. "Don't even think about it."
"I wasn't thinking about it at all!"
Orihime Inoue's face flushed red as she shyly looked away. "If it's just thinking, then…"
Muten Natsu felt utterly drained. "I already said I wasn't…"
Ririn shot Retsu Unohana a look. See? What did I tell you?
Retsu Unohana nodded knowingly. It really was quite a show.
"So," Rukia Kuchiki said, recalling how most of Muten Natsu's body had once turned into black flames, "how exactly did you save him back then?"
A complicated smile appeared on Retsu Unohana's lips. "With my Bankai."
The scene from that day resurfaced before her eyes.
A wailing boy struggled amid pools of blood, his shattered body endlessly cycling through destruction and regeneration.
Pitch-black flames. Bone-white skeleton. Crimson blood.
All of it rolling and twisting within piercing, agonized screams.