Muten Natsu understood what Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto meant without needing him to finish.
It was nothing more than what Tōshirō Hitsugaya had hoped for when he first arrived in the World of the Living. With a major crisis at hand, he wanted Muten Natsu to temporarily set aside past grievances and stand firmly on the Shinigami's side.
Unfortunately, Muten Natsu's memory was not that poor.
He would not stand on the Shinigami's side.
He had not before, and he would not now.
As for whose side he would stand on, the answer was simple.
Those at his side.
After giving Muten Natsu a long look, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto turned to Kisuke Urahara. "How long will it take to stabilize the Garganta?"
"With Captain Kurotsuchi's help..." Kisuke Urahara estimated. "Three days should be enough."
"If Urahara weren't getting in the way," Mayuri Kurotsuchi corrected, "one day would be enough, ne."
"You depart at this time tomorrow," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto ordered. "Invade Hueco Mundo and eliminate Sōsuke Aizen and his followers!"
Once the time was set, Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi immediately began working on stabilizing the Garganta, while Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai continued their training.
Byakuya Kuchiki followed without saying a word, making the pressure on Renji Abarai multiply.
Kenpachi Zaraki grinned fiercely. "Muten Natsu, before we head to Hueco Mundo, let's trade a few blows!"
"No." Muten Natsu refused without hesitation.
Kenpachi called it "a few blows," but once he got fired up, it would definitely be more than a few.
"Huh?" Kenpachi Zaraki glared at him. "Am I not worthy of being your opponent?"
"Captain Zaraki," Retsu Unohana said, "I was just about to speak with Muten. Please don't decide things on your own, all right?"
Kenpachi Zaraki frowned. "What?"
"Don't decide things on your own." Retsu Unohana opened her smiling eyes. "All right?"
It should have been a question, but there was no questioning in her tone at all.
"...Hmph!" Kenpachi Zaraki snorted. "Muten Natsu, once we're back from Hueco Mundo, I'll see what excuses you have left! Yumichika, Ikkaku! We're going to the underground training grounds!"
Muten Natsu: "...?" I wasn't making excuses.
"Muten." Retsu Unohana turned to him with a smile. "Let's go home."
"Mm."
Everyone began to leave. The Kidō Corps member operating the device called out, "Captain Hitsugaya, someone wishes to speak with you. She's been waiting here for a long time."
A figure appeared on the screen. Rangiku Matsumoto quietly left, leaving Tōshirō Hitsugaya alone.
"Hinamori..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya's eyes widened.
"...Hitsugaya."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya's pupils contracted. "You're finally awake, Hinamori... Can you move around already?"
"Mm..." Momo Hinamori's eyes were sunken, and exhaustion was clear on her face, but she still forced out a smile. "I'm fine now!"
Even though he could tell she was putting on a brave face, Tōshirō Hitsugaya still smiled along with her. "Is that so? That's good."
"I'm sorry..." Momo Hinamori was quiet for a long while. "I'm sorry, Hitsugaya... Back then, I actually suspected you... and even raised my blade against you... What... what was wrong with me...?"
"Idiot!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya scratched his head, pretending to be annoyed. "Why do you always worry about things like that? I didn't even take it to heart, but you're still clinging to it. Stop thinking so much and go sleep some more! Hurry up and get rid of those dark circles!"
Momo Hinamori lowered her eyes as tears welled up beyond her control. She wiped them away in a panic, and the corners of her mouth slowly lifted. "Mm... Thank you, Hitsugaya."
"You're still just a brat, so stop copying adults and acting all serious. If you don't sleep more than everyone else, you'll never grow up!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya pointed toward the door. "Look at Matsumoto. Unless you sleep for ten years straight, you'll never catch up to her."
Momo Hinamori's hand froze as she wiped her tears. Her face flushed red, and she shouted, "Th-that's none of your business! Rangiku-san is a special case! Besides, what right do you have to criticize me, Hitsugaya? You've always been so shor..."
"Hinamori!" Tōshirō Hitsugaya cut her off. "Stop calling me that all the time. It's not Hitsugaya. It's Captain Hitsugaya!"
A captain would not take little things to heart, just like Byakuya Kuchiki with Renji Abarai.
"Mm... Right..." Momo Hinamori's eyes shifted slightly. "By the way, can I ask you something, Hitsugaya?"
"What is it?"
"...From here on, Hitsugaya... are you going to fight Captain Aizen?"
"...That's right!"
"Then will you... kill Captain Aizen?"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya realized Momo Hinamori's gaze was gradually turning vacant, and an almost sickly expression appeared on her face.
It was as if something had awakened inside her in an instant and seized every thought she had.
"Please... You have to save... Captain Aizen!" Momo Hinamori unconsciously gripped her own arm, her fingertips turning white, her voice carrying an abnormal excitement. "Someone must have forced him and Captain Ichimaru..."
An aged hand appeared before Momo Hinamori's eyes. She immediately lost consciousness and was caught by 1st Division Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto withdrew his hand. "I allowed her to speak out of respect for her own wishes, but it seems it was still too soon."
"No..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya bowed. "Thank you!"
"Captain Hitsugaya..." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto waved a hand, signaling the Kidō Corps to shut down the device. "Sorry for troubling you."
Staring at the screen as it returned to flickering static, Tōshirō Hitsugaya clenched his fists tightly.
Even though he was not skilled in Kaidō, Tōshirō Hitsugaya knew Momo Hinamori well enough to understand the mental problem she was facing now.
Momo Hinamori was not someone who lacked perspective. Back when she learned that Tōshirō Hitsugaya might be planning to destroy Soul Society, she knew she was no match for him, but she still chose to find him and ask him directly.
Now that Sōsuke Aizen's betrayal was clear, how could she still believe he must have had some hidden reason?
Perhaps the long-term hypnosis had already affected her ability to think.
Or perhaps going so long without being hypnotized again had caused a mental abnormality.
Although her body was no longer in serious condition, the trauma to her mind was not something that could heal overnight.
"Aizen..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya ground out the name like a vicious dragon sharpening its fangs.
Outside the door, Rangiku Matsumoto leaned against the wall and gazed up at the clear sky.
Ironically, she could empathize with both Tōshirō Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori.
...
"Is there something wrong with me?" Isane Kotetsu glanced around uneasily, then lowered her voice and asked Muten Natsu, who was carrying a shopping bag beside her, "Why does it feel like... everyone is looking at me?"
"Well..." Muten Natsu glanced at Isane Kotetsu, who stood 187 centimeters tall, had at least a C-cup bust, and short white hair. "Everyone appreciates beauty."
The tall Isane Kotetsu already stood out sharply in a crowd. Add her rare hair color and slightly timid demeanor, and it was only natural for people to take a few extra looks as she passed by.
So pretty. One more look.
"Eh? Is that so..." Isane Kotetsu's face visibly reddened, and she looked even more uneasy.
It was rare for her to come to the World of the Living. When she heard Muten Natsu was going out to buy groceries, Isane Kotetsu thought she had finally found a chance to wear a World of the Living dress, so she entered a Gigai and went out with Muten Natsu.
At first, she had been a little excited. But once the excitement faded, only nervousness remained.
Muten Natsu changed the subject to distract her. "Speaking of which, why didn't Hanatarō come with you?"
"Well..." Isane Kotetsu asked, "Do you remember Rikichi?"
"Rikichi..." Muten Natsu thought for a moment. "The one who copied Renji's eyebrow tattoos?"
Back when Rukia Kuchiki was imprisoned in the 6th Division's jail, Rikichi had been responsible for guarding her.
"Mm-hmm. He's transferred to the 4th Division now," Isane Kotetsu explained softly. "He joined the 6th Division at first because he admired Abarai, but later realized he couldn't help him much there, so Rikichi transferred to the 4th Division. It just so happened that he had a talent for Kaidō. He originally wanted to come this time too, but he's still a little lacking in experience."
Isane Kotetsu put it tactfully, but Muten Natsu understood. Rikichi was probably not strong enough. He had only just transferred to the 4th Division, so there was only so much he could have learned. For an operation on the scale of invading Hueco Mundo, Rikichi was not yet qualified to participate.
"So he asked Yamada for help, hoping he could look after Abarai a little."
"I see." Muten Natsu now understood why Hanatarō Yamada had stayed at Urahara Shop. "But don't tell Renji about that. He hates being given special treatment."
"All Hanatarō Yamada can do is stay at Urahara Shop for a day." Isane Kotetsu did not want Muten Natsu to misunderstand and think Hanatarō Yamada had any selfish motives. "Once we enter Hueco Mundo, there won't be any special treatment. Everyone will have to act according to the situation."
"That's true."
"Speaking of which..." After chatting a bit, Isane Kotetsu had clearly lost her earlier awkwardness. "Ishida and Sado don't seem to be here."
"Ishida... something happened to him, and his Reiryoku dropped sharply. But he said it's preparation for Quincy training," Muten Natsu replied. "As for Sado... he always seems busy."
"Everyone is training..." Isane Kotetsu murmured. "I thought things would be a little easier in the World of the Living."
"Most people do have it easier." Muten Natsu looked at the shops around them. "But for those who know about the danger, it isn't so easy."
...
"That day..." By the riverbank, Tatsuki Arisawa frowned slightly and looked at Orihime Inoue with a complicated expression. "You were there too, weren't you?"
"Tatsuki-chan already knows..." Orihime Inoue had also sensed the faint Reiatsu coming from Tatsuki Arisawa that day. "Mm. Muten drove them back, so it's all right now!"
"Is it really... all right?" Tatsuki Arisawa did not dare look away from her for even a moment, afraid that if she blinked, Orihime Inoue would run off to some dangerous place again.
A place so dangerous that Tatsuki Arisawa would be powerless to protect her.
At first, she had learned karate because her family wanted her to.
Because she was talented, Tatsuki Arisawa kept at it.
Defeating others and winning. The process itself had been enjoyable.
But after enough time passed, even Tatsuki Arisawa began to wonder.
It did not seem to mean much anymore.
What was the point of her learning karate?
Many things were like that. They began simply, gradually became enjoyable, and after enough time, people started thinking deeply about their specific meaning.
At its core, she had grown bored of repetition, so she wanted to find something different for herself.
Or rather... a reason to keep going.
For a very long time, Tatsuki Arisawa had thought about that so-called meaning.
But she found nothing.
Until... she saw Orihime Inoue.
As if called by fate, the moment Tatsuki Arisawa saw a senpai bullying Orihime Inoue, she suddenly understood the meaning behind all those years of learning karate.
It was for this moment, so she could step forward.
By helping Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa also rediscovered her original passion.
And she gained a close friend in Orihime Inoue.
But now...
No matter how hard she trained in karate, she could never defeat monsters like that.
She could no longer protect her.
So... do not go somewhere dangerous.
"They were only forced back for now." Orihime Inoue did not want to lie to Tatsuki Arisawa. "Tomorrow... we're going to the place where they live, to fight so they won't come here again."
"!!!" Tatsuki Arisawa's eyes trembled. "Orihime..."
Don't go. Tatsuki Arisawa wanted to say it, but the words would not come out.
She no longer had the strength to protect Orihime Inoue.
The moment she instinctively wanted Orihime Inoue to run away, she was no longer the person who had once shouted at her to be brave and fight back.
After losing her strength, she had also lost the right to stop Orihime Inoue.
Tatsuki Arisawa looked away. "Muten... I..."
She wanted to say something, but she did not know what she could say.
Don't go somewhere dangerous.
Don't leave me.
"Rukia is making curry today!" Orihime Inoue noticed Tatsuki Arisawa's low spirits. "Come eat with us!"
"...I'll pass this time." Tatsuki Arisawa shook her head and turned away. "I... I'm going home."
"Tatsuki-chan!"
"Hm?"
"Then when we come back, can we eat together?"
"Orihime..." Tatsuki Arisawa stopped, then dashed back to Orihime Inoue and covered her mouth. "Idiot. That's exactly the kind of line you absolutely can't say before a battle!"
Orihime's voice came out muffled as her big eyes blinked. "Eh? Is that so?"
"You watch TV all the time. Do I really have to remind you of that?"
"Hehe... Now that you mention it, I think I really have seen that before." Orihime Inoue scratched her head. "Good thing you reminded me."
...