"Is that so?" Sentarō Kotsubaki sat down at his desk. "Then it looks like the Lieutenant can leave early today."
Rukia Kuchiki looked at the documents in front of her and lowered her head gratefully. "Thank you..."
Sentarō Kotsubaki shook his head with a wry smile. "You don't have to thank me. You're our superior, after all. You need to get used to pushing work onto your subordinates."
"That's right. A superior should carry themselves with authority." Kiyone Kotetsu nodded in agreement. "For instance, anyone who arrives late should be severely punished!"
"Hey!" Sentarō Kotsubaki protested. "I already told you, I wasn't late!"
Long accustomed to the way those two interacted, Jūshirō Ukitake took a package from his sleeve. Now that they had finished discussing official matters, his smile was noticeably more relaxed.
"I'll have to trouble you to deliver this to Muten for me. Please wish him a happy birthday on my behalf."
"Muten will definitely be happy to receive it." The moment Rukia Kuchiki saw Jūshirō Ukitake produce the package, she had a good idea of what was inside.
Once she took it and heard the faint rattling within, she knew her guess had been correct.
It was candy again.
Perhaps because of his frail health, Jūshirō Ukitake was especially fond of lively children.
Whenever a child had a birthday, he would give them candy.
There was nothing wrong with that in itself. The problem was that his definition of a child was somewhat unusual.
As far as Jūshirō Ukitake was concerned, anyone he had ever known as a child would always remain a child in his eyes.
For example, Byakuya Kuchiki had been quite pleased to receive candy when he was young. Now that he continued to receive it every year, however, he was considerably less delighted.
Then there was Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who had never grown much taller. His feelings about receiving candy could only be described as terrible.
Muten Natsu would probably still be happy, though. It had been a long time since he had last received candy from Jūshirō Ukitake.
"As long as he likes it." Jūshirō Ukitake was clearly in high spirits. "Hitsugaya's birthday is coming up soon too. I should start preparing his gift."
"Captain Hitsugaya may not have time this year," Kiyone Kotetsu reminded him. "Captain, he left to carry out that mission."
The fact that the Tenth Division was carrying out a secret mission was not, in itself, much of a secret.
The mission was so important that the Tenth Division, which was normally responsible for security patrols, had even been forced to borrow personnel from other Divisions to keep those patrols running as usual.
Renji Abarai, who had originally planned to visit the World of the Living for Muten Natsu's birthday, had also been forced to remain in Soul Society because of it.
"Ah..." Jūshirō Ukitake remembered. "That mission. Then I'll simply have to give it to him afterward."
Rukia Kuchiki tapped the buttons on her Denreishinki and composed a reply to Retsu Unohana.
["I'll come over after work."]
When Retsu Unohana saw Rukia Kuchiki's message, she smiled and shook her head.
That child, Rukia. Even now, she was still hesitating.
Was this the luxury of youth?
Retsu Unohana always felt as though she never had enough time.
In the blink of an eye, Muten Natsu had grown so much.
If she did not act on certain things now, she might never get another chance.
Retsu Unohana headed toward the lounge. She intended to stay in the World of the Living for a while this time, so she needed to pack several changes of clothes.
"Isane, what's wrong?"
When she opened the door to the Captain's lounge, she found an excessively flustered Isane Kotetsu.
There was nothing strange about Isane Kotetsu being there.
She usually helped clean the Captain's lounge.
What was strange was her current state.
Her face and ears were bright red, her gaze darted about evasively, and both hands were hidden behind her back as though she were trying to conceal something.
"C-Captain..." The tall Isane Kotetsu pressed her long legs together, looking as though she wanted the floor to swallow her.
Retsu Unohana's gaze shifted to the open box nearby. "Isane?"
"I... um..." Isane Kotetsu lowered her head and produced the small booklet she had been hiding behind her back. "Someone delivered a box. It seems to be from YDM Books. I thought I would check and organize it for you, but I accidentally saw what was inside..."
The contents had been rather too stimulating for Isane Kotetsu. Before she knew it, she had become completely absorbed.
Retsu Unohana stepped into the lounge. "It's all right. You're at that age now."
Retsu Unohana's gentle voice soothed Isane Kotetsu's panic. Isane looked up at her gratefully.
"Captain..."
"It's perfectly normal to be curious about such things, and I can understand subscribing to books like these." Retsu Unohana smiled warmly. "However, you should read them in your own lounge."
Isane Kotetsu stared at her. "...Huh?"
"As punishment, I'm confiscating these books." Retsu Unohana continued smiling. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."
Isane Kotetsu left the Captain's lounge in a daze.
She had only just learned that she was supposedly the one who had subscribed to those books.
Had she somehow lost her memory?
Because unless she had, those books were...
"Isane?" Retsu Unohana stood in the doorway. "Did you forget something?"
"N-no!" Faced with Retsu Unohana's impossibly gentle smile, Isane Kotetsu immediately raised her voice. "I lost my memory!"
"Then make sure you get some rest."
"Mm-hmm!" Isane Kotetsu nodded vigorously.
After watching Isane Kotetsu leave, Retsu Unohana picked up the booklet she had been reading.
"Hmm... So this is the next step..."
...
Knowing that Rukia Kuchiki and Retsu Unohana would soon arrive in the World of the Living to celebrate Muten Natsu's birthday, Orihime Inoue had begun preparing early. She baked cookies, made a cake, and prepared all kinds of dishes.
"Muten." Orihime Inoue wiped her hands on her apron. "When will they get here?"
Muten Natsu glanced at the time. "They should be here soon. They said they would come after work."
"Then I'll make the remaining hot dishes later." Orihime Inoue untied her apron. "Otherwise, they'll get cold."
"You really didn't need to go to so much trouble..."
"That won't do. Unohana-san and Rukia haven't visited in ages, so we have to give them a proper welcome." Orihime Inoue looked completely serious. "We should try to convince them to stay for a few days."
Ririn gave Orihime Inoue an approving look.
The girl was already starting to act like the lady of the house.
It had not been easy. Ririn was deeply gratified.
"That may be true, but they still have plenty of work waiting for them in Seireitei. I doubt they'll be able to stay long." Muten Natsu beckoned, and Orihime Inoue sat expertly on his lap.
Muten Natsu began massaging her shoulders with practiced ease. "In any case... thank you for all your hard work."
"It's only what I should do." Orihime Inoue relaxed beneath his touch and leaned back against Muten Natsu's chest. "Muten... I think your chest is dirty."
"You..." Muten Natsu moved his hands away from her shoulders and supported the considerable weight in front of her. "Haven't you thought of a different excuse yet?"
"But this one works so well." Orihime Inoue looked perfectly at ease. "What am I going to do, Muten?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I used to manage on my own, but ever since you started helping me, I feel as though I get tired more easily." Orihime Inoue tilted her head back. "Now, after even a little activity, I want to ask you for help..."
"Then I suppose I'll have to keep my chest dirty." Muten Natsu's fingers moved slightly. "That way, I'll always be ready to help."
"Mm~" Orihime Inoue lightly bit her lower lip. "Anyway... thank you for all your hard work."
"It's only what I should..." Muten Natsu stopped halfway through, suddenly realizing what she had done. "You're using my own line against me?"
"Hehe..." Orihime Inoue giggled. "We're still missing one step."
Muten Natsu lowered his head. "Orihime, there seems to be something on your lips."
Orihime Inoue parted her lips slightly. "I'm ready. Mm~"
Their lips met softly and lingered together.
"Haah~" Warm breath slipped between Orihime Inoue's moist lips. Her hazy eyes reflected Muten Natsu's face. "I prepared a gift for you."
"You're giving it to me now?"
"Mm-hmm. That way, you can focus on praising their gifts later." Orihime Inoue stood and retrieved a gift box from her room. "Here you go~"
Muten Natsu opened the box and found a pair of orange gloves inside, the same color as Orihime Inoue's hair.
"Did you... knit these?"
"Mm-hmm!" Orihime Inoue nodded. "They don't have any special abilities, but wearing them will be like touching my hair all the time."
Muten Natsu ran his fingertips over the gloves' fine cotton threads. "They clearly do have a special ability."
"Huh?" Orihime Inoue leaned closer to inspect them. "They do?"
"They do. The moment I touch these gloves..." Muten Natsu gently kissed Orihime Inoue's forehead. "I feel an urge to do this."
Orihime Inoue blinked and reached out to touch one of the gloves. "Huh? You're right."
She leaned forward and gently kissed Muten Natsu's forehead.
Muten Natsu slipped an arm around her, and Orihime Inoue followed his movement, leaning forward.
She knelt on the sofa with her knees on either side of Muten Natsu's thighs, her soft, rounded curves settling onto his lap.
With only a slight lift of her body, she could easily reach Muten Natsu's lips from this position.
Oh no... Kissing really was addictive.
Orihime Inoue wrapped both arms around Muten Natsu's neck and shared the flavor she had tasted with him.
It was a sweetness that welled up from the depths of her heart.
The Denreishinki beside them vibrated, finally bringing Orihime Inoue back to her senses.
"That must mean they're almost here, right? I need to hurry and make the hot dishes..."
Despite saying that, Orihime Inoue turned and walked into the bathroom.
Muten Natsu picked up the Denreishinki and saw a notification that a Senkaimon had opened.
It was some distance away.
That was perfectly normal. Opening a Senkaimon was a complicated process, so slight errors in positioning were unavoidable.
Kisuke Urahara's Senkaimon, for instance, often opened in the sky.
Muten Natsu carefully put away Orihime Inoue's gift, then went into the kitchen to help her. Just as the hot dishes were nearly ready, the doorbell rang.
Muten Natsu opened the door and found Rukia Kuchiki standing there with Retsu Unohana, who was carrying something.
Muten Natsu casually took it from Retsu Unohana.
"Why did you bring... a person?"
Wrapped in a tattered piece of cloth was a girl with short, dark green hair.
The girl was wearing... air.
Orihime Inoue blinked twice in confusion. "Is this what people in Soul Society give as birthday presents?"
"Of course not. We found her on our way to the World of the Living." Rukia Kuchiki pulled the cloth back over the girl and glared at Muten Natsu. "How long are you planning to stare?"
"That's not it..." Muten Natsu placed the girl on the sofa and carefully studied her face. "She looks a little familiar. What happened?"
"We found her unconscious while passing through Dangai," Retsu Unohana explained. "So we brought her out with us. Have you seen her before?"
Since they did not know who she was or what she might do upon waking, Retsu Unohana had carried her in a position that would allow her to throw the girl away at any moment.
Muten Natsu used Myōki to search through his memories and quickly found a possible match.
"I remember a green-haired person in the Nest of Maggots, but that one was a man. He looked somewhat similar to her, though I've never seen this girl before."
"Green hair... the Nest of Maggots... That explains it." Retsu Unohana nodded. "Rukia, do you sense anything unusual about her?"
Rukia Kuchiki frowned slightly. "Now that you mention it... I can't sense anything at all."
Orihime Inoue also tried to sense the girl. "Is it because she doesn't have any Reiryoku?"
"No. Even without Reiryoku, I should still be able to sense her presence. But I can't sense her existence at all..." Rukia Kuchiki considered it carefully. "Compared to a human or a Soul, she feels more like... a Gigai?"
"You're very close," Retsu Unohana said. "This is most likely a Reigai."
Muten Natsu searched through Myōki's records. "A Reigai... That's an experimental body used in the development of Gigai, right?"
The Gigai currently used by Shinigami were the result of countless generations of refinement.
Even now, Gigai technology continued to advance. Kisuke Urahara alone had developed many different Gigai with a wide range of functions.
In Gigai research and other related fields, including the development of the Gokon Tekkō and Gikon Pills, the artificial bodies used for experimentation were known as Reigai.
"Hmm... It's somewhat complicated to explain." Retsu Unohana's gaze shifted toward the dining table. "Let's eat first. We can leave her there for now."
Orihime Inoue pointed to herself. "Should I... try healing her?"
"There's no need to bother with her." Retsu Unohana shook her head. "If she's an ordinary Reigai, healing won't have any effect. If she isn't an ordinary Reigai, then there's even less need to heal her. We only have to wait... for her to wake up on her own."
"Wake up?" Muten Natsu immediately noticed something was wrong. "She might actually wake up?"
Whether it was a Gigai or a Reigai, both were essentially vessels made to house a Soul.
A Reigai waking up was not much different from a corpse suddenly coming back to life.
"Let's eat first, before the food gets cold." Retsu Unohana clapped her hands. "All right, everyone. Go wash your hands."