The next morning.
"Ah— Lady Yoruichi, open your mouth."
Carrying the prepared breakfast into the room, Soifon helped Yoruichi sit up from the bed and scooped up a spoonful of an eerily blue-tinted soup, offering it to the latter's lips.
"Wait..." Yoruichi Shihōin turned her head away in disgust. "What is that color? And that smell... it's disgusting..."
How did she not know that Soifon had a hidden talent for dark cuisine?
"This?"
Soifon blinked innocently and pulled the spoon back.
"This is a healing potion I had Mayuri Kurotsuchi concoct for me in the past. Even though the color is ugly and the taste is disgusting, it works very quickly."
"To make it easier for Lady Yoruichi to swallow, I even added a lot of honey. For a muscle strain on the level of last night's, just one sip and you'll definitely..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Yoruichi Shihōin abruptly laid back down on the bed. Shrinking into the absolute defense of her blankets, she said, flushed with anger and embarrassment, "Idiot Soifon! Who do you think is the reason I'm like this right now—?!"
"Even if it's my fault, taking a ten thousand steps back..."
Holding the bowl of medicinal soup, Soifon smiled at the bundled-up blanket in front of her. "Isn't it because your constitution is too weak, Lady Yoruichi? If you could beat me, maybe I'd be the one lying here today?"
Afterward, she placed the medicine bowl on the low table nearby. After informing Yoruichi, she exited the room and stood completely still outside the door.
As expected, a few seconds later, the sound of soup being swallowed and dry heaving came from inside the room, followed immediately by the sound of the room door being violently pushed open.
"Congratulations on your recovery, Lady Yoruichi~"
Soifon stood at the doorway, smiling and nodding at Yoruichi, who appeared before her.
Bang—
"You're the last person I want congratulations from!"
Once again, the door was slammed shut by Yoruichi.
Soifon walked into the living room, finding the two Arrancars she had brought along watching TV with Ururu Tsumugiya, their expressions full of curiosity.
"Lady Soifon!" the two chimed in unison.
Seeing Soifon come out, the two immediately thought of the noises they had heard last night. Their cheeks turned slightly red before they stood up in perfect unison.
"Good, very energetic." Soifon nodded in approval. "Since Lady Yoruichi is feeling unwell today, our mission today is to scout the terrain. You two, come with me."
As for why she was feeling unwell, better not ask.
Amusement park, Ferris wheel.
After taking them on a tour around Karakura Town, Soifon chose the Ferris wheel as the final stop for today's date.
Sitting opposite each other on the seats, as the Ferris wheel slowly ascended, the amusement park rides and crowds on the ground gradually grew smaller, until the bustling crowds looked like ants before their eyes.
"Why do the humans of the World of the Living build such useless things?"
Opposite Soifon, Harribel looked at the gradually rising Ferris wheel, full of incomprehension.
This fragile machine and its slow ascent speed were simply boring to tears in the eyes of an Arrancar.
"How can you say that, Harribel? Lady Soifon bringing us to ride this must have a deeper meaning!"
Nelliel bumped the other's shoulder, dissatisfied as she refuted her statement.
"Yes, apologies, Lady Soifon..."
Knowing she had just contradicted Soifon's decision, Harribel immediately lowered her head.
"It's nothing."
Soifon took out the takoyaki she had just bought, skewered two, and handed them over. Then, the two of them curiously picked up the skewers, placing the steaming takoyaki into their mouths to chew.
In the eyes of someone without Spiritual Power, Soifon—who had switched to a human state—was currently talking to thin air, followed by two bamboo skewers with takoyaki floating up out of nowhere.
Fortunately, they were on a Ferris wheel.
The two of them sniffed the takoyaki lightly in front of their noses before taking a gentle bite.
"Delicious!"
"Even though it has absolutely no Spiritual Power, it's surprisingly tasty..."
Soifon nodded in satisfaction and folded up the empty takoyaki carton. "It seems that after your Hollow Holes were filled, you've started to become more like humans."
"Like... humans?" Harribel and Nelliel both froze for a moment. Their chewing slowed by half a beat as they looked at Soifon somewhat blankly.
This assessment was truly quite unexpected for them; they didn't even know how to react.
Soifon, however, didn't offer any further explanation. Simply looking at the bit of sauce and crumbs stuck to the corners of their lips, she raised her hands quite naturally.
First, she gently wiped the corner of Harribel's mouth with the pad of her thumb, and then used the side of her other index finger to wipe away a bit of grease from Nelliel's lips, her movements smooth and natural.
Then, before the two could even react and just as their cheeks began to heat up, Soifon casually brought her grease-stained fingers to her own lips. With a swift lick of her tongue, she swept away the traces.
"Lady Soifon..." Harribel's breath seemed to hitch, the heat beginning to rise on her honey-colored skin. "Isn't this too improper of us..."
Nelliel also chimed in quietly, "Yes... how could we let you do that..."
"Hmm?" Soifon tilted her head. "No need to worry about such trivial things."
The two were momentarily at a loss for words, only able to silently complain in their hearts: Is this really a trivial thing we don't need to worry about...?
The Ferris wheel cabin continued its steady ascent. The scenery outside the window grew increasingly expansive, and the clamor of the ground gradually faded away.
Just at the moment the cabin was about to reach its highest point, Soifon suddenly leaned forward slightly and said in a somewhat mysterious tone:
"By the way, I heard that when a Ferris wheel reaches its highest point, if you close your eyes and make a wish, the gods will hear it."
Although, this rumor was still a bit too hellish for these two, whose race was Hollow.
After all, the god of this world, the Soul King, was the mortal enemy of Hollows.
Gods?
Almost subconsciously, in those few seconds when the Ferris wheel cabin perfectly hovered at its peak, the two closed their eyes in unison.
I want to obtain the power to protect Lady Soifon and my companions.
I want to live together with Lady Soifon and my friends.
A few seconds later, they opened their eyes simultaneously.
Greeting their sight were Soifon's eyes, which carried an obvious look of amusement.
"Oh? You really made a wish." Soifon asked with a smile. "What did you wish for? Can you tell me?"
At this moment, the faint sound of a young couple's conversation drifted over from the next cabin.
"—Wishes won't come true if you say them out loud! Idiot!"
Thus, the two said to Soifon almost in perfect unison: "Wishes won't come true if you say them out loud, Lady Soifon!"
Out of nowhere, the moment the Ferris wheel began its descent, Soifon said, "It's a pity, though. In a few months, this place will be destroyed."
"Why?!" the two exclaimed together.
Perhaps having tasted the beauty of the World of the Living, the two asked in unison.
"It's nothing..." Soifon smiled very 'reluctantly'. "You'll know when the time comes. It's a Las Noches operation."
Nelliel stood in front of her seat, gripping the railing with both hands as she gazed into the distance.
Was this city, which carried the memories of her and Lady Soifon, about to be destroyed...?
Actually, even if Soifon hadn't told them the truth, Harribel had vague suspicions that it might be related to Aizen's plan.
For the first time, they felt a slight dissatisfaction toward the plan established by Sōsuke Aizen.
____
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