The moment the grey ash fully dispersed, the last wisps of smoke were carried away by the lingering winds across the battlefield.
The first thing that entered anyone's field of vision was the graceful line of Rangiku Matsumoto's neck, tilted ever so slightly back—and Soifon's fingers, still resting against the curve of her cheek.
Though a few inches of distance had now opened between them, Soifon's arm was still looped around Rangiku's waist, holding her in what could only be described as an embrace.
"——?!"
Momo Hinamori's voice exploded from below, saturated with pure disbelief.
"Teacher Soifon! You and Vice-Captain Rangiku just—!"
Rukia was squirming on the Bakudō net like a caterpillar in frantic distress, struggling desperately to get back on her feet and failing completely.
"Wait... did Captain Soifon and Rangiku just...?"
Isane Kotetsu's words came out in halting, stumbling fragments, the flush on her face visible from a considerable distance. She instinctively looked away—then couldn't stop herself from sneaking glances back up at the two figures in the sky.
"They kissed!! They absolutely kissed, didn't they!!"
Momo Hinamori's voice shot up an octave.
"Momo! Keep it down—!"
Isane tried to shush her, but the tips of her own ears had already gone fully scarlet.
With Rangiku Matsumoto still cradled in her arms, Soifon descended slowly from the sky and landed on the surface of the Bakudō Hanging Star net. Rangiku was being uncharacteristically shy, tucking herself against Soifon's shoulder and refusing to face any of the others.
"Done making a scene?"
Soifon looked down at Momo Hinamori and Rukia rolling around on the net below.
"This does not count as making a scene!" Momo pushed herself upright, cheeks puffed out like a hamster. "Teacher Soifon is playing favorites! I'm your actual student, you know—!"
Soifon didn't respond. She simply raised one hand, and the Bakudō restraints on the group dissolved in an instant.
And then—a warm pressure appeared against her back without warning. A pair of gently trembling arms slipped around her from behind, clasping together tightly at her front.
Isane Kotetsu pressed her forehead down toward Soifon's head and murmured:
"I'm sorry, Captain Soifon. I know this is terribly rude, but..."
"But this time... I absolutely refuse to let go. Please come home with us."
Isane's scent was vaguely similar to Captain Unohana's—both carried the clean, green fragrance of medicinal herbs. But where Unohana's had a faint, elusive sweetness woven through it, Isane's was crisper and fresher, carrying a certain youthful rawness.
"Exactly!"
"Teacher Soifon, don't leave—I'll personally petition the Captain-Commander to reserve you a luxury private room in the Maggots' Nest!"
Taking full advantage of still being on the ground, Momo seized the geographic high ground and immediately wrapped both arms around Soifon's right leg.
"Hey—Momo, that's completely underhanded!" Rukia grabbed her friend around the waist and tried to drag her away. "You can't monopolize Teacher Soifon's leg all by yourself, you greedy—!"
...Is now really the time for this?
If the timing weren't so thoroughly wrong, Soifon actually wouldn't have minded accepting her two students' confessions.
Buzz buzz—
All at once, the Kikaigai she was carrying against her chest began to vibrate. It had almost certainly triggered some specific new task.
"Isane—could you do me a favor and retrieve something from inside my collar?"
Soifon tilted her head to the side, resting it against a certain soft spot, and looked back at Isane Kotetsu, whose arms were still locked around her from behind.
"..."
Isane blinked. Then, using the advantage of her height, she peered toward the mysterious region of Soifon's collar.
Captain Soifon's collar...
She had, in fairness, definitely felt something vibrating against Soifon's chest just moments ago—so she didn't doubt for a second that Soifon was telling the truth. If Captain Soifon actually wanted to break free, she wouldn't need to go to any of this trouble.
Gulp.
Isane's trembling hand slowly, carefully began to part the collar of Soifon's Shihakushō...
"W-wait, Teacher Soifon! Wouldn't it be better if I handled that instead?!"
"Vice-Captain Isane, please keep a firm hold of Captain Soifon—I'll do the reaching in... I mean, the retrieving..."
Rukia wiped both hands on her own Shihakushō, then stretched them toward Soifon with barely suppressed excitement.
Soifon gave her a deadpan look. You're not fooling anyone. I just don't want to say it out loud.
While Rukia was still agonizing over the optimal angle of approach, Rangiku Matsumoto—who had been quietly hanging back this entire time—had already moved in under cover of the chaos and begun fishing around.
Scratch, scratch, scratch...
A strange, ticklish sensation radiated from Soifon's chest—Rangiku's cool fingers rummaging around with zero regard for personal boundaries.
"Oh my~~"
Rangiku let out a theatrical little cry, her restless hand rooting around inside Soifon's collar until she finally located the faintly vibrating Kikaigai.
The motion had tugged Soifon's collar somewhat open, exposing a small patch of skin below her collarbone. The fabric of her Shihakushō was pulled into slight disarray, its edges creased from the scuffle of moments ago.
Time seemed to freeze for two full seconds.
"RAN—GIKU—SENPAI—!!"
"You put your hand in there on Teacher Soifon?!"
"That is absolutely, completely, utterly enviable!!"
Momo Hinamori shot to her feet in an instant and wedged herself between Soifon and Rangiku Matsumoto.
"Exactly—I got here first, you know!"
Rukia squeezed in beside Momo, refusing to concede.
Isane's reaction was the most visceral of all—the arms locked around Soifon's waist clenched hard in a single reflexive squeeze, then immediately released as though she'd touched something scalding, and she took several shuffling steps backward, still holding Soifon.
Then she placed the Kikaigai—retrieved from Rangiku Matsumoto's hand—into Soifon's palm.
"Thank you, Isane." Soifon gave the back of her hand a light pat. "But... could you set me down?"
Isane's tall frame gave a small shiver—and the arms wrapped around Soifon tightened considerably rather than loosening.
"Captain Soifon, I know my own limits."
"If you truly wanted to leave... I probably wouldn't even be able to react in time."
"But the fact that you're letting me hold you right now—doesn't that mean you want to return to Seireitei too? If that's the case, then I and the Captain..."
At the end of the day, Isane Kotetsu had only one wish: she wanted Soifon to come back with them to Seireitei.
Hearing Isane's nearly pleading honesty, everyone turned their gaze to Soifon—hope written openly in their eyes. Because it was, after all, exactly what was in each of their own hearts too.
Silence stretched for a long moment.
Then Soifon peeled Isane's hands away, finger by finger, and gently slipped free of her arms.
"I will come back... everyone." Soifon pressed her lower lip lightly between her teeth. "But there's still one last thing I have to do first."
She gripped the Kikaigai in her hand. She could feel it—its desperate pull, practically begging her to pour her Spiritual Pressure into it.
"But—"
Rangiku Matsumoto moved to speak, to say something to make her stay—but Soifon reached out and tapped her lightly on the forehead.
"This is the real, genuine, absolute last time..."
"Oh—and please, would you look after Nelliel and Harribel for me? Tell them to head back to Las Noches and wait for me there."
Momo and Rukia pressed in alongside the others—and received a noticeably different reception than Rangiku had.
Thunk. Thunk.
"Ow—!"
"That hurts, Teacher Soifon!!"
One flick to each forehead, delivered with perfect precision. As the two of them clutched their heads and demanded to know why, Soifon rolled her eyes with barely concealed exasperation.
"So you do remember that I'm your teacher?"
"Then tell me—was any of what you were just trying to do to me appropriate behavior for a student toward her teacher?"
"Well?"
Soifon rose into the air on a cushion of Spirit Particles, hands on her hips, looking down at her two students with all the hauteur in the world.
Rukia tilted her head back stubbornly.
"But Teacher Soifon made a promise."
"Back at Senzaikyū, you said..."
"If we didn't hate you by the time it was over, you would accept our confessions..."
Only the gusting wind remained in the air between them—and the rapid, unsteady beating of a young girl's heart.
Momo Hinamori stepped forward and took Soifon's hand in both of hers, adding quietly: "We can tell you right now, Teacher Soifon. We don't hate you."
For the first time, faced with the gazes of her two students, Soifon felt—remarkably, inexplicably—a trace of something close to guilt.
"Once I've finished this last thing and come back... I'll give you both my answer then."
After a brief silence, Soifon lifted her hand—for the first time in what felt like a very long time—and rested it gently on top of her two students' heads.
____
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