"This ring..." Retsu Unohana opened the box and examined the white ring with ink patterns flowing across it. "Rukia is wearing one too. Does Orihime have one?"
"Mm." Muten Natsu nodded. "She's wearing one too."
One of the reasons he had come to Soul Society this time was to give Retsu Unohana a ring.
Retsu Unohana's power still had not recovered. Perhaps the Ink Ring's ability to enhance Reishi absorption could help her.
Retsu Unohana held out her hand. "Put it on for me."
Muten Natsu was familiar with this.
Taking the ring out of the box, Muten Natsu skillfully slipped it onto the ring finger of Retsu Unohana's left hand.
There was one more thing...
Muten Natsu stared blankly at Retsu Unohana, not knowing where to begin.
Retsu Unohana held up the hand wearing the ring and examined it. Noticing Muten Natsu's gaze, the corner of her mouth curved slightly. "Don't look so pitiful..."
She lifted her hand, gently tilted Muten Natsu's chin up, lowered her head, and placed a light kiss on his lips. "Satisfied now, you greedy little thing?"
"No... I wasn't..."
"Is something troubling you?" Retsu Unohana leaned forward slightly and caught more of the subtle expressions on Muten Natsu's face. "No, not troubling you. You can't figure something out... You feel lost?"
Muten Natsu nodded hard.
Retsu Unohana adjusted her sitting posture, turned slightly, and patted her thigh. "Come here."
Muten Natsu skillfully rested his head on Retsu Unohana's lap. The moment he felt the softness of her thigh, his somewhat chaotic thoughts immediately settled.
Retsu Unohana stroked Muten Natsu's hair. "Is it because of Orihime and Rukia?"
"Yesterday, Nell came to the World of the Living to play with me." Muten Natsu paused. "I suddenly thought that someday, I'll probably have children too. Then... what about their mother?"
Retsu Unohana laughed softly. "Mom is right here~"
"I mean the child's mother..."
"That's what I mean too." Retsu Unohana placed her hand on Muten Natsu's chest. "The child's mother is right here."
"In my heart? But..."
As soon as Muten Natsu spoke, Retsu Unohana guessed what he was thinking. "But there's more than one person here, right? Or rather, you don't want anyone else to leave this place."
"...Mm."
"I knew this day would come sooner or later." Retsu Unohana's hand slipped inside Muten Natsu's collar, letting the warmth of her palm pass more directly to his beating heart. "I've also been looking forward to this day."
"Looking forward to it?"
"That's right. This means you're no longer simply satisfied with the present. You've started planning for the life ahead." Retsu Unohana lowered her eyes slightly. "I've always been looking forward to the day you would begin looking forward to the future."
Retsu Unohana understood Muten Natsu's thoughts better than anyone.
Muten Natsu had once held expectations for the future, but through one upheaval after another, every one of those expectations had fallen through.
What followed was endless regret.
So Muten Natsu slowly stopped hoping for an uncertain future and focused only on everything he currently had.
It was a helpless form of self-protection.
If there were no expectations, there would be no disappointment.
It solved the problem of dashed hopes at the root.
Muten Natsu had always liked this kind of thorough way of solving problems.
But under Orihime Inoue's influence, his hope for the future had been rekindled.
Those little sparks of hope had been suppressed for a long time. After reuniting with Rukia Kuchiki, when Nell left, and the moment he saw Orihime Inoue touch her lower abdomen, they suddenly burst out.
He could no longer control them.
When Muten Natsu began thinking about the future, problems that had not been problems before became problems he could no longer avoid.
For example... relationships that had become too intimate.
When he was not thinking about the future, this problem was not a problem.
I treat you well. You treat me well. We stay together and live well.
That was enough.
But if he considered the future, then he had to face the development of intimate relationships head-on.
I treat you well. You treat me well.
I treat you even better. You treat me even better.
I am important to you. You are important to me.
I am the most important person to you, so you should also be the most important person to me.
If there is someone else in my heart who is just as important as you, how can I deserve your kindness?
"When you begin to look forward to the future, worries will begin to grow as well," Retsu Unohana said gently. "You start worrying about things that haven't happened yet, and worrying about how things that have already happened will affect the future. That's normal, but it goes against your usual style."
"My style?"
"You like solving problems all at once and completely. But no one can be certain what problems will appear in the future, so you can't find a way to completely solve a problem that hasn't happened yet." Retsu Unohana pointed out Muten Natsu's current situation clearly. "That's why you feel lost and don't know what to do."
"Then what should I do?"
"Since the problem hasn't appeared yet, the first thing you need to decide is not to let future problems affect your present happiness." Retsu Unohana spoke softly. "Don't create problems when there are none."
"And then?"
"Then you need to understand that not every intimate relationship will develop further. Some relationships, after reaching a certain point, will simply remain that way." Retsu Unohana's warm hand soothed the worry in Muten Natsu's heart. "A problem that hasn't appeared yet may very well never appear."
Muten Natsu sat up and looked at Retsu Unohana, waiting for her to continue.
"Lastly, your own thoughts are important, but other people's thoughts are just as important. This is not your problem alone, so naturally, the decision should not be made by you alone." Retsu Unohana blinked. "You need to put more care into feeling out what others think and understanding what they truly hope for. If all they want is to maintain the current state of things, then your worries are completely unnecessary."
Muten Natsu immediately found a direction. "Then I'll just ask them directly... No, that probably won't work."
"Asking directly can easily scare people. Even if they have thoughts, they won't say them honestly." Retsu Unohana poked Muten Natsu's forehead. "You still need to understand them gradually. You've kissed all of them, right?"
Muten Natsu nodded.
"Then for the next step, try a special kiss." Retsu Unohana's gaze shifted slightly. "Judge what they think based on their reactions."
Muten Natsu did not understand. "A special kiss?"
"It's... like this." Retsu Unohana lifted Muten Natsu's chin and kissed him gently.
Muten Natsu's eyes widened, then slowly closed.
It was different from the kisses before... a special kiss.
In that instant, it was as if all his thoughts were stirred into confusion amid that soft, lingering entanglement.
***
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