A full month had passed since the Star Extermination Prison was forged. After dealing with the Senkaimon inside the Star Cross Fortress and completing the shift change at the Plains of Slaughter, the members of the Star Extermination Troop finally returned to the Seireitei.
Over the course of the month, the "Clipping Feet and Weaving Nets" operation was also more than half complete. The Quincies in the Rukongai were either killed or captured. Even if a few managed to escape by a stroke of luck, most ended up walking right into the trap while fleeing toward the Star Cross Fortress. Now, it was safe to say that there were almost no traces of Quincies left in Soul Society.
"Kōe Shihouin is back? Where? Squad 4?! What happened to him!"
Yoruichi had just returned home. Before she could even warm her seat, she heard the news that Kōe was back and currently in Squad 4. She immediately rushed out, sprinting toward the Squad 4 barracks in a frantic hurry!
As the supreme commander, Kōe indeed hadn't returned with the Star Extermination Troop. Or rather, in the eyes of the troop, their commander had only come out of retirement temporarily. Once the matter was settled, he returned to his carefree life of leisure.
Therefore, he had returned to the Seireitei eight days earlier than Yoruichi and the others. As for why he was currently at Squad 4, it wasn't because he had suffered any injuries, but rather...
"Sister Hana! Tell me, is my leg completely ruined!" Kōe sat on a lounge chair, grabbing Unohana's small hands from the side and holding them tightly. "I'm still young! I don't want to walk with a cane! You have to save me!"
"You really aren't a child anymore, you need to act more maturely. Besides, you're quite famous in the Seireitei now. If others saw you like this, wouldn't you become a laughingstock?"
Unohana smiled and gently pulled her hands away from Kōe's grasp. Her gaze focused once more on his sturdy right leg. She tapped it with her finger and asked softly, "Spiritual energy blockage and a lack of sensation. How exactly did you manage to do this to yourself?"
"I don't know, maybe I was just too impatient with my training these past few days." Kōe covered his mouth with his right hand to hide his smile, making his words sound a bit muffled. "But, Sister Hana, after you massaged it with your Kaidō just now, I can feel it a little bit!"
"Didn't you just say there was no reaction?"
"But there is now! Maybe the massage was too short earlier, so the effects were just delayed?" Kōe said earnestly. "How about you massage it a little longer this time, Sister Hana?"
"Let's not go through all that trouble!"
Right at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from behind Kōe. "Just chop it off and study it slowly. We can always reattach it later anyway!"
Kōe's heart skipped a beat. The voice was a bit husky, but it was distinctly female. Although the tone was calm, it gave off the ominous feeling of the calm before a storm. Most importantly, it was Yoruichi's voice!
"Hey Yoruichi, long time no see! You're looking even healthier than before!" Kōe turned his head with a squinting smile, forcing a delighted expression as he greeted her. However, Yoruichi acted as if she hadn't even seen him, walking straight up to Unohana. "Or we could just dismember all four of his limbs to prevent the injury from spreading. What do you think, Sister Hana?"
"That does sound somewhat reasonable," Unohana said, nodding lightly. Her slender chin rested on the tip of her index finger as she put on a thoughtful expression. "I heard there's a medical treatment in the World of the Living called surgery. This would be the perfect opportunity to try it out!"
Watching Unohana stand up to fetch a bone saw, Kōe's throat dropped as he let out a loud gulp. *'She's joking, right? No, wait, if it's Sister Hana, she might actually be serious!'*
"I won't leave a scar when I'm done, so you can rest easy," Unohana said with a smile, wildly gesturing with the saw over Kōe's leg.
Her voice was so gentle, and her smile was so sweet. Yet, at this moment, Kōe felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar. A piercing chill ran down his spine, leaving him in no mood to appreciate her beauty.
*'Is this really about leaving a scar?!'* Kōe frantically waved his hands. "There's no need for that, Sister Hana!"
"No need? But spiritual energy blockage is a major issue. We can't afford to be careless," Unohana said, posturing as if she were about to saw right into him.
"I really don't need it! I'll just go back and massage it myself! Plus, I have my master! That's right, I have my master!" Kōe shrank back until he had nowhere left to retreat, his entire body pressed flat against the chair. He immediately turned his head to Yoruichi. "Quick, help me up! I want to go home!"
Seeing Yoruichi with her arms crossed over her chest, acting as if she hadn't heard a word, Kōe could only wink and gesture frantically. At the same time, he clasped his hands together, shaking them rapidly like a chick pecking at rice. *'Big sis! Please save me some face!'*
She really couldn't stand this shameless bastard sometimes. She had rushed over in a frantic hurry the moment she heard news of him, but look at him—lounging here and enjoying a massage from a beautiful woman!
Still, he had been scared enough, and she couldn't exactly let Sister Hana saw off his limbs for real. Yoruichi rolled her eyes, grabbed Kōe's arm, and draped it over her shoulder. After bidding farewell to Unohana, she supported Kōe as they left.
Watching their figures completely disappear, Unohana smiled and shook her head, casually tossing the bone saw onto the table. *'That little guy... sometimes I really don't know what kind of person he is.'*
...
As Kōe and Yoruichi walked out of the Squad 4 barracks, they ran straight into Urahara Kisuke, who was walking toward them. He had likely rushed over after hearing that Kōe was at Squad 4 as well.
"What kind of trick is it this time?" Urahara looked Kōe up and down. He absolutely did not believe that Kōe would ever allow himself to get injured to the point of needing Squad 4, no matter the circumstances!
"It's a new Kidō, specifically designed to sever the flow of spiritual energy," Kōe said with a straight face, swiping his right hand over his leg. "I came here just to test it out and see if Sister Hana could see through it and break it."
"Bullshit! I bet you just wanted to hold Sister Hana's hands!" Yoruichi suddenly spoke up, ruthlessly exposing him.
"Am I really that despicable in your eyes? Even if! Even if I did just want to hold Sister Hana's hands! Is that so wrong?" Kōe threw his hands up, putting on an expression of utter disbelief as he continued, "For over a hundred years, you guys have been living it up in the Royal Palace, while I've been working like a dog in Soul Society! Is it really too much to ask for a little personal perk now?!"
"Who can you blame for that? Isn't that your own fault!"
"..."
Whenever these two got together, they were prone to arguing, and it could even escalate into a physical fight. Seeing the sparks beginning to fly, Urahara quickly stepped between them, separating the two just in time.
Strangely enough, Kōe and Yoruichi's relationship only seemed to improve with all this bickering. As Kōe would put it, hanging out with Yoruichi gave him a vibrant sense of being alive.
So, by the time the three of them arrived at their secret base beneath Sōkyoku Hill, Kōe and Yoruichi were already laughing and joking again. Poor Urahara was once again squeezed out from the middle and pushed to the side.
They had come here because Urahara felt they had a lot to catch up on after reuniting, and they needed a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Furthermore, he had learned a few things from the Royal Palace and wanted to show them off to the other two.
"Alright, we're here now, so stop hiding it!" Kōe sat down cross-legged and gestured toward Urahara. "Please, begin your performance!"
"Don't be in such a rush. Before that, we need to relive the old days one more time. Just thinking about it makes me feel so nostalgic!"
Looking at Urahara's intoxicated expression, Kōe was filled with confusion. Fortunately, Urahara didn't keep him in suspense. He pulled a roll of blueprints from his robes and spread it out in front of Kōe.
When Kōe saw what was on the blueprints, his face turned green. *'This is a whole damn construction project!'* Connecting it to Urahara's words, the so-called nostalgic old days actually referred to the night they spent digging a massive hole!
"It's been so long in the blink of an eye," Yoruichi said, rolling up her sleeves and cracking her knuckles as she stretched her neck. "Just like last time, dead-fish eyes, you're responsible for two-thirds of it!"
"We're digging it by hand?"
"Duh!"
Kōe clutched his head and stood up reluctantly. What a headache! He truly couldn't understand why Urahara would feel nostalgic over something like this!
*'Wait! What was Urahara doing back then?'* Kōe tried hard to recall. It seemed like he was... hauling dirt? So all this talk about the old days and feeling nostalgic was actually just a setup to screw him over! Looking up, he saw Urahara standing there with his hands behind his back, wearing a wicked smirk.
"Sigh!" Kōe let out a long breath and helplessly rolled up his sleeves. *'The longest roads I've ever walked are the endless traps set by the old man and you. My life is just too hard!'*
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