"Mmm, feels good!"
"Right? Especially after doing it with your own hands, there's a comforting sense of harvest. It's a dual enjoyment for both body and soul." Urahara laid flat and said leisurely, "You don't blame me now, do you?"
Before Kōe could say anything, Yoruichi spoke up from behind a stone partition. "Urahara, don't pay too much attention to what Dead Fish Eyes says. This guy is as dense as a block of wood; he can't appreciate anyone's good intentions at all!"
"..."
"By the way, Dead Fish Eyes, I heard that Shikaon Susumu died at the hands of the Quincies. Tell me the truth, did you secretly do him in?"
"That was purely his own lack of skill. I couldn't be bothered with him! By the way, how exactly did he die? Was it embarrassing?"
"..."
Inside the secret base belonging to Kōe and the other two, there was now a small cave. Of course, Urahara's blueprints weren't just for a simple cave; what mattered was what lay inside it.
Milky-white steam slowly rose within the cave, undulating in mid-air. Rocks of various shapes and sizes formed a circle on the ground, enclosing a hot spring nearly a hundred tsubo in size. A gray stone partition divided the hot spring in two. Yoruichi was on one side, while Kōe and Urahara were on the other. Unless they stood up, they could only see each other's heads.
"So this is your greatest harvest from spending over a hundred years at the Soul King Palace?" Kōe rested his hands behind his head, leaning directly against the stone partition. "I thought you would have achieved Bankai after a trip like that."
In his past life, he knew that Urahara had achieved Bankai in Soul Society over the course of three days, and he also knew that Urahara had been to the Soul King Palace, though he hadn't known the exact timeline.
But his past life was his past life. He had thought his own presence would put some pressure on Urahara, but looking at it now, Urahara didn't seem to care about raw strength at all. To be honest, it made him feel a little defeated.
"What, afraid of being left behind by us?" Urahara turned on his side, propping his head up with one hand, and smiled at Kōe. "Or do you want to see our Bankai? If that's your request, Yoruichi might just be able to satisfy you."
Faced with Urahara's teasing, Kōe didn't say a word, but Yoruichi was the first to lose her composure. "Who wants to satisfy him?! Unless... unless Dead Fish Eyes begs me nicely, then I might consider letting him broaden his horizons!"
*'So smug,'* Kōe thought. Although he couldn't see Yoruichi's expression right now, just from her tone, he could perfectly picture her tilting her chin up in arrogance.
"You make it sound like it's impossible to achieve Bankai without going to the Soul King Palace." Kōe looked disdainful and said smugly, "I achieved Bankai right here in Soul Society. You guys really don't understand the loneliness of a genius."
"How many days earlier than me this time? Or was it years? Why don't you demonstrate it for us?!" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, refusing to be outdone as she teased him about past events.
Kōe wasn't one to be trifled with either, calmly delivering a remark that hit right where it hurt. "I don't know about how many days earlier, but my Bankai is low-key, restrained, and lethal. It's completely unlike the style of a certain fireworks master's Bankai that Teacher Ao mentioned."
A splash echoed from behind him; it seemed Yoruichi had risen from the water. *'She couldn't even handle that little jab?'* Kōe thought. Just as he was about to offer a few words of consolation, a smooth arm swiftly reached past his face, wrapping around his neck and yanking him backward.
"I dare you to say that again?!"
"Let... let go! I wasn't the one who said it! If you're unhappy, go find Teacher Ao!" Kōe struggled as he spoke. "Besides, you're a girl, can't you be a little more mindful?!"
He didn't know which sentence got through to Yoruichi, but she actually let him go. However, there was a major problem at hand. *'Should I turn my head?'* Kōe wondered. At that moment, physical instinct overtook rational thought. The corners of Kōe's mouth subconsciously curled up into a smirk as he slowly turned his head.
*Slap! Splash!* Before he could see anything, the crisp sound of a slap and the splash of water occurred almost simultaneously.
After Kōe scrambled out of the water, he immediately used the water's surface as a mirror to check his face. There was no handprint. This certainly wasn't because Yoruichi had held back, nor was it because his skin was exceptionally thick. It was entirely due to the hot spring Urahara had secretly learned to make from the Soul King Palace. From the looks of it, its healing properties were outstanding!
"Kōe, have you really achieved Bankai?" Urahara asked immediately as Kōe returned to the edge of the stone partition.
"When have I ever lied to you guys?"
"I'd really like to see what your Bankai looks like." Unlike Urahara, Yoruichi immediately retorted from behind, "You think you haven't lied to us enough? 'Shihouin Kōe, who achieved Shikai earlier than us but hadn't even received an Asauchi yet'?"
For once, Kōe didn't respond to Yoruichi's words. He couldn't help it; even if what Yoruichi said wasn't entirely factual, he had still deceived these two before. Besides, dwelling on this issue was simply too dangerous—at least, it was very dangerous right now.
It takes two to tango. Since Kōe's silence signaled his concession, Yoruichi didn't push her luck. The three of them all rested their heads against the stone partition, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"What does it feel like to master Bankai and become one of the top Shinigami, Kōe?" Urahara was the one to break the silence. He seemed particularly interested in Kōe's Bankai.
"To be honest, I was a little excited for a few months, but then I realized there's still a long way to go. A top Shinigami... I feel like the pinnacle of a Shinigami is far more than just Bankai. The future is still a long way off!"
"If I told you that Bankai is the absolute limit, that even Zanpakutō were forged by a certain entity, and that a Shinigami's fate is predetermined from birth!" Urahara suddenly sat up, looking at Kōe with a serious expression. "Would you believe me?"
Behind them, Yoruichi also slowly sat up. She tilted her head, casting a sidelong glance at Kōe, waiting for his answer.
"If you say Bankai is the limit, I believe it! If you say Zanpakutō were forged by someone, I believe that too!"
Hearing this, Urahara's smile returned. Conversely, Yoruichi's expression grew somewhat desolate. But then, Kōe's voice rang out once more.
"But if you say that fate is predetermined or whatever, I don't buy it! Or rather, I don't believe in this thing called fate at all! Even if it exists, then just change it, break it!" Although Kōe was still lying there looking lazy, a faint light flashed in his relatively small eyes.
*'Actually, fate was broken a long time ago. Otherwise, how could Shihouin Kōe even exist?'* Thinking of this, Kōe smiled. Believe in fate? His very existence was outside the bounds of fate!
"Rare for you to act like a man. Good job, Dead Fish Eyes!" Yoruichi laughed loudly as she praised Kōe. Although her words sounded a bit strange, this time she truly didn't mean to be sarcastic or teasing.
"I don't need to 'act' like one! I am a man!" Kōe's eyes widened into perfect circles as he said indignantly, "And I don't have dead fish eyes! My eyes are huge, I'm just usually too lazy to open them fully!"
Kōe's sophistry had no effect whatsoever; instead, Yoruichi laughed even harder. Seeing this, Urahara shook his head helplessly beside them. He slid down against the stone partition, letting the water submerge him up to his chin.
"Don't believe in fate. Even if it exists, just break it, right?" Urahara muttered to himself in a low voice, looking at the rippling surface of the water in front of him. "That's right, just break it! It's just that I'll need some resources. Looks like I need to start preparing as soon as possible!"
Urahara secretly made his decision. Similarly, Yoruichi also had her own plans. However, she wasn't the type to hide things, and right now, she had already started discussing them with Kōe.
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