Chapter 155
Following the instructions of the Hikifune Sae, Haruto lightly brushed the pan-shaped object on the side of the door.
"..."
After a brief silence.
"Boom-thud!"
Haruto took a half step back and listened quietly to the enormous commotion inside the laboratory, which sounded like Optimus Prime transforming.
Two minutes later.
"Laugh!"
The heavy wooden door, steaming in a way that seemed completely out of place with its style, slowly opened.
A voluptuous woman, with the same curly hair Sae and a spatula-shaped hair accessory on her head (which is her Zanpakuto), and who is exaggeratedly large in every sense of the word, walked out of the door.
"Um?"
"!?"
Haruto's eyes couldn't even catch when the person took the card from the door.
"Didn't Sae contact me?"
"You--"
His appearance was so harmless it was almost amiable, but the immense Reiatsu he exuded without any restraint made Haruto acutely aware of just how powerful a monster with Second-Class Spiritual Pressure truly was.
Compared to her, Haruto's Reiatsu was like the glow of decaying grass compared to the bright moon in the sky.
"I am Haruto, the Fourth Seat the Thirteenth Division."
Haruto introduced himself.
"I've come to seek your advice..."
"Oh!"
Kirio Hikifune clapped his hands forcefully, the powerful sound waves vibrating from the outside in, even causing Haruto to momentarily lose his composure.
"Uh-huh."
Kirio Hikifune bent down and stared intently at Haruto for a long while.
"The Heavenly Bedding Pill is working quite well for you."
"?"
This was Haruto's first time meeting Kirio Hikifune, and he never expected that the other person would know him.
"Captain Hikifune seen me before?"
"No, no, no."
Kirio Hikifune chuckled and patted Haruto on the shoulder... but the force of those two pats almost tore his bones apart.
"This is our first time meeting!"
Kirio Hikifune doesn't fit the description of a homebody that Sakai Shukugo used to describe. However, her enthusiasm is really hard to adapt to in another sense—those two slaps just now, if they were from Soul Reaper below the rank of vice-captain, they would probably be sent to the Fourth Division for emergency treatment by now.
"But your Reiatsu... the scent of food I've prepared, how could I possibly mistake it?"
"Well."
Haruto always keeps his Reiatsu under control.
To be able to discern Reiatsu from what someone is eating, especially food from so long ago... that's an exaggerated level of perception.
"Bang!"
With a powerful shove, Haruto almost lost his balance.
Okay.
"You look so thin, you probably haven't been eating properly lately... This isn't how I treat my guests, come on in~"
Kirio Hikifune led Haruto into the laboratory without giving him a chance to object.
"Let's talk about it after we've eaten!"
Two hours later.
Haruto has become a true sphere--
Originally tall and slender, he instantly transformed into a large, equally sized fat man after just one meal: judging from Kirio Hikifune's unchanged physique, it was clear that he hadn't used much Reiatsu to prepare that amount of food.
"Miss Kirio."
This is how Kirio Hikifune asked him to address him.
Because there is another member, Hikifune, in the team, she also uses this method to make it easier for outsiders to distinguish her from her sister; moreover, compared to the position of captain, Kirio Hikifune seems to be more inclined to be a researcher and a chef.
What exactly is the main ingredient used in Heavenly Bedding Pill?
Meals don't need to take that long.
Kirio Hikifune's reason for inviting Haruto into the laboratory was quite simple: since it was called a laboratory, the obvious reason was to check on the condition of the test subjects.
During formal meals, Kirio Hikifune adheres to a completely silent style, but once dessert is served, he can talk about anything.
During this time, Haruto had already told Kirio Hikifune about the performance of Heavenly Bedding Pill and the special characteristics after learning Bone Strike:
Although these things are confidential, Haruto didn't think he could bring himself to hide his condition from a doctor.
Didn't the Kuchiki Clan provide you with a medication guide?
Kirio Hikifune is taking small bites of cake.
"The main ingredient is a fragment of Vasto Lorde's Reiatsu."
Their elegant and swift eating style perfectly illustrates what a whirlwind chopstick spatula mouth is.
"I know that."
Haruto nodded.
"My question is, does Miss Kirio know which Vasto Lorde it is?"
"Um..."
Haruto's words made Kirio Hikifune slow down his eating pace slightly.
"No name."
"No name?"
"Right."
"Although it didn't originally have a specific name, after the high monk blackened it, it effectively became nameless."
"!"
Kirio Hikifune just mentioned Ichibē Hyōsube?
She hasn't even been promoted to the Zero Division yet, so even Aizen probably doesn't know this kind of information yet. How could she possibly...?
Kirio Hikifune ignored Haruto's shock and continued:
"However, after being made into Zanpakuto by the Sword God, it seems to be called--"
"Ikomikidomoe?"
"It seems to be this somewhat strange name."
"!!"
The ancient Menos Grande attacked the Soul King Palace, which happened a thousand years ago, before Kirio Hikifune was even born!
"Miss Kirio... where did you learn these names from?"
Haruto couldn't help but ask.
Is that strange?
Kirio Hikifune asked rhetorically.
"I am the captain of the Thirteenth Division and the director of the Seireitei Research Institute."
Even though it was just a very ordinary way of speaking, it gave people a strange sense of conviction.
"This place contains a wealth of knowledge preserved since the time of Shutara. Even though I don't have access to the Great Spirit Book Gallery, which means my understanding of some information isn't very comprehensive, I'd still say I'm one of the top five captains in terms of knowledge among the Gotei 13, right?"
"..."
Kirio Hikifune is right.
Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi both had their own ways of obtaining information concerning the existence of the Soul King and the Soul King Palace; it now appears that the Seireitei Research Institute, the predecessor of the Research and Development Institute, had preserved this information from the very beginning.
It would be strange if Kirio Hikifune didn't know.
"I see."
Haruto was still nodding to himself when Kirio Hikifune added from the side:
"As for Haruto, it's one thing to say these things to me, but you can't just spread them around like that—I know Captain Ukitake knows far more information than I do, but he trusts you so much..."
"Isn't Little Kaien supposed to inherit his captaincy?"
"..."
Haruto remained silent.
Kirio Hikifune's guess was wrong, but Haruto certainly wouldn't leave any evidence against such an easily exposed lie.
"Or is it that Captain Kuchiki is already preparing to step down and hand over the reins?"
"..."
He chose to remain silent.
Haruto had no idea how to answer the question; all he wanted to do was strangle the "vice-captain" who had given Kirio Hikifune the wrong evaluation.
Kirio Hikifune's keen insight is more than enough, even for the Eighth Division.
Okay.
Kirio Hikifune regained control of the conversation.
"Since Captain Kuchiki didn't give you a guide on how to use the medicine, does that mean you didn't have Captain-level Reiatsu to help expel the Hollow's power when you used Heavenly Bedding Pill?"
"... Yes."
Although the initiative wasn't on his side, Haruto still answered cooperatively.
"That's strange."
"Um?"
Kirio Hikifune's curious expression startled Haruto as well.
"The Heavenly Bedding Pill can only be considered a nutritional supplement; regarding the Vasto Lorde portion, it only retains the purest restorative power of the Menos Grande."
"You should know that the boundary between Hollows and Soul Reaper is not so easily broken. If the two are combined rashly, it will only create a monster that cannot even control itself."
"Kirio Hikifune explained."
"The Heavenly Bedding Pill I created has transformed the Void's soul power into simple nourishing ingredients. After consumption, 90% of its medicinal effects will be released at once, while the remainder will be used to slowly nourish the body."
"As for the instincts imprinted in the souls of Menos Grande, they were exorcised with the help of a captain who possessed Reiatsu at the same level as Vasto Lorde."
Kirio Hikifune carefully explained the original usage of the Heavenly Bedding Pill.
"But..."
"Haruto, you're different."
"Kirio Hikifune changed the subject."
"The effects of Heavenly Bedding Pill are still present in your body, and the intensity of the released effects is no less than that released all at once when you first took it."
That's why I was able to spot the clues at a glance.
"Not only that."
Kirio Hikifune's speech quickened, and her eyes gradually lit up... Her research interest was growing.