The atmosphere fell silent again.
"..." Yuko seemed to realize the shift in mood had something to do with her. She lowered her hand sheepishly, then, as if that still felt wrong, tucked it behind her back.
Old Man Yamamoto's eye twitched. He pressed both hands to his forehead and bowed his head, then waved her away sharply.
Get out, get out!
"You got it!"
Yuko was instantly overjoyed. She pulled open the door and vanished in a flash.
Retsu Unohana watched Yuko disappear and smiled faintly. "When did you start trusting Yuko so much, Captain-General?"
Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto slowly raised his head. After a moment's silence, he said, "Her personality still leaves much to be desired, but her character is beyond question."
Unohana chuckled. "Sounds like she's given you quite a headache."
He had been fine until she brought it up. Now Yamamoto's head throbbed, and all he could do was close his eyes and sigh. "Let her do as she pleases."
If Yuko hadn't been pure to an absurd degree, her part in helping Muramasa break his barrier would have forced him, as Captain-General, to come down hard on her.
But he believed she had meant no harm, and she had resolved the matter with Muramasa.
At the time, Muramasa's influence had left him able to do nothing but seal away his own heart in resistance.
The worst possible outcome would only have made an already bad situation worse.
Unohana nodded slightly, ready to leave. "Then I'll..."
"As for you..."
Yamamoto spoke at the same moment.
Unohana glanced at him and found him watching her thoughtfully. She gave a small nod, inviting him to speak plainly.
Yamamoto looked her up and down, his aged eyes seeming to peer into her heart. "Something about you has changed, hasn't it?"