Comfortable

"Mmm~ refreshing!"

"Right? Especially after putting in the work yourself, there's a sense of satisfaction in the harvest—a dual pleasure for both body and soul~" Urahara lay flat, speaking in a leisurely tone. "You don't blame me anymore, do you?"

Before Diezuka Hiroe could respond, Yoruichi, separated from them by a stone partition, spoke up. "Urahara, don't pay any mind to that dead-fish-eyed guy. He's a block of wood; he couldn't appreciate someone else's kindness if it hit him in the face!"

"..."

"By the way, dead-fish-eyes, I heard that Kao Susumu died at the hands of a Quincy. Tell me the truth, was that your doing?"

"He was just incompetent; I couldn't be bothered with him! Anyway, how did he actually kick the bucket? Was it embarrassing?"

"..."

In the secret base shared by the trio, a new small cavern had been added. Of course, Urahara's blueprints weren't just for a simple cave; the important part was what lay inside.

Milky-white steam rose slowly within the cavern, undulating in the air. Large and small rocks of various shapes formed a circle on the ground, enclosing a hot spring about a hundred square feet in size. A gray stone partition divided the spring in two, with Yoruichi on one side and Diezuka Hiroe and Urahara on the other. Without standing up, they could only see each other's heads.

"So this is the greatest harvest from your hundred-plus years at the Royal Palace?" Diezuka Hiroe rested his hands behind his head, using the stone partition as a pillow. "I thought you would have mastered Bankai during your trip."

In his past life, he knew Urahara had mastered Bankai in the Soul Society in just three days, and he was aware Urahara had visited the Royal Palace, though he didn't know the exact timing.

But the past was the past. He had expected his own presence to put some pressure on Urahara, but it seemed Urahara didn't value raw power at all, which left him feeling a bit frustrated.

"What, afraid we'll leave you in the dust?" Urahara turned on his side, propping his head up with one hand, and looked at Diezuka Hiroe with a smile. "Or do you want to see our Bankai? If that's the request, Yoruichi might just satisfy you~"

Faced with Urahara's teasing, Diezuka Hiroe remained silent, but Yoruichi couldn't sit still. "Who wants to satisfy him! Unless, unless dead-fish-eyes begs me properly, then I might consider letting him broaden his horizons!"

So smug. Although Diezuka Hiroe couldn't see Yoruichi's expression, he could practically see her chin tilted upward just from her tone.

"As if you can't master Bankai without going to the Royal Palace?" Diezuka Hiroe said with a look of disdain, smugly adding, "I mastered Bankai right here in the Soul Society. You really don't understand the loneliness of a genius."

"Was it a few days earlier than me this time? Or a few years? Why don't you demonstrate it for us?!" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, refusing to be outdone, and used the old incident to tease him. Diezuka Hiroe wasn't one to be trifled with, and he calmly delivered a stinging retort. "I don't know about a few days, but my Bankai is low-key, patient, and lethal—it's absolutely not the style of the fireworks master that Master Ao keeps talking about."

A "splash" came from behind him; it seemed Yoruichi had stood up. She couldn't take it already? Diezuka Hiroe thought about offering a word of comfort, but a smooth arm quickly reached over from in front of him, locking around his neck and pulling him backward.

"Say that again if you have the guts!"

"Let, let go! It wasn't me who said it! If you're unhappy, go find Master Ao!" Diezuka Hiroe struggled. "And you're a girl, could you be a little more mindful!"

It's unclear which part of his plea moved Yoruichi to let him go. However, a major question loomed: should he turn his head? Diezuka Hiroe wondered. His physical instincts overrode his logic, and the corners of his mouth curled up subconsciously as he slowly turned his head.

Smack! Splash! Before he could see anything, the crisp sound of a slap and the splashing of water occurred almost simultaneously.

After Diezuka Hiroe crawled out of the water, he immediately checked his reflection on the surface. There was no handprint on his face. This wasn't because Yoruichi had held back, nor was it because his skin was thick. It was entirely due to the hot spring water Urahara had "borrowed" from the Royal Palace; it seemed the healing properties were truly remarkable!

"Hiroe, have you really mastered Bankai?" Urahara asked the moment he returned to the stone partition.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"I'm actually quite curious to see what your Bankai is like." Unlike Urahara, Yoruichi immediately retorted from behind, "When have you not lied to us? The Diezuka Hiroe who claimed to have mastered Shikai earlier than us but hadn't even received his Asauchi?"

For once, Diezuka Hiroe didn't respond to Yoruichi's jab. There was no helping it; even if what Yoruichi said wasn't the whole truth, he had deceived them before, and dwelling on this topic was dangerous—at least, it was dangerous right now.

It takes two to tango, and since Diezuka Hiroe had retreated into silence, Yoruichi didn't push her luck. The three of them rested their heads on the stone partition, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What does it feel like to master Bankai and become one of the top Soul Reapers, Hiroe?" It was Urahara who broke the silence; he seemed particularly interested in Diezuka Hiroe's Bankai.

"To be honest, I was a little excited for a few months, then I realized there's still a long road ahead. As for being a top Soul Reaper, I don't think the peak of a Soul Reaper is just Bankai. The future is still a long way off!"

"What if I told you that Bankai is the end, and that even the Zanpakuto were forged by a certain existence, and that a Soul Reaper's fate is sealed from birth!" Urahara sat up abruptly, looking at Diezuka Hiroe with a serious expression. "Would you believe it?"

Yoruichi sat up slowly behind them, tilting her head and casting her gaze on Diezuka Hiroe, waiting for his answer.

"If you say Bankai is the end, I believe you! If you say the Zanpakuto were forged by someone, I believe that too!"

Urahara's smile returned upon hearing this. Conversely, Yoruichi's expression grew somber, but then, Diezuka Hiroe's voice rang out again.

"But if you say fate is already sealed, I don't believe it! Or rather, I don't believe in that nonsense called fate at all! Even if it exists, then I'll just change it, break it!" Although Diezuka Hiroe was still lying in a lazy posture, a faint light flickered in his small eyes.

Actually, fate was broken a long time ago, otherwise, how could Diezuka Hiroe exist? Thinking of this, he smiled. Believe in fate? His very existence was outside of it!

"Rarely acting like a man, well done, dead-fish-eyes!" Yoruichi laughed and praised him. Although the words sounded a bit strange, she truly didn't mean any sarcasm or teasing this time.

"I don't need to 'act' like one! I am a man!" Diezuka Hiroe's eyes widened, and he said indignantly, "And I am not dead-fish-eyed! My eyes are huge; I just usually can't be bothered to open them!"

Diezuka Hiroe's sophistry had no effect, and Yoruichi only laughed harder. Urahara, watching from the side, shook his head helplessly and slid down against the stone partition, letting the water submerge his chin.

"Don't believe in fate, and even if it exists, just break it, right?" Urahara whispered to himself, watching the ripples on the water's surface. "Right, just break it! It's just that I need some resources; it seems I need to prepare as soon as possible!"

Urahara made his decision in his heart. Yoruichi had her own plans as well, though she wasn't the type to keep things hidden, and she had already begun discussing them with Diezuka Hiroe.