Sizzle.
Inside a man-made cave, large chunks of meat are placed on a frying pan filled with boiling oil, making a crisp sound. Two pieces of firewood are added to the bottom, making the flames burn even more fiercely.
Nemu Kurotsuchi used a pair of chopsticks to pick up the pork chop, flipped it over, and when it looked somewhat cooked, she sprinkled some salt on it, poured in cumin, and then flipped it over again, repeating the above actions.
The sizzling sound filled the air with an enticing aroma. Her deep green eyes were fixed on the pork chop, making sure it wasn't overcooked and burned.
When they were almost done, she picked up the steaks and placed them on a plate, then put a new steak into the pan, frying a total of seven large pieces.
Bai Shiraishi, who was keeping watch, estimated that it was about time and burst in from outside. The air was filled with the aroma of cumin meat. He swallowed hard, walked to the fire, reached out and picked up two clean lettuce leaves from the plate of vegetables, then picked up a steaming hot pork rib and took a big bite.
The crispness of the lettuce paired with the spicy pork chops is simply delicious.
"Phew, Nemu, your skills have improved a lot!"
Shiraishi ate with gusto, praising her rapidly improving cooking skills.
Nemu Kurotsuchi didn't answer, a slight blush rising on her cheeks.
Her days of wandering broadened her horizons, and she discovered that life is not just Mayuri the science that Mayuri-sama talked about, but also about many other interesting things.
Cooking is number one among all those things.
She hopes that one day in the future, she can let Mayuri eat the food she makes, and then, like Shiraishi, praise the deliciousness of her food.
That alone made her feel very content.
Nemu Kurotsuchi of that scene, silently eating her lettuce and pork chop with her head down.
Shiraishi was used to her taciturn nature; unless asked a question, praise and compliments rarely elicited a response from her.
"Do you think Shinigami has given up on tracking me? Sometimes when the Projection Hall monitors my movements, no captain comes to check on me."
"Impossible."
Nemu Kurotsuchi gently shook her head, stopped eating, and explained softly, "Since its inception, the Gotei 13 has never given up on the pursuit of criminals, unless they can't find your whereabouts."
"Tsk, so they're planning something really tough."
Shiraishi muttered something.
Unlike Kisuke Urahara and the others, he did not flee to the World of the Living, nor did he keep himself hidden.
During this period, he continued to run back and forth between West District One and West District Ten, killing Void Spirits. His experience level successfully increased to 910, which was 515 experience points away from the 1425 required to level up.
Killing giant Hollows and small Hollows alone doesn't give you much experience.
Shiraishi really misses Nnoitra; that guy gives 650 experience points at a time, what a great experience pack! It's a pity you can't repeat it.
The other Espada didn't come over either.
Has Aizen lost interest in him?
"Sigh." Shiraishi sighed. In the end, his charm still couldn't compare to Ichigo Kurosaki's.
Nemu Kurotsuchi mistakenly thought he was worried about being caught by the Shinigami, and comforted him, "Don't worry, even if you are caught by the Seireitei, you won't die. You'll just end up on Mayuri -sama's experimental table."
Based on your situation, Mayuri will definitely make an exception and give you the highest level of treatment. You'll be given eight doses of medicine a day, and you'll undergo five hours of experiments daily. You'll still be able to eat with your mouth, sleep, and wear clothes. Even during the modifications, they'll leave you breathing to ensure you don't die.
"Stop!"
Shiraishi immediately stopped her long-winded explanation, saying irritably, " Nemu, you really know how to comfort people."
Nemu Kurotsuchi said earnestly, "You've taught me a lot these past few days, and I definitely want to comfort you."
Shiraishi rolled his eyes and said, "The same sentence spoken in different tones conveys different meanings. I wasn't praising you just now; I was saying you don't know how to comfort people."
Nemu Kurotsuchi tilted her head, recalling what Shiraishi had just said. It sounded like he was praising her, but it turned out he was blaming her?
She suddenly stood up.
Shiraishi was startled, "You don't need to give birth."
Before he could finish speaking, Nemu Kurotsuchi walked around the fire and sat down next to him, shoulder to shoulder, her face very close as she said, "I'm very curious!!"
Her red lips were covered in a sheen of oil, their shimmer no less dazzling than her pair of inquisitive, deep green eyes.
How can I distinguish the meaning of words expressed in different tones? If I could understand them, would it bring us closer?
Shiraishi jumped up instantly and moved to the side, repeatedly telling herself not to misunderstand. When Nemu said "get closer," she didn't mean she wanted to be closer to him, but rather closer to the thinking of a normal person.
In many things outside of science, Nemu Kurotsuchi was a complete blank slate.
After all, none of the senior Seated Officer at the Research and Development Institute are normal people.
No one wanted to teach her how to spin a top, cook, or how to get along with others, which led to her constantly intruding on other people's intimate areas.
Shiraishi said with a serious expression, "I've told you many times, don't suddenly come up to me. People should keep a certain distance from each other."
Why does your heart race every time I get close to you? Are you in heat? But why don't you actually do anything about it? Is there something wrong with your body, causing your hormone levels to be too low?
Nemu Kurotsuchi asked one question after another; she wasn't joking, she was genuinely concerned about his health.
Shiraishi didn't know how to talk about this, so he vaguely said, "The biggest difference between humans and beasts is that humans can suppress their desires."
"Why suppress it? You've helped me a lot. If I can help you, I don't mind."
"That's exactly the attitude you have," Shiraishi sighed irritably, feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to continue the discussion. "Would you like to learn how to tell if someone is being sarcastic or insincere?"
Nemu Kurotsuchi stopped asking a series of questions and nodded, saying, "I want to."
"Then I'll tell you..."
Shiraishi began to extract the little knowledge he had from his belly, and dinner time was delayed from the normal ten minutes to two hours later.
Nemu Kurotsuchi listened with great interest; she had never imagined that speaking could be such a profound subject.
With different expressions and tones, words of praise can convey disdain and sarcasm.
Conversely, ridicule and insults can also be transformed into genuine praise.
This made her realize her shortcomings as an artificial soul, which explained why she had never been able to satisfy Lady Mayuri.
She still has so much to learn.
That's all for today. It's getting late, so let's get some sleep. We're going to West District 15 tomorrow.
Shiraishi felt like he was about to be completely drained, so he made an excuse to stop.
"Hmm." Nemu Kurotsuchi was still not finished, but she wouldn't force Shiraishi to continue, nor did she ask why they suddenly wanted to go to the West District 15.
This is simply due to her personality.
Shiraishi didn't explain either. Tomorrow was the end of the month, and it was time to meet up with Oda Nobunaga and Kichō.
That is, assuming the two of them haven't been caught by Shinigami yet.