A battle of speed

"Ah..."

Urahara felt awful, as though he were drowning in a pool. Endless Spiritual Pressure poured into his body through every opening, and even breathing normally was a luxury at a time like this.

My consciousness is getting hazier and hazier.

Kisuke Urahara swayed, unable even to remain standing before Sōgo Shihoin.

"Kisuke Urahara, go on~"

"Go learn your Zanpakuto's true name! If you can't learn her true name within three hours, you really will die~"

Just as Kisuke Urahara felt himself slowly sinking toward the bottom, a voice rang out beside his ear in his last moment of lingering consciousness, stirring ripples deep within his heart.

Meanwhile, deep within the Kirin Palace.

"This Spiritual Pressure... Sōgo's?"

Yoruichi Shihōin felt the terrifying Spiritual Pressure around her, which gave her a terrible sense of foreboding and even filled her with instinctive fear. Her body trembled nonstop.

"Looks like that brat's getting serious~" Seeing Yoruichi Shihōin's stunned expression, Tenjirō Kirinji seemed to think of something amusing. With a wicked grin, he said, "Yo~ judging by that look, it's like this is your first time seeing that brat's true face. Gave you a fright, huh? Can't blame you, though. Even I feel every cell in my body trembling whenever I sense his Spiritual Pressure. Even my soul cries out~ but you really are pitiful, living with a monster like that all this time... Hahahaha! Now that you've seen the monster's true face, do you feel like you've survived a disaster?"

"Sōgo isn't a monster."

Yoruichi Shihōin hugged her arms around herself, her body still trembling.

"Hm?" Tenjirō Kirinji hadn't heard Yoruichi Shihōin clearly-or rather, he hadn't expected her to say that. "What did you just say?"

"Sōgo isn't a monster. He's my little brother." As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihōin drew the short blade at her waist and stabbed it into her palm. The intense pain instantly dispelled the instinctive fear in her body. She straightened her back again and looked at Tenjirō Kirinji earnestly. "Sōgo has always been the Shihoin family's greatest treasure, never a monster. Besides... Sōgo has always protected me, his older sister, but I've never been able to do anything for him."

"..."

"What the hell? You two siblings are so boring..."

Looking at Yoruichi Shihōin's earnest expression, Tenjirō Kirinji lightly scratched the back of his head.

"Haven't you already done plenty for Sōgo? You're the only one who can chat with that monster every day, aren't you?"

Tenjirō Kirinji folded his arms across his chest and spoke seriously.

"But as his older sister, I should be able to do more."

"I'm not asking to be able to protect him, but I should at least avoid becoming dead weight. That's the goal I've been working toward all along."

As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihōin took a fighting stance.

"Hey, you still intend to keep training? Is that wound on your hand all right?"

Tenjirō Kirinji pointed at Yoruichi Shihōin's palm, which kept dripping blood onto the ground, and asked.

"This little bit of pain is nothing to me."

Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head lightly at Tenjirō Kirinji.

"Huh? Then you'd better explain it clearly to that monster afterward! That wound on your hand has nothing to do with me!"

Tenjirō Kirinji spoke cautiously.

"Easy."

Yoruichi Shihōin was brimming with confidence.

"Then keep chasing me~"

"Our training is simple. I love the feeling of being chased by a pretty girl~"

"So as long as you can catch up and touch me even once, you pass."

Tenjirō Kirinji lightly beckoned to Yoruichi Shihōin with a finger.

"Then watch yourself. As the current head of the Shihoin family and a member of the Stealth Force, I'm particularly proud of my Shunpo." As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihōin vanished from the spot and instantly appeared behind Tenjirō Kirinji, reaching for his back. "Pretty easy, old man~"

"Really? Pretty easy?"

Yet just as Yoruichi Shihōin touched Tenjirō Kirinji's back, his irritating voice rang out behind her.

"What?" Hearing the voice behind her, Yoruichi Shihōin froze for a moment. Then she realized that the hand she had reached toward Tenjirō Kirinji's back hadn't felt any contact. "An afterimage?"

"Bingo~"

"You got it, little girl~"

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Your little brother may be strong, but the others in Squad Zero aren't much weaker. In other words, we're all monsters to you. Catching a wild beast isn't that easy~"

"Keep at it~"

Tenjirō Kirinji simply stood behind Yoruichi Shihōin and spoke softly.

"Interesting."

Tenjirō Kirinji's words didn't discourage Yoruichi Shihōin. Instead, they excited her even more, and she grew faster.

Yoruichi Shihōin twisted sideways and reached straight for Tenjirō Kirinji behind her...

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Tenjirō Kirinji's eyes, but it still wasn't enough!

As Yoruichi Shihōin moved at high speed, Tenjirō Kirinji moved too. Almost the instant Yoruichi turned around, he followed her movement and appeared behind her.

"Tch~"

Yoruichi Shihōin looked at the empty training ground behind her and clicked her tongue inwardly.

"What's wrong, little Yoruichi~?"

"Feeling the gap in strength? The gap between Squad Zero and you!"

Standing behind Yoruichi Shihōin, Tenjirō Kirinji spoke haughtily.

"A gap? Gaps are there to be closed!"

"Just run ahead with everything you've got! I'll stay right on your heels, like a cat chasing its prey. The moment you let your guard down even a little, I'll catch you and take you down."

As she spoke, Yoruichi Shihōin became a black blur, using Shunpo in rapid succession.

"Oh? Big talk!"

Tenjirō Kirinji stayed close behind Yoruichi Shihōin like her shadow. No matter how she moved, he kept up with her movements and remained behind her, maintaining a distance of exactly one meter.

Not enough. I have to go faster! Faster!

With that thought, Yoruichi Shihōin increased her speed further.

This girl can still go faster?

Watching Yoruichi Shihōin, whose speed had risen dramatically yet again, Tenjirō Kirinji was secretly astonished, but he could only continue picking up speed as well.

For a time, there were only two indistinct shadows darting through the training ground, along with the soft rustle of wind lifting a few grains of dust and sand. This was a contest of pure speed.

(End of chapter)