After the Auswählen-blocking agent was injected, Candice felt her body grow heavy and her consciousness begin to fade. Before long, she drifted into sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a soft bed, the room filled with a gentle floral scent and warm sunlight.
Sniffing instinctively, Candice rubbed her eyes to adjust to the light. Only then did she notice a man and a woman lying beside her.
The two were tightly embraced, their faces glowing with bliss.
They looked so close, like a couple caught in a beautiful dream.
Candice couldn't help but sigh.
"They look so sweet. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a couple in love."
But she knew full well—this was definitely Bambietta making the first move.
That woman always had a thing for doing weird things... and actually enjoyed them.
To top it off, she'd even fallen in love with this man over something that was basically humiliating. Total pervert.
Candice shook her head helplessly at the thought.
She'd been in the Wandenreich for centuries—she knew all too well that being a pervert was practically standard among Quincy. Bambietta was already one of the more "normal" ones in Silbern.
Just then, Candice noticed a change—Bambietta's Reiatsu had dropped compared to before. Clearly, she had also completed the Auswählen-blocking experiment.
Turning her head, Candice saw Masatsuki Aozaki quietly watching her.
He gave her a small smile, sat up in bed, and stretched.
Candice mimicked his movements and sat up ungracefully, facing him with a duck-sit.
She looked a bit messy, sure—but with her graceful figure and above-average face, even in this state, she could still be called cute.
Blinking her large, beautiful eyes, she looked playfully at Masatsuki and softly called out,
"Masatsuki... Master."
There was a slight coyness in her tone that made it unexpectedly endearing.
"Hm?"
Masatsuki looked at her in surprise. Candice never called him "Master."
He instinctively reached out and touched her forehead, wondering if she had a fever.
But when he saw her cheeks, red as apples, he realized she was simply overwhelmed with embarrassment.
"Master... I want to become stronger,"she said quietly, her voice barely audible.
"You want to get stronger?"
Masatsuki looked at her with a strange expression, wondering to himself,
"What's gotten into her today? Did something light a fire under her?"
"Yes. I want to be as strong as Bambietta,"
Candice added firmly.
Masatsuki couldn't help but laugh.
Like Bambietta?
Didn't she know how Bambietta got strong?
It sure wasn't through hard work.
"I get it. Yeah, your strength definitely needs an upgrade."
He nodded in agreement.
Given the current situation, Candice was clearly no longer among the top-tier fighters—maybe not even in the second tier.
Just expelling Yhwach's soul fragments alone had already sapped some of her Reiatsu, to the point that she couldn't even use Vollständig anymore.
With her Spiritual Power now sitting at the bottom of the second tier, the strength she could muster probably wasn't even enough to take down the weakest captain in the Gotei 13.
Not because the current captains had crazy-high Reiatsu levels—
But once they activated Bankai, catching up to her Reiatsu level would be easy.
And as for the Quincy in the Wandenreich, they were already a cut above the Gotei 13 across the board.
Even the weakest members of the Sternritter had power beyond an average captain.
With her current level, Candice might just about hold her own against the Quincy in the World of the Living, but against a real powerhouse—like a captain from the Gotei 13, or a top-ranking Espada from Hueco Mundo?
She'd be completely outmatched.
So yeah, getting stronger wasn't just a good idea—it was absolutely necessary.
"But you know that gaining strength comes with a price, right?"
Masatsuki Aozaki looked straight at Candice, his tone calm but serious.
"Of course I know. That's exactly why I waited until now."
Candice took a deep breath and answered firmly.
"So... enough with the talk. Let's just get started—before that woman wakes up!"
She suddenly grew impatient and raised her voice.
Candice had always been stubborn, competitive, and outspoken. She was someone who wore her emotions on her sleeve—if she liked something, she liked it; if she didn't, she made it clear.
Masatsuki Aozaki had once dragged her back from the brink, saving her life.
More importantly, he had helped her break free from the shadow cast by His Majesty.
And beyond that, he had shown her a kind of gentle care unlike anything she had experienced.
Honestly, looking at his face... love at first sight might not be entirely out of the question.
But if you said it was something that developed over time, that made even more sense.
Candice had spent years by Masatsuki's side, and he had always treated her with indulgence.
So she knew exactly how Bambietta had grown stronger—she'd seen it firsthand.
And yet, even someone like her could turn shy in a moment like this.
That's why she didn't want to hear him say anything that sounded like backing down—she wanted to grow stronger.
"This woman... no wonder she doesn't get along with Bambietta."
Masatsuki Aozaki chuckled inwardly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Well, since she's laid it all out so honestly, it'd be heartless to say no now.
Ahem...
Say no? Why would he?
After all, he'd been keeping up this gentlemanly act for years, carefully cultivating this relationship—wasn't it all for this very moment?
This was, after all, the story of an indecent Shinigami.
And if anyone asked, Masatsuki Aozaki could admit it outright—his intentions had never been pure from the start.
...
Over the next few weeks, Masatsuki Aozaki spent nearly all his time holed up in his room. Aside from cooking, he hardly stepped outside or interacted with any of the other Quincy.
To outsiders, it looked like he was simply a diligent and focused man, deeply committed to his duties.
But in truth, only Masaki Kurosaki—who was being held in the same place with Bambietta and Candice—knew that when the Shinigami had confessed his feelings to her, he hadn't been joking.
To put it nicely, he wanted to build a better future between the Shinigami and the Quincy.
To put it bluntly, he was just... insatiable.
Ever since those two mysterious Quincy ladies received Masatsuki-nii's affection, they'd become completely unrestrained.
Back then, they'd at least go to the cafeteria when hungry. Now? They couldn't even be bothered to get up, choosing instead to lie in bed daydreaming all day.
Still, compared to the stifling atmosphere of the Ishida household, Masaki Kurosaki didn't find this place suffocating at all.
In fact, under these circumstances, it was remarkable that that Shinigami big brother still made time to care for her.
From keeping the room tidy to preparing every single meal—he really handled it all. It was pretty impressive.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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