— — — — — —
In the second-floor lounge of the base—
Black Rabbit looked at the two women Ryo brought in and blinked in surprise.
"Huh? Ryo, are these two newcomers?"
Shiroyasha, who had just mooched a cup of Leticia's red tea on the sofa, turned her head as well. She saw the trio standing by the door.
"That's right. These are Unohana Retsu and Orihime Inoue. They're the new members I recruited during my last trip to another world."
Ryo gave the two a brief introduction, then explained to Black Rabbit. "We'll need Unohana's abilities for the upcoming Gift Game."
Hearing that, Black Rabbit glanced at Unohana with curiosity.
Hmm… she looked gentle, very lady-like. But the scent of blood was strong, her gaze calm yet burning with fighting spirit. Probably the battle-maniac type…
Why? Why did someone who looks so soft and elegant turn out to be a fighter? Isn't this visual deception?
"Tsk tsk, Leticia-chan, look at that. Two more girls."
Shiroyasha gave the newcomers a look, then nudged Leticia with her elbow, teasing: "At this rate, Arcadia's gonna turn into this brat's personal harem."
Before Leticia could respond, Black Rabbit jumped up. "Lady Shiroyasha! Don't spread slander about Ryo in front of the newcomers! They'll get the wrong impression!"
"Slander?"
Shiroyasha pointed at her own face, looking absolutely offended.
Did this stupid rabbit forget? Last time Ryo brought back a group of girls.
This time he brought back two. Statistically speaking, at least one was probably involved with him somehow like Athena.
How was that slander? That was just math.
Had this rabbit gotten too bold lately? Why did she explode every time Ryo was mentioned?
Wait. Actually, this was great. Perfect chance to poke at her some more.
Shiroyasha's eyes lit up, tiny hands rubbing together excitedly.
But before she could launch her attack, Leticia calmly reminded her. "Lady Shiroyasha, the newcomers are watching you."
"…Huh?" Shiroyasha stiffened and turned her head.
Sure enough, both Orihime and Unohana were staring right at her.
Shiroyasha quickly grabbed her folding fan, hid half her face behind it and said with exaggerated politeness. "Oh my my, how terribly rude of me."
"Who is this…?" Unohana looked at her, then asked Ryo.
"Me?" Shiroyasha narrowed her eyes, tone light. "You can think of me as a kind soul who stepped in to help when the community was in trouble."
She added with a smirk, "By the way, little miss, your fighting spirit is leaking out. Planning to challenge me?"
"For Ryo's sake, I can give you a chance."
"Well... More or less, that's accurate." Ryo nodded, acknowledging the "kind soul" part, but added a reminder about the provocation. "Don't go by appearances. Back in her prime, this one ranked in the top ten of all Little Garden."
"And for reference, I'm somewhere past rank one thousand."
"WHAT?!"
Orihime gasped. She clearly hadn't expected Shiroyasha to be so much stronger than Ryo.
Top ten in Little Garden… Unohana's smile shifted slightly. All her earlier excitement vanished instantly.
She'd come here because she wanted to cross blades with strong opponents, yes, but she wasn't here to get obliterated.
And with Ryo deliberately pointing out the difference in rank, the message was clear enough: 'This one is a monster. Don't pick a fight unless you want to die.'
Unohana kept her serene smile and bowed to Shiroyasha. "I was being rude just now."
"Well now, you've calmed down." Shiroyasha grinned. "What a shame. I really like feisty types."
A strong one who's easygoing but likes teasing others… Unohana noted quietly in her mind.
Beside them, Black Rabbit planted her hands on her hips, looking helpless.
"Liking them has nothing to do with it. You just enjoy crushing the confidence of newcomers."
"I'm helping them. Once they understand the height of the sky and depth of the sea, even the most impulsive people get clearer heads." Shiroyasha said this with full confidence.
"And look. Now that she understands the gap, the little girl is perfectly calm." She looked at Unohana, who was indeed sitting there with serene grace.
"That…"
Black Rabbit felt her face warm. Wasn't that basically calling Unohana's earlier battle aura childish?
You shouldn't say that about newcomers. What if she gets offended and leaves?
Black Rabbit was suddenly anxious.
But contrary to her worry, Unohana simply smiled with perfect composure.
"You're right. I was a bit too hasty."
As she spoke, she glanced at Black Rabbit.
This child… is she worried about me? With empathy like this, she looks easy to push around…
"Oh, surprisingly rational." Shiroyasha gave Unohana a thoughtful look. "I'm starting to see why Ryo brought someone like you into the community."
Unohana frowned slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means she finally understands why I recruited someone whose potential is mostly used up." Ryo translated the subtext with a smile.
"I think highly of you. A thousand years of peaceful life still didn't dull your fighting spirit. With that trait, if you can break through your current limits, you could gain a massive boost in power."
"Exactly." Shiroyasha shrugged, then said. "With your kind of spiritual body, if you don't plan to become a post-born god, going the spirit or yokai routes is fine. Or you can try evolving on your own."
"But personally, I think you should wait. Learn more about how Little Garden handles spiritual bodies. Pull out every ounce of potential in your current form before thinking about transformation."
Hearing this, Unohana took a deep breath and bowed. "Thank you for the advice."
"It's nothing."
Shiroyasha waved her hand and turned to look at Orihime.
She blinked… and then her field of vision was suddenly blocked by something huge and round.
"Um…"
Orihime lifted her hands awkwardly to her chest. "Is something wrong with me?"
Shiroyasha nodded seriously.
.
.
.