After a day of training, Satoru stepped out of the 1st Division headquarters.
He had spent the entire afternoon practicing Sōkotsu and now just wanted to return to his dorm, take a bath, and get some sleep.
But before he could walk far, he sensed someone approaching.
Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure.
"Hey, finally out? I've been waiting for a while!"
The purple-haired girl flashed him a bright smile.
It was Yoruichi Shihōin, whom he hadn't seen in some time.
Seeing Yoruichi, Satoru asked curiously, "Where have you been these days?"
"Where else? Onmitsukidō training, of course."
Yoruichi waved her hand dismissively with a look of distaste.
Before Satoru could say anything else, she grabbed his wrist with a snap.
"Never mind that, come with me!"
Holding Satoru's hand, Yoruichi used Shunpo to swiftly navigate through the streets of Seireitei.
Soon, they landed in front of the gates of an ancient-looking estate.
The plaque above the gate bore the characters "Shihōin."
The two guards stationed at the gate showed no surprise at Yoruichi's sudden appearance.
Both bowed their heads.
"Lady Yoruichi!"
"Hey, good work!"
Yoruichi waved cheerfully.
She pulled Satoru through the gate, down the long corridor in the courtyard, and into a room.
As the two entered, many servants cast surprised glances.
This room was Yoruichi's study.
Normally, aside from the cleaning staff, no one was allowed inside.
Even members reporting to Yoruichi would kneel outside the sliding paper door and speak through it.
Yet today, Yoruichi had actually brought someone in willingly.
Especially since they were around the same age and seemed quite close...
As they pondered this, Yoruichi slid the door open again and stuck her head out.
"Haruna, bring out the tea that Ōmaeda sent last time and brew a pot!"
Hearing this, Haruna quickly responded.
Marenoshin Ōmaeda wasn't just the vice-captain of the 2nd Division—he was also one of Seireitei's wealthiest individuals.
The tea he gifted was considered extremely precious even among nobles.
For Lady Yoruichi to serve such fine tea to a guest...
Just who was this young man?
Inside the room, Satoru looked around.
Then, he asked curiously, "What's going on? Why'd you drag me here all of a sudden... You're not planning something shady, are you?"
Yoruichi grinned. "That's right. As one of the Four Great Noble Families, I've repeatedly asked you, a commoner from Rukongai, to marry into our family, only to be rejected every time. Today, I've kidnapped you—let's see how you get out of this one!"
Satoru: "..."
"Listen, is that something a girl should say?"
Seeing Satoru at a loss for words, Yoruichi smirked triumphantly.
She walked over and sat cross-legged opposite him.
Satoru, meanwhile, yawned and sprawled out on the floor.
"I've been training under the Captain-Commander all day. I'm exhausted. Whatever you have to say, make it quick—I still need to get some sleep."
Taking in his lazy demeanor, Yoruichi curled her lip.
"Just one day of training, and you're already like this?"
"With stamina this poor, how do you expect to achieve your so-called... harem dream?"
At that, Satoru jolted upright in alarm.
Seeing his reaction, Yoruichi couldn't help but grin.
As they spoke, a servant brought in freshly brewed tea for the two.
Picking up his cup and taking a sip, Satoru nodded appreciatively.
"Good tea."
"Of course. In all of Soul Society, only a handful can enjoy tea of this quality."
After a sip, Yoruichi's expression turned serious.
"Satoru, I need your help with something."
"What is it?" he asked, puzzled.
Yoruichi grinned. "Come with me to steal something from the 12th Division!"
Satoru: "???"
Seeing she wasn't joking, he asked, "Steal what?"
Yoruichi leaned in and whispered into his ear.
After listening for a moment, Satoru finally understood.
The former captain of the 2nd Division, "Tenjirō Kirinji," had invented two special hot springs—one red, one white—during his tenure.
These springs could rapidly heal any injury.
Beyond healing, they also purified Reiatsu and enhanced physical strength.
In more fantastical terms, it was akin to "cleansing the marrow and reforging the bones."
Thanks to his invention of these two special hot springs, Tenjirō Kirinji received an invitation to join the Royal Guard, leaving the Seireitei behind.
Before his departure, Yoruichi requested that he teach her how to create these special hot springs.
After some consideration, Tenjirō agreed to her request.
However, instead of teaching her directly, he entrusted the method of creating the hot springs to the 12th Division, placing it under the care of its captain, Kirio Hikifune.
The hot spring recipe would only be handed over once Yoruichi assumed the position of captain.
At first, Yoruichi didn't take this condition seriously.
As the current head of the Shihōin family, she was expected to take over the 2nd Division soon after Tenjirō's promotion to the Royal Guard.
Unexpectedly, right at this time, rebel forces began to stir.
To prevent any harm from befalling their family head, the elders of the Shihōin clan held discussions and reached a unanimous decision—
Until Yoruichi truly attained captain-level strength, the position of 2nd Division captain would remain vacant.
Division affairs would be temporarily handled by the lieutenant, Marenoshin Ōmaeda.
With that, Yoruichi's hot spring plans were completely ruined.
Losing something that was practically within her grasp was unacceptable to Yoruichi.
Since the hot spring recipe would eventually be hers anyway, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable to sneak in and retrieve it ahead of time?
Initially, she had been worried about pulling it off alone.
But during their last encounter, while hiding from Marenoshin Ōmaeda with Satoru, she had glimpsed his potential.
With Satoru's help, Yoruichi's confidence soared.
As long as Satoru agreed, she was certain the hot spring recipe would be hers for the taking!
After listening to Yoruichi's explanation, Satoru fell into thought.
Tenjirō Kirinji… If he recalled correctly, this character should have appeared in the Thousand-Year Blood War arc.
He had only read the beginning of the manga and wasn't entirely sure if the hot springs were as miraculous as Yoruichi claimed.
Still, they were probably not far off.
Seeing Satoru deep in thought, Yoruichi assumed he was hesitating and quickly tried to persuade him:
"Hey, Satoru, with these hot springs, you'd be able to heal injuries on your own without needing the 4th Division, you know?"
Hearing this, Satoru's interest was piqued.
Just as he was about to nod, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Turning to Yoruichi, he asked:
"Yoruichi, I've heard you have a special ability—you can turn into a cat?"
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