CHAPTER 268: An Ordinary Morning

After patting Yoruichi some more, Kazuya returned to his room, where he saw Momo sitting on the bed and rubbing her eyes. Soi Fon's escape most likely disturbed her sleep. He couldn't say the same about Rukia, who squeezed his pillow in her arms. She would be out cold for another few hours.

"Kazuya-kun…" she greeted him in a lethargic voice. "Good morning."

"Wake the hell up. I got you breakfast."

She looked at him in confusion until her gaze fell on the bowls in his hand. "Ah… I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I'll take culinary classes," she said, pumping her fist enthusiastically. "I won't let you carry this burden forever!"

She seemed in high spirits for the training to be his chef. Probably because it'd make him more dependent on her and get him to be more affectionate towards her.

{A schemer for a schemer. You two are a perfectly balanced couple.}

'What about us?'

{Couple stuff is temporary. Our bond is eternal, for we are soulmates tied to the same fate.}

Kazuya rubbed Momo's head. "Just don't overdo it. I'd hate to see you get sick."

"I won't," Momo said, beaming a smile. Then she stroked Rukia's leg in an attempt to wake up her friend. "Rukia, come on. Noodles will get soggy."

Rukia pulled up the blanket and covered herself. "Let me sleep…"

Momo's brow twitched in annoyance. "You little."

She yanked the blanket off of Rukia and straddled Rukia's back. Pulling Rukia's arms behind her, she locked them. Then she slowly put pressure, making Rukia's back contort unnaturally.

Rukia let out a ragged whimper as though she couldn't breathe properly. "My shoulders! STOP! IT HURTS! STOP PLEASE!"

Although this bullying wasn't justified, he didn't save Rukia and remained as a bystander. He had done much worse to his friend back in his old life. Friendship was all about messing with each other.

{He might still be mourning you.}

'Let's hope he gets over it and enjoys his own life.'

Momo maintained a steady pressure, unflinching by the painful cries of her friend. "Will you get out of bed?"

"I WILL!!!"

Momo released the submission hold and patted the back of Rukia's head. "Hurry."

Rukia turned over and sniffed. "This demon isn't Momo. Kazuya, what did you do to my caring friend?!"

Kazuya crossed his arms. "She always was. You just noticed it now."

"It can't be…" Rukia whispered with wide eyes. "Momo! Were you acting until now?!"

Momo revealed a sweet smile. A smile without a hint of emotion. "Rukia, come here. I'll show you another hold. It'll bend your legs and make them touch your shoulders."

Rukia shuddered from imagining herself in the pose. She immediately jumped at Kazuya and hid behind him. "Kazuya, you said you would be my b-boyfriend. Come on, protect me from this demon."

Although exaggerated, she seemed genuinely traumatized by Momo's painful submission move. Momo might have applied too much pressure.

The gleam in Momo's eyes revealed her true intentions to Kazuya — she had orchestrated the whole situation as a ploy to make Rukia turn to him for protection. She willingly assumed the role of a villain to bring them closer.

Kazuya waved his hand. "Momo, that's enough."

"Yeah, no more holds. Go practice your moves on some masochist."

Momo gave a close-eyed smile. "Hai!"

Kazuya nodded and glanced back at Rukia. "Aren't you a masochist?"

"Wha? I'm not."

"Why don't you fight back then? Show that you're the more dominant female in this triangle."

Rukia's eyes became hollow. "Are you kidding me? Momo beat the crap out of a senior yesterday. I don't stand a chance against her in a street fight."

"Pathetic excuses."

"They are not!"

Momo giggled. "Let's settle that after breakfast."

…

After bullying Rukia for a few more minutes, Kazuya left his house. With Yoruichi around, he wasn't worried about the two. It'd be a splendid opportunity for them to get to know Yoruichi better. Not the wise, old cat they had been admiring her as, but the real confident, observant, and a tiny bit silly version of Yoruichi.

A few minutes of stroll brought him to the 4th Squad's main barrack. He couldn't sense Isane's Reiatsu nearby but further into the residential area — she had yet to report to the squad, or she must've left for an errand.

Judging from her stale Reiatsu, he leaned toward the possibility of her sleeping. Honestly, he was tempted to show up unexpectedly at her doorstep.

'Let's save it for after training.'

He walked into the open area, where tons of nurses stopped to look at him. People wouldn't stop whispering things behind his back, questioning each other about the nature of his relationship with their captain. The last time they saw him was hitching a ride on Minazuki with Unohana.

Feeling amused by the development, he took the stairs to Unohana's office. He found her lady kneeling in seiza position, her eyes shut tight. She seemed to be meditating or communicating with her Zanpakutō that lay unsheathed on her lap.

He made an effort to be as quiet as possible as he approached her and then took a seat in front of her. Within moments, he was captivated by her. Her elegance was simply unrivaled when she wasn't speaking or actively trying to murder him. And despite her age surpassing 2000 years, she possessed the looks of a woman in her mid-thirties, which, in his humble opinion, represented the height of a woman's attractiveness.

{Content creators from your previous life want you to reconsider that thought.}

'Fuck them.'

Unohana opened her eyes. For a few moments, they just gazed at each other, one confused and the other calm.

"Morning."

A troubled expression crossed Unohana's face. "Kazuya, I can't talk to it… Minazuki isn't responding to me."

***

A/N: Plot thickens from next chapter

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