At first, it was two soft pieces of porcelain, lightly touching, a warm, slick little snake testing its way forward, like tender moss in the plum-rain season, feeling along damp crevices to climb upward.
Isane's inexperience showed through in her timidness, like a cat stealing a bite of fish, afraid to wake the master of the house, but in the instant the door yielded, the sweet and tangy air inside began to swell like a rising tide.
Soon enough, both the kitten and the snake were caught.
Isane felt danger—as if a mass of rainclouds had pressed her down, dropping her from ten thousand meters into a dizzying spin. And just as she was about to fall, something caught her from below— Nobu's hand, covering the back of her neck.
Only when she was nearly breathless did he finally withdraw.
Her chest heaved violently, the light in her eyes trembling uncontrollably.
Her relief lasted but a moment.
The next instant, her balance was gone again—lifted clean off her feet in Nobu's arms.
She didn't cry out.
This should have crossed her bottom line entirely, but now she only looked at his face with eyes like water and fire, her own cheeks burning with the color of sunset clouds.
She couldn't say she was expecting what might come next—only that she refused to keep herself outside of Nobu's feelings.
The room's light thickened, like honey wrapping them completely…
The bedroom window was ajar; outside, leaves brushed together with a soft rustle, sifting the moonlight into fragments.
Snow-white back, shadows entwined.
Joined together, they made a scene inside the room—a painting whose subject was a pair of lotus blossoms blooming on the same stem.
The clock on the wall ticked softly, its sound hanging in the hazy night, turning desire into the night dew clinging to a flower's stalk—the more it struggled, the more painful joy it birthed.
The next day, Fourth Division's Vice-Captain Kotetsu did not come in.
It was Nobu who asked Captain Unohana Retsu for her sick leave.
"How do you know she's sick?" Unohana asked with a smile, eyes narrowing as she looked at him.
And for a medical division's vice-captain to be "sick"—that excuse seemed flimsy at best.
"Isane-san came to my place yesterday. We had dinner with some friends of mine. She wasn't feeling well then, so she asked me to request leave for her today."
Nobu's tone was calm and unhurried.
Unohana's eyes flickered, as if sensing something.
But whatever she'd noticed, she didn't dwell on it—instead, she asked suddenly,
"You promised Captain Shiba something, didn't you?"
Nobu hadn't expected that question; the shift in topic was quick.
Still, as one of the most senior captains, it wasn't surprising that she knew about what Shiba Isshin had done.
Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō probably knew as well.
He remembered Kyōraku's look that day in the Third Division.
"Yes, Captain," Nobu said, lowering his head slightly. "I promised Captain Shiba that three years from now, once I've finished what I want to do in Fourth Division, I'll take over as Captain of the Tenth."
Lowering his head, he didn't see Unohana's expression when she replied,
"Is that so?"
There was no surprise or displeasure in her tone—only perfect calm.
"You're very confident, Tachikawa."
Nobu's mind spun, and he gave a small laugh.
"What do you mean by that, Captain?"
When he looked up, the captain who was usually all warmth and gentleness wore a face of complete stillness—expressionless.
Her eyes still held light, but it was a depth Nobu had never seen before.
"…"
He was momentarily stunned.
"Step by step, smooth sailing—you think it will all be that way, don't you?" Unohana said.
He couldn't quite grasp what she meant, but her expression didn't seem like she was speaking nonsense.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, Captain."
"Nothing. Only that for the captaincy of the Tenth, you'll need to work for it."
"You don't want me to take over from Captain Shiba?"
She held his gaze for a moment, then her face softened into her usual gentle smile.
"Didn't you say there are things you still need to finish in Fourth Division?"
Nobu paused.
"You should be ready. Three years might be the rest of your time in Fourth… or it might be something else entirely."
He stood still for several seconds, then a sharp realization struck him.
When he looked at Unohana again, his eyes wavered slightly.
"I understand, Captain."
She kept her smile, saying nothing more.
And Nobu, looking at her, spoke one last line:
"Captain, please be ready as well."
Leaving Unohana's office, Nobu returned to his own and glanced at his system interface.
[Kotetsu Isane]
[Affection: 90]
[Home Run Reward: Feedback Unlock]
[Feedback: You may grant 1%–10% of your own rewards to the other party (does not consume your own rewards; only usable on characters with Affection ≥ 90)]
[Each unlocked Home Run Reward raises feedback cap by 10%]
[Affection 100 lock: Unlock Final Reward]
[Unohana Retsu]
[Affection: 20]
If he chose the maximum value, he could raise the other's overall power by roughly one-tenth.
It might seem useless for his own strength—
But after thinking it through, Nobu realized this feedback could make the 90-to-100 affection climb much easier.
Even going from 80 to 90 had been difficult enough.
Kotetsu Isane's jump from the 70s straight to 90 had surprised him, but in hindsight it fit her personality.
She was gentle and pure when it came to feelings between men and women. What happened last night had greatly raised his place in her heart.
Someone with a different temperament might not have reacted the same.
And so far, every woman with high affection toward him was someone he also felt strongly about.
With this feedback system, even setting aside the "romance" aspect, it was still a good thing.
Finally, he shifted his gaze to his own stats.
[Reiatsu Level: Lv51]
[Zanpakutō Unlock Progress: 49%]
His spiritual pressure was still at 3rd-class Reiatsu, and his Zanpakutō had yet to reach bankai.
He guessed he'd need to hit level 60 to reach 2nd-class Reiatsu.
In the current Gotei 13, there were probably fewer than a handful of captains at that level.
As for bankai...
Truth be told, the power of his two shikai was already overwhelming. With enough spiritual pressure, even without bankai, Nobu was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone.
Still, he was curious.
What would his bankai be like?
It felt… not far off.