( My laptop had an issue and the hard drive was corrupted 😭😭 that was why I was unable to update for a while , I'm using my phone now till I get a new laptop. Thank you for your understanding)
Hiroki's eyes lit up.
This function was too useful! It meant he could more accurately judge the reliability of his subordinates, avoid having spies from other factions mixed in, and better understand the true thoughts of those around him.
Especially... He subconsciously turned his head again, his gaze falling on the breathtakingly beautiful side profile of Yoruichi, who was sleeping soundly beside him.
"Then I'll give it a try." Hiroki thought to himself, focusing his attention on Yoruichi, attempting to activate the "Eye of Insight."
The system screen instantly refreshed with information about Yoruichi:
Name: Shihōin Yoruichi
Identity: 22nd Head of the Shihōin Clan
Reiatsu Level: Second-class
Intimacy: 100 (MAX)
Hiroki's gaze instantly froze on that final, golden, gleaming number "100," as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning. MAX? Maximum value?
He almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, or that the system had a bug.
Subconsciously, he confirmed with the system in his mind: "Huh? 100? System, what's up with this Intimacy 100?" His voice carried a trace of trembling, which he hadn't even noticed himself.
"It is exactly as you understand it." The system's answer remained cold, but this time it was like a key, instantly unlocking a dusty corner deep within his heart.
"So, 100 is the highest? Does it mean..." Hiroki pressed, his heart accelerating uncontrollably.
"Yes." The system's affirmation was concise and powerful. "The MAX value represents that the special relationship between this character and you has reached the theoretical deepest level under the current universal rules.
Trust, reliance, understanding, and acceptance have reached their zenith, viewing the other party as an indispensable core part of one's own life and existence. This relationship possesses the highest priority and unshakeable stability."
The system's explanation resounded like a great bell in the ocean of Hiroki's mind.
For a moment, he was speechless, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions and thoughts.
Images of when they first met flashed uncontrollably through his mind.
At that time, Yoruichi, as the proud daughter of the former Shihōin Clan head and the renowned "Flash God," was filled with extreme vigilance, scrutiny, and even hostility toward this parachuted, mysterious man who intended to become her husband (in name only).
The atmosphere between them was tense, with any spark potentially igniting a conflict.
Yoruichi's face was written with defiance and distrust.
Then came the long period of living in a mode that outsiders would consider "dead, but not interacting."
Hiroki was busy consolidating the clan and dealing with the political whirlpool of the noble circles.
Yoruichi devoted herself entirely to the training and missions of the Onmitsukidō and the Punishment Force, running through the shadows of the Soul Society.
Living under the same roof, they often wouldn't see each other for ten days or half a month, and even when they did, it was mostly brief exchanges on official business, carrying a sense of professional detachment.
Communication between the two was completed through Soi Fon as an intermediary.
Until... the former head, Shihōin Kiyomasa, fell ill. Only then were the two pushed onto the same bed, as if completing an important clan task.
Hiroki remembered his feelings at that time; they were complex.
There was appreciation for Yoruichi's beauty and ability, a need to consolidate his own status, and also a helplessness regarding the uncertainty of the future and this "make-do" arrangement.
What about Yoruichi's eyes at the time? They seemed to carry the same complexity—resignation, exploration, and confusion about the future.
When did it start to change? The trust that was cultivated? Was it after those Hand-to-hand combat sparring sessions that were intense enough to ignite the soul, the warmth born between sweat and shared breath that transcended political marriage?
Hiroki couldn't remember the specific point in time; it was like spring rain moistening things silently.
When he suddenly realized one day that the scrutiny and detachment in Yoruichi's eyes when she looked at him had long faded, replaced by something deeper and more complex—appreciation? Recognition? Habit? Even... reliance?
And he himself had long grown accustomed to her presence, her scent, and the sense of relaxation when she was by his side.
Her strength, her wildness, and the occasional laziness and small willfulness she displayed had all become inseparable colors in his life.
It turned out that, unknowingly, in those seemingly plain and even distant years, through one intense or calm confrontation and adjustment after another, that thread called "Intimacy" had already been entwined so tightly, so deeply into the bone marrow.
He, Shihōin Hiroki, this soul from another world, had unknowingly become the most important person in the life of Shihōin Yoruichi—this proud, powerful woman, like a Queen of the Night.
The system's confirmation was not a creation, but the unveiling of a veil he himself had not clearly recognized or subconsciously dared not fully believe.
At the same time, the sense of certainty brought by this cold number was like a wonderful anchor, gently dropping and smoothing out a long-standing, hidden worry deep in his heart that he himself had never deeply investigated.
Yes, it was about Urahara Kisuke.
That scientist who always wore messy blonde hair, funny green robes, and a seemingly harmless smile—Yoruichi's once most trusted male best friend and partner.
Hiroki's dislike for Urahara had never disappeared.
This guy was too smart and too dangerous (able to research the Hōgyoku), had close ties with the Visoreds (that group of dangerous Hollowfied Shinigami), and had even spirited away the former Grand Kido Master, Tsukabishi Tessai.
More importantly, he and Yoruichi had a deep bond lasting hundreds of years that Hiroki could not fully participate in.
Even though Yoruichi was his wife now, Urahara's existence was like a thorn, subtly pricking a corner of his heart, making him feel a trace of indescribable... annoyance and a potential sense of threat.
He had secretly sworn: "That Urahara Kisuke, one day, I, Lord Hiroki, will find an excuse to break his third leg!"
And now, the confirmation of 100 Intimacy was like taking a reassurance pill.
No matter what position Urahara occupied in Yoruichi's heart in the past (friendship, confidant, comrade-in-arms), at least in the present and the foreseeable future, he, Shihōin Hiroki, was the undisputed first, the true core and destination of Yoruichi's life.
The sense of security and satisfaction brought by this realization made the corners of Hiroki's mouth rise involuntarily, and he even found that "potential rival in love" a little more pleasing to the eye (although the thought of breaking his leg hadn't completely vanished, its priority had just been lowered).
Urahara Kisuke's own strength was not bad, at least it could reach the second-class level, and the forces around him were indeed not to be underestimated: the "technology" that could trap Aizen (possibly still under secret research), the unfathomably strong former Grand Kido MasterTsukabishi Tessai (proficient in space Kido and forbidden arts), and that group of Visored members who possessed Hollowfied powers (each of them was Captain-level combat power).
That guy Urahara was not easy to deal with.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" A slightly hoarse, magnetic, and lazy voice sounded, breaking Hiroki's train of thought.
Yoruichi had woken up.
Her golden eyes, as clear as top-quality amber, slowly opened, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. The first thing that came into view was Hiroki's face, close at hand, seemingly staring blankly at her.
A faint, elusive smile still hung on the corner of his mouth, his eyes deep and difficult to fathom.
"Oh, it's nothing," Hiroki snapped back to reality, looking at the lazy and charming style of his wife just waking up, his mood becoming even more pleasant. He casually made up an excuse, "Just thinking about some things."
He couldn't exactly say he was pondering the new system function and how to deal with her male best friend, right?
"What bad thing are you thinking about again?"
"Haha, of course it's about practicing Hand-to-hand combat."
"Huh? You'd actually take the initiative to ask for it?"
"Yeah, I'm in a good mood today."
"Then let's do it."
Hand-to-hand combat experience + 1
Hand-to-hand combat experience + 1
Hand-to-hand combat experience + 1
Hand-to-hand combat experience + 1