Byakuya returned to the Kuchiki manor, his usually stoic face flushed with desperate hope.
He slid open the bedroom door. "Hisana! I've found a way to heal you."
Hearing Byakuya's excited voice, a wave of emotion washed over Hisana, but she still gently shook her head, offering a weak smile.
"Byakuya, thank you for running around for my sake. But I know my own condition, the collapse of this spirit body is irreversible. You don't need to waste your efforts anymore. Just having you by my side at the end is enough for me."
Byakuya knelt by the bed, holding Hisana's pale hand tightly. "Hisana, this time it isn't a waste of effort. I've truly found hope. Uncle Kōga took me to see his Master, the Captain of the Seventh Division. The man who officiated our wedding. He told me he can artificially stabilize your spirit body and stop it from collapsing. Although it isn't a complete cure, it can extend your life by decades and give us more time together."
Hisana looked at Byakuya in surprise, tears welling in her eyes. "Really? But... will calling in a favor from a Captain cause you trouble?"
Byakuya shook his head, pressing her hand to his cheek. "It won't. This is my choice, and my responsibility as your husband. As long as I can save you, I'm willing to pay any price."
Hisana was moved to tears. She leaned forward and gently hugged Byakuya, resting her chin on his shoulder. At this moment, she felt like the happiest woman in the Three Worlds.
"I'll take you there right now," Byakuya said.
He carefully scooped Hisana up in his arms and slowly walked out of the manor, heading toward the Seventh Division.
Although using Shunpo would be faster, Hisana's fragile body couldn't withstand the sudden acceleration.
...
"Captain Mayuri! There's a matter I must ask of you." Kōga strode into the primary laboratory of the SRDI.
Mayuri looked up from a glowing dissection table, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"A favor to ask of me? Has the Captain-Commander issued a new mandate?"
"Not at all. It's a personal matter concerning the Kuchiki clan. Captain Mayuri, could you accompany me to the Seventh Division?" Kōga asked seriously.
"A matter of the noble Kuchiki clan? Why go to the Seventh Division?" Mayuri frowned.
He really couldn't figure out what high-born politics had to do with Kazuma's lazy squad.
Kōga explained earnestly, "Captain Mayuri, the wife of the Kuchiki clan's heir has a severe Reishi-deterioration issue. Although my Master has tried his best, he lacks complete confidence in formulating a permanent medical solution, so he wishes to invite you to assist."
Mayuri tilted his head, the bells on his strange hat jingling. "Oh? And who might your Master be?"
Kōga offered a polite smile. "My Master is the Captain of the Seventh Division, Satou Kazuma!"
Mayuri's eyes widened in sudden realization.
"Well, well! I never would have thought the stoic Kuchiki Kōga and that terrifying monster had such a connection. This is the first I'm hearing of it."
Mayuri calculated the variables.
If even a freak of nature like Kazuma couldn't solve the problem with sheer power, it had to be a delicate, complex medical issue.
A favor from the Great Noble Kuchiki clan was incredibly rare, and an opportunity to outshine Kazuma was not to be missed!
After a brief pause, Mayuri decided to go.
If the problem proved impossible, he could just find a random excuse to back out.
"Let's go, Kōga."
...
Before long, Mayuri and Kōga arrived at the Seventh Division barracks.
"Captain Kazuma. We meet again," Mayuri said, observing Kazuma lounging behind his desk.
"Have a seat."
Just as Mayuri pulled out a chair, Kazuma leaned forward, his tone dropping. "I wonder... how is Captain Mayuri's research on my blood progressing?"
Mayuri subconsciously replied, "Captain Kazuma's blood sample was so small, my research—" He bit his tongue, realizing he had just admitted to unauthorized experiments, and immediately shut his mouth.
Kazuma's expression turned frigid. "Captain Mayuri, you gave me your explicit guarantee that you wouldn't use my blood for unsanctioned research. Are you interested in tasting what it's like to become a dissection subject yourself?"
A hint of genuine nervousness cracked Mayuri's painted face.
He quickly waved a hand. You must be joking! How would I dare break my promise?"
In truth, the blood sample Mayuri had drawn during the Ginjō incident was too small to run proper diagnostics.
It pained him every time he wasted a drop, and he still hadn't achieved any concrete results regarding Kazuma's impossible power scaling.
Kazuma's icy expression suddenly melted into a relaxed smile. "Relax. I didn't call you here today to threaten you over a few drops of blood. It's like this: Byakuya's wife is an ordinary soul. Living in the Seireitei, the dense atmospheric spiritual pressure has been slowly crushing her core, and she's growing weaker by the day. I was wondering if the great Captain Mayuri had a chemical solution."
Mayuri frowned.
He was about to say he had no immediate solution for natural Reishi-decay when Kazuma cut him off.
"Actually, there's no rush. Let's wait for Byakuya to arrive and assess the patient in detail."
Kazuma, Mayuri, and Kōga sat around the low table, drinking tea in awkward silence.
As time ticked by, Byakuya finally arrived, carrying Hisana in his arms.
"Captain Kazuma, Captain Mayuri, Uncle. I've brought Hisana."
The short journey through the Seireitei had caused Hisana to pass out again.
Everyone present in the room was of Captain-level strength, and the dense Spiritual Pressure they passively emitted was more than Hisana could bear, causing her spirit body to flicker dangerously.
Mayuri quickly walked over to Hisana, pulling a diagnostic scanner from his robes.
He examined her carefully, his brow furrowing. "The situation is critical. Her spirit body's core is already collapsing. If she's not treated immediately, she won't last the night."
Byakuya's face turned ashen. "Captain Mayuri, is there really no way?"
Kazuma stood up, walking around his desk. "Let me handle this first, or she'll dissipate before we can even formulate a plan."
Kazuma placed a hand gently on Hisana's forehead, silently activating a fraction of Hokushin's Domain.
"Stellar Sanctuary."
A soft, starlight-like Reishi slowly flowed from Kazuma's palm into Hisana's body, fortifying her collapsing core and stabilizing her spirit body.
"Mmm..." With a soft moan, Hisana slowly opened her eyes. "Byakuya? Am I about to die?"
Byakuya dropped to his knees beside her, overjoyed. "Hisana, it's alright. Captain Kazuma saved you."
Hisana turned her head weakly. "Captain Kazuma... thank you."
Kazuma withdrew his hand, shaking his head. "Save your breath. Your current state is still critical. I've only patched the cracks, I haven't fixed the foundation yet."
Byakuya bowed his head to the floor. "Thank you, Captain Kazuma! I doubted whether you could treat her before. I deeply apologize for my disrespect!"
"Byakuya, don't celebrate yet," Kazuma warned. "I can only temporarily artificially sustain her. If we can't get her soul to generate its own Spiritual Pressure, her spirit body will eventually shatter under the strain of my Reishi."
Mayuri stroked his chin. "I can try using an experimental stabilization drug I developed, but it's just a stopgap measure, not a long-term solution. Moreover, it carries severe side effects."
"No matter the side effects, as long as it buys her time, I'm willing to try it," Byakuya said without hesitation.
Mayuri nodded, produced a specialized pneumatic syringe, and injected the glowing blue drug into Hisana's arm.
Color gradually returned to Hisana's pale face, and her ragged breathing leveled out.
"This is only temporary relief. To cure her completely, she needs a fundamental biological alteration," Mayuri noted, checking his scanner.
Byakuya gave Mayuri a grateful look. "Thank you, Captain Mayuri. I will scour the archives for other methods."
Kazuma sighed, leaning against his desk. "Ah, what a shame. If only Kisuke Urahara hadn't defected. He surely would've invented a permanent cure for this by now. It seems Captain Mayuri's research capabilities are quite a bit behind his predecessor's."
Hearing this casual insult, Mayuri absolutely blew his top. You can tell a scientist their personality is terrible, but you absolutely cannot tell them their intellect is inferior—especially when comparing them to their hated arch-rival.
"Hmph! What does Urahara know?!" Mayuri snapped, his eyes bulging. "I will take full responsibility for this cure! I don't have my primary equipment here. I am returning to the Twelfth Division immediately to synthesize a permanent solution!"
With that, Mayuri stormed out of the barracks, his lab coat billowing behind him.
Everyone in the room, except Kazuma, stared at the doorway in dumbfounded silence.
Mayuri agreed that easily?