"Sorry."

"I don't know."

Faced with Senjumaru's question, Makoto fell silent for a moment before shaking his head decisively.

He truly had no further insight into the Quincy's whereabouts.

This was one reason Makoto had long avoided altering the 'original' Bleach storyline excessively. In his weaker days, the established worldline was a powerful advantage. But as he grew stronger through years of battles, gaining influence in the Genji School, the Gotei 13, and the broader Soul Society, changes to that worldline became inevitable.

Makoto had to learn to accept this reality.

"Is that so?" Senjumaru's gaze lingered on him, a knowing glint suggesting she'd touched on something peculiar. She didn't press further.

"Still, to think of establishing a base in the Soul Society's negative dimension…" Her voice trailed off, intrigued. "It's provided the Research Institute with a free, large-scale testing ground, perfect for you."

"Huh?" Makoto blinked, turning to Senjumaru with confusion. "Me?"

In that brief pause, the Hollow energy he'd painstakingly gathered in his palm scattered like windblown embers, dissolving into the air.

"Of course." Senjumaru said, her tone matter-of-fact. She gestured to the dissipating Hollow energy. "Haven't you realized, Makoto-kun? The power you now wield."

"?" Makoto's confusion deepened.

Senjumaru tilted her head, her elegant features framed by a familiar, almost reassuring look of disdain, like a professor explaining Fourier transforms to a room of scratching monkeys. "Makoto-kun." She said, exasperated, "you've completely lost your Shinigami powers."

"But…" Her sharp eyes flicked to the clearing before them.

Makoto followed her gaze. The once-flat training ground was now riddled with craters, scarred from his relentless Sonído and Cero practice. It looked as if a barrage of Kido had torn through it.

Yet, ingrained habits from years of training had blinded him to the anomaly. Only now, with Senjumaru's pointed remark, did it click.

"With no Shinigami powers and only preliminary control, you've unleashed this much force." Senjumaru said, her wheeled sandals rolling to a stop by a crater. "Have you considered, Makoto-kun, what might happen when you regain your full Shinigami strength and merge it with this vast Hollow energy?"

"Even if that proves unfeasible, imagine if we could technologically extend this Hollow power to all Shinigami. What changes might that bring to the Soul Society and the World of the Living?"

"On the Quincy battlefield, even a crude tool like this could turn the tide for many on the brink of death."

"Makoto-kun." Senjumaru's two simple ideas sparked a cascade of possibilities in his mind.

It was… undeniably tempting.

Though the Soul Society's elite forces currently outmatched the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo, the rank-and-file Shinigami remained woefully underpowered. Whether in the Hollow-hunting squads stationed in the World of the Living or the expeditionary forces in Hueco Mundo, most were low-ranking Shinigami, foot soldiers facing endless battles against overwhelming odds.

Without Zanpakuto granting them a half-tier advantage over Hollows, annihilation would be their norm.

If Hollow powers could be shared with them…

Makoto couldn't shake the seemingly far-fetched idea.

"Wait!" He snapped out of it, pointing accusingly. "You're just trying to trick me into being your test subject again, aren't you?"

"Oh my." Senjumaru's skeletal hand lightly covered her lips, feigning shock. "Found out, have I?"

"In that case, for the greater good of the Soul Society…"

Before Makoto could retort, his Zanpakuto's childish voice cut in.

[Moral blackmail? Makoto-sama doesn't fall for that!]

[Let me be clear!]

[Makoto-sama has no morals!]

[If you want my body as a price, you'd better offer yours in return!]

Senjumaru's refined features flickered with surprise, her eyes instinctively darting to the side.

Makoto froze.

A slender, pale hand rested lightly on his shoulder, weightless yet undeniable.

He turned to find Saito standing there, her expression blank, silent.

The scarred training ground fell into a deathly hush.

Ever the instigator, Senjumaru seized the moment. "If that's Makoto-kun's request, then I suppose I-"

"Shut up!" Saito's furious shout cut her off.

The one-eyed girl's face twisted with menace, glaring at Senjumaru as if ready to devour her. "Training's over! Whoever wants to wear those sticky socks can have them!"

"This honey's disgusting!" She spat, yanking off her honey-soaked stockings and hurling them to the ground. Barefoot, she stomped the earth, her amethyst eye darting warily between Makoto and Senjumaru.

She'd long suspected something off about those two.

That idiot Makoto! That pig! That… mole-ridden jerk!

"Y-Yes." Senjumaru said, her mischievous grin betraying her satisfaction.

What a wicked woman, Makoto thought, his gaze lingering on the discarded, sticky stockings.

Senjumaru met his glance with a provocative smirk, her smile deceptively gentle. "Don't forget to keep practicing in the infirmary, Makoto-kun."

Whoosh!

Saito snatched the balled-up stockings and flung them at Senjumaru.

Like a nimble hound, Senjumaru dodged with a fluid sidestep, her wheeled sandals gliding in a lightning-fast drift. She sauntered out the door with an air of triumph.

"That woman!" Saito fumed, glaring after her.

But Makoto's expression shifted, his attention caught by something else.

A familiar interface materialized before his eyes.

[Your bond level with Shutara Senjumaru has increased! ↑]

[Unlocked Love Bond Event: Hollow Form]

[Event Requirements: Fulfill the five conditions for 'Hollow Form']

[1. Hierro]

[2. High-Speed Regeneration]

[3. Spatial Displacement]

[4. Dominant Aura]

[5. Cero Oscuras]

[Progress: (1/5)]

The interface stunned him. It was the first time the system had presented a bond requirement as a task list.

His eyes lingered on the event name: Hollow Form.

Instinctively, his mind flashed to Ichigo Kurosaki's Vasto Lorde mode. If he could achieve a similar leap in power…

The mere thought sent a thrill through him.

Still…

Achieving those conditions didn't seem so simple.

After over ten days of practice without successfully activating his Hollow powers, Makoto began to doubt his supposed prodigious talent.

Lost in thought, staring at the doorway's retreating figure, he was jolted by a heavy slap on his shoulder.

"Hey!" Saito snapped, glaring up at him with undisguised annoyance. "You're still looking?"

Her emotions were an open book, plastered across her face.

"Looking at what?" Makoto's response was lightning-fast, his confusion so perfectly timed it seemed he'd just snapped out of a reverie.

A beat or two later, he blinked as if realization dawned. "Oh. I was thinking about Hollow energy. Got a bit distracted."

His words were delivered with a calm retraction of his gaze, effortlessly composed.

But the serene expression on the young man's face barely lasted two seconds before Saito's hands seized his cheeks, yanking his head to face her, shattering his facade.

Saito's voice was sharp, her grip unrelenting. "Listen, you!"

"If you're going to say that kind of thing, then keep your eyes on me and me alone!"

"...?" Makoto froze, caught off guard by her words, especially coming from Saito.

Even he couldn't help but pause, his confusion genuine this time.

"Huh?" He managed.

"What's with that look?" Saito's heart skipped half a beat, but she held her scowl, locking eyes with him. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she bristled. "Don't tell me you're trying to back out?!"

"No way." Makoto said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Her mix of fury and barely concealed anxiety stirred an odd sense of satisfaction in him.

He wasn't some clueless romantic. He knew exactly what Saito meant by "that kind of thing", his declaration in front of Yhwach, calling her the one he loved.

He'd assumed she'd brushed it off, given her lack of reaction. But to think someone as brash and indifferent to others' fates as Saito could worry over something like this?

Snapping back, he softened his tone. "I was just… a little surprised."

"?!" Saito stiffened, her single eye meeting his teasing gaze. She quickly turned away, her movements stiff, a flush creeping across her delicate features, her face burning.

"Shut up, you jerk!" She sputtered. "Y-You're the one who said that embarrassing stuff first!"

Makoto leaned closer, trying to catch her averted gaze, his voice firm. "Embarrassing stuff? Which part, exactly?"

Broadly speaking, his list of embarrassing remarks was practically endless.

All courtesy of his zanpakuto, of course.

Saito's body trembled at his words. Her teeth ground audibly, as if she'd like nothing more than to tear apart the guy deliberately humiliating her. The heat in her face intensified.

But under Makoto's expectant stare, she opened her mouth, almost instinctively. "You know… the… liking someone… thing."

Her hands clasped behind her back, head lowered, bare toes nervously digging into the soft earth as if carving out a three-bedroom apartment. Her voice grew fainter, barely audible by the end.

Makoto stepped closer still. "What was that?"

"…" They were inches apart now.

Saito instinctively looked up, his face hovering before her. A slight tiptoe, and she could fall into his arms.

The delicate distance sparked an unfamiliar sensation in her, a feeling unlike the thrill of battle, injury, or surviving against the odds.

Gulp.

This was someone always by her side, yet now, he made her heart race.

Makoto watched her calmly, waiting for her truest words.

"I…" Saito struggled to speak, her voice caught.

"You?" Makoto echoed, encouragingly.

Her face burned redder, and finally, she squeezed her eyes shut, blurting, "There's someone behind you!!"

Makoto blinked, startled.

Before he could process, the flushed Saito vanished, her Shunpo carrying her who-knows-where.

Turning, he found Katori adjusting her oversized glasses with a theatrical air. "Sorry, Makoto-kun." She said, feigning innocence. "Did I interrupt something between you two?"

Makoto glanced at the empty spot where Saito had stood, then at Katori, whose "innocent" facade barely concealed a mischievous grin. He sighed, exasperated. "If I say yes, Captain Katori, how do you plan to make it up to me?"

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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