Bleach: Watch Closely, This Is How You Use a Zanpakutō

The overall structure of Gatonden perfectly reflected Kirio Hikifune's personality.

As she put it herself, the mountains, rivers, sky, and earth—all of nature's scenery—served a single purpose: to provide her with ingredients.

But Masatsuki Aozaki saw it differently. To him, this scenery existed just as much for her as it did for her cooking.

Kirio Hikifune was not someone who cared about dressing up.

Senjumaru Shutara would at least apply some light makeup when making an appearance, but Kirio had no such inclination.

Whether she was spending time with Masatsuki, attending Gotei 13's captain meetings, or even at the last welcome party, she remained entirely herself—unpolished, untouched by embellishments.

Senjumaru had once suggested teaching her how to apply makeup, and she had gone to Masatsuki for his opinion.

His response?

"You're fine just the way you are."

Since then, she had never once entertained the thought of wearing makeup.

And, standing under the warm sunlight, her natural beauty only enhanced the peaceful charm of the moment.

Masatsuki had never wanted to change that about her.

Not because he thought makeup was unnecessary, nor because he opposed the idea of self-improvement.

It was simply because, to him, Kirio Hikifune was already perfect.

Her beauty was pure, untainted, requiring no embellishment or alteration.

Her unrefined, effortless charm blended seamlessly with the nature around her, making her part of the landscape—its most beautiful part.

It was good for her to remain as she was.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with embracing things that could make one better, but Masatsuki still hoped she would never lose this part of herself.

It was a selfish contradiction.

When faced with something as beautiful as Kirio, he couldn't help but want to preserve her as she was, untouched.

And in doing so, he felt an even deeper urge—to keep her all to himself.

That was the greed of Masatsuki Aozaki.

A possessiveness that, strangely enough, was always seen as a virtue in the eyes of his lovers.

Who was truly at fault for that? He had no idea.

It was an amusing mystery.

...

By midday, the two had wandered to a tranquil lakeside nestled within the dense forest.

Masatsuki retrieved a set of outdoor cooking tools from his shadow space and turned a few of the local cute little creatures into a delicious lunch.

Unsurprisingly, the rising smoke attracted the attention of the Divine Soldiers patrolling the area.

Upon seeing that it was just Kirio and Masatsuki, they exchanged a few pleasantries before sensibly deciding not to intrude, quickly retreating to their posts.

As Masatsuki watched the fully armed Divine Soldiers patrol their own territory, he shook his head.

Kirio blinked in confusion at him.

Masatsuki chuckled.

"If Retsu saw this, she'd be thrilled. Every time I go on a date with her, the first thing we clash with is our swords."

Kirio shuddered at the thought.

Masatsuki affectionately ran his fingers through her hair, grinning.

"But her hobbies are way too violent—don't go picking up any bad habits, okay?"

"...Mm."

Kirio nodded obediently.

The truth was, she and Retsu Unohana had always had a good relationship.

As two of the oldest captains in the Gotei 13, they had known each other for centuries.

And if there was one thing everyone knew, it was that scientific research often led to accidents.

No one understood this better than Masatsuki Aozaki and Kisuke Urahara.

After all, whenever the 12th Division's experiments went horribly wrong, the injured would flood into the 4th Division for treatment—sometimes even more frequently than members of the 11th Division, who actually sought out danger.

Naturally, over time, they had all grown familiar with each other.

Spending so much time together inevitably led to some friction, but for the most part, Kirio and Retsu had no real personal grudges.

...Or so one might think.

Kirio stole a glance at Masatsuki.

Retsu had claimed him for herself.

Meanwhile, she had held onto the title of his "girlfriend" for decades and had barely even seen him. The furthest they had ever gone was kissing.

The thought irked her.

To be fair, Retsu had met Masatsuki first.

She had been intrigued after hearing rumors that the Captain-Commander had taken an interest in him and decided to check him out for herself—going so far as to drag Jūshirō Ukitake out of Shin'ō Academy in the process.

But that didn't matter.

She had been the first to confirm her relationship with him.

Yet Retsu had monopolized him for decades, keeping him entirely to herself.

That realization left Kirio with an unfamiliar sensation.

Jealousy.

She had never been one to deny her emotions.

It was simply part of who she was.

...

Lost in her thoughts once again, Kirio was suddenly snapped back to reality when Masatsuki held out a bouquet of roses to her.

"Here, this is for you."

"Eh…"

Kirio Hikifune took the flowers in a daze, finally noticing that Masatsuki Aozaki had been busy in her wild vegetable garden for some time.

She hadn't planted these for anything sentimental—certainly not for something as romantic as this.

To her, they were simply another ingredient.

They could be used for desserts, tea, even winemaking.

But at this moment, it was clear that Masatsuki hadn't picked them as an ingredient.

After all, they had just finished lunch.

"…Thank you."

Kirio quietly held the bouquet in her arms, murmuring her gratitude.

She had never disliked beautiful things—if anything, she quite liked them.

Should I make flower cakes? Or maybe wine…

Wine would be better. Masatsuki prefers wine over sweets.

—She made up her mind.

…

This was her first date. She had no idea what she was supposed to do.

But she knew she was happy.

As long as Masatsuki was by her side, that was all that mattered.

…

As the sun began to set and the sky deepened into dusk, they started their walk back home.

The path leading to their house was one Kirio had traveled countless times—it was familiar, easy.

And throughout the entire day, Masatsuki had never once left her sight.

That simple fact filled her with warmth, and she tightened her grip on his hand.

Unable to hold back, she wrapped her arms around him, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

Her voice was soft, carrying all the emotions she couldn't quite put into words.

"Masatsuki… just for tonight, stay with me. Okay?"

Masatsuki came to a stop, his eyes lingering on the golden hues of the evening sky before slowly responding.

"Kirio, you know me well. So you should already know—I'm a greedy person."

"...!?"

Kirio blinked in confusion, tilting her head.

She didn't understand why he was suddenly saying this, so she remained silent, waiting.

Masatsuki continued,

"Ever since we parted, I've thought about you often. Of course, I've thought about Senjumaru-senpai as well."

"…"

"But when I saw that you were still you, I felt… really happy."

Turning to face her, Masatsuki smiled—a bright, sincere smile that made Kirio's heart pound violently in her chest.

Thump.

Thump.

The rhythm echoed in her ears as she felt his fingers intertwining with hers.

It was suffocating—like her heart was being grasped by an invisible force.

And yet, it was also unbearably comforting.

Every little action of his sent ripples through her, making her want to reach out and respond.

Looking at her now, Masatsuki's expression softened even more.

"I like you very much too," he said gently. "Which is why… I'm sorry, Kirio.

I can't grant your request."

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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