Unohana Retsu waved her hand and signaled her subordinates to calm down.
Arata was not a reckless man. He had only lost control due to the misfortune that had befallen his beloved, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Teacher, is Rangiku okay…" His eyes constantly shifted between Unohana Retsu and Rangiku lying on the bed.
"The preliminary diagnosis is fainting caused by a disturbance in her spiritual pressure. Luckily, she collapsed near the 10th Division barracks, and patrols brought her here quickly. Her life is not in danger."
"The exact cause of the issue is still unknown, but Isane has already gone to get the blood results, and they should arrive soon."
"By the way, has Lieutenant Matsumoto done anything unusual lately, or come into contact with any strange objects?" Unohana Retsu lifted her gaze to Arata and slowly asked.
Arata was just about to respond when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist.
He looked down and saw faint dark red lines appearing beneath the skin of his wrist — exactly like those on the Demon Flower sword.
Nothing good… could the side effects of the Demon Flower have affected Rangiku?!
Arata cursed inwardly: "That Kurotsuchi Mayuri is pure bad luck!"
At that moment, the infirmary door suddenly burst open.
"Captain, the results are here!" Kotetsu Isane rushed in with a stack of medical documents in her hands, followed by Hinamori Momo, her eyes red from crying.
Isane nervously gripped the hem of her clothes and glanced uncertainly at those present. "Well… um…"
"Isane, it's fine, just speak." Unohana Retsu had a gentle look and let her know there was no need to worry, as everyone in the room was considered family.
"Alright, Captain, then I'll say it…" Isane took a deep breath and slowly delivered the report's content.
"First, the bad news. Rangiku's blood test does show anomalies. Several hormone levels are far above normal…"
Arata's heart clenched instantly, and he even held his breath.
He stared at the report in Isane's hands as if looking at a death sentence.
"But…" Isane suddenly gave a sly smile and turned the page, "the good news is that this anomaly was caused by another living being."
As if Unohana Retsu had also suspected something, a faint smile danced at the corner of her lips.
"To put it simply—" she drew out the words deliberately, then announced under Arata's threatening gaze: "Congratulations, Arata-kun, you're going to be a father."
The infirmary fell into such a silence that one could hear a pin drop.
Arata's expression froze, and his eyes widened to their limits.
He mechanically turned his head toward Rangiku lying on the bed, and in the next moment, something hit him all at once.
"Wait… so this is…"
Unohana Retsu chuckled softly, and green kidō healing light glowed from her fingers. She gently ran her palm across Rangiku's lower abdomen, as if she could sense the inner rhythm of life through the connection of spiritual pressure.
"It seems that the sudden burst of spiritual pressure, caused by the mother's womb nurturing a new life, led Lieutenant Matsumoto to fall into this state of disorder, hence why she fainted."
She touched her red lips with her fingers and smiled: "To put it more simply, it's probably what people in the modern world call the baby's first movements."
Unohana Retsu gently ran her fingers over Rangiku's abdomen, the green light of the kaidō seeping into her skin like water.
She briefly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again a few moments later, a flicker of surprise flashed in them.
"The spiritual pressure fluctuations of this child… are truly astounding." She withdrew her hand, and her voice held rare, genuine astonishment.
"Even though the embryo was only recently formed, its spiritual pressure is already close to that of an adult Shinigami. That's why even a Shinigami like Lieutenant Matsumoto fell into a coma."
She looked meaningfully at Arata. "Arata-kun, it seems your child will break many records in the Soul Society in the future…"
Isane, who was standing to the side, took a deep breath, and Hinamori Momo even covered her mouth with her hand and let out a small gasp of surprise.
"I… I'm going to be a father?" Arata dropped to one knee beside the bed, his trembling hand hovering above Rangiku's stomach, not daring to touch it.
More than how talented the child might be, Arata was at that moment concerned about Rangiku's health and the surreal, dreamlike yet real fact that he would "soon become a father."
Unohana Retsu observed her student's lost expression, and for a moment, a gentle warmth sparkled in her eyes.
"Arata-kun, Lieutenant Matsumoto is fine, but in the early stage of pregnancy, she must be especially careful."
She turned to Isane and gave instructions: "Go prepare medicine to support the pregnancy and make a list of precautions for a pregnant woman."
"Yes, Captain!" Isane immediately turned and hurried toward the pharmacy, and Hinamori Momo ran after her. "I-I'll help!"
Only three people remained in the room.
Unohana Retsu lightly patted Arata on the shoulder and said: "This child has inherited your strong spiritual pressure, so the burden on the mother's body will be greater than in a normal pregnancy. During this period, you'll need to pay special attention to Lieutenant Matsumoto's nutrition and rest."
Arata took a deep breath and nodded seriously. "Understood, teacher." He gently held Rangiku's hand, listening to her calm breathing.
"Just…" He hesitated and glanced at the faint dark red lines on his wrist.
Unohana Retsu followed his gaze and slightly frowned. "What is that?"
"Residual traces from contact with a certain weapon during last night's mission." Arata quietly explained.
"I'm worried it might affect Rangiku and…"
His gaze fell on Rangiku's flat abdomen.
Bright green light shone from Unohana's fingertips, and she gently passed her hand over Arata's wrist. "For now, there are no signs of corrosion, but just in case…"
She suddenly emphasized: "It would be best if you stayed away from that woman, Shiba Kūkaku, for a while."
Arata's body stiffened completely. He raised his eyes and met his teacher's all-seeing gaze, instantly realizing she had figured everything out.
The face that usually wore a gentle smile now carried rare seriousness, and he instinctively straightened up like a soldier before a superior officer.
"Teacher, I…"
"There's no need to explain, I've already learned everything from Captain Kurotsuchi." Unohana Retsu interrupted him, her voice still gentle.
Perhaps due to the Kendo tournament incident, or maybe with the silent approval of old Yamamoto, the information exchange between the 4th and 12th Divisions had become much more direct than before.
"I don't care about your relationships with other women, whether it's Rangiku, Isane, or now Shiba Kūkaku…" When she got to that point, Unohana Retsu carefully raised a soundproof kidō barrier.
"But as a doctor and your teacher, I must warn you that pregnant women should avoid extreme emotional shocks."
She looked meaningfully at the unconscious Rangiku. "Especially if she were to see you getting close with another woman… the consequences could be unpleasant."
Unohana's words were heartfelt, both as a teacher's concern for her student and as a woman's reprimand and understanding toward a man she was involved with.
She was once an assassin obsessed with kendo, and her values were very different from those of an ordinary Shinigami woman. Polygamy, which the world finds difficult to accept, was nothing unusual to her.
Even when she found out that Arata had a relationship with her lieutenant, a noble from the Shiba clan, she only thought that the man she chose was strong enough and attractive enough.
And whether that would lessen his affection for her, Unohana Retsu wasn't worried at all, because she knew she was the only one Arata truly belonged to in his heart.
If possible, she only hoped she wouldn't die so soon. And if she had to die, let it be in his arms.
Because Arata was the kind of man capable of saying such words. That kind of confession might seem almost cruel, bloody, and raw to most people, but it suited her perfectly.
Arata's Adam's apple trembled, and he lowered his head in shame. "Teacher, you're right. I'll try to settle everything properly."
Unohana Retsu simply smiled gently, neither confirming nor denying, then turned toward the door. "I'll go check on Isane's progress with the medicine. Arata-kun, stay here and watch over the patient."
Before closing the door, she looked at Arata once more, then at Rangiku who lay peacefully on the bed, and in her eyes flickered a faint, inexplicable envy.
If only she were the one pregnant…