Orihime Inoue blinked her big eyes. "Tsundere..."
"Don't say it out loud..." Muten Natsu warned. "That type needs two or three people to calm them down once they start crying."
"You're dead wrong if you think I'd cry over something like that." Uryū Ishida remained expressionless. "I don't care about evaluations that don't match my actual situation."
"I've got a question," Ichigo Kurosaki said, pointing at Uryū Ishida. "Did you seriously walk over here dressed like that?"
Uryū Ishida's outfit vaguely resembled a priest's robe, mostly white, with a short cape that barely reached his elbows.
There was also a glove on his right hand that hadn't been there before.
Uryū Ishida immediately bristled. "What's so weird about it?!"
Ichigo Kurosaki recalled what Uryū Ishida had just said. "If you're that bothered, doesn't that mean you think so yourself?"
Uryū Ishida: "...You heretic!"
"Alright, since everyone's here, let's get moving." Kisuke Urahara led them deeper into the shop and opened a hidden trapdoor in the floor. "There are a lot of things to watch out for on the way to Soul Society."
They descended a long staircase, and a massive space opened up before them. Grayish-yellow earth and stone stretched upward to a simulated sky, like a vast underground canyon.
"It's incredible!" Orihime Inoue exclaimed. "I never imagined there'd be such a huge space underground! This is so cool!"
Tessai Tsukabishi burst into tears. "What a wonderful reaction! Tessai is so deeply moved...!"
"Hehehe!" Orihime Inoue scratched her head shyly. "It's really nothing."
"Everyone, please look over here." Kisuke Urahara clapped his hands and snapped his fingers.
A black hole suddenly appeared in midair, spilling out ink-like black light. Square pillars plastered with white paper emerged and locked together, forming a rectangle nearly five meters tall.
"This is the gateway to Soul Society, the Senkaimon." Kisuke Urahara's expression grew serious. "Listen carefully. I'm about to explain how to pass through this gate without dying."
Muten Natsu reached out and lightly touched the Senkaimon. A luminous screen appeared before him, displaying detailed information. "Reishi Conversion Machine and Ketsugōfu?"
"That's right. As you all know, Soul Society is a world of souls. To enter it, one must become a soul." Kisuke Urahara continued. "But the only one who can move freely in soul form is Natsu-san, since he's a Shinigami. Even if the others' souls leave their bodies, they'll still be bound by the Chain of Fate, unable to move, let alone reach Soul Society."
Orihime Inoue looked at Muten Natsu. "So that's why we need the Reishi Conversion Machine?"
"Yes. Everything in the World of the Living is composed of Kishi particles, while the primary substance that makes up souls is Reishi particles," Muten Natsu replied. "The Reishi Conversion Machine transforms Kishi particles into Reishi particles, allowing you to enter Soul Society without your souls separating from your bodies."
"As for the Ketsugōfu, it's used for coverage and stabilization," Kisuke Urahara added. "The Reishi conversion itself isn't painful, and passing through the gate isn't difficult either. The real problem is time."
Muten Natsu raised his hand and tapped lightly. "Since this isn't a standard Senkaimon, we have to avoid temporal turbulence while also accounting for the effects of the Kōryū (Wresting Flow) and Kōtotsu (Wresting-Surge). How long can it last?"
"Four minutes." Kisuke Urahara laid out the danger plainly. "Once time runs out, the gate will close, and you'll be trapped forever in the gap between the World of the Living and Soul Society, the [Dangai]."
"To prevent Hollows and other external threats from invading, the Dangai is filled with Kōryū that immobilize souls," Muten Natsu warned. "If you get caught, you'll be carried along by the chaotic flow of time with no way to escape."
"So..." Black Cat Yoruichi stepped up to the gate. "Once you're inside, there's only one path. No hesitation. No fear. No looking back. Just keep moving forward. Only those who can do that may follow me."
"I was trying to scare them off..." Muten Natsu said helplessly. "Why are you turning this into a provocation?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Muten Natsu." Black Cat Yoruichi narrowed his golden eyes. "Do you really think anyone standing here would still hesitate?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Uryū Ishida stumbled backward several steps, panic written all over his face.
This guy was completely wavering.
All eyes turned toward him.
Sweat beaded on Uryū Ishida's forehead as he raised both hands defensively in front of him. "Th-th-this… what is going on here?"
He cautiously pointed at the black cat, Yoruichi. "What is that thing?!"
Orihime Inoue answered as if it were obvious, "A cat."
"Of course I know it's a cat!" After confirming that it wasn't about to suddenly pounce, Uryū Ishida relaxed a little. Still pointing at Yoruichi, he snapped, "I'm asking why a cat can talk!"
"So rude." The black cat Yoruichi sounded distinctly displeased. "Don't point at me."
"Ah… my apologies." Uryū Ishida pulled his left hand back to support his right elbow and pushed his glasses up several times in quick succession. "To lose my composure like this… how disgraceful…"
"Exactly," the black cat Yoruichi said in full agreement. "It's just a talking cat. How pathetic."
"Shut up!" Uryū Ishida's worldview was on the verge of collapse. He was barely holding it together, and Yoruichi kept deliberately poking at it.
"What are you making such a fuss about?" Black Cat Yoruichi lifted a paw like a beckoning cat and casually waved it in Orihime Inoue's direction. "You should really learn from this girl."
"Yeah," Orihime Inoue said, completely unable to understand Uryū Ishida's reaction. "What's so strange about a cat talking?"
"Uh… is that so?" Yasutora Sado managed a full sentence for once. "I'm kind of traumatized, actually."
Muten Natsu reached out toward the black cat.
He was promptly scratched.
Orihime Inoue looked at Black Cat Yoruichi, then at Muten Natsu's hand as he pulled it back. She shuffled a little closer to him, lifted her head expectantly, and blinked her big eyes.
Muten Natsu hesitated, then reached out again and gently patted her head.
Orihime Inoue's eyes curved into happy crescents.
"Let me put it more plainly," Muten Natsu said softly, lowering his gaze. "The danger of passing through the Senkaimon is only the beginning. What comes after will be even more dangerous. I'm glad you want to help, but before this, you had no real understanding of the risks. If you want to back out, now is still the time."
Orihime Inoue rubbed her cheek against his palm, answering him with her actions.
Uryū Ishida finally regained his composure. "Anywhere a Shinigami can go, a Quincy can go as well."
Ichigo Kurosaki rolled his shoulders. "Anywhere Uryū can go, I can go too!"
Yasutora Sado clenched his fists. "Where Ichigo goes, I go."
"Good." Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi crouched on either side of the Senkaimon, pouring Reiatsu into it to activate the gate. "The moment I open it, you rush in. Get ready… go!"