Chapter 168: Chapter 169: An Absolute Monster?!
Based on the position of the Seed of the Forest, Makoto could clearly determine that Fon was at the entrance to this underground space. She was swiftly heading in his direction.
Makoto lowered his gaze to check his current state. Aside from a white towel wrapped around his head, he had nothing extra on him—not even a shred of clothing.
This...
Instinctively, Makoto had always regarded Fon as a young girl in her prime, a mix of maturity and innocence. If she saw him like this, wouldn't her impression of him shatter completely?
Immediately, Makoto's first instinct was to get up.
Right now... putting on clothes might still be an option!
But just as Makoto began to move, he felt two claws firmly pinning his thighs, holding him in place within the hot spring.
Looking down, Makoto caught sight of a black cat beneath the water. Hidden under his body, it glared at him with eyes filled with a mix of warning and... an inexplicable shyness.
Wait a minute...
Makoto's eyes widened in disbelief.
This black cat—Isn't it Yoruichi? And right now, her position was practically...
Makoto froze in place, his mind blank from the overwhelming stimulus.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi, concealed beneath the surface, caught her first glimpse of Makoto's flustered expression. Her cat-like face curved into an unusually human smirk, full of mischief.
By the time Makoto regained his senses, Fon was already within sight at the far end of the corridor.
Clearly, leaving the hot spring now was no longer an option.
"Damn it…"
Makoto's thoughts spiraled into chaos as he grabbed the white towel from his head, pressing it down over the inappropriate scene beneath the water—and the black cat along with it.
Soi Fon, her face visibly anxious, had also sensed the only discernible spiritual pressure in the space—Makoto's.
Seeing Makoto's seemingly flustered expression and his bare upper body above the water, Fon's face froze.
She couldn't deny it. Normally, when Makoto was dressed in his shihakusho, his figure resembled that of Aizen—graceful and elegant, without any hint of excessive musculature.
But now, Soi Fon clearly saw the contours of his spiritual body's muscles—toned, understated, yet exuding immense power.
Fon's flash step faltered mid-stride. Her initial urgency melted into hesitation, tinged with embarrassment. She hesitated to approach Makoto but found herself inexplicably drawn to him.
More importantly, faced with this side of Makoto, she was at a complete loss for words.
Still, Fon couldn't shake the memory of a familiar black silhouette she had glimpsed just moments earlier.
Finally, she approached Makoto, her gaze nervously darting to the side, her face flushed as she stammered out, "M-Makoto… I'm sorry to intrude on you."
Makoto, equally embarrassed, had no idea how to respond.
Should he say, "It's fine"?
That would sound suspiciously like he was playing the part of some shameless rogue. Not exactly ideal.
Should he instead ask, "Have you eaten?" Like some casual conversation starter before inviting her into the hot spring?
The problem was, while the pool was large enough to fit ten people, it suddenly felt far too small to accommodate himself, Yoruichi, and Soi Fon at the same time.
In the end, Makoto forced a strained smile, doing his best to ignore the faint shadow of Urozakuro in the distance, who seemed to be enjoying the drama as though watching a play.
"Do… do you need something, Fon?"
"I…"
Fon stammered, her voice tinged with nervousness. "Makoto, have you seen a black cat anywhere?"
"A b-black cat?" Makoto echoed.
Recalling something, Fon's gaze turned sharp as she spoke through gritted teeth, "Yes. A black cat… very similar to the form Shihoin Yoruichi used to take. I think I saw it heading this way."
Makoto immediately understood why Yoruichi had hastily hidden herself beneath him.
Knowing Yoruichi's mischievous nature, it was likely she had taken this form in the past to tease Fon—perhaps even pulling a few pranks on her.
As a result, Fon was highly attuned to Yoruichi's black cat form.
Why Yoruichi didn't want to be discovered by Fon at this moment, however, was beyond Makoto's understanding.
Still, with the black cat now crouched between his legs, Makoto had no choice but to deny its presence. Revealing Yoruichi now would only make the situation worse.
"I haven't seen anything. I've been soaking here the whole time," Makoto replied.
"Really?"
Fon's sharp instincts, honed from years in the Omnitsukido, picked up on the unnatural stiffness in Makoto's tone.
More importantly, she was sure she had seen the black cat earlier.
If it had been anyone else, Fon would have immediately accused them of lying.
"Of… of course! Honestly, I don't even like cats. They're nosy, always clawing at things, and sometimes they bite. Besides being cute, they're completely useless…"
Makoto's voice faltered mid-sentence as he suddenly drew in a sharp breath.
At the same time, the towel pressed against his thighs twitched violently.
Fon instinctively glanced at the movement. Seeing the prominently raised section of the towel, which was now being forcibly propped up, her face turned as red as a ripe apple.
W-what… how is that even possible?
An absolute monster?!
Although Makoto had always viewed Fon as a naive and innocent girl, her experience in the Omnitsukido—specialized in assassination, reconnaissance, and surveillance—meant she was far from unworldly.
In fact, Yoruichi herself had once personally taught Fon about these topics using books and models.
But at this moment, Fon felt her worldview collapsing under the sheer weight of the situation.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying!!!
This was beyond anything she could comprehend.
As her mind struggled to process and compare what she was witnessing, Fon found herself in a state of complete cognitive dissonance.
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