Three months went by and Kisuke's experiment was progressing well. He would sometimes get a visit from Claire, who had already mostly recovered her mental health, and the other girls to check up on him. And even if Serafall was not saying anything about what's happening on the west side of the world, he could feel the surrounding Holy Power disappearing which means it was being absorbed and controlled by those 'faithful'.
'Did she teach them some Holy techniques? A Devil like her? That's pretty amusing.' Kisuke thought to himself while waiting for Soifon to walk out of the dressing room.
She's changing her clothes and most of it was ripped up after her sparring with Kisuke.
It didn't take too long for her to take a shower and came out while complaining, "Why the fuck are you so sturdy?"
"I've been improving myself too, you know? I figured that I can't depend on my regeneration all the time after it was rendered useless on one occasion. Enough about that. How are you feeling now."
Soifon placed her towel on her shoulder and stretched out her arms and legs a few times before twisting her body left and right, "All the discomfort I was feeling at first has completely disappeared. In fact, I feel way better than before."
"I made sure that I didn't put in any addictive substances but are you sure what you're feeling is not just euphoria?"
"Definitely not. I'm very careful about it and have ascertained the state of my body multiple times before answering you. Isn't it because of that? Magic Power and Ki. I've been getting the hang of it and the movement of my Spiritual Power is in no way affected unless I use two systems at the same time."
"Let's go back to the lab and have you take an in-depth check-up."
As Soifon followed Kisuke to his lab, she asked, "This is the tenth instance. Will we be taking a break after this?"
"That's the plan, but do you have something different in mind?"
"Let me stay in this body."
Kisuke became silent for a brief moment but he still continued walking in front of Soifon, "...That's a dangerous thought you're having. Not even funny as a joke."
"I'm serious."
Kisuke finally halted his steps and turned to face Soifon, "And I'm serious too. The moment you fuse with that body permanently, there's no going back. Forget about getting out of it unscathed, it could also mean the end of your career as a Shinigami. The moment it was discovered that you gained a physical body while maintaining your Shinigami powers and even learned something else in the process, you'd be lucky if Central 46 didn't think that you were doing something very dangerous and have you hunted down. And most dangerous of all, the Zero Division will see this as a threat to their duties and will come down baring their fangs. This is hardly about the results of the experiment but instead the storm you're causing due to crossing an invisible line."
However, even with all of that, Soifon calmly returned another question, "Isn't going past the limit of 30 days very beneficial to you since I'll produce more valuable data? I didn't think you'd disagree with me this strongly. Besides, all the reasons you gave hardly affect you and your group. If someone is sacrificing something, it'd be me."
Kisuke sighed strongly, "If Yoruichi was here, she'd strongly disagree."
"There's no point in mentioning someone who isn't here."
Kisuke thought that that would do the trick but it was instantly brushed off, "Did access to Magic Power and Ki affect your head? Aren't you just drowning in power and wanting more of it?"
From Kisuke's experiments, he discovered that Soifon was very compatible with Magic and that she was already capable of casting elemental attacks on par with Captain-level Shikai. In contrast to that, Yoruichi and Kisuke's compatibility with Ki and the main reason why they took the 'Reiatsu-Ki' route. He doesn't know if this is the side effect of the experimental body or Soifon's own individuality, 'By letting her settle in that body, I might be able to find the real reason out, but...'
"I won't deny that, but I can assure you that it isn't my motivation for this decision."
Kisuke carefully stared at her, especially her demeanor, "Hooh? It doesn't look like you're lying, but I could just attribute that to your skill."
Soifon shrugged, "What benefit would I get from lying to you? You'd basically be holding the leash of my life. Any dishonesty on my part means me being closer to death or maybe something even more horrific."
"I'm glad that you understand that, but I still can't really allow this. What's your motivation in the first place for you to act like this?"
"It's nothing amazing... I just want to become a pioneer."
"Pioneer?"
Soifon nodded eagerly, "I didn't say this to you, but after watching everything that you've shown me, something I kept dormant was stirred greatly. You could call it ambition, but it's my hidden desire to leave the shadows and walk in front of everyone."
Kisuke didn't interrupt and even urged her to continue speaking. He wanted to know where she was coming from after revealing this.
"All my life, I've been following orders. I don't see anything wrong with that since it's also a duty that I have to fulfill. However, since childhood, I have had these bouts of ambitious motivations whenever I see something amazing. I was able to grant this hidden desire of mine but only for a few moments."
Kisuke thought back and remembered that Soifon never really became the 'leader', 'Only for a few moments... Wait, could it be?'
"Shunkou?" Kisuke briefly asked.
Soifon nodded again, "When I thought I was threading a new path different from everyone else, it turned out Yoruichi-sama already mastered it."
"And now you could see a new path?"
"Yes. I can't stop thinking about it and these past few months it's getting harder and harder to hold myself back the more I learn about this Magic and Ki."
"And finally you decided to follow your heart regardless of the risk?"
"Don't get me wrong. I know it's risky, but I've still weighed it properly. If I knew that I'm just throwing away my life, I wouldn't even ask about this."
Kisuke became quiet again and Soifon looked at him with anticipation.
A few seconds later, Kisuke turned around and said, "I'll give you a day. Think hard and carefully about it. If you still haven't changed your mind by then, we'll proceed with what you want."
Soifon gleefully followed Kisuke who resumed his steps, "Fine. I'll give it my final thoughts tonight."
"However, never forget that you're not putting your foot forward but jumping into an abyss where you can never get out from."
"...I'll keep that in mind."