As Yuichi continued to meditate, he felt the familiar rhythm of reishi circulating through his body, harmonizing with his zanpakutō as it always did. The process was calming, though the mental strain of constantly pushing his limits was starting to wear on him. In the serene quiet of his room, Yuichi's mind began to drift. The soothing sensation of the reishi flowing through him, combined with the exhaustion from days of relentless training, lulled him deeper into a state of semi-consciousness.
Suddenly, a light shone pulling him from within his inner world, breaking his meditative trance. He blinked his eyes open and noticed that quite a bit of time had passed. The sun was already up, its bright rays streaming through the window of his room. Morning had come.
"Dammit!" Yuichi muttered to himself as he realized he was late for his sparring session with Mei. He had promised her the day before that they would spar, and now he was running behind.
He quickly gathered his belongings, running through the checklist in his head. He was almost out the door when the realization hit him like a cold splash of water—Mei wouldn't be waiting for him at the usual sparring grounds. She wasn't the type to wait idly when someone was late, especially after he had promised her a match. Mei would have gone to the underground training area where Miel was hiding. Yuichi felt his stomach drop…
As he rushed toward Sōkyoku Hill, where the entrance to the underground training area was located, Yuichi's mind raced with thoughts of how best to get Mei away from the area without raising her suspicion. He mulled over several ideas, but none of them seemed plausible. She wasn't the type to back down once her curiosity was piqued, and trying to distract her would only make her more suspicious.
Yuichi clenched his fists. Urahara had already found out about Miel, so it was only a matter of time before Yoruichi found out as well. Mei, who was under Yoruichi's orders to observe him closely, would soon know everything too. Trying to keep Miel a secret any longer was now a fool's errand.
"No point in hiding anymore," Yuichi thought grimly. "Better to reveal the truth on my terms rather than let someone else expose it."
Yuichi reached Sōkyoku Hill. As expected, he found Mei leaning casually against the hill's wall, her eyes closed as if she had been meditating, but he knew better—she was probably just waiting, silently fuming. She opened her eyes the moment she sensed his presence.
"You're late. A few days late as a matter of fact," she said flatly, her tone laced with impatience.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Yuichi replied, out of breath from running. "Got caught up in some training. Let's head inside."
Mei raised an eyebrow but didn't press further, though Yuichi could tell she was curious. She wasn't one to let things slide easily.
Yuichi used his entry token to unlock the underground training area, and together, they descended the narrow ladder that led to the chamber below. As they made their way down, Yuichi glanced at Mei from the corner of his eye. He needed to find the right moment to bring up Miel.
He swallowed, nerves bubbling up. Mei wasn't just any soul reaper—she was sharp, perceptive, and not someone who would easily be convinced if she thought something was amiss. If this went wrong, it could end badly for both him and Miel. He had to play his cards carefully.
"I've got something to show you," Yuichi said, breaking the silence as they reached the bottom of the ladder.
Mei's gaze shifted to him, her curiosity piqued. "Oh? You don't usually go out of your way to show me things, Yuichi."
Her tone wasn't accusatory, but there was a subtle edge to it, as if she were already trying to figure out what he was hiding. Yuichi pressed on.
"Just… remain calm, alright? I'll explain everything, but you have to promise not to attack her."
Mei's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Her?"
Without answering immediately, Yuichi called out into the training chamber. "Miel, you can stop hiding now. Come out. Mei won't hurt you, I promise."
There was silence for a moment, the kind that felt too long, and Yuichi's heart raced. He wasn't sure how Miel would respond—after all, he was asking her to reveal herself to another Soul Reaper, and there was no telling how she felt about that.
When Miel still didn't appear, Yuichi added, "She made a verbal promise. Mei won't hurt you. You can trust her."
Finally, there was movement in the shadows. A tiny insect hollow, barely the size of Yuichi's palm, fluttered out from the darkness, hesitating for a brief moment before returning to her normal size. The transformation was quick, her tiny form expanding into the full size of her hollow appearance. She hovered in the air, her form resembling a twisted, insectoid shape with a mask that was eerily reminiscent of a bee's face.
Mei instinctively reached for her zanpakutō, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Miel. Yuichi quickly stepped between them, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Wait, let me explain," he said urgently.
Mei's grip on her blade didn't relax, but she didn't draw it either. She stared at Miel with sharp eyes, her expression unreadable, "You'd better explain fast, Yuichi."
Yuichi exhaled, his heart pounding in his chest. "I came across Miel when I was out in the forest on my own. She was hurt and... well, she hadn't hurt any souls yet. I mean, she didn't kill anyone, not after I helped her. I couldn't just leave her there."
He embellished the story slightly, weaving in details to make Miel seem more sympathetic. It was true that Miel hadn't harmed anyone since he'd taken her in, but whether or not she had before that wasn't something Yuichi was too concerned about. He kept that part to himself, not wanting to complicate things.
"Since then, I've been working with her," Yuichi continued. "We developed a technique so that she could sustain herself by absorbing reishi from the air instead of eating souls. She's harmless now, I swear."
Mei's eyes flicked between Yuichi and Miel, suspicion still evident in her gaze. Yuichi knew he needed something more to convince her.
"Captain Urahara knows about her," Yuichi added quickly. "He's known for a while, and he hasn't made any moves against her. He said she's fascinating, actually."
That seemed to give Mei pause. Her grip on her zanpakutō loosened slightly, though she still looked wary. "Captain Urahara knows?"
Yuichi nodded. "He's been keeping an eye on her too. If she was dangerous, he would have done something by now, right?"
Mei was silent for a long moment, clearly weighing her options. Finally, she sighed and released her hold on her weapon entirely.
"Alright," she said, though her tone was cautious. "I'll trust you, for now, Yuichi. But if she steps out of line, I won't hesitate."
Yuichi nodded, relieved. "That's fair. I appreciate it."
Miel, still hovering nearby, let out a small, uncertain noise as she shuddered slightly. Mei shot her one last wary glance before turning her attention back to Yuichi.
"So," she said, her voice lighter now, "what else are you hiding from me, huh?"
Yuichi let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think that's enough surprises for now. Let's spar and we can talk more about that afterward."