Just a minute before Maki and Unohana were fighting,
Nemuri, Mei, and Nemu rushed toward the chamber where they had finally sensed Maki.
But when they arrived, many examinees needed help. They had to do their job first, no matter what. After everything was settled, they rushed toward Maki.
When they arrived, they saw Unohana.
But she felt different.
Her long hair was loose, and her expression was something they had never seen before. They didn't know what had happened. And when they looked at who she was fighting, it was like an anomaly.
But that face…
It was Maki.
Yoruichi seemed to notice the new arrivals and told them what had happened.
And of course, they couldn't believe it. Even if they were seeing it with their own eyes.
The man standing there wasn't just any man. A man with two authorities. A man in transformed Arrancar state.
And the most shocked of them all was Nemuri.
She didn't know Maki could do this. He had told her he could transform, but this… this was something she hadn't known.
Nemuri listened carefully to there explanations and—
Then she heard that Maki was acting blind and calling Unohana by her name.
That was when she understood exactly what had happened.
He was drunk.
And not just any drunk.
Maki had been diagnosed with Pathological Intoxication, a rare condition where a very small amount of alcohol causes an extreme, sudden, and often strange reaction, including visual hallucinations and distorted perception of faces.
Because Maki refused to leave his condo, Nemuri had arranged for doctors to check on him every five months at her place. They were the same doctors who had helped him when he first collapsed.
One thing she had learned was that Maki was not good with alcohol.
So she prohibited him from drinking.
The first time he got drunk, he had called Nemuri by a different name and asked for forgiveness.
It had left her completely dumbfounded.
When the doctor diagnosed him, everything became clear.
He had been seeing Nemuri as his mother.
She didn't know what had happened in his past or why he was asking for forgiveness. But seeing him like that made her decide not to question it. Instead, she forbade him from ever drinking again.
She didn't know what would happen if he got drunk and started seeing his mother's face in other people.
Then you might ask why he saw Nemuri in Unohana.
Because he had grown fond of Nemuri. They lived together. She was the only woman constantly beside him. Over time, that familiarity blurred into something deeper in his mind.
Now, Maki was seeing traces of Nemuri everywhere.
And because he was a light drinker, he was prone to temporary prosopagnosia during intoxication. Heavy drinking could make him struggle to recognize faces properly.
Because of this, Nemuri understood what had happened.
She explained it to the others, knowing they might misunderstand him. And that would not be good.
Or maybe she was just being protective.
She told them that, right now, Maki was seeing everyone as her.
Which made them all raise their eyebrows.
How did she know that?
That was when Mei said that the man Nemuri had always been bragging about, the one who accomplished all those feats… was him. Maki.
That made them even more dumbfounded.
But they didn't ask more questions.
Because they heard Unohana scream, asking why.
They saw Maki's blood pouring out, which made Nemuri step forward, but Yoruichi stopped her.
Nemuri could do nothing but watch as he got hurt.
Then they saw Maki turn the match around. Unohana was acting strangely. And they heard her say, "Take my life."
Those words hit them like a shockwave.
They didn't understand why she was giving up her life over this.
Isane was trembling. She wanted to scream and run toward her mother, but Konan held her and sealed her mouth with her ability.
They all watched as Maki approached Unohana.
They were thinking the same thing.
Is he really going to kill her?
They wanted to scream and stop him.
But all they saw was his hand rising—
And bam.
He slapped Unohana.
They heard him shouting, grabbing her collar, slamming his head toward hers.
"We need to stop him. He won't stop when he acts like that," Nemuri said.
She asked Mabui to send her.
Mabui did.
Nemuri appeared behind Maki.
Then she used her quirk to make him sleep.
And of course, Maki fell asleep.
And he collapsed against Unohana.
Nemuri walked closer to the sleeping Maki, who was resting against Unohana's shoulder.
Unohana remained seated.
She closed her eyes and stayed silent.
Nemuri hesitated before speaking.
"A-are you alright, Unohana-sensei?"
Unohana did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained closed. After a moment, she whispered softly,
"Nemuri… I lost."
Nemuri said nothing.
She only clenched her fist.
Suddenly, Yoruichi appeared before them. With her usual casual tone, she spoke.
"Hey, Retsu. From the very beginning, you wanted him. So stop pretending. I saw it. You intentionally lost, didn't you?"
Unohana slowly turned her head toward the man resting against her shoulder.
With trembling hands, she gently patted his head, her fingers brushing down through his hair.
Her voice was quiet.
"No… I did lose."
(ヽ´ω`)
(.･´д`･.)