Kobe laughed hard at Jingoro's taunting. He stood up off of his Zanpakuto, which morphed into an Odachi at his belt in a red glow of light. He rested his arm on it, and replied to his friend with a smile.

      "Don't get cocky just because you're up in wins [i]for now,[/i]" Kobe looked away and shook his head, but his smile stayed denoting he was having fun already, "I'd tell you to step into a side street and we could settle this now if I wasn't so damn hungry. Let's go see what's on the menu," Kobe tossed his head towards the stalls and began stepping slowly to lead the way.

     The aroma as they drew closer was admittedly [u][b]heavenly.[/b][/u] Kobe tried not to think too hard about how eating worked in the Soul Society. If he was dead, he should have no sensation. In fact this should all be a construct of spiritual energy. How could he have taste buds to taste it with, if he didn't have a body? How could the food interact with those taste buds if they're merely a spiritual image left behind by his original body? Spiritual energy in the shame of a taste bud. Thinking about it made his brain hurt.

      Yet, as he bit into the takoyaki he ordered, he wanted to roll his eyes at the sensation. Real or not, the food here was the greatest thing he had ever eaten. 

      "What did you get Jin?" He said, turning back towards his friend and inspecting what he may have found amongst the rows of otherworldly eats. After Jin replied, Kobe pondered the question he had asked before they came for food.

       "I don't know if we have a choice. In getting strong. Like you asked. Don't you think it's survival of the fittest? If we're going to get strong, we will be strong. If we don't, we'll die,"

[@Brink]