Stars and Wild Dogs

According to her subordinate Ōmaeda, Dōsan Hanyū was quite fond of alcohol, enough to rival the notorious drunk Rangiku Matsumoto.

But could anyone imagine Rangiku Matsumoto refusing to drink, and even pouring her alcohol into someone else's glass?

Compared to Dōsan, wasn't she being too self-serving?

Soi Fon composed herself and raised her glass again. This time, rather than tossing it back with the same carefree abandon as before, she lightly touched her red lips to the rim and savored the drink.

The liquor was cold and strong, and it wasn't all she was tasting. There were also the joys and sorrows of Dōsan Hanyū's time with the Shiba Clan, and her own...

"Phew..."

Soi Fon gently breathed out a faint whiff of alcohol. A slight flush rose on her pretty face, and when she looked up again, her glass had been filled.

Soi Fon looked at Dōsan in confusion. Slightly tipsy, her expression and gaze were no longer so frightening. They were even a little cute.

Caught doing something naughty, Dōsan hurriedly lowered his head when Soi Fon looked over and gently pushed the glass forward.

So cute.

Perhaps she had once been the same way in front of that person, wanting to get close but afraid of sullying her radiance.

A star and a stray dog.

Two people who were utterly mismatched.

A fate that made it impossible for them to get along.

Soi Fon looked at the glass, an inexplicable feeling in her heart.

That person had once said that the third cup was for opening their hearts. Once they drank the third cup, they would be friends.

Taking those words to heart, she had never shared a third cup with anyone else in her life.

One "friend" should have been enough for her entire life.

But!

Perhaps it was because she empathized with Dōsan Hanyū's tragic fate, but this cup broke Soi Fon's taboo. Holding it in both hands, she drank it down in one go with considerable ceremony.

Dōsan was pleased with himself. I'm so wise.

Dōsan casually hefted the sake flask. There was less than half a cup left. How could he trick the young captain into drinking it?

Just then, the sound of sobbing suddenly came from across the table.

Dōsan looked up in disbelief.

The young captain had her hands braced on her thighs and her head lowered, her shoulders trembling constantly. Tears streamed from her eyes, glistening as they fell one after another. She was crying so sorrowfully, yet she was struggling not to make a sound.

Is this really the young captain I know?

And isn't this a bit much? I only made her drink three extra cups, and now she's crying.

Dōsan, the victim, somehow felt a little more guilty, and the hand holding down the sake flask kept trembling.

Soi Fon's uncontrollable sobbing was all the more heartbreaking.

I'm not as strong as you think. When I'm hurting, I have no one but myself to bear it.

After only three to five seconds, Dōsan couldn't withstand the young captain's barrage of tears any longer.

I only cheated you out of three cups, didn't I?

I'll pay you back with one!

Dōsan raised the sake flask and swallowed, his throat itching. Then he reached out, took the flask, and drained it in one gulp.

Three cups of wine went down, leaving nothing but sorrow in his heart.

Soi Fon was slightly tipsy and not entirely clearheaded. Happy memories of years past drifted through her mind until a surge of Spiritual Pressure suddenly erupted across from her.

In an instant, Soi Fon sobered up by eighty percent.

What's going on?

Before Soi Fon's eyes, Dōsan's pupils turned pitch black. The killing intent rising from him made her heart skip a beat, though the effects of the alcohol had yet to fade completely.

Such intense killing intent.

A sharp glint flashed in Soi Fon's eyes. Without warning, she displayed godlike speed, extending her hand and holding her palm flat in front of her.

Her block stopped Dōsan Hanyū's hand strike dead in its tracks.

The edge of his hand struck her palm, and Soi Fon felt a slight numbness spread through it.

He hadn't held back in the slightest. He had definitely used his full strength.

What's going on? Is Dōsan Hanyū trying to kill me?

No, that's not right.

Soi Fon looked up and got a clear view of Dōsan Hanyū's condition. He was obviously somewhat delirious.

Is this a Shiba Clan conspiracy?

Or...

The thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Soi Fon ruled out every possibility and muttered a curse. "Damn you, Ōmaeda!"

The Second Division Captain was causing trouble with someone in Rukongai after drinking.

To minimize the fallout, Soi Fon became a little more serious and took her stance. "I'll end this fight in one move!"

Soi Fon turned sideways, standing like a crane on one leg, and drew her right leg back to strike.

But the moment she assumed the standard Punishment Force stance she was accustomed to, her mind suddenly went blank for an instant.

"Damn it, it was that drink."

After going so long without alcohol, Soi Fon actually became drunk for an instant at this critical moment.

The two of them were too close. At this distance, if Dōsan had been clearheaded when he made his killing move, Soi Fon would have been seriously injured even if she survived.

Of course, things weren't much better as they were.

Coming to her senses again, Soi Fon's eyes went from dazed to sharp. Her arm moved, but she chose not to counterattack directly.

At this distance and in this position, if she chose to strike back, she would inevitably cause irreversible harm to the young man.

Dōsan wrapped his arms around Soi Fon and carried her flying into a wall, smashing through it.

The dense killing intent showed no sign of fading, and this time Soi Fon dispensed with anything fancy. Wind-attribute Spiritual Pressure flowed through her body, and a single pulse sent Dōsan Hanyū flying.

Amid the rubble, Soi Fon flicked her snake braid and gave her haori a slight tug.

"Let's begin!"

"Click."

With that mechanical, jamming sound, the scene had been captured at just the right moment by a Soul Reaper standing not far behind them with an old-fashioned camera as tall as a person.

Fifteen years ago, Kisuke Urahara's rebellion had severely damaged the Thirteenth Division's reputation throughout Soul Society.

To restore its reputation and counter some inexplicably appearing damaging reports.

The Thirteenth Division had modeled the Seireitei Communication on newspapers in the World of the Living, with Kaname Tōsen, Captain of the Ninth Division, serving as editor-in-chief. It published news for all of Soul Society.

At present, the Seireitei Communication's articles for Soul Reapers focused mainly on lighthearted entertainment.

The version for the departed souls of Rukongai leaned more toward public relations, showcasing the Soul Reapers' upstanding side.

As luck would have it, a Ninth Division reporter gathering material for the Seireitei Communication was conducting interviews near the sushi shop that day.

As luck would have it, Dōsan Hanyū's eruption of Spiritual Pressure caught the reporter's attention.

And as luck would have it, when Dōsan had Soi Fon pinned beneath him, the reporter turned his camera toward them, and with a click, captured this exceptionally rare scene.

In his previous life, this Soul Reaper editor had been a flop of a writer on a certain webnovel site. He had never managed more than a handful of bookmarks, let alone received many recommendation votes.

He had never expected to capture such a huge story after his death.

His grave in the World of the Living was probably billowing with auspicious smoke.