Chapter 42

"So how much longer do I have to wait? I'm only here to ask a small favor." Ichigo Kurosaki spoke to Soi Fon with a headache.

"How rude. Lady Yoruichi is inside discussing something important right now. If you dare take another step, I won't go easy on you." Soi Fon's frown deepened. Why did people keep coming one after another to disturb Lady Yoruichi?

Seeing Soi Fon draw her sword and feeling the killing intent pouring from her, Ichigo had no choice but to wave his hands.

"I know, I know. I'll be good and wait for Miss Yoruichi to come out." A drop of sweat slid down Ichigo's forehead as he spoke helplessly.

Miss Yoruichi left Soul Society over a hundred years ago, and she still has such loyal subordinates? Ichigo thought, admiring Yoruichi Shihōin.

Before long, the door to the reception room finally opened. But to Ichigo's surprise, the person who came out wasn't Yoruichi, but Miyako Amamiya, whom he hadn't seen in over a day.

"Amamiya? Are you here to see Miss Yoruichi too?" Ichigo asked.

"Ichigo?" Miyako looked at him in surprise. "I've already finished talking with Miss Yoruichi. Did you need something?"

"Ichigo?" Hearing the familiar voice, Yoruichi stuck her head out as well.

"Miss Yoruichi, you're finally done talking." Ichigo let out a breath and glanced at Soi Fon, who had been staring at him the entire time, still shaken.

"Ichigo, have your injuries mostly healed already?" Yoruichi looked at him suspiciously. How had Miyako and Ichigo recovered so quickly? She had heard that Byakuya Kuchiki was still lying in bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks to Inoue's treatment, I can get out of bed and walk around." Ichigo patted his arm to show he was all right.

"I was able to leave the hospital because of Inoue's treatment too," Miyako added from the side.

"Oh, Orihime's healing ability really isn't something to underestimate..." Yoruichi said meaningfully.

"All right, back to the matter at hand. What did you come to see me for?"

"Oh, right, right. I almost forgot. I'm looking for seasoning to make curry. I figured you'd know a way to get some, Miss Yoruichi," Ichigo said.

"Curry, huh?" Yoruichi said, savoring the memory. "Soul Society really doesn't have that stuff."

"Come to think of it, aren't you going back to the World of the Living in a few days? Why are you craving it already? You really are a glutton," Yoruichi teased.

"That's not it!" Ichigo shouted. "Rukia asked me to come!"

"Rukia?" Miyako and Yoruichi looked at Ichigo questioningly.

"Yeah. It seems she wants to make it for Byakuya. So, Miss Yoruichi, can you help?"

Only then did the two understand. Now that the brother and sister had repaired their relationship, Rukia probably wanted to do something for Byakuya herself.

"Come to think of it, Rukia only got the chance to taste the World of the Living's delicious food because she wore a Gigai. The rest of us in the Thirteenth Division don't have that privilege. Whenever we go to the World of the Living, we're in soul form, so we don't get the same chance as Rukia," Miyako said wistfully. "That's so nice. I want to eat the World of the Living's delicious food a few more times too. It's been so long since I last had any."

"More times? So long?" Yoruichi asked in confusion.

"Oh, come to think of it, I haven't told you about that yet." Miyako came to a realization. "Actually, I'm a soul who died in the World of the Living. If you count my age, I'm really only a few years older than Ichigo."

"Whaaaaaat?" Ichigo and Yoruichi exclaimed in shock.

"Amamiya, you died in the World of the Living?" Ichigo asked in surprise. As far as he knew, people in Soul Society, especially those in the Seireitei, were often hundreds of years old, and plenty were decades old. Someone Miyako's age was very rare.

"Well, I'll tell you about that another time." Miyako continued being a riddle-speaker. He couldn't say how he had died yet. And judging by Yoruichi's expression, it seemed Kisuke Urahara hadn't told anyone else the date of his death either.

"But Ichigo, you and Rukia are being far too careless! How can you make curry with simple seasoning?" Miyako scolded seriously.

"Isn't curry just a matter of boiling some seasoning and adding ingredients...?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

"Sweet! Too sweet! You're far too naive!" Miyako lectured. "The main ingredients of curry include turmeric, which is the main source of its color. Then you add spices like chili, star anise, pepper, and cinnamon, and mix them in the right proportions to make that fragrant, spicy, yellow curry!"

Everyone looked at the astonishing aura radiating from Miyako and couldn't help swallowing.

"Curry made from a seasoning packet has no soul at all!" Miyako cried out from the bottom of his heart.

In his previous life, Miyako had come from a gourmet empire, and he knew a thing or two about the subject himself. But after coming to Soul Society, he had lost his appetite for food.

"Because all the cooking in Soul Society is hundreds of years behind the times! How am I supposed to stand that?" Miyako said, feeling like crying but unable to shed a tear.

"I never knew you knew so much about cooking, Amamiya," Ichigo said with admiration.

"Of course! I'm a mature adult!"

"Well, well, well, now you've got me interested. All right, it's decided. I'll bring back all the ingredients Amamiya just mentioned! Once you've made it, I want a taste too!" With that, Yoruichi immediately jumped out of the room, saying goodbye to Ichigo and Miyako.

"Lady Yoruichi, please wait for me!" Soi Fon said hurriedly, following her.

"Amamiya, do captains in Soul Society have that much free time?" Ichigo asked curiously, pointing after Soi Fon.

"Captain Soi Fon... Her situation is a little unusual, I suppose. If it has anything to do with Miss Yoruichi, she'll throw herself into it without hesitation." Miyako spread his hands and replied helplessly.

"Is that so..." Ichigo looked conflicted, unable to understand.

"All right, let's head back first. Has Rukia started gathering the ingredients already?" Miyako asked.

"Probably. I told her what ingredients we needed when I left. She should be busy in the kitchen on the second floor of the Fourth Division's General Infirmary," Ichigo said uncertainly.

Rukia? Kitchen? Alone? Busy? Miyako suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Hey, Ichigo. Did Rukia ever go into the kitchen in the World of the Living?" Miyako asked quickly.

"Huh? Well, our school did teach cooking, and I think Rukia learned it too?" Ichigo said, thinking back.

"Then did Rukia ever actually do any cooking herself?"

"I think Inoue helped her with most of it. You mean..."

"Rukia joined a noble clan before she graduated, and nobles don't need to cook for themselves..."

Although Rukia had lived in Rukongai for so long, Miyako didn't know how well she could cook. Besides, that had all been decades ago.

The two exchanged a glance. A drop of sweat fell from each of their foreheads at the same time, and they immediately turned and raced out of the Second Division.

"Captain, this document needs your seal." Marechiyo Ōmaeda arrived at the reception room with documents in hand, looking for Soi Fon. But the next moment, two gusts of wind swept past him, one on either side, blowing his documents away.

"Hey! Which division are you two from?! How rude!"

But Miyako and Ichigo had already run too far ahead to hear him.

"Rukia!" Miyako and Ichigo arrived on the second floor of the Fourth Division's General Infirmary and pushed the door open, shouting.

Seeing that the kitchen wasn't in the state they had imagined, both breathed a sigh of relief. But then they saw that something seemed wrong with Rukia's expression.

"Huh? Miyako, Ichigo? What's wrong?" Rukia's eyes were red, and tears were streaming from them.

Miyako and Ichigo exchanged a glance, thinking she was crying because her cooking was so bad.

"Rukia, there's no need to be so upset over something like this. As long as you made it, Captain Kuchiki will be willing to eat it." Miyako stepped forward to comfort her.

"Yeah, it's the thought that counts. Byakuya will definitely understand how you feel. Besides, the most important part of curry is the seasoning. As long as the ingredients are cooked, they'll be fine," Ichigo said, comforting her as well.

"What are you talking about? Why are you saying that?" Rukia asked in confusion.

"Don't put on a brave face, Rukia. It's not your fault you're bad at cooking. As long as your heart's in it, that's enough," Miyako continued.

"Even if you can't prepare the ingredients properly, there's no need to be so upset. Amamiya and I will help you," Ichigo said sympathetically.

Hearing this, Rukia finally understood what they were talking about. The onion in her hand began to deform, and veins bulged on her forehead.

"You two..." She lowered her head and began trembling all over. Miyako and Ichigo thought she was simply too moved, and both started forward to comfort her.

Suddenly, Rukia raised the onion in her hand and threw it at Ichigo, hitting him squarely in the forehead. The tremendous force sent him falling backward.

Miyako finally saw what Rukia had thrown and understood why her eyes were red and she was crying.

"Wait, Rukia, I can... ex-plain?"

Rukia didn't care about any of that. She raised her head and charged at Miyako, but didn't use her hands.

"Rukia, the same move won't work on me... Oof!" Miyako thought he had seen through all of Rukia's attack patterns and was sure he could dodge this time. But before he could finish speaking, he clutched his stomach and fell.

It was a headbutt...?

Rukia hadn't kicked at him again. Instead, she had rammed him with her head, rendering Miyako's dodge useless.

"You two actually look down on my cooking! It's just some simple ingredient preparation. What do you take me for, some sheltered young lady?!"

Ichigo stood up, rubbing his head, while Miyako still hadn't recovered. That had packed much more of a punch than the elbow strike.

"How was I supposed to know you were peeling an onion?! You just went and threw it at me, honestly," Ichigo complained. Fortunately, nothing like a kitchen explosion, a kitchen explosion, or a kitchen explosion had happened.

"Hmph. That's what you get for looking down on me," Rukia said, turning her head away in anger.

"Rukia, Ichigo and I weren't really wrong," Miyako said slowly, still clutching his stomach.

"What did you say?!" Rukia looked at Miyako angrily.

"Didn't you know that if you prepare an onion in water, it won't irritate your eyes?" Miyako said helplessly.

"Huh?" Rukia and Ichigo said in unison. Then Ichigo glanced awkwardly at Miyako as well.

"...So neither of you knew." Miyako sighed.

"It's just an onion. What's wrong with shedding a few tears? Look, I've already prepared the onions, potatoes, and carrots! All we need now is the seasoning," Rukia said stubbornly.

Miyako stepped forward and looked at the potatoes, carrots, and other ingredients, all cut into different shapes. He decided not to say anything more, lest he get beaten up again.

"Hahaha, Rukia, what is this...?" Ichigo immediately wanted to laugh at her when he saw them, but one look from Rukia made him swallow his words.

"Miyako, did you want to say something too?" Rukia smiled at Miyako, making him quickly shake his head.

Just then, the second-floor window opened, revealing Yoruichi. "Oh, you're moving pretty fast. Looks like we'll be eating curry soon."

"Miss Yoruichi, that fast?!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"I'm Yoruichi, the Flash Goddess. This was nothing. Here, everything Amamiya mentioned is in here. Remember to send a few servings to the Second Division when you're done." Yoruichi dropped the package and turned to leave.

"Great, it's finally here." Rukia opened the package excitedly, but what was inside left her stunned.

"Wh-what is all this?!" Rukia cried in frustration. The contents of the package were completely different from the curry seasoning packets she had seen in the World of the Living.

"These are the real ingredients needed to make curry seasoning: chili, star anise, pepper, cinnamon..." Miyako stepped forward and said wistfully, "I've finally seen them again."

"Miyako, what's going on?"

"Ah, I happened to run into Amamiya while I was looking for Miss Yoruichi at the Second Division. We got to talking about curry, and Amamiya told us the real ingredients used to make it, so Miss Yoruichi brought these over," Ichigo explained from the side.

"Is that so... So it was you!" Rukia grabbed Miyako by the lapels and shook him wildly as she demanded, "How are we supposed to make curry with these spices?! How are we supposed to make curry in such a short time?! You, tell, me!"

Miyako was shaken almost out of his senses and hurriedly said, "Rukia, I know how! I know how! Don't worry, we'll have the curry ready in no time!"

Only then did Rukia stop.

"You know how? I've never heard that you could cook," Rukia said, looking at Miyako suspiciously.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem." Miyako was clearing his throat, so Ichigo explained.

"Amamiya said he became a soul in the World of the Living, so he still has his memories from before. He seems to know quite a bit about cooking."

"Why haven't I ever heard you mention that?" Rukia asked in confusion.

"Soul Society's culinary development is at least a few hundred years behind the World of the Living, and I don't have that much time to cook for myself either. That's why I never mentioned it to you." Miyako finally recovered and explained helplessly.

"You can make curry with just these? The World of the Living's cooking really is impressive," Rukia said admiringly, looking at the various unfamiliar spices in the package.

"I wouldn't know. My sisters handle the cooking at home," Ichigo said with a shrug.

"You really are useless, Ichigo," Miyako teased.

"Hey!"

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and teach me how to make it!" Although Rukia wanted to have Miyako make the curry himself, she remembered that she was making it for her older brother, so she had no choice but to ask Miyako to teach her.

Miyako and Rukia began making curry powder, but Rukia didn't even recognize all the ingredients, so Miyako had to teach her step by step.

After all the ingredients had been ground into powder and mixed in the proper proportions, the real curry powder was finally complete.

"By the way, Rukia, what kind of flavors does Captain Kuchiki prefer?"

"My older brother? He probably prefers things a little sweeter?" Rukia recalled the food at the Kuchiki Clan and realized that most of it was sweet. She couldn't help feeling glad, since she preferred sweets herself.

"Huh, I never would've guessed that guy Byakuya had a sweet tooth," Ichigo said in surprise.

"Rukia, are you sure you're not mistaken? The thought is the most important thing, but it would be even better if it suited his tastes," Miyako said seriously.

"Well, I'm not really sure either..." Rukia began to hesitate. She had only been judging from her own experience.

"Ichigo, could I trouble you to go ask the Kuchiki Clan's chef? I remember the Kuchiki Clan shouldn't be very far away."