"Saito-senpai, is it because you were born not liking to smile that you never smile?"
Kenpachi stared aggressively at Saito, whose face had turned livid. In truth, he was merely returning the words Saito had once said to him. He himself did not enjoy wasting so much breath before a fight...
"You little brat! Do you think I'm really afraid of you? Don't push your luck!"
Saito was no pushover either. At the very least, her mouth was no pushover. After Kenpachi repeatedly mocked her, she could no longer restrain her temper and fired back at him.
"Alright! Alright! The two of you, stop arguing..."
Seeing that Saito and Kenpachi were about to begin a war of insults, Araki immediately rose from his seat and tried to smooth things over.
"Hmph! For Araki's sake, I'll spare your life today."
After hearing Araki's words, Saito readily took the way out he offered, though her words remained as stubborn as ever. At the same time, she secretly rejoiced. Sure enough, Araki was still on her side. All her efforts over the years had not been in vain...
"Hmph!"
As for Kenpachi, after hearing Araki's attempt to mediate, he merely snorted and could not be bothered with the secretly delighted Saito.
"You've misunderstood! What I mean is, there's no need for any more nonsense. Let's begin the Captain's Challenge right away!"
Just as Saito was secretly pleased and Kenpachi was stewing inside, Araki's voice slowly rang out beside them again.
"Huh?!"
At those words, the corners of Saito's mouth, which had been curling upward, immediately drooped. The smile on her face vanished without a trace once more.
"Hahaha..."
As for Kenpachi, he had already started laughing right in front of Saito. He was now considering what pose he should strike as his victory