After bidding farewell to Rukia and Isane, Duan Mu stepped into the Comprehensive First Aid Station building for the first time in a long while.
After the Ryoka invasion, the place had returned to peace once again. The lobby was no longer crowded with people as it had been during the invasion; only a few squads of Soul Reapers were tending to customers with minor ailments.
"Mr. Duan Mu."
The Soul Reaper on duty today was Konai. The moment she saw Duan Mu, she brightened. "You haven't come by in quite a while. The last time I saw you was at the women's dormitory, when Captain Kotetsu was helping you away. I was right beside you."
At that, the gentle smile that had just appeared on Duan Mu's face stiffened.
But then he hesitated before asking, "Did I say anything after I got drunk last time?"
"Huh?"
Konai froze slightly. She frowned and thought for a long while before saying, "You only said that you wanted to challenge Captain Unohana... Oh, and when the captain wasn't there, you refused to leave no matter what anyone said. You just sat on the steps outside the captain's door, saying that you wouldn't leave until she came back."
"Hahaha~~"
At this, Konai couldn't help bursting into laughter. "Mr. Duan Mu, when you're drunk, you seem especially cold. You're practically a completely different person from usual. But after getting used to your normal self, suddenly seeing you with another face feels especially fresh... Ah, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with how you normally are."
"It's just that even Captain Kotetsu, who spends the most time with you, said afterward that you seemed quite fresh at the time. She said that whenever people normally saw you, you would instinctively wear a smile, as if