Wait, I Need a Basin!

Chapter 36: Wait, I Need You to Use a Basin!

The cafeteria could be considered the liveliest place in the entire 5th Division. Especially at this hour, which was prime mealtime, there were countless Shinigami coming and going—some wearing their Shihakusho with Zanpakuto at their waists, others in light sleeping robes, ready to head to bed right after eating.

Although the Shinigami were strictly disciplined, there was no rule against chatting in the cafeteria. Furthermore, the captain of the 5th Division, Aizen Sōsuke, was a very gentle man who didn't burden his subordinates with too many rigid constraints.

Therefore, whenever mealtime arrived, the members would gather in small groups to chat about which beauty from the Shino Academy had just graduated and which division they were choosing, or to discuss Kidō techniques. The cafeteria was truly buzzing with noise.

When Wu Biao arrived, the cafeteria was packed with 5th Division members. Some were sitting in groups, eating and chatting, while others were standing in long lines waiting to be served!

"Whoa, it's really lively in here!"

He walked in through the main entrance, but no one paid any attention to Wu Biao. Even those who did notice him only cast a strange glance at his clothes and backpack before ignoring him entirely.

The news that 5th Division captain Aizen Sōsuke was gentle and treated his subordinates well was still circulating in the Shino Academy, which led many graduating Shinigami to choose to join the 5th Division.

Since a new batch of Shino Academy graduates had just joined the division, the veteran Shinigami here subconsciously assumed that Wu Biao, a fresh face, was just another new recruit.

"Hey, kid!"

Just as Wu Biao was observing the cafeteria, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and patted his shoulder.

Wu Biao turned his head in confusion and found that the owner of the hand was a middle-aged Shinigami with a thick beard, who was looking at him with curiosity. Seeing the confused look on Wu Biao's face, he laughed, "You look pretty new. How long have you been here?"

Wu Biao blinked. What did that mean?

Was he asking when he arrived?

"I just got here today!" Wu Biao answered directly. He had indeed arrived in the Soul Society just today.

The bearded man was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the travel backpack on Wu Biao's back. Clearly misunderstanding something, he nodded knowingly and said, "I was wondering why you'd bring such a big bag to the cafeteria. So, you little glutton didn't even go to the barracks to drop off your luggage, you just ran straight to the cafeteria!"

"Barracks? What are those for?"

"Haha, you're a funny kid!" The bearded man chuckled. "The barracks are obviously for sleeping! You don't go to the barracks to eat, do you?"

A place for sleeping?

Wu Biao immediately lost interest. He was here to eat, not to sleep, and he was planning to go find Rukia and that sissy after he finished his meal.

"Right, brother!" Wu Biao, who had been planning to ignore the bearded man and go straight to get food, stopped before he could take a step and turned back to ask, "Brother, do I have to pay to eat here?"

"Pay what?" The bearded man was stunned for a moment before he finally realized what was meant, and he burst into a fit of laughter: "Hahahaha, kid, you must be from the Rukongai!"

Wu Biao was stunned at first, then remembered the place where they had landed. He recalled that black cat saying it was called the Rukongai.

Thinking of this, Wu Biao looked at the bearded man with suspicion: "Yeah, I came from over there. How did you know? Have you been following me?"

He had completely forgotten his status as an intruder; or rather, Brother Biao's simple brain hadn't even considered that possibility.

Eat when hungry, and once finished, beat everyone here to the ground!

That was Wu Biao's plan.

"As if you're some kind of treasure worth following!" The bearded man looked at Wu Biao's clothes, which were tattered and stained with red spots from the various battles he'd fought, and shook his head in disdain.

"Only someone from the Rukongai wouldn't know that the division cafeteria is completely free. Those noble kids from the Seireitei have their families explain everything to them before they even join a division. Besides, with those rags you're wearing, no one would believe you're a noble anyway!"

"Holy crap, completely free? This place is great!" Wu Biao looked surprised.

"The good stuff is yet to come. I'm from the Rukongai too. Becoming a Shinigami means we've shed our status as commoners. In the future, our descendants can live directly in the Seireitei, without having to worry about Hollow attacks or starving to death like in the Rukongai!"

"Is that so? Then can I eat as much as I want until I'm full?"

"Duh, obviously! You can eat as much as you want!"

Hearing this, Wu Biao became excited and turned to run toward the food line!

"This kid..." The bearded man shook his head with a smile. "Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Wu Biao!"

Wu Biao shouted back without looking, then joined the back of the line, his face full of anticipation. As he moved forward along the long queue, the Shinigami at the table next to him were talking to each other, and they seemed to mention him.

"Have you heard? Someone apparently broke into the Seireitei today!"

"No kidding, it would be weird if you hadn't heard the announcement that spread through the whole Seireitei!"

"But I heard they were supposed to be really strong!"

"Being strong is useless. Didn't you hear the announcement? They're just a commoner with no spiritual pressure. They've probably already been caught and locked up by some passing Shinigami."

Wu Biao opened his mouth, wanting to go over and show these small fries whether being strong was useful or not, but thinking about how he still needed to get his food, Brother Biao pulled his hand back.

"Once Brother Biao finishes eating, I'll beat you all to the ground!"

After making this secret decision, Brother Biao continued moving forward along the line.

A few minutes later, it was finally Wu Biao's turn to be served. The cook glanced at him casually and reached for a tray to serve him.

"Hey buddy, hold on!" Wu Biao called out.

The cook looked up, looking impatient: "What now?"

Wu Biao pointed to a wooden basin about the size of a washbasin that the cook had tossed to the side: "Buddy, could you use that basin to serve me? I have a pretty big appetite!"

"Huh?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Shinigami at the surrounding serving windows all looked over.

"Are you kidding me!" The cook glared at Wu Biao with annoyance. "Are you a pig? That's a basin for serving rice; one basin is enough to fill a dozen people. Do you really think you can finish that much?"

"How could I not finish it? It's not even certain if one basin is enough!" Wu Biao replied, then shot a glance at the cook. "Just serve it like I told you. Don't think I don't know the rules. You can eat as much as you want here, it's definitely all-you-can-eat and free of charge. If you don't let me eat my fill, watch out, or I'll report you!"

"..." The cook's mouth twitched. Most people working in the kitchen were descendants of Shinigami, and most of them were those who couldn't become Shinigami themselves. So, when Wu Biao started acting tough, the cook hesitated for a moment before retrieving that wooden basin from the back.

However, as he scooped the rice, he cursed silently in his heart: I'll let you eat all you want. If you can't finish it later, I'm reporting you the moment the Vice-Captain arrives!

--

I almost died from drinking last night... Even though I haven't had a drink in years, I didn't expect two bottles of beer to nearly take my life. After taking my medicine at night, I slept for two hours before a headache woke me up. I didn't manage to fall back asleep until 8:00 this morning... I just woke up now...

(End of chapter)