Kūkaku Shiba wasn't in a hurry to attend the tea party. She wanted to go home, wash her hair, take a shower, and change into clean clothes so that her beauty wouldn't be overshadowed by them.
She didn't want to lose face.
Humming a song, she applied osmanthus-scented shampoo to her hair, then washed her body, using the showerhead water to wipe away the dirt from her skin.
I just quickly washed myself in the lake, and I couldn't even wash away the floral scent on my body.
She was just too hungry to care about hygiene and rushed to the cafeteria to eat.
It was a real fourteen days and fourteen nights, so crazy that even she could hardly believe it was true.
The initial plan was to finish the fight in one night, but perhaps because it had been so long since they had seen each other, the passion that erupted was unstoppable.
In addition, Shiraishi's muscles were more defined than before, and his attacks were more intense, making her feel like she was melting. Her mind seemed to burst out of her head and float on the clouds, so she forgot about the passage of time.
The price to pay is back pain, numbness in the hands and feet.
When she got excited, she completely forgot about bones and was willing to cooperate in any position.
"Hiss"
Kūkaku Shiba intended to rub his back, but when he twisted his waist, a wave of pain surged up, forcing him to stop. He muttered, "What a brute!"
"Big sister, is that you inside?"
"Um, Ganju, is there something you need?"
Kūkaku Shiba called out to the outside.
Ganju replied, "It's nothing, I just heard that Mayor Inoue seems to have something to discuss with Brother Shiraishi."
"Oh, Orihime has already met with Shiraishi."
Kūkaku Shiba casually replied, turned off the shower, picked up a towel, and began drying her hair, then used a bath towel to dry her body.
She endured the slight soreness, put on her proud battle attire: a fiery red short top and a light white slit long skirt, and combed her black hair back into a braid.
Stand in front of the mirror and look at yourself repeatedly. Great, no problem.
Kūkaku Shiba grabbed a bunch of bath towels and hand towels, stepped outside, threw them into the washing machine, poured in detergent, and pressed the button. " Ganju, I need to go back to Soul Society."
Oh, are you coming back today?
The Ganju asked a question.
We'll see.
Kūkaku Shiba couldn't say for sure whether he would be able to return after the tea party, but Hanho gave an answer.
... Soul Society.
A white cloth fluttered in the air, then slowly drifted down onto the rectangular tabletop.
Her fair fingers smoothed out the wrinkles, and she placed a carefully crafted Flower Arrangement in the center, using a layering technique.
Roses, carnations, starflowers, peacock flowers, chrysanthemums, and more are arranged in a regular pattern, like waves of the sea, with no gaps, giving one the illusion of being immersed in a sea of flowers at first glance.
After setting up the table, Retsu Unohana walked to the window, lifted the white curtains, and opened the window.
A gust of hot wind hit me in the face.
The midday sun shone brightly, the circular river sparkled, and the Western-style buildings resembled a painting, exuding a sense of peace and tranquility.
The only drawback is that the originally epic and magnificent church looks a bit ugly because the statues belonging to Aizen and the Espada were dismantled.
The Shinigami did not hide the fact that they had seized power and exposed Aizen's evil deeds.
Unsurprisingly, the inhabitants of the Divine Realm did not believe it, and even regarded the witness as a lackey.
Given the disparity in strength, whether they believe it or not will not affect the overall situation.
The Arrancar have been relocated to Hueco Mundo, and with the suppression of several Espada, there shouldn't be any major problems in the short term.
What the future holds depends on how well the follow-up work is done.
There are many things to do, and the overall postwar reconstruction work is proceeding slowly but systematically.
Despite her busy schedule, Retsu Unohana took time out of her busy schedule to hold a tea party because she felt it was necessary to establish rules before the problem became serious.
She didn't want the relationship between them to become too strained, as that would put Shiraishi in a difficult position.
It's quite amusing to see him act so pathetic sometimes.
If things escalate to the point where they can't be controlled, that's not a good thing.
Retsu Unohana stretched, a helpless yet indulgent smile on her face. "Honestly, if you can't resolve conflicts, don't go around flirting with other women. In the end, I have to mediate for you."
"If you come back, I'm going to give you a good beating."
That being said, she still understood that, given that person's personality, he probably wouldn't dare return to Soul Society anytime soon.
We're counting on her to handle it.
Retsu Unohana sighed.
Someone stood at the window, raised their hand, and asked, "Lie, who are you thinking about?"
What do you think?
Retsu Unohana retorted with a smile, " Soi Fon was so angry with you that she almost drew her sword and charged at you."
"Haha, isn't that funny?"
Kūkaku Shiba let out a hearty laugh. She didn't dislike Soi Fon; she simply enjoyed teasing the kind of person who would get angry easily.
If you bring up height, figure, Shiraishi, or Yoruichi, Soi Fon will inevitably get angry; it never fails.
It amused her.
"There's a limit to bullying someone. If you keep bullying her like that, be careful that one day she might sneak up at night and kill you."
Retsu Unohana gave her a piece of her mind.
She spread her hands and said, "Hi, hi, do you have any snacks? I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten for over ten days."
Retsu Unohana raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and said, "You didn't actually sleep with him for over ten days?"
"Haha, aren't we awesome?"
"Really"
Retsu Unohana looked her up and down. Never-ending? That's quite an ability. It's not something that can be achieved by the strength of Reiatsu, but rather by a rare, massive amount.
"Leaving that aside, is there anything good to eat?"
Kūkaku Shiba touched his stomach, feeling that he was about to hear a gurgling sound again.
There are some baked cookies in that drawer. Don't eat them all at once; I'll cook you some noodles.
"Good"
Kūkaku Shiba took a bag of cookies from the drawer and returned to the table, only to find that the number of chairs in the room was wrong. Good heavens, there were seven! "How did they increase again?"
" Tier Harribel and Nelliel, they also have deep relationships with Shiraishi, though it seems they haven't reached that point yet. But you know Shiraishi's personality; if he shows even the slightest hint of desire, he'll take her down in a heartbeat."
Retsu Unohana's voice came from the kitchen as she began to boil water and cook noodles.
Kūkaku Shiba picked up the biscuit, took a bite, and found it to be crisp, slightly spicy, and refreshing to chew. It wasn't sticky at all and seemed quite dry.
"Mmm, your cookies are delicious, but why do you make them spicy?"
"Because I like spicy cookies."
"An irrefutable reason"
Kūkaku Shiba grabbed another handful, stuffed it into his mouth, and munched on it, saying, "Please put less chili on the noodles."
"I see"
Retsu Unohana gave a very affirmative answer, and then brought over a bowl of bright red noodles.
Kūkaku Shiba blinked and said, "Are you deliberately using this method to blame me for hogging Shiraishi for so long?"
This is already mildly spicy.
Retsu Unohana blinked, her face showing an extremely innocent expression, her eyes even clearer than those of a newborn baby.
Kūkaku Shiba was speechless. She lowered her head and began to shovel noodles into her mouth. After finishing a bowl of noodles with plenty of toppings, she was sweating profusely. She wiped her brow with a napkin and said, "Phew, that's enough. I'll never eat your food again."
"That's so unfair! I cooked noodles for you with all my heart!"
Retsu Unohana picked up the empty bowl and headed to the kitchen, instructing, "Put out the tea and biscuits. Keep an eye on the time; they'll be here soon."
"No problem"
Kūkaku Shiba shrugged, stood up, and took out cookies, cakes, and bread from the drawer, dividing them into seven portions.
Retsu Unohana came out carrying a pot of freshly brewed tea, smiling as she said, "Would you like a cup first?"
"Black tea?"
Kūkaku Shiba picked up his teacup.
No, it's matcha.
Retsu Unohana poured herself a full cup, took a deep sniff, and said, "I specifically learned the art of tea ceremony from Captain- Captain-Commander Yamamoto. What do you think of the taste?"
"For her, expecting her to appreciate the art of tea is perhaps a bit of a stretch."
The door opened, Soi Fon stepped into the room, dressed in a punk style, with a leather jacket, a necklace, and smoky makeup, seemingly trying to make herself look more mature.
In fact, she did achieve that.
With his striking black and red outfit, metal chains, smoky makeup on his small face, and a cold expression, he looked incredibly cool.
Kūkaku Shiba, resting her chin on her hand, said, "I'll talk to Yoruichi about you dressing like this later."
"You little brat, all you do is tattle."
Soi Fon retorted, a hint of panic flashing across her face, like a teenage girl secretly becoming a delinquent without her family's knowledge, only to be discovered by her sister's friend, leaving her only able to act aggressively to cover up her inner guilt.
" Kūkaku, please have some tea. Captain Soi Fon, please sit down. You look very beautiful in that outfit."
Retsu Unohana gently reminded Kūkaku to stop causing trouble, and then asked Soi Fon to sit opposite Kūkaku.
If you lower the position even slightly, Soi Fon will start making a fuss.
This person appears calm, but in some ways is inflexible; when faced with someone they dislike, they will confront them relentlessly and never back down.
Next to arrive was Isane Kotetsu, whose towering frame seemed to shrink to a mere 1.55 meters. He bowed deeply upon entering and said, "I apologize for keeping you waiting."
" Isane, sit here."
Retsu Unohana made Isane sit next to Soi Fon.
"Hi"
Isane Kotetsu nodded obediently, feeling extremely nervous. She didn't know why she had been invited to this tea party. They said there was something to announce, but what was it? The fourth person to arrive was Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
A moment of silence fell over the air.
" Captain Kurotsuchi, I shouldn't have invited you. I had Nemu attend the tea party instead."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved his hand and sat down casually, saying, " Nemu was summoned to the Soul King Palace by Senjumaru Shutara at the last minute, who said there were some shortcomings that needed to be addressed."
I'll attend the tea party in her place; thank me for that.
Retsu Unohana smiled and asked him to leave, "Please go back."
"You don't need to worry about me, please begin the meeting."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi waved confidently, feeling that his presence at this boring tea party, rather than conducting research at the Research and Development Institute, was a great honor.
They couldn't possibly be expelled; it's probably just that they're nervous.
Please go back.
Retsu Unohana repeated herself, her narrowed eyes opening as shadows gradually covered her face.
This expression shattered Mayuri Kurotsuchi's previous thoughts, and he was no longer so calm and composed. He didn't know how to explain the importance of his mission.
This was the first time Nemu had ever asked him to do something.
As a father, he didn't want to back down and disappoint Nemu, but he felt extremely embarrassed to say that reason aloud, and his tone became somewhat flustered as he said, "Ah, I already said... um, I didn't come here to cause trouble, it's just..."
"Please don't make me repeat myself a third time, Captain Kurotsuchi."
Retsu Unohana's attitude was very firm, and her already limited patience was worn down by his hesitant and stammering.