One hour and thirty minutes have passed since the banquet began.
Rangiku Matsumoto and Yumichika Ayasegawa, displaying their characteristic drunken persistence, relentlessly questioned Renji and Rukia about every detail of their relationship, from their first meeting to their marriage proposal. Only then, looking satisfied, did they finally let the two protagonists go.
"What's next? When is the wedding?"
Ikkaku Madarame drank the expensive sake as if it were water, gulping it down continuously while asking questions.
" Rukia and I have discussed it, and we plan to just register our marriage and not have a wedding."
"After all, the revival has just begun, and it's enough for us to be here and receive everyone's blessings."
Rukia added something.
"No!"
Rangiku Matsumoto suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up, pointing her index finger at Rukia and Renji, who were staring wide-eyed.
You absolutely must have a wedding!
Rukia was momentarily overwhelmed by the other party's imposing manner and fell silent. Rangiku Matsumoto, unusually serious, looked at her and said, "It is precisely because of the current situation that we hope you can hold your wedding. Although we hear reports every day about which team's barracks have been repaired and which institution has reopened."
Those are all good news, but for everyone, they just mean returning to the status quo; there's no real progress.
Hearing the news of the restoration of Seireitei made me genuinely happy.
Although it's genuine, it still doesn't quite feel right.
"When I saw the message from Renji this morning, I thought it must be to announce the wedding, right?"
I haven't felt this excited in so long! I'm so thrilled! And you guys are saying we can't have a wedding?! How can you?! I absolutely won't allow that to happen!
After Rangiku Matsumoto finished speaking, she didn't show any of the savagery that comes with drunkenness; instead, she smiled gently.
Her eyes were a little red, not entirely because she was drunk.
Hinamori, whose tear ducts were particularly sensitive due to drinking, said, "I also hope you can have a wedding."
As she spoke, she burst into tears.
"Don't cry, don't cry... Hey! Abarai, Rukia! Hinamori is crying like this! You two need to take responsibility for the wedding!"
Holding Hinamori's head in her arms, Rangiku Matsumoto roared with increasing confidence.
"I feel the same way. Besides, Renji, if you two don't have a wedding, Captain Kuchiki probably won't just accept it silently, will he?"
Ichigo Kurosaki chimed in, putting himself in the other person's shoes. He thought, if someone were with his Yuzu or Karin, would they call off their wedding because of this pointless relationship?
He will definitely be furious.
" Captain Kuchiki definitely wants to celebrate no matter what. He'll be angry if you deprive him of the chance to congratulate you."
Yumichika Ayasegawa looked at Renji Abarai with a wicked grin, while his face visibly turned pale.
Having a brother-in-law like that makes it impossible not to feel pressured.
"It's quite rare for a captain to marry his adjutant; even with a grand celebration, no one will say much."
Hitsugaya gave his honest assessment, then quietly took a sip of his drink.
"Thank you so much, we are so lucky."
Rukia clenched her hands on her knees and looked at Renji.
" Renji, let's have a wedding. Since things have come to this, let's celebrate it properly."
Although her statement sounded somewhat self-deprecating, Rukia's eyes shone with joy.
Renji Abarai clenched his fist and punched the palm of his other hand. "Alright, let's put on a good show."
He replied with a smile, "Everyone should attend, so please take responsibility for encouraging them to come to the wedding!"
Upon hearing Renji Abarai's invitation, everyone readily nodded in agreement.
"Now that we've made the decision, we need to get the clothes ready quickly. I'll schedule my measurement appointment right now."
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Rangiku Matsumoto hurriedly took out her phone and started sending messages to the clothing store owner she knew.
" Matsumoto, I remember you just said that you had too many clothes and couldn't fit them all, so you took a wardrobe from my room."
Tōshirō Hitsugaya is completely unconcerned about clothing and has very few clothes, so they were initially kept in two wardrobes in the captain's room.
It's said to be two, but there's actually only enough for one.
He didn't really care that another unused wardrobe was taken away, but considering that the adjutant's room was already crammed with more than twenty wardrobes, even though he already had so many clothes, Rangiku Matsumoto still wanted to buy new ones.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya found it truly unbelievable.
"Well, to revitalize the economy, we should spend more!"
Rangiku Matsumoto answered confidently that she wasn't spending the money for herself, but for the Seireitei! To make a great contribution to the development of Soul Society!
"That's true, we should spend money even more at times like this."
Momo Hinamori believed Rangiku Matsumoto's excuse and was deeply moved, unaware that Rangiku Matsumoto had been ordering clothes at the same frequency before the war.
I need to prepare new clothes too.
" Hinamori, would you like to come with me?"
"Is it okay? Please let me come with you."
"Um, can I go too?" Isane Kotetsu hesitantly, raising her hand.
Rukia's eyes sparkled as she watched everyone's enthusiastic expressions.
" Lieutenant Matsumoto, and me too."
" Kuchiki, you can't do it. Your wedding kimono will definitely be prepared by Captain Kuchiki. He will definitely order the highest quality kimono for you. Just wait patiently."
Rangiku Matsumoto doesn't want to be chased and hacked down by Senbonzakura.
Rukia nodded somewhat shyly.
"Um, I've never attended a wedding before. What kind of attire should a man wear?"
Hanatarō Yamada timidly raised his hand to ask a question.
"Men can just wear uniforms; that's proper formal wear. I don't have the money to buy new clothes anyway."
Ichigo Kurosaki answered that his salary was quite good, but for some reason, Yuzu always seemed to want to empty his pockets.
He didn't have a girlfriend and didn't care much about any aspect of life, so he gave the money to the Yuzu for expenses.
"That's great." Hanatarō breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had money, but he had a problem making choices and had no idea which item to pick.
" Kurosaki, the reason you're broke is because you always spend money on Yuzu, right? Yamada, you can go to a clothing store, tell the staff your budget and what occasions you want to wear, and they'll help you find clothes that suit you. You can go and take a look."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Kira."
Hanatarō bowed his head repeatedly to thank Izuru Kira.
How do I look in a suit?
Yumichika Ayasegawa stroked his chin, feeling that he should also buy a new outfit.
"Of course it's suitable."
Renji Abarai answered.
"It's going to be even busier from now on."
Rukia murmured softly, her profile radiant with joy.
The recollection ends.
Ichigo Kurosaki a big sip of green tea, stood up, and said, " Captain-Commander Yamamoto, if there's nothing else, I should head back."
"Hmm." Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto nodded, stroking his beard, lost in thought. A banquet, indeed.
A wedding is a formal wedding banquet, which is somewhat different from a private banquet.
Perhaps he should get one too?
Thinking about those guys, they only made a brief visit during the Lunar New Year and left quickly.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto felt somewhat lonely.
He wasn't power-hungry, but he still cherished the time he spent with the captains, feeling like they were his children.
The current Shin'ō Academy is good, but teaching them to drink is clearly not a quality that a qualified adult should possess.
So Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto made up his mind to gather the team leaders for a drink and, incidentally, discuss what gifts to give to the newcomers.
Renji Abarai and Rukia need to be considered, as do Shiraishi, Unohana, Kotetsu, and Shiba.
That was the Captain-Commander's wedding.
The first of its kind in the history of Soul Society.
Because there were only two terms in total.
How could he, as an elder, not care at all?
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto Shunpo to leave from here.
The next second, he appeared at the door of the Captain-Commander's office, which he hadn't seen in a long time, and knocked on the door. "Come in."
The calm voice of the Captain-Commander could be heard coming from inside.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto pushed open the door and entered the newly built First Division, which was designed in the Tang Dynasty style rather than a modern one.
To prevent such an incident from happening again, Shiraishi used this revitalization project to lead the relocation of residents.
Three million will be retained in the Seireitei to ensure the normal operation of all institutions and their basic needs.
The remaining 94.3 million people will be gradually relocated to avoid another large-scale population gathering.
If a war breaks out, the losses will be too heavy; in just over a day, more than two million residents have died.
The restoration of Seireitei is complete, but there are still many issues to address, such as housing for a large population to relocate and land allocation.
Therefore, Rukia and Renji Abarai's reluctance to get married immediately is indeed due to some consideration.
" Old Man Yama, what brings you here?"
Shiraishi looked up and saw who it was, his expression showing some surprise. His attention was so focused on the documents that he didn't notice who the Reiatsu was three steps away from him.
"Isn't the question about your wedding plans?"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto strode forward aggressively, glaring at him and saying, "Such a big matter, and you didn't even consult me!"
"It's just a wedding, I thought Lie would tell you."
"She rarely communicates Heart Window with people; she usually speaks face-to-face."
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto retorted irritably, "Don't let Lie's beautiful appearance fool you, her thoughts are actually quite similar to mine. She finds things like cell phones quite troublesome and doesn't believe that such cold, impersonal words can represent a person's true feelings."
When there's something to discuss, they usually come to your door to talk directly.
With her Shunpo, she wouldn't waste too much time getting to any part of Seireitei.
"Oh, anyway, the wedding is set for September 9th. I've told the staff not to make it too extravagant, just a simple, token affair will do."
Shiraishi shared his wedding plans, saying that since they already have a child and have been together for so many years, the wedding is just a formality, something to go through.
"You idiot!"
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto roared in anger. Even he, a bachelor, understood the importance of a wedding. "A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so naturally it should be a grand affair. Who are you entrusting with the responsibility of this wedding?"
"Uh... let Renji and Rukia get a few more outfits."
Shiraishi scratched his head, feeling overwhelmed by the other side's momentum. Upon reflection, he realized that he hadn't taken the wedding seriously enough.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto frowned and said, "Hmph, you're going to let me take over? Honestly, you're so unreliable."
Despite his muttering, he was still somewhat happy to be able to contribute his remaining energy by helping the younger generation with the wedding arrangements.
These are the kinds of complicated tasks that elders are very willing to take on.
"By the way, how's Little Hō doing lately?"
When his daughter was mentioned, Shiraishi's expression was full of helplessness. A daughter grows up and leaves home; she'll never again linger in his office like she used to, choosing instead to go out and play.
A while ago, I was hanging out with those rude guys from the 11th Division, and what's worse, I learned to swear like "You bastard, die!"
Humans seem to possess a superpower of innate talent for swearing.
No matter the language, swear words are definitely the fastest to learn.
"She's at the Research and Development Institute, Mayuri Kurotsuchi learn new things. I told Nemu to be careful not to teach her anything strange. I really want to hand her over to Kisuke Urahara."
Shiraishi frowned slightly. If he left there, Mayuri Kurotsuchi would really be furious. He couldn't tolerate his granddaughter going off to Kisuke Urahara.
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto asked in confusion, "Didn't Zili say a while ago that she was going to join the 11th Division?"
"Don't even mention it! I will never let my daughter become a battle maniac or a mad scientist!"
Shiraishi didn't want his daughter to one day come out with a knife, yelling, "You stinky old man, I'm going to beat you today!" or "Dad, can I dissect your body?"
In short, his little darling must never go bad!
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto shook his head. Even the strongest man would feel helpless when facing his own daughter.
He pushed open the window and Shunpo left.
In the afternoon, Tōshirō Hitsugaya received an invitation from the Captain-Commander to attend a banquet at his mansion.
The Captain-Commander has two residences, one located at the Shin'ō Academy and the other in Shiraishi District.
To avoid being noticed by Shiraishi, the banquet was held in a house next to the Shin'ō Academy.
Thanks to the reconstruction after the destruction, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was finally able to have a Japanese-style mansion, with everything arranged according to his previous residence in Soul Society.
As people get older, they become nostalgic. Even though they know that new things are better, they still choose the environment that makes them most comfortable because of their sentimentality.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya brought gifts but didn't invite Matsumoto. This was a private meeting for the captain, and the vice-captain didn't need to attend.
Secondly, Rangiku Matsumoto was busy shopping for clothes with Momo Hinamori and the others, so she didn't have time to attend the banquet.
" Captain Hitsugaya, you've arrived."
The gatekeeper was Chōjirō Sasakibe, dressed in a tailcoat and tie, with his hair combed back, looking very much like a butler.
"Hmm, what's the matter that the Captain-Commander suddenly called us for?"
Tōshirō Hitsugaya still couldn't shake the habit of calling out that familiar name at this point.
"It's said they're discussing the details of Captain-Commander Shiraishi's wedding."
Chōjirō Sasakibe turned around and led him in the direction where the captains were.
As soon as he opened the door, Tōshirō Hitsugaya saw Kenpachi Zaraki and Mayuri Kurotsuchi be drawn.