"In that case, why don't we use this free time for me to teach you two how to make tea."
"What do you two think?"
Arata took a sip of tea. Although he appeared calm on the outside, his heart was actually beating faster and faster.
Rangiku was naturally open and relaxed, which was usually an advantage, but became a flaw when a man and woman sat together late at night.
He tried his best not to let his eyes drop to the white glimpses beneath her black yukata, but the contrast between the wet fabric and her skin, highlighted by the droplets here and there, objectively drew attention.
Arata didn't reject beautiful women, but at least for now, he wanted to be a good man.
Teaching how to make tea could also fall under the scope of his system's ability to change someone's fate.
"Teach us how to make tea? Is it hard?" Arata's offer immediately piqued Rangiku's interest. Relaxation after the hot spring, plus the fragrant tea she'd just drunk, made her feel especially comfortable.
But she'd never encountered this before, so she wanted to ask Arata how complicated it was.
If it was too hard, knowing herself, she probably wouldn't have the will to learn and would rather just come here whenever she could, just to drink tea.
"Making tea isn't hard. At least, it's much simpler than skills like Zanjutsu, Hakuda, or fighting Hollows," Arata said with a gentle smile.
It's enough to master the basic steps and techniques and remember the correct water temperature for each type of tea; already then, you can brew 80 to 90 percent of its full flavor. Unless the tea itself is of poor quality, it's unlikely to turn out badly.
Compared to techniques that require great talent, like swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and Hohō, tea preparation is truly simple.
"Okay, as long as it's not hard!" Rangiku responded first, leaning forward with excitement, resting her elbows on the low table and fixing her gaze on the tea set in Arata's hands.
"I mean it. If I learn quickly, I won't have to bother you every time!" She said it half-jokingly, half-seriously. Although it was both practical and nice to always come here for tea, it was still better to have the skill in her own hands.
Besides, Rangiku felt a little shameless constantly eating and drinking at the expense of a younger colleague. Arata was generous and didn't mind, but if it were someone else in his place, they'd probably already started complaining.
Isane was already intrigued, and seeing Rangiku volunteer, she had no reason to refuse. "In that case, please, Saito-san, give us two older ladies a little guidance."
She had always felt that the tea Arata brewed had a special, elusive flavor. If she could learn even a part of that skill, it would be useful both personally and for serving guests in the Fourth Division.
Maybe, once she mastered it well enough, she could brew a few pots of fine tea for Captain Unohana, and the captain might look at her more kindly and then her annual requests for days off would go through more easily.
Two birds with one stone!
"Then, wait a moment, I'll go prepare the teaching materials." said Arata, standing up and heading toward the wooden cabinet by the lounge wall.
It was the same cabinet in which Rangiku had earlier secretly discovered the cookies.
But this time he didn't take out cookies, but tea sets from the upper shelves.
Swish——
As soon as he opened the door, a gentle scent of sandalwood mixed with tea aroma wafted out.
Rangiku, driven by curiosity, stretched her neck to see better. Her red lips and gray-blue eyes suddenly widened, and a surprised exclamation burst out: "Whoa… this much?"
Before them appeared a completely different world. The inside of the cabinet was delicately divided into levels. That small space was filled with various tea sets: teapots, cups, tea glasses, bowls, whisks, everything they could and couldn't imagine.
From simple ceramics, through smooth porcelain, to luxurious pure gold utensils, the selection looked like a small tea set museum.
Even more astonishing was that on one special shelf were several containers for tea storage, elegant in shape and painted with patterns. From the very material and craftsmanship, it was clear that the tea inside was of exceptional class.
"Isn't this a bit too much?" Isane couldn't resist commenting. She thought Arata would just demonstrate with the same set they were using now, and didn't expect he would literally open the door to a whole new world.
"Saito-san, how much does all this cost… in total?" Isane suddenly became curious.
"It's not expensive, not expensive at all. One set is about 50 million kan, worth just half a shopping street in Junrinan." Arata replied calmly. His eyes passed over various sets and he selected two made of purple clay, suitable for teaching.
He remembered that those were the ones his late father had bought in the human world. Actually, those sets were the cheapest here. Five cups cost a little over 30 million kan, just enough to buy five shops on Junrinan's shopping street.
No, the price of land in Junrinan had since risen by about 10%. Five shops wouldn't be enough anymore. It would take six.
Bang–!
Tea table hp -1.
"What?! Fi-fifty million?!" Rangiku slammed her palm on the table when she heard that, her tongue tied.
One small tea set is worth 50 million kan?!
Rangiku's brain started working at full speed at that moment, even though math was never her strength. As vice-captain of the Tenth Division, her monthly salary was around 40 thousand kan. Adding in bonuses, snack money, travel expenses, and the New Year's bonus from the Captain and the Soul Society, her total annual income barely exceeded 600 thousand kan.
And she had only recently become vice-captain; before that, she earned a third officer's salary, which was even less.
That meant she'd have to work nearly a hundred years to afford a single set like that.
What do you mean "worth just half a shopping street in Junrinan"?
To open an izakaya in Junrinan, she had invested all her savings since joining the Tenth Division. She barely paid the deposit, and the rest she's repaying in installments to the Tsunayashiro family bank.
When she thought about it, her heart started to ache. Is the difference between one Shinigami and another really greater than between a Shinigami and a dog?
Arata calmly continued his presentation, listing the sets with descriptions like "this one is just 60 million," "this one 80 million," "this one 150 million," with figures that were absolutely astronomical in their eyes.
At first Rangiku couldn't control her reactions, but the more she listened, the less she felt, until finally she was completely numb.
So, this is the world of the rich.
Before, when Arata bought wooden training swords, when he brought her expensive teas and cookies, she thought he was "just a bit well-off." Now she realized it wasn't "a bit", in his case, money was literally just a number.
Rangiku swallowed hard, barely collected herself, and looked Arata straight in the eyes.
"Arata, tell me honestly. What exactly does your family do?"
Arata scratched his head, a bit confused.
"Ah, didn't I already tell you, Ms. Rangiku? My family, the Saito family, is one of the high noble families in the Soul Society."
"Only… our lineage has been in decline for a long time. When I was born, I was the only remaining male heir. Even the capable people who once served our family left long ago."
"In a way, the Saito family now has nothing except money."
He finished with a sigh and a faint trace of regret on his face.
After all, in the Soul Society, money might just be the most useless thing of all.
———
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