Arata was momentarily taken aback. Although Byakuya had a cold face, his powers of observation were exceptionally sharp.
He smiled calmly.
"I just stepped out to get some fresh air. Lord Byakuya, you're overthinking."
Byakuya fell silent for a moment and said nothing more.
When the two of them returned one after another to the main hall, the banquet had already reached its peak.
"Arata! Where did you wander off to?" came the voice of Shiba Kūkaku from the seat of honor.
Her cheeks were flushed, she was holding a cup of sake in her hand, and it was obvious she had already drunk quite a bit.
When she saw Byakuya walking behind Arata, she made an exaggerated grimace.
"Ohhh, you even dragged this stiff guy along?"
Byakuya only snorted coldly and, out of respect for the friend of his teacher Yoruichi-sensei, didn't argue with Kūkaku but went straight to the seat beside his grandfather.
Kūkaku and Rangiku pulled Arata back to sit down. The smell of alcohol from the two of them hit his nose at the same time, which slightly intoxicated him.
His original plan to give Kūkaku her birthday present had to be postponed for a bit.
"Here, try this. This is simmered fish personally made by Kaien!" Rangiku quickly grabbed a plate from the table and placed it in front of him.
The fish on the simple plate was an attractive golden color and covered with a layer of honey.
Arata picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The soft meat and slightly spicy sauce spread across his palate, and he couldn't help but take another bite.
"How is it? Is it good?" Kaien smiled with anticipation, with a hint of pride.
"This is a recipe I learned from local souls when I was on a mission in the Human World."
"Yes, Lieutenant Kaien truly has excellent cooking skills." Arata praised sincerely. Although the presentation of the simmered fish wasn't anything special, in taste and texture it didn't fall behind the dishes from the Omaeda family restaurant.
"Hahaha, to win over sister Miyako, my brother secretly learned a whole bunch of dishes!" Kūkaku downed a gulp of sake and revealed the secret with a smile.
That sister Miyako whom Kūkaku mentioned was the Third Seat of the 13th Division – Shiba Miyako, also the female Shinigami who, in the original story, took the surname Shiba after marrying Shiba Kaien.
The entire hall fell silent for a moment.
"Hey, hey, hey—?" Although Rangiku was drunk, when it came to gossip, women reacted the fastest. She immediately sobered up and stared at Kaien with wide eyes.
"W–what?!" Shiba Isshin suddenly jumped up from his seat, even spilling his drink on himself.
"Kaien, when did you—"
"Uncle Isshin!" Kaien's face instantly turned red. In a panic, he covered his mouth with his hand and quickly signaled to his sister with his eyes to stop.
But it was too late.
"Oh?" Kyōraku Shunsui immediately got the point, raised his cup and said with a smile: "Kaien, this is really great news! When will you invite us to the wedding?"
Ukitake Jūshirō also spoke with a smile full of relief.
"Kaien, that's not nice of you. You didn't even tell me, your captain, about you and Miyako."
Kuchiki Ginrei set down his teacup and rarely smiled.
"The Kuchiki and Shiba families have always had good relations. When the time comes, I will certainly prepare a generous gift."
Kaien scratched his head awkwardly. "No, no, you've all misunderstood something. Miyako-san and I haven't officially confirmed our relationship yet…"
At that moment, Ganju, who had been focused on eating the whole time, cheerfully chimed in: "Of course! Brother Kaien is so handsome and well-mannered, there'll definitely be no problem!"
"Ganju is right, we're just waiting for the wedding!"
Arata watched as the atmosphere suddenly became lively again, and the corners of his lips unknowingly lifted, his mood relaxing.
But unfortunately, the end of Kaien and Miyako's marriage in the original wasn't happy, just like the story between Byakuya and his beloved Hisana.
With that in mind, Arata raised his cup and spoke loudly.
"Lieutenant Kaien, let me congratulate you first, but…" He paused for a moment.
"You must not slack off in your training because of love. Only with enough strength can you protect your precious family and comrades."
"Hahaha, Arata is absolutely right!" Isshin suddenly burst into laughter.
"Kaien, from tomorrow, two extra hours of training every day with me. I'll personally ask Captain Ukitake for permission!"
"Uncle!" Kaien didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"But I'm already a lieutenant…"
"So what? What's wrong with being a lieutenant?" Isshin widened his eyes.
"Look at Arata. He just graduated, and he's already accomplished things you haven't. Even so, he still humbly goes to learn from other divisions!"
Kaien was momentarily speechless. Not only was his uncle stronger, but he also made more mistakes than him. He could never beat him in an argument.
"Alright, alright." Kyōraku Shunsui stepped in to calm the situation.
"Today is Kūkaku-chan's birthday, and also Arata's graduation day. There's no need to be so serious."
Ukitake Jūshirō also smiled gently and added.
"That's right. I've watched Kaien grow up since he was little. I have great confidence in both his strength and character."
Then he changed his tone.
"However, Arata-kun is right. Kaien, you must not neglect your duties because of love."
"As Captain Ukitake said, I'll keep it in mind." Kaien accepted the advice.
Moreover, Arata's words really did remind him: ever since he was promoted to lieutenant of the 13th Division more than fifty years ago, his strength had indeed plateaued.
If he didn't break through that bottleneck and move to a higher level, even if Captain Ukitake one day designated him as the next captain, he himself would feel ashamed to accept that position.
Kaien absolutely didn't want future generations to call him "the weakest captain in the history of Seireitei."
Seeing that he achieved his goal, Arata smiled again.
"My apologies, everyone, I was talking too seriously. Come, let's toast!"
The banquet became lively again.
After three rounds of drinks, all the guests had eaten and drunk to their heart's content, and began saying goodbye and leaving one by one.
When the grand carriage of the Kuchiki family disappeared into the night, Arata noticed that Rangiku had already fallen asleep on the table.
Her golden hair was spread across the table, her cheeks flushed from drinking, and her breathing was calm and slow.
"Rangiku, that girl, every time she gets excited she can't stop drinking. Looks like she'll have to sleep in the guest room again." Isshin shook his head helplessly and asked a maid to take her to the guest room.
Kūkaku also let out a burp and scooted closer to Arata.
"Arata, you're not drunk too, are you? I remember Rangiku poured you quite a bit earlier."
In her eyes under the moonlight sparkled three parts drunkenness and seven parts mischief.
Arata smiled and shook his head, pulling out a beautiful box from his chest.
"Happy birthday, Kūkaku."
As soon as the box was opened, a red light streamed out from inside.
The bracelet sparkled under the moonlight, and it seemed as if the crane engraved in the center of the jade piece would take flight at any moment.
"This is…" Kūkaku's drunken haze instantly cleared halfway, and she cautiously touched the bracelet with her fingers.
"It's beautiful."
The moment she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, she truly felt a warm, almost fiery spiritual pressure emanating from within, as if she were holding a lit firework in her hand instead of a bracelet.
But, what was unusual was that this burning spiritual pressure didn't burn her at all, but instead gave her a pleasant feeling.
"It's called 'Sky Crane'. It's an antique I happened to come across at home." Arata said lightly, without a trace of a blush and with a perfectly calm pulse.
"I hope you li—"
"Like it!"
———
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