After a day of clamor, the time had already turned to night.
Having seen off the guests who came to attend the wedding, for Kenma, this rather solemn and unique ceremony was mostly complete.
There was only one last thing to do.
When he returned to the main hall, he saw Fugaku standing there waiting for him, holding a gift box in his arms.
"This is…"
Upon seeing Kenma, Fugaku hurriedly knelt on one knee, offering the gift box with both hands held high.
"Your Lordship's marriage is a joyous occasion for us as well. This is a congratulatory gift from the Uchiha clan."
"Although it is not something of great value, it represents the sentiment of the Uchiha clan. Please, my lord, do not disdain it."
The Uchiha clan would naturally not forget something as significant as Kenma's wedding.
The moment they learned of it, they had already begun preparing a gift.
Fugaku would, of course, not miss this wedding.
However, he did not place their gift with those from the other guests to be handed over to the Shihoin family.
Instead, he waited for the better part of the day, finally finding a free moment for Kenma at the very end of this special day to deliver it to him in person.
After all, Fugaku had not forgotten their status.
They were not vassals or friends of the Shihoin family, but subordinates to Shihoin Kenma alone.
"Since it is your sentiment, I will accept it."
Kenma didn't stand on ceremony with him and reached out to take the gift box.
It wasn't too heavy in his hand; he wondered what kind of gift the Uchiha had prepared for him.
"Tell the Uchiha clansmen that I am very pleased with this sentiment of yours."
"Yes, it is the honor of all Uchiha to please you, my lord."
Seeing that it was getting late, Fugaku knew Kenma still had important matters to attend to tonight, so he decided not to disturb him further.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard a young voice suddenly sound from one side of the hall.
"Ah, Big Boss, where are the other guests? Why did they suddenly disappear?"
Kenma and Fugaku looked over and saw a tall young man walking over, yawning as he did.
The young man's face was dotted with a few freckles, and at this moment, it was also stained with a few grains of rice. His eyes were drowsy as if he had just woken up.
No, he had just woken up.
"Ace, you were the one who suddenly fell asleep while eating."
Fugaku's brows knitted together, even though he was trying hard to maintain his solemn expression.
But as he recalled the scene that had occurred during the meal, the corner of his eye couldn't help but twitch.
This young man was none other than Ace, who had come to congratulate Kenma on his wedding.
He and Ace were both under Kenma's command, so they could be called colleagues.
The two of them, along with Yashiro and others who had come to the wedding, naturally formed a small group and sat together at the wedding banquet.
He never would have thought he would witness such a bizarre event.
While everyone was chatting happily at the banquet, Ace's head suddenly tilted to the side, and his eyes closed.
At first, everyone thought he had passed out due to food poisoning or an inability to adapt to the high concentration of spirit particles in the Seireitei.
But before they could go and check on him, they saw a bubble emerge from Ace's nose, rising and falling with his snores.
Only then did they realize that Ace was actually sleeping!
He fell asleep while eating, his mouth stuffed full, his chopsticks still holding a piece of meat, just like that, without any warning!
'Who on earth falls asleep suddenly while eating and chatting!'
And it wasn't just once.
Ace fell asleep a full three or four times during the entire meal. It was a mystery where he got so much sleepiness from.
Fugaku and the others went from initial shock to later acceptance, and then to numbness, simply letting Ace snore away while eating and not bothering with him.
As a result, his last nap lasted until the guests had left and the attendants began to clean up, which finally startled him awake.
Kenma had, of course, also seen the bizarre scene of Ace falling asleep during the banquet and just smiled to himself.
'How should I put it…'
'This is just like him.'
It perfectly matched the impression of Ace deep in Kenma's memory.
Hearing the reproach in Fugaku's words, Ace scratched his head and showed an embarrassed smile.
"Haha, sorry, sorry, Big Boss. It's mainly that your wedding isn't very lively, a bit dull. I got bored and accidentally fell asleep…"
'No, even at a pirate's banquet, you'd fall asleep when you fall asleep.'
Kenma also admitted that this Soul Society wedding of his was not very lively.
But he still shook his head inwardly at Ace's excuse.
Ace saw the gift box Kenma was holding, which was engraved with the Uchiha fan emblem.
He gently tapped his right fist into his left palm, a look of realization on his face.
"Fugaku gave a gift, huh? Right, Big Boss, wait for me a moment."
Ace hurried off to one side of the hall, then came running back excitedly.
He was also holding a gift box.
"Big Boss, the old man and the others are too conspicuous to come over, so they had me represent everyone, including those Marines, to come and congratulate you on your marriage."
"This is the gift everyone prepared for your happy occasion."
Kenma took the gift box. It felt much heavier than the one from Fugaku; he wondered what could be inside.
He asked Ace, "How are Newgate and the others?"
"The old man and the others regret not being able to come in person, but they're also holding a banquet outside to congratulate you. Don't worry, everyone is very happy."
Kenma nodded.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Fugaku pulled Ace along to leave, no longer disturbing Kenma with what was to come.
Kenma carried the two gifts and had just reached the backyard when he saw Shisui approaching.
"My lord, Lord Tensen Shōun, Lord Nobunaga, and Lord Yoichi are all drunk. They have been taken to guest rooms to rest."
"Mm, take these two gift boxes to my study."
Kenma handed the gifts to Shisui. After taking them, Shisui saw the Uchiha flame fan on one and knew it was a gift from his clansmen.
He nodded emphatically, hugged the gift boxes, and ran towards the study.
Kenma, meanwhile, went to complete his final task, continuing deeper into the backyard.
He passed through a corridor where light and darkness alternated, arriving at a courtyard. As soon as he entered, he could smell a thick medicinal scent in the air.
Kenma suddenly sensed something strange.
Normally, there should have been many servants on duty here.
But at this moment, the courtyard was empty, appearing exceptionally quiet in the night.
And the room was not brightly lit as usual, but only glowed with a faint light.
'It seems there's a very special situation...'
"Father, I'm here."
Kenma called out softly.
A weak voice immediately came from inside the room.
"So it's Kenma. It seems you've finished with your wedding affairs."
"Then come in."
Kenma pushed the door open and entered, looking around.
A single oil lamp was lit in the room, casting a yellowish-orange glow. The light flickered, making the room somewhat dim.
A black Hell Butterfly flapped its wings, circling around the light.
Fortunately, it was protected by the lampshade, so it didn't lunge in and end up as ash.
Shihoin Shun'gen sat to one side, the light casting large shadows on his expressionless face.
He looked very different from usual.
Besides Shun'gen, there was another person sitting in the room.
This person sat upright on the other side of the light. He had an ordinary appearance, looked a bit thin, and was dressed in the attire befitting a noble.
What surprised Kenma the most was that he could not sense the slightest trace of an aura from this person.
He couldn't even sense any fluctuation of spiritual pressure.
Shun'gen beckoned to him.
"Come, Kenma, sit before us."
"Let me introduce you. This is also a guest who has come to congratulate you."
"He is a distinguished guest from the last of the Five Great Noble Families."
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