The feast ended in laughter and cheer. Matsuzaki Yoshito's youngest, Little Four, had long since succumbed to weariness, his small head bobbing as he dozed on his father's shoulder.
The adults, having enjoyed several rounds of drinks, wore the warm flush of tipsiness.
There were no streetlights in the Rukongai at night. Suō Tsukasa, following his usual custom, safely escorted both families back to their doorsteps.
When he returned to Teradaya, all the lights in the inner rooms had been extinguished.
Guided by the moonlight, he walked through the corridor, pushed open the back door, and arrived in the backyard. The night in the Rukongai was very quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the leaves.
Just as he reached the backyard, he saw Miss Terada wrapped in a light brown shawl, her hands folded in her lap, sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing slightly upward at the bright moon in the sky.
She had not gone back to the main house to rest after the party dispersed; instead, she had waited for Suō Tsukasa in the courtyard.
She knew very well that the young man, though always smiling, preferred to hide his emotions in his heart, and this maturity was one of the things she admired about him.
Hearing the door open, she shifted her gaze from the moon back to him, stood up, and approached Suō Tsukasa, smiling gently.
"You're back."
"Mm."
Her gaze seemed to penetrate the unspoken turmoil in Suō Tsukasa's heart. She gently smoothed his slightly wrinkled collar and said with concern.
"Don't overthink the future. You've already done very well. Get some rest early."
"I understand. You should also get some rest early."
Suō Tsukasa understood her intentions and responded softly.
Miss Terada nodded. As she turned, her shawl swayed gently, and she slowly walked back to the main house, her shadow preceding her.
"Hoo—"
Suō Tsukasa returned to his room, finished his daily evening practice, and lay down on the bed with a soft sigh.
He was clearer than anyone around him about when the separation would come.
Parting is an essential lesson in life. Life is a continuous cycle of gathering and separating; no one can accompany you forever.
He understood this principle, but perhaps under the influence of the alcohol consumed tonight, his heart was inevitably filled with a sense of melancholy.
Suō Tsukasa had already sought information from the Shiba Kaien couple about the conditions of becoming a Shinigami before he enrolled.
Ordinary members of the Gotei 13 generally lived in their respective division barracks or the outskirts of the Seireitei, depending on their origin.
Shinigami who held a seat could apply to their division for a private residence upon achieving a certain amount of merit.
Relatives of Shinigami originating from the Rukongai needed to own personal property before they could submit an application to the Household Registry Bureau to relocate to the Seireitei.
Furthermore, the related vetting process was extremely strict. It was impossible for souls with families in the Rukongai, like Tamaki and Matsuzaki Yoshito, to have their applications approved.
Among his close friends and relatives, only Miss Terada had a chance of being granted approval. The rules of the Seireitei were that complicated and cruel.
There was only one other scenario: if Suō Tsukasa became a mid-to-upper-tier noble, he would gain the right to recruit retainers, allowing him to bring both families into the Seireitei.
But achieving this in the class-solidified Seireitei was harder than ascending to heaven; trying to achieve it purely through personal effort was completely impossible.
It required not only powerful strength but also immense merit, recognition from the Central 46, strong noble backing and endorsement, and finally, approval from the Noble Assembly. All steps were essential.
He could only be grateful that the Shiba family had been stripped of their status as one of the Five Great Clans. Otherwise, the marriage of Shiba Kaien and Shiba Miyako would have required vetting by the higher-level Gold Seal Noble Assembly.
Just the bureaucratic procedures for marriage registration with the Noble Assembly had severely tormented Shiba Kaien for quite some time.
Suō Tsukasa still vividly remembered Kaien's devastated expression when recounting the marriage paperwork ordeal.
"These troubles are still far away from me."
Casting aside the distractions in his mind, Suō Tsukasa settled into his pillow and pleasantly closed his eyes.
At the same time, in the medical room within the Shin'ō Academy of Spiritual Arts, on the other side of the white wall.
A partially drawn white gauze curtain shielded the sickbed, creating a private space. Moonlight filtered through the window, illuminating the white bed.
Abarai Renji leaned against the headboard, his right arm and left leg each wrapped in bandages—the injuries left by Suō Tsukasa that afternoon.
The wounds were no longer painful; only a dull ache remained, like a swarm of ants crawling on them.
He hung his head, his unbound red hair tips dangling in front of his face, concealing the emotions in his eyes.
A tray of food sat on the bedside table: a bowl of white rice porridge and some side dishes. It had been delivered by the nurse at noon and was now thoroughly cold.
"Hey, how long are you going to be stubborn?"
"The doctor said your wounds look scary, but they didn't damage any meridians; they're just superficial injuries. You'll be fine in a couple of days if you eat properly and get some nourishment."
A female voice came from the doorway. Rukia, wearing her red and white school uniform, walked to the chair beside the bed, carrying a paper-wrapped package, and sat down.
Her words seemed to state his condition, but they were also a reminder to Abarai Renji that his opponent had held back.
"I'm not hungry."
Having been childhood friends for so many years, Abarai Renji understood what she was trying to express.
But his mind was completely preoccupied with the humiliating manner in which he had lost that morning. He didn't even have the heart to look up at her, and he spoke in a muffled voice without turning his head.
"Not hungry?"
"You haven't eaten a mouthful of rice or drunk a drop of water since you were brought here this morning, and you're telling me you're not hungry?"
Rukia raised an eyebrow, her tone instantly cooling, carrying a subtle, unexpressed anger as she looked at his listless, sickly appearance.
Back when they were in District 78 South, forget cold food, even slightly spoiled food would have been shared and devoured by them like a treasure.
How could he now treat food with such disregard? Was he trying to express his disappointment through a hunger strike?
With anger simmering inside, Rukia deliberately drew out her words, mocking him.
"Mr. Abarai is indeed the elite of the top class now. It's only natural that ordinary academy meals wouldn't appeal to you."
"That's truly remarkable. The person who couldn't even afford water in the Rukongai can now look down on academy food!"
However, the goading tactic, which had always worked wonders on him, had no effect this time. Abarai Renji remained silent, head bowed.
A brief silence fell over the room.
Just as Abarai Renji expected Rukia to continue scolding him, he heard her voice choked with a sob.
"Renji... I was really scared for you this morning..."
"I'll eat! It's all my fault!"
The next second, Abarai Renji suddenly looked up, just in time to see Rukia, head lowered, wiping the corner of her eye with her fingertip.
Faced with these sudden tears, his mind went blank. All his feelings of frustration and resentment instantly vanished.
He quickly grabbed the meal tray beside him. After a furious, storm-like feeding session, the food in the bowl was soon completely licked clean.
"See, I ate it all."
Abarai Renji then hurriedly offered the empty tray toward Rukia, looking at her with nervous anxiety.