"Oh, my, my, I apologize. I added too many buffs to myself and forgot to turn them off."
Aozaki scratched his head, a hint of apology on his face.
Looking at the terrified face of the young girl before him, he knew in his heart that he had indeed gone a bit overboard this time.
But it's worth mentioning that his original intention was not to do so.
It was just that in recent years, he had been too engrossed in studying the usage of Ame-no-Minaka , and then he wanted to create explosive-clothing dishes like the special-grade chefs of Totsuki Culinary Academy.
As a result, he accidentally gave himself a super big buff.
Imbuing concepts, this was one of the uses of Ame-no-Minaka .
Usually, this ability was used casually at home, and everyone liked it, so he forgot to turn it off.
"Please wait a moment, I'll turn it off right away."
Aozaki said with a smile to the young girl.
Then, he looked up at the ceiling, as if his thoughts suddenly emptied, like he had disconnected, lost in a daze.
After a moment, he slowly lowered his head, and his gaze once again fell upon the young girl.
Next, he picked up the bowl that had just held the porridge, carefully scooped up a spoonful, gently blew on it, and tenderly offered it to the young girl.
However, the young girl did not appreciate it.
Her body recoiled slightly, her face filled with reluctance and resistance, adopting a resolute attitude of "I'd rather die than eat this stuff."
Aozaki couldn't help but feel a bit helpless, muttering to himself:
"She actually refused my cooking! You know, in the Seireitei, how many people long to taste such a delicacy but cannot get it?"
As the Seireitei's only special-grade chef, Aozaki was full of confidence in his cooking skills.
However, when he heard Kujō Nozomi refuse to try her meticulously prepared food, he felt his culinary soul was deeply insulted.
He firmly believed that as long as the other party took a bite, they would appreciate the unique charm of this dish.
So, Aozaki insisted, saying:
"Trust me, there's definitely no problem this time. Try it again."
Kujō Nozomi shook her head firmly in refusal, emphasizing:
"Absolutely not! Who would want to eat that strange stuff!"
Aozaki was not discouraged and continued to persuade:
"Just try it, just try it and you'll know if there's a problem."
"No way... Mmm, delicious."
Kujō Nozomi was still reluctant.
But just then, Aozaki suddenly took action, forcibly stuffing the food into her mouth.
The young girl involuntarily chewed and then swallowed it.
Although the action was a bit forceful, the food tasted really good. How could she resist eating it once it was in her mouth?
Moreover, she clearly felt that the strange feeling of an uncontrollable power gushing out from within her body had disappeared.
When Aozaki saw Kujō Nozomi successfully swallow the food, he excitedly asked:
"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I? Now you can put on your clothes with peace of mind, and you no longer have to worry about what happened just now."
Kujō Nozomi nodded, acknowledging the taste of the food.
But at the same time, she looked at Aozaki in confusion, curiously asking:
"It tastes pretty good. But, you can actually control that strange thing..."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Aozaki's face, which was getting closer and closer.
The man's face was adorned with a gentle smile, and then he continued to feed her.
All his actions seemed very considerate, without the slightest hint of malice.
But she narrowed her originally wide eyes and gently reached out to the long sword beside her.
Something was wrong.
Kujō Nozomi wasn't that thoughtless.
She clearly remembered that she had never had any interaction with this man before.
However, why was he being so kind to her, even though it was their first meeting and they weren't even acquainted?
Even a kind-hearted good person shouldn't be completely unguarded when facing a complete stranger.
This situation was clearly abnormal. Although the young girl had not been in contact with this world for long, she was already well aware of its dangers.
So, who exactly was this person?
Kujō Nozomi, who had already made up her mind, hesitated for a moment.
Her first thought was the fake Captain replicated by Inaba Kageroza, but she quickly dismissed that idea.
If the other party was truly Inaba Kageroza's subordinate, he would have undoubtedly taken her away without hesitation, instead of playing this kind of childish game with her here.
And the Shinigami of the Seireitei would not leisurely wander around wearing Captain haori.
Therefore, this person must be a Captain of the Gotei 13.
However, when she opened her mouth, the "truth" she originally wanted to say was forcibly swallowed back into her throat.
It wasn't that she was afraid of causing a misunderstanding.
After all, Kujō Nozomi's identity was special, and Inaba Kageroza also had infiltrated forces in the Seireitei, so even a Captain in the Gotei 13 couldn't reveal too much.
What to do?
Hesitating for a moment, her mouth was quicker than her brain after all, and Kujō Nozomi immediately swallowed another mouthful of rainbow porridge.
The young girl looked thoughtful, and while drinking the porridge, she asked:
"Who are you?"
Aozaki revealed a mouthful of white teeth, answering her question.
"My name is Aozaki."
It was still an enthusiastic tone. Faced with this skilled guy, anyone prone to infatuation wouldn't dare to say much.
Before he finished speaking, the young girl's eyes suddenly widened.
"You are Aozaki!? The Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Aozaki!?"
"That would be me."
Aozaki saw the young girl's expression freeze, and he grinned, tilting his chin up.
The moment the porridge slipped from the corner of her mouth, he decisively wiped the young girl's lips with his finger.
Feeling the touch on her lips, Kujō Nozomi couldn't bother to chew slowly. She snatched the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Aozaki didn't even have time to be moved by her spirit of not wasting a single grain of food.
He then saw Kujō Nozomi put down the bowl and spoon, get out of bed wrapped in the blanket, and stand directly in front of him.
"Are you really Aozaki?"
Kujō Nozomi stared intently at Aozaki, her eyes full of anticipation and doubt.
Aozaki nodded, answering seriously:
"The one and only."
Under the young girl's nervous and expectant gaze, Aozaki turned around and pointed his thumb at his back.
That was a Captain haori that Senjumaru could never make well, no matter how hard she tried.
Although it was comfortable to wear, Aozaki had never said he was satisfied.
However, Senjumaru was quite satisfied with the wedding dress Aozaki made by hand.
At another Captain meeting, held because a certain honorary Five Great Noble Houses member got married, everyone gathered together.
She finally got to be a model once, wearing that wedding dress, putting on a fashion show in front of all the Captains.
Seeing the large character "one" on the haori, the young girl's expression clearly relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and some light gradually returned to her eyes.
Immediately after, she adopted a serious and earnest expression, bowing to Aozaki with extremely standard etiquette, saying sincerely:
"Captain-Commander, I have a request. This matter may concern the safety of the Seireitei, and even the entire Three Worlds."
Under Aozaki's gaze, the young girl slowly raised her head and began to meticulously recount the conspiracy between Inaba Kageroza and the Ryodoji Family.
She revealed all the details without reservation, seemingly having already made up her mind to lay everything bare.