"Excuse me, Captain Unohana asked me to deliver a message..."
Isane stood somewhat uncertainly at the door, and when her gaze slid across the ingredients on the table, she visibly scanned them but quickly returned to her dignified demeanor as a lieutenant.
"Um… Arata-kun, the captain said she isn't feeling very well today, so tonight's Kaidō class is canceled for now."
"Is Captain Unohana alright? Nothing serious?" Arata pretended to be concerned, but in his mind, the crazy scene from the night before vividly resurfaced.
How she sat facing him on his waist, her long hair scattered, with those surging emotions in her eyes as she bit into his collarbone…
Isane shook her head immediately. "N-no, the captain just has a mild fever and fatigue. She took some medicine and is already resting."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance again at the boiling hot pot on the table, and her throat moved almost imperceptibly.
Such food, which had never existed in Soul Society before, naturally had a huge allure for the "natives" of the Soul Society.
"Isane, have you eaten yet? Want to eat with us?" Rangiku suddenly ran over and warmly tugged her sleeve. "Arata made a lot anyway, I probably won't be able to finish it all!"
"How could I… that would be really rude…" Isane hadn't even finished her sentence before Rangiku had already forcefully pulled her to the table. "Don't be shy, eat freely, make yourself at home!"
Arata timely added a new set of bowls and chopsticks: "Isane-san works really hard, you deserve to relax a little once in a while."
The three of them sat around the induction stove, and the rising steam blurred their facial features.
Isane was quite reserved at first, but when the soft tofu she pulled from the pot melted on her tongue, she couldn't hold back a sigh of satisfaction.
"There's something this delicious in the world?!"
"Right, right?" Rangiku proudly tossed her another slice of beef. "Arata always comes up with these strange but brilliant things, like that self-turning grill..."
Arata just quietly smiled, playing the role of a waiter who pulled things from a riverbed: one moment refilling cups with the fat otaku's "happy water," the next turning into an automatic shabu-shabu machine.
That self-turning grill Rangiku mentioned was also something he had gotten from a lottery at Kūkaku's birthday celebration.
Later, he found the opportunity to have an outdoor barbecue with Rangiku in a small courtyard, and she had eaten so much the oil dripped from her lips.
"How can we not drink when it's this festive!" Rangiku suddenly slammed her palm on the table and stood up, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Arata, I want to open that wine we bought up on the Noble Street!"
Arata helplessly shook his head, a trace of tenderness in his gaze: "You two go ahead, I'll just have tea. I need to take care of you both later."
"Tsk~ You're so boring!" Rangiku pouted and then turned to grab Isane's hand, eyes full of anticipation: "Isane, drink with me~ This sweet rice wine is soooo good!"
Isane hesitantly looked at Arata, and he returned a calming look: "Don't worry, Isane-san, it's okay to relax a little sometimes."
"I'll do my best to stop Rangiku before she completely passes out from drinking." Arata promised very seriously.
Only after that permission did Isane finally smile gently: "T-then… just a little."
Rangiku let out a triumphant cheer and pulled out two bottles of sweet wine from the cabinet.
Gulp-gulp-gulp——
The amber drink rippled in porcelain cups, spreading a rich aroma of glutinous rice.
"Cheers!" With a clear clink of the cups, the two of them raised their heads and downed the wine in one go.
Arata slowly sipped his hawthorn tea for digestion, watching their cheeks gradually turn redder.
Rangiku always looked both cheerful and seductive when drinking, while Isane was like a timid little deer, every time she took a sip, she slightly scrunched her nose.
After three rounds, Rangiku had already undone the upper fold of her kimono, revealing a delicate collarbone.
Isane had also relaxed quite a bit from a shy girl she turned into a proper "social butterfly," even starting to share interesting stories from the Fourth Division herself.
"And then that patient… hic!" Isane suddenly burped, then slumped onto Rangiku's shoulder, barely keeping her eyes open: "Uuuh, sorry… I think I drank a bit too much…"
Rangiku laughed and pulled her in tightly: "Hahaha, Isane-chan is just too cute~~ One more round!"
Arata placed a hand on the bottle just in time: "Enough. If you keep going at this rate, your heads will explode tomorrow."
Without caring whether Rangiku agreed or not, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen, leaving the two women only the view of his tall, sturdy back.
"I'll go brew some sobering tea. Rest a bit."
Behind him, Rangiku's slurred mumble could be heard: "Arata… you act like such a grandma…"
When he returned with two cups of hot anti-hangover tea, he found Isane half-lying on the table, her lips opening and closing like a little goldfish as she breathed.
Rangiku had slipped off the sofa onto the tatami, her haori wide open, and the white skin beneath shimmered enticingly under the light.
"Isane-san, wake up a little and drink some tea first." Arata approached Isane, bent down, and gently shook her shoulder.
Isane felt someone touching her and groggily lifted her head, staring with a dazed look at the man in front of her.
"Arata… kun?"
"Hm… why am I seeing two of you…?"
Arata couldn't help but laugh. Seeing her this drunk, already starting to babble in her sleep, it was clear Rangiku had definitely gotten her thoroughly tipsy.
He reached over the table, placed his palm on Isane's waist, and gently helped her sit upright, while bringing the teacup to her lips with his other hand.
"Drink slowly, careful not to burn yourself."
Isane sipped the tea. The warm liquid made her close her eyes in satisfaction, and the drunken haze in her head slowly began to lift.
"Thank you, Arata-kun…" she smiled at him drowsily, revealing a beauty he had never seen before.
"Ah… you're welcome. It's a host's duty to take good care of guests."
Her smile made his heart flutter slightly, so he quickly turned his back and walked toward Rangiku, only to find that she had already slipped off the sofa onto the tatami.
Her wavy golden hair was scattered all around, and she was still mumbling nonsense like "one more cup" and "I can drink more."
"Rangiku, time to wake up." Arata crouched beside her and gently patted her cheek with his palm.
Rangiku suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted her blurred, drunken gaze toward him: "Arata… hold me… hold me…"
Arata sighed. It was always hard to deal with this woman when she got clingy.
After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Isane: "Isane-san, rest here a bit to sober up."
"I'll take Rangiku to the bathroom to wash off the smell of alcohol, then I'll escort you back to the Fourth Division."
Isane nodded obediently, the blush still hadn't left her cheeks: "S…sorry for the trouble."
Arata bent down and lifted Rangiku into his arms. Her soft body immediately snuggled against him, exuding the intoxicating scent of sweet wine and gardenia.
She wriggled restlessly, and the neckline of her clothing opened even more.
"Don't move." he warned softly and hurried toward the bathroom.
The bathroom was full of steam, and Arata carefully placed Rangiku onto a wooden stool.
The woman drunkenly leaned against his chest, her warm breath brushing against his neck.
"Arata…" she mumbled incoherently, her fingers unconsciously tugging at his collar.
"Sit still and let me wipe your face." Arata wrung out a hot towel and gently wiped her flushed cheeks.
Suddenly, Rangiku grabbed his wrist in a daze, her gray eyes shining with a misty light in the fog and steam: "Let's… bathe together…"
Arata's breath hitched, and he nearly dropped the towel from his hand.
Everything covering her body had already slipped off, and in the hazy steam, every hint of her perfect, delicate curves could be seen.