"All right, all right! Everyone, clear out for now. We'll have a proper gathering tonight! I brought guests with me, so I can't exactly leave them standing outside the gate like idiots. That'd be rude, wouldn't it?"
Kazuma waved with a broad smile, nodding again and again toward the gathered squad members.
Unfortunately, the enthusiastic Shinigami showed no intention of leaving.
They stayed crowded around him, talking over one another in excitement.
"Come on, everyone. Our guests have been waiting long enough, so let's show them some consideration. Clear the way, and we'll hold a party tonight. Sound good?"
Kazuma had no choice but to patiently talk them down again.
Only after quite some time and plenty of coaxing did the squad members finally begin to scatter.
"Tetsuzaemon, make a trip to the Sixth Division and ask Kuchiki Rukia to come over. Tell her that her friends from the World of the Living are here with me."
Once the crowd had cleared, Kazuma turned to Iba Tetsuzaemon and gave his first order since returning.
"Yes, Captain! I'll take care of it right away!"
Tetsuzaemon acknowledged the order, turned, and hurried off, disappearing into the distance within moments.
"Let's go, Inoue."
Kazuma led Orihime and the others into the captain's office he hadn't set foot in for more than twenty years.
"Well, would you look at that? The layout hasn't changed at all. I wonder whether Tetsuzaemon and the others put it back for me, or whether they've simply kept it exactly like this the whole time."
Kazuma shook his head as he looked around.
Every captain had their own style, and Kazuma had always preferred simple over lavish.
Only a few pots of lush green plants decorated the room. Beyond them, there were no unnecessary ornaments or fancy furnishings.
The most striking thing in the otherwise plain office was an enormous drinking table.
"Hey, it really is the same table!"
Kazuma walked over slowly, murmuring to himself as he ran one hand across its surface.
The familiar texture stirred old memories at once.
This table had been with him for nearly a thousand years.
At this point, it was practically an antique.
If he ever ran short on money, he could probably take it to the World of the Living, put it up for auction, and sell it for an absurd price.
"Sensei, is there something special about this table? Does it have some astonishing history no one knows about?"
Orihime noticed the look on Kazuma's face and stared at the table with curiosity, like an eager child waiting for a story.
"Huh? No, it's just an ordinary drinking table. There's nothing special about it."
Kazuma laughed at her innocent expression.
Orihime had been studying the table so intently that she clearly thought it hid some incredible secret.
"Don't look so curious. It's only a little old. I think it's been around for nearly a thousand years."
He explained it as though that were completely unremarkable.
Orihime's eyes went wide.
"A thousand years? Then it's an antique! How is that not special?"
She'd assumed Kazuma might just be showing off. She hadn't expected the table to truly be that ancient.
Kazuma didn't bother explaining further.
Instead, he turned and walked to one corner of the office.
He stopped in front of an ordinary-looking potted plant and adjusted it a few times.
Click.
With a faint mechanical sound, a hidden compartment slowly opened in the otherwise smooth wall.
A rich smell of alcohol immediately poured out and filled the room.
The aroma was deep and mellow, pleasant enough that simply breathing it in left them feeling faintly tipsy.
"Hehe. Good! No one ever found it."
Kazuma looked proudly at the neatly arranged bottles inside the hidden compartment.
These were rare vintages he'd carefully collected, many of which couldn't be found anywhere anymore.
Even when he was desperate for a drink, he'd rarely been willing to open them.
What Kazuma didn't know was that during his absence from the Seventh Division, that fox Shunsui had invented countless excuses to sneak into his captain's office.
Shunsui had only one goal — to find some way to steal Kazuma's precious collection!
Unfortunately for him, he'd gone home empty-handed every single time. Kazuma's hiding place had simply been too well hidden.
"Sensei, this wine smells amazing!"
Orihime stared at the elegant bottles with wide, sparkling eyes, as though some invisible force were pulling her toward them.
"It really does," Chad agreed, just as taken by the smell.
The group breathed in deeply, their expressions turning dreamy as the rich scent spread through the room.
"It may smell wonderful, but none of you are allowed to drink it. You're still students. You can enjoy the smell, and that's all."
Kazuma reminded them earnestly.
Minors absolutely should not be drinking this stuff!
Unfortunately, the warning only made them more curious.
Orihime and the others swallowed over and over, their throats audibly working as their eyes stayed fixed on the bottles.
Kazuma didn't dare hesitate.
He quickly took one bottle from the hidden compartment and shut it again with remarkable speed, as though afraid someone might spot the hiding place if he left it open a second longer.
Now all they had to do was wait for Rukia to arrive.
"Kazuma-sensei, you promised to tell me about my parents. Why haven't you said anything yet?"
Unable to hold back any longer, Ishida Uryū finally spoke.
Learning the truth about his parents was the only reason he'd come along. He had no interest in anything else.
"What's the rush? I gave you my word, so of course I won't break it. Do you really think I'd lie to you?"
Kazuma stayed perfectly calm despite Uryū's impatience.
He glanced at the boy, who usually carried himself with such cool arrogance, and found the situation faintly amusing.
"Then… should I leave?"
Uryū slowly raised one foot and made as if to turn away.
His movements were hesitant, making it obvious he was unwilling to go without his answers.
"Fine, fine! What a troublesome child. Since Rukia hasn't arrived yet, I'll explain it to you now."
Kazuma sighed helplessly.
That bratty attitude was seriously irritating.