Muten Natsu got up to meet her and helped Orihime Inoue set the huge pile of sweets on the table.
Daifuku, yokan, dango, taiyaki, senbei, monaka...
Muten Natsu also spotted several boxes with especially elegant packaging. They looked like high-end goods sold only around the Noble District. "These are..."
"Just like the dried persimmons before, they were sent by patients who recovered." Orihime Inoue picked up a dango and held it to Muten Natsu's mouth. "There was still so much left even after sharing them with everyone in the 4th Division. Try this one."
"Ah." Muten Natsu took a big bite. It was soft and smooth, with a delicate red bean filling inside. "It's good."
He finished the daifuku in Orihime Inoue's hand in two or three bites.
His lips brushed her fingertips, and Orihime Inoue's face flushed faintly. "There's still lots more... Nayura, you should have some too!"
"Thank you." Nayura Amakado accepted a skewer of dango. Watching Orihime Inoue happily eat her taiyaki, she cautiously took a small bite, and her eyes lit up.
"Don't eat too much at once." Muten Natsu gave the sweets a quick look. "Some of these can be saved. We can take them back to the World of the Living and eat them slowly."
"Mm-hmm." Orihime Inoue nodded. "Are we going back?"
"There's still some work left to handle. After Rukia's appointment ceremony, we'll return to the World of the Living."
"Then I'll have to say goodbye to everyone ahead of time." Orihime Inoue hurriedly set down the sweet in her hand. "I already promised Rangiku-san I'd go walk around Seireitei with her."
"There's no need to rush. I still have a few things to finish, and I'll be coming back to Soul Society afterward." Muten Natsu added, "We can come together then."
"Mm-hmm." Orihime Inoue picked out a few sweets. "Then I'll go find Rangiku-san first."
"See you later." Muten Natsu waved.
"I need to get back to work too." Nayura Amakado said goodbye to Muten Natsu. "Once you're in the World of the Living, I'll contact you with a Denreishinki."
The so-called Denreishinki was the cellphone Rukia Kuchiki used in the World of the Living, able to send signals between the two worlds.
After seeing Nayura Amakado off, Muten Natsu finished dealing with the documents at hand, left the 4th Division, and headed for the 13th Division's barracks.
Behind the 13th Division barracks was a large training ground that could be used with permission from the Captain or Lieutenant.
To the east of the training ground was a small hill with a view over the entire area. A large cherry tree grew there, standing as if it were watching over the place.
Although it was not cherry blossom season, the great tree was still lush and green.
"I knew you'd be here." Muten Natsu walked toward the figure beneath the tree.
"Muten." Hearing Muten Natsu's voice, Rukia Kuchiki turned around. "I remember we used to train here all the time back then."
Although the 4th Division also had a training ground, it was a place for treating the wounded, so it was not suitable for making too much noise.
On top of that, there was no one in the 4th Division to teach them combat. So after the two of them graduated from the Shin'ō Academy, most of their training had been done here under Kaien Shiba's guidance.
Now that Rukia Kuchiki was about to become Lieutenant of the 13th Division, she had come here to rest for a while during the free time between handing over duties.
"Orihime asked me to bring this to you." Muten Natsu handed the three-colored dango to Rukia Kuchiki. "It still tastes like it did when we were kids."
Rukia Kuchiki took the dango and finished it in two or three bites. "You definitely stole some, didn't you?"
"How can you doubt me after all my restraint?" Muten Natsu sat down beside Rukia Kuchiki. "I licked it several times and still held back from eating it!"
"You!" Rukia Kuchiki kicked at him.
"I'm kidding." Muten Natsu smoothly caught her little foot. "Something on your mind?"
"Mm..." Rukia Kuchiki tugged free with a little force, then shifted her rounded, peach-like softness closer to Muten Natsu. "I just feel like I'm only capable of serving as a Seated Officer, but now I've become Lieutenant."
"I think you have the ability to become a Captain. Lieutenant is only a transition."
"You're the only one who thinks that." Rukia Kuchiki's cheeks puffed slightly as she stared at Muten Natsu in warning. "Don't say that in front of anyone else."
"Mm." Muten Natsu met her eyes, his gaze gentle. "There's one more thing."
Rukia Kuchiki was baffled by the way he was looking at her. "What?"
Muten Natsu gazed into her violet eyes without speaking.
According to Retsu Unohana's teaching, as long as they looked at each other long enough, then next...
"So you noticed." Rukia Kuchiki parted her cherry-colored lips. "I was still wondering how to tell you... I want to stay in Soul Society."
Muten Natsu's expression froze. "Hm?"
"That wasn't what you meant?" Rukia Kuchiki noticed the shock on Muten Natsu's face. "Then what were you talking about?"
"I..." Muten Natsu opened his mouth. "Why do you want to stay in Soul Society?"
"I'm a Lieutenant now. I can't just leave the Division's work behind and stay in the World of the Living all the time." Rukia Kuchiki pressed her lips together.
An excuse.
The Lieutenant's duties had previously been handled jointly by Sentarō Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu, and Jūshirō Ukitake had already made it clear that Rukia Kuchiki could continue her previous assignment in the World of the Living without worrying about the Division.
After all, Karakura Town was a Jūreichi. Sending a Lieutenant-level Shinigami to be stationed there was perfectly reasonable.
"And I've already found the direction for my Bankai." Rukia Kuchiki continued, "I want to focus on training in Soul Society and master Bankai as soon as possible."
"...See? It wasn't that big a deal, but you kept hiding it." Muten Natsu smiled. "You could've just told me earlier."
"...I overthought it." Rukia Kuchiki smiled. "When you go back to the World of the Living, please explain it to our classmates for me."
"Leave it to me." Muten Natsu agreed, then stood up. "I still have something to do. I was planning to take my time with it... but now I'll have to hurry."
"..." Rukia Kuchiki wanted to ask, but in the end, she could not bring herself to say it. "All right."
Muten Natsu waved and turned to leave.
Rukia Kuchiki watched his back as he walked away, somehow feeling as if something had been pulled out of her body together with him.
"Muten..."
...
"Gone?" Although Retsu Unohana's strength had not recovered, her body was no longer as weak as before, and she could handle some simple official work. "I thought he was with you this whole time."
Rukia Kuchiki was rather surprised. "Muten... hasn't been sleeping with you these past few days, Captain?"
"He hasn't been sleeping with you?" Retsu Unohana had assumed that after the two kissed, they had been sleeping together the whole time. So even though she had not seen Muten Natsu for several days, she had not gone out of her way to look for him.
But now Rukia Kuchiki had come to her, saying that she had not seen Muten Natsu for several days either.
"Then..." Rukia Kuchiki lightly bit her lower lip. "I'll ask the others."
Retsu Unohana called out to her. "Rukia."
"Captain?"
"Shinigami live very long lives, so we often fall under the illusion that there will always be plenty of time." Retsu Unohana's gaze was gentle, her tone earnest. "But in that long life, most of the time is still. Only when we meet someone, or when something happens, does that stagnant time begin to move forward."
Rukia Kuchiki looked at Retsu Unohana in confusion. "Captain, do you mean..."
"The time that truly matters is shorter than we imagine." Retsu Unohana raised a hand and smoothed Rukia Kuchiki's slightly messy hair. "At the very least... it isn't abundant enough for us to waste it extravagantly."
Rukia Kuchiki nodded, half-understanding, then went elsewhere to look for Muten Natsu.
"Muten Natsu?" Nayura Amakado set down her cup, a little tipsy as she thought back. "I haven't seen him recently."
"Captain Kyōraku! How can you let her drink?" Rukia Kuchiki looked at Nayura Amakado's state. "And Rangiku-san too. You should've stopped her."
"Come now..." Shunsui Kyōraku answered drunkenly. "It's not such a bad thing."
"Don't let how she looks fool you." Rangiku Matsumoto patted Nayura Amakado on the head. "She's much older than she seems."
"Don't treat me like a child." Nayura Amakado set down her cup. "Do you have something important to find him for? I can use the Daireishokairō to help you look."
Rukia Kuchiki was immediately at a loss.
Did she have something important?
No.
She did not actually have anything she needed to find Muten Natsu for.
Or rather, finding Muten Natsu was exactly what she wanted to do.
It was only because she had not seen him for several days that she felt... inexplicably uneasy.
"No... that's all right." Rukia Kuchiki forced the corners of her mouth up and politely said goodbye. "I'll ask someone else."
...
"So Muten hasn't been with you." When asked, Orihime Inoue said something similar to Retsu Unohana. Rukia Kuchiki had told her before that she wanted to stay in Soul Society. "I thought since you weren't going back to the World of the Living with us, Muten must have been keeping you company lately... Have you asked Captain Unohana?"
"Captain Unohana doesn't know either." Some unpleasant guesses appeared in Rukia Kuchiki's mind, but she shook her head and scattered them. "What are you two..."
Beside Orihime Inoue stood Nanao Ise, holding a large stack of documents.
"Ah... I'm helping Nanao look for Captain Kyōraku," Orihime Inoue replied. "But we haven't been able to find him."
"If it's Captain Kyōraku, he's currently drinking in the 10th Division guest room." Rukia Kuchiki pointed them in the right direction.
Nanao Ise's expression visibly darkened, and a cold glint flashed across her glasses.
"Then I'll help you look for Muten." Orihime Inoue clapped her hands. "Is there anything special going on? We can split up and search. If I run into him, I'll pass on your message."
"No... it's nothing." Rukia Kuchiki shook her head. "I'll look for him myself."
Could he have run into some kind of danger?
Impossible. With Muten Natsu's current strength, there was no way to make him disappear without a trace.
Then... where would Muten Natsu go?
"The World of the Living?" Rukia Kuchiki had not expected to get information from Suì-Fēng. "When did he leave?"
"Not long after Yoruichi-sama left." Suì-Fēng looked to be in a bad mood.
And that was indeed the case.
With Hachigen Ushōda keeping his promise and sealing Kisuke Urahara inside a barrier, Suì-Fēng had thought she could have Yoruichi-sama's affection all to herself. Instead, Yoruichi-sama had gone into the barrier too.
"I see..." After learning where Muten Natsu had gone, Rukia Kuchiki felt a little more settled.
But that inexplicable feeling did not ease.
Muten Natsu... why did he leave without saying goodbye?
When would he come back...
Rukia Kuchiki sat blankly in the office, mechanically handling the 13th Division's paperwork, while her thoughts drifted uncontrollably.
So... it really was because she wanted to stay in Soul Society?
Even though he had not said anything, he probably still did not want to be separated from her.
That day, Muten Natsu had seemed to have something he wanted to say to her.
But the decision she told him had interrupted him.
He never said it.
What had Muten Natsu wanted to say...?
Probably something he wanted to do after returning to the World of the Living.
Muten Natsu must have thought of many things he wanted to do with her.
But she was staying in Soul Society.
Rukia Kuchiki's fingertips turned white around her pen.
Muten Natsu wanted to be with her. To go to school together, eat together, sleep together, and spend one ordinary day after another together.
She knew all of that.
But... she had still decided to stay in Soul Society.
Rukia Kuchiki pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
That feeling of something being pulled out became even stronger.
It was as if a hole had opened in her chest.
Cold wind passed through it, taking away that reassuring warmth.
Muten Natsu... would come back, wouldn't he?
He would definitely come back.
Rukia Kuchiki had thought Muten Natsu would appear at her appointment ceremony, but even after the ceremony ended, she still did not see him.
Amid the congratulations from everyone around her, all she could do was force herself to smile.
...This feeling.
When she finally had time alone, Rukia Kuchiki at last remembered that unbearable feeling from the days without Muten Natsu.
After they reunited, the two of them had spent too much time together.
So much that she had already forgotten that old torment.
How could she have forgotten...
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking..." Rukia Kuchiki answered instinctively, then suddenly realized something and whipped her head toward the source of the voice. "Muten!"
"I was planning to finish it before your appointment ceremony, but it turned out to be a lot more complicated than I expected." Muten Natsu was clearly exhausted, but he smiled and held the small box in his hand out to Rukia Kuchiki. "It's a little late, but at least the day isn't over yet. Congratulations on officially becoming Lieutenant. This is your gift."
Before Muten Natsu could finish, Rukia Kuchiki hugged him tightly.
Feeling Rukia Kuchiki's slightly hurried breathing, Muten Natsu wrapped his arms around her slender body. "What's wrong?"
***
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