The hug lasted for a whole minute.
He then replied, "No, it's okay. I just missed you."
Nemuri simply stared at him for a moment. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Okay."
They continued their hug.
But Mei coughed—loudly enough to make them stop.
Nemuri looked at Mei and teased, "What? Can't you see I'm busy here?"
Still, she let go.
Maki also released her and stood straight, towering over them.
And they all saw his bare chest.
His skin was pale. His nipples were faintly red, almost pink. His body was chiseled—eight defined abs, lean and perfectly sculpted.
Mei couldn't help it. Her imagination began running wild.
Shakuyaku remained silent, staring at him.
Unohana wore a gentle, motherly smile as her blue eyes met his gaze.
Nemuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uhm… Maki, did you grow again?"
He looked at her, then down at himself, unable to tell.
"I don't know…"
"Hmmm…" Nemuri studied him. Her eyes traveled over his body as she stepped closer. She even tiptoed, trying to reach the top of his head. Then she stopped.
"Yes. You did grow."
"Hm… I don't feel any change though," he replied.
"Well, you grew like two or three inches," Nemuri said.
"Hmmm…"
He thought back. Maybe it was because he received another skill. He simply nodded.
"I'll check later."
"Hey, enough of your chat," Mei interrupted.
"Oh, okay. Well, let's sit first," Nemuri said. She seemed completely unbothered by the bare-chested man.
But the others couldn't take their eyes off him.
Then Shakuyaku moved.
She seemed entranced by him, unable to control herself. She walked toward him.
Nemuri, Mei, and Unohana noticed.
Shakuyaku had regained her strength. At around 6'1", she was tall for a woman. But as she approached him, she suddenly seemed small.
They all watched her walk toward Maki.
She stopped one foot away—close enough to see his chest rise and fall as he breathed.
She looked up at his face.
He looked down at her.
She carried the authority of a queen. Her clothing was alluring, unable to fully hide her curvaceous figure.
But when he looked at her, there was no lust in his eyes.
No fascination.
No hunger.
Shakuyaku didn't understand why.
They simply stared at each other.
He cleared his throat.
"uhm… what can I do for you?"
He didn't know why, but ever since she entered the room, he could feel her gaze on him.
Then he heard her voice.
It was sweet—but laced with pride.
"Let me ask you a question. And I want you to answer me truthfully."
She looked at him.
He nodded.
Her voice turned serious.
"Are you willing to save a person you just met?"
The man didn't hesitate.
"Of course."
Shakuyaku stared at him.
In his eyes, she saw conviction.
Resolve.
Then she asked again.
"Why?"
He looked into her eyes and spoke slowly.
"In my hometown, we have a saying…
The ocean is too big for a man to cross alone, and too deep for a heart to stay cold. At sea, we are rivals for the catch, but brothers for life.
On the water, every stranger is a brother, because every storm is a shared fate.
So of course I'll lend a hand to those who ask to be saved…
Rather than watch their reaching hands be swallowed by the sea."
Everyone stared at him.
Nemuri smiled at the man she had been with.
Mei cupped her cheeks with both hands as she listened.
Unohana watched him quietly with her blue eyes.
Even Nemu and Isane, who had just woken up, were listening from behind the curtain.
Shakuyaku studied him carefully, searching for even the slightest wavering in his red eyes.
She found none.
She let out a deep breath.
"Is that so…"
Then she said, "Then you have to take responsibility for me. Because all of this happened because of you. Do you understand?"
He raised an eyebrow and placed his left hand on his chin, thinking hard.
Had he met her before?
Did he do something wrong?
He had been drunk. Maybe he forgot something important.
Why aren't you answering?" Shakuyaku pressed.
He looked at her, confused.
He couldn't remember what he did. But she had been staring at him the whole time. She asked about saving someone. Now she was telling him to take responsibility.
Because he had been drunk before, he began to think that maybe… he really had done something.
And if it was bad—
This was serious.
He swallowed.
"D-definitely, Miss—"
He stopped.
He didn't know her name.
Shakuyaku stared at him, then smiled.
"You can call me Shakky."
Then she added softly, "And don't forget—you have to take responsibility. Or else—"
She didn't finish the sentence. She just stared at him.
He nodded.
He didn't know what was happening, but it definitely felt like a big problem.
Then he noticed her hand gesturing for him to lower himself.
He bent down to her level.
Their faces were close.
Her eyes met his.
"Wait for me," Shakky said softly. "I have some important matters to attend to first, okay?"
He nodded again.
Then she moved closer.
Not hesitant. Not teasing.
Certain.
Her fingers brushed against his chest as she closed the distance, the contact light but deliberate, like she was measuring his heartbeat. The air around them tightened. Conversations died mid-sentence.
And then she kissed him.
Right there. In front of everyone.
It wasn't quick. It wasn't polite. Her lips claimed his with slow, controlled pressure, molding to his like she'd decided he belonged to her and was informing the room of that fact.
Maki's eyes widened, shock flashing across her face.
Shakuyaku didn't care.
Her hand slid up, curling around the back of his neck, holding him in place as she deepened the kiss just enough to make his breath hitch. It wasn't frantic. That would've been weakness.
This was dominance.
Her mouth parted slightly, heat building between them, and just when he began to lean into it—
Pain.
A sharp sting tugged at his lower lip.
She bit him.
Not cruelly. Not enough to wound.
Just enough to mark.
He felt the faint metallic taste before he even realized what she'd done. A thin bead of blood surfaced where her teeth had pressed.
She pulled back slowly, dragging the moment out, her thumb brushing his lip as if admiring her work. Then her tongue swept across her own mouth, catching the trace of red.
Her eyes never left his.
There was something almost predatory in the way she watched him react, like she enjoyed the way his pulse jumped under her touch.
She released him only after she was satisfied, stepping back with maddening calm, lips slightly flushed, gaze steady.
Shakuyaku smiled faintly.
"I'll go now," she said. "Wait for me, okay… Uchi no hito."
Then she turned and walked toward the sliding door.
They all watched her.
Mei and Nemuri couldn't believe it. Just like she said, she seemed completely fine now—back to normal, as if nothing had happened.
As she passed them, she waved and winked.
"I need to go first."
Then she finally left the room.
Maki stared at her retreating figure, still unsure of what had just happened.
He tilted his head slightly.
The wound on his lip had already healed.
"…Don't get drunk again."
No more alcohol....
( ＾∀＾)