The kiss was even more passionate than before, and they both stumbled onto the bed.
Arata's palm wandered across her back, feeling the texture of the lace and the warmth of her skin.
Rangiku's breathing suddenly quickened, and she lightly scratched his neck with her nails, making him sigh with satisfaction.
Arata lowered his head and kissed her collarbone, slowly descending along the curve, lingering with his lips on the edge of the abyss, sending waves of pleasant heat.
Rangiku instinctively arched her body, her trembling fingers unbuttoning his clothes and pressing his bare chest against hers.
"Mmm…"
The moment their bare skin touched, both of them moaned softly at the same time.
Arata's kiss grew deeper, and with the tips of his fingers, he gently pulled the ribbon, slightly loosening the tight fabric.
Rangiku's gray eyes were half-closed, her eyelashes gently trembling, as if inviting him to continue.
Arata took the opportunity, pressed her beneath him, and his hand slid along the inside of her thighs, feeling how her body responded.
Her touch was smooth like silk, which made his movements feel even gentler, yet irresistibly strong.
As the night deepened, the flickering candlelight illuminated the shadows on the bed.
Arata's movements rose in waves, drowning Rangiku in surge after surge.
She responded to his rhythm, wrapping her limbs around him like a vine.
"Arata… all your clothes are wrinkled…"
The black-and-white clothing was slightly deformed from the friction, but that only added a touch of messy beauty to the scene.
"We'll wash it tomorrow. What's important now is to finish the 'job'." Arata's eyes were darkened. He grabbed all the scattered things on the bed and threw them to the floor; never before did he think clothing could be such a nuisance.
The fire in his stomach burned stronger.
As if time had stopped, the two of them were completely immersed in this intimate, uninterrupted exchange.
The nocturnal entanglement was like a silent dance, in which the two explored each other's limits over and over again.
Rangiku's breath went from rapid to long, only to erupt again the next moment.
The two finally stopped speaking when a beam of moonlight slipped through the gap between the curtains.
Rangiku rested her head on Arata's chest, breathing heavily to calm her heartbeat, like a beautiful daisy finally blooming freely.
Arata held her in his embrace, gently combing her golden hair with his fingers.
"Looks like your combat ability has improved. Have you been secretly training without telling me?" His voice was full of satisfaction, but there was a hint of exhaustion in it.
Rangiku smiled, raised her face, and kissed his chin.
"Excuse me? My combat ability has always been strong~"
"Really? I wouldn't say so."
"I don't care what you feel, what matters is what I feel."
…
The next morning, sunlight quietly crept into the bedroom, and Rangiku, who had gotten enough sleep, woke up first.
She rubbed her eyes and looked at Arata sleeping beside her, and the corners of her lips involuntarily lifted.
Hmph, turns out my combat ability really is stronger.
Then the memories of last night suddenly returned to her, and her cheeks warmed slightly.
Just like Arata said, the underwear fit her unbelievably well, of course, only in certain moments.
She lightly kissed his forehead and got up to prepare breakfast.
Not long after, Arata also woke up, thanks to his internal biological clock. The smell of food coming from the kitchen immediately awakened his appetite.
He got dressed and came out to see Rangiku cheerfully humming while frying eggs.
The morning light streamed through the kitchen curtains and danced on the tips of her golden hair. The loose collar of her pajamas had slipped slightly with her movement, revealing red marks from last night's lovemaking.
"Good morning~" Rangiku turned around, her apron casually hanging around her waist, and the eggs sizzled in the pan. "Three more minutes and it's done~"
Arata hugged her around the waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and took a deep breath.
The smell of fried eggs mixed with the light scent of shampoo from her hair made him unable to resist and gently bite the white nape of her neck.
"Tired from last night? Let me make breakfast today." His fingertips unconsciously slid across her soft hip, where several light red marks were still visible.
Rangiku's ears blushed and she elbowed him in the chest. "Stop it! You're the one who fell asleep first!"
She suddenly lowered her voice: "And the hangover tea Isane gave me works really well. I don't have a headache at all…"
The moment he heard that familiar name, Arata froze.
The memories from last night, which had been diluted by lust, resurfaced again — the scattered papers on the desk, Isane's trembling lashes, and her final words: "Please, forget…"
"What's wrong?" Rangiku suddenly turned around, and the egg yolk slipped off the spatula onto the stove with a soft "plop."
"Nothing." Arata quickly pulled himself together and took the spatula from her hands. "I just thought about today's match between Toushirou and Hinamori, we need to get to the stadium early."
Rangiku looked at him suspiciously for a few moments, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and bit his earlobe. "If I find out you were thinking about another woman…"
She threw a meaningful glance toward the kitchen knife on the cutting board.
Arata laughed, flipping the egg with the spatula. "What other woman would I let keep me in the kitchen this early and bite me, except one drunkard?"
After quickly finishing breakfast, he pulled out a small gilded bottle from deep within the medicine cabinet. It was an energy drink Unohana Retsu had specially sent him last month.
The moment the pale blue liquid slid down his throat, a cold sensation exploded from his stomach and spread through his blood vessels across his entire body.
Arata shivered suddenly, and the fatigue from last night's "intense battle" vanished instantly. His spiritual energy was even stronger than usual.
Well, roughly like a Red Bull Super Max Pro Plus version from his previous life.
The effect was astonishingly powerful.
As for the consequences, that's not something a shinigami should worry too much about.
"This is straight-up cheating~" Rangiku approached with a piece of toast in her mouth and poked his tense bicep with her finger.
"Lucky me, lucky me, what a treasure Captain Unohana gave us. I should've made you drink it last night…"
However, before she could finish the sentence, Arata grabbed her cheek between his fingers. The man narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Hm? Who was the one last night crying and begging 'no more'?"
"That was a tactical retreat!" Rangiku blushed and pushed his hand away. When she turned around, the hem of her pajamas lifted, revealing the marks of his fingers on the inside of her thigh.
As the two of them bickered and joked, the smell of breakfast slowly filled the entire room.
When the sunlight fully reached the window frame, they were already dressed and ready to go.
"Wait." Arata suddenly pulled Rangiku back and, like a magic trick, pulled a silver necklace from his sleeve. "I saw this last time in the world of the living. I thought it would look perfect on you."
The pendant was a hollow gardenia with an icy blue gemstone in the center, which shimmered with vibrant colors in the morning light.
Rangiku let out a soft squeal of surprise, turned around, and moved her golden hair to one side.
"Hurry, put it on me~"
When the cold metal touched her collarbone, she saw Arata's focused profile reflected in the kitchen glass.
The man's rough fingers carefully avoided her bare skin at the nape of her neck, as if afraid he might break something precious.
"It's really beautiful." Arata lowered his head and kissed the gardenia. The gemstone felt slightly warm when touched by his lips.
"Thank you, Arata."
Rangiku turned and threw herself into his embrace, and the citrusy scent of her shampoo chased away the last shadow from his mood.
When the two of them arrived at the competition venue, hand in hand, the Central Great Combat Arena was already teeming with people.
Compared to yesterday, not only were the stands packed full, but the aisles were also crowded with soldiers who came after hearing about the event.
The lineup in the VIP booths was even more impressive.
Kyoraku Shunsui was pushing his sake flask into Ukitake Jushirou's hands, while Kuchiki Byakuya sat upright on a gilded chair, cold as an ice sculpture.
Besides them, two unexpected people also appeared in the audience Aizen and Ichimaru Gin.
The two sat quietly in a corner, as if they weren't even in the same world as all the noise around them.
"Oh ho? Looks like we missed the opening ceremony." Arata glanced at the Reishi projection screen floating in the center of the arena, showing the best moments from yesterday's match with Hitsugaya Toushirou.
When the screen showed the scene where the white-haired boy used Hadō Number 33: Sōkatsui to force Kujo Shurei into retreat, the audience burst into cheers.
"Senpai Arata! Over here!" Hinamori Momo waved frantically at the entrance to the contestant corridor, wearing a pink haori over her school uniform.
Toushirou beside her still had his usual indifferent expression and didn't seem the least bit nervous about the group finals.
Arata approached and ruffled both their heads. "Are you nervous?"
"No!" Hinamori Momo puffed out her cheeks, and the edge of her haori bounced as she moved. "I reviewed my Kidō notes three times!"
Hitsugaya Toushirou turned his gaze to the childhood girl, hesitated for a moment, then simply tightened the bandages around his sword handle once more. The tip of his ear, peeking out from his white hair, turned slightly red.
"Senpai Arata, look over there. " Renji, Rukia, and the others pushed through the crowd, his fiery red hair blazing like flames.
He pointed toward the judges' table and shouted, "Besides Lieutenant Sasakibe, even Captain Shiba from the Tenth Division is here today!"
Arata looked in the direction Renji pointed. Indeed, next to Chōjirō Sasakibe, a young man in a captain's haori was sitting at the judges' bench today.
The moment Shiba Isshin spotted Arata, he waved excitedly.
"Yo! Arata!"
"This white-haired kid from your class is totally my type. Tell him he's not allowed to lose!"
————————
Support me on patreon.com/_BlackRose
Read all chapters
Every 20/50/100 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter.