Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
The hands of the clock hanging on the wall moved bit by bit. Inside the duty room, the light gradually dimmed as time slipped away.
"Tsk—so slow."
It had been exactly two minutes since Suō Tsukasa's last reply.
Matsumoto Rangiku rested her chin on her palm, her fingertip aimlessly tracing circles on the tabletop. She clicked her tongue in impatience before turning to look at Toshiro beside her.
"Is this how you and Tsukasa usually message each other, or is it just a problem with that Denreishinki itself?"
"Women are such a hassle..."
Toshiro returned her a flat, indifferent look. However, remembering her guidance when he first joined the squad, he felt obligated to entertain her for a while. He explained with strained patience:
"Tsukasa said the back-end of this machine is managed by someone. On regular days, we should keep the transmissions as brief as possible—just enough to get the point across. Some things are better known by as few people as possible."
Because Suō Tsukasa's activities were restricted during this period, even his previous instructions about watering the medicinal herbs had been limited to just two characters. Secrets remained secrets precisely because one had to be extremely careful in daily life.
"So that's why. Then I guess I won't buy one after all," Rangiku said, blinking as she understood. "It doesn't seem like a very good deal."
She had originally thought about buying a machine so she could chat with Suō Tsukasa whenever she was free or invite him for a drink. Now, she realized it was better to forget it. Though she had many friends, most were from the Shinigami Women's Association, and she lacked someone who could truly keep her company for a couple of drinks. While other Lieutenants could drink, communication between members of different squads relied on Hell Butterflies; one couldn't use such a formal method for personal matters. Consequently, opportunities to sit down and share a cup were far and few between.
Though she would occasionally grab other squad members for a drink, the gap in their salaries was quite vast; after a few times, everyone started avoiding her. Usually, she drank alone.
In the Seireitei, most people were lonely.
This thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Despite having just drunk tea, her thoughts felt as though they had been stirred by something, causing her to daze for a moment. Another face, somewhat blurred, surfaced in her mind. She frowned, shook her head with a hint of irritation, and suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation.
"???"
Toshiro watched her profile as she fell into sudden silence, not quite understanding what kind of fit she was throwing now. Since she didn't want to talk, he wasn't in the mood either. He naturally withdrew his gaze and ignored her mood swings, happy to have some peace and quiet.
The duty room fell into a complete hush, leaving only the rhythmic ticking of the pendulum. As time slowly passed, it was finally time to get off work.
"Let's go," Toshiro said as he stood up, leading the way out of the duty room.
"Wait for me!" Rangiku followed quickly.
The two of them walked out of the Tenth Division barracks, one after the other. Toshiro chose a very secluded route, avoiding almost all main roads and areas where people frequently passed. He walked with light steps, leading her through narrow alleys and backstreets, appearing incredibly familiar with every turn. Rangiku followed closely behind; many of the small paths Toshiro took were ones she had never even walked before.
Twilight deepened.
As they neared Sogyoku Hill, she began to understand the general location of the secret base and the reason why he and Suō Tsukasa were so cautious. The thrill of breaking the rules stirred quietly within her, making her even more excited for the journey ahead.
About fifteen minutes later, Toshiro squatted down and pulled up a stone slab. The slab lifted to reveal a glowing, seemingly bottomless hole beneath.
"This is it. Be careful on the way down; the hole is quite deep."
Rangiku peeked into the hole, a flash of surprise in her eyes. She nodded and was the first to leap down. Toshiro followed immediately after, and the stone slab closed behind them.
The descent was longer than she had imagined, and the surrounding environment was incredibly vast. When her feet finally hit solid ground, she was completely stunned by the sight before her.
A hot spring pool billowed with wisps of white steam, while a lush bamboo forest stretched beside the water. Nearby stood two small houses. Further away was a neatly organized, hidden pastoral paradise. The air was filled with purity and a dense concentration of Reishi, unlike anywhere else in the Seireitei—a completely independent little world.
"This—this place is..."
Rangiku was momentarily speechless, her golden eyes wide as she scanned the surroundings in disbelief.
"Rangiku, welcome."
Suō Tsukasa walked up to her, greeting her with a smile. It was rare for a third person to visit this massive underground space. He kept many things hidden in his heart, but he wasn't the type who enjoyed being a total recluse. Toshiro's message today had been a surprise, but he had never intended to exhaust himself hiding the existence of the secret base. If someone truly wanted to come, he welcomed them.
Rangiku turned her head toward Tsukasa, her voice still carrying a trace of lingering shock. "This is amazing. Do you two usually train here?"
"Yeah. Actually, there isn't too much here. Go ahead and walk around with Toshiro first. I have something cooking in the pot, so I'll head back to finish up."
"Alright."
Tsukasa didn't stand on ceremony; after a brief explanation, he turned and left. Toshiro nodded and turned as well.
"Follow me."
"Oh, okay."
As a guest, Rangiku followed the arrangement and began to tour the area with him.
"This light, how did you manage it? Did Tsukasa do it?" After walking a few steps, Rangiku looked up at the constant light source of the space, sounding puzzled. She felt it was something that could be created by Tsukasa's Zanpakuto ability, yet it clearly felt different.
"No. According to Tsukasa, the hot spring and the light source in this underground space were already here. Everything else you see was made by Tsukasa. I helped a little after I arrived, but not much. Over here is the medical hot spring, and next to it is the bamboo forest. Let me show you the rest."
Toshiro answered as they walked. He took her on a full tour of the base, introducing each part. Whether he was trying to prevent her from asking more questions or returning the treatment she gave him when he first joined the squad, his walking pace and speaking speed were slightly faster than usual. Their figures only lingered briefly at each location.
The last stop brought Rangiku before Suō Tsukasa, who was currently cooking.
"This is the kitchen, the place where we usually eat," Toshiro said his final sentence to her, concluding the tour.
"Hm, so soon? I was going to suggest you two walk around a bit more while the food finished," Tsukasa said, looking up at them. "Take a seat, it'll be ready in a moment."
Soon, three bowls of steaming noodles were placed on the stone table. They were the same noodles he had made when Toshiro first arrived, but the bowl in front of Rangiku was slightly different. Tsukasa sat down and explained:
"I cooked yours separately; there are no dried bamboo shoots in it. Don't worry, it won't taste bad."
"How did you know?" Rangiku was slightly stunned.
They hadn't known each other for very long, and they had only eaten together three times in total. How was he so clear on her preferences?
"During the party at the small courtyard last time. Yours was the only table with some bamboo shoots left over."
During the last bamboo feast, everyone else had basically cleaned their plates, but Rangiku's place had some leftovers. Thus, it had left a deep impression on him. Seeing her, she didn't seem like Kotetsu Isane, who liked to strictly control her diet, so the reason was most likely that she didn't like eating bamboo shoots. As a chef, Suō Tsukasa had an extremely keen sense for these details. He continued in a relaxed tone:
"That was my first time officially hosting everyone, so I didn't know your preferences. If there's anything else you don't like, you can tell me. I'll keep it in mind for the next party."
"Uh, it's not that I don't like them. Your cooking is delicious. It's just that I read in a book that the alkalinity of bamboo shoots is bad for the skin, so I just ate a little less." Rangiku explained hurriedly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"As a chef, I can tell you with total responsibility that there is no such thing. On the contrary, eating bamboo shoots in moderation is beneficial for skin whitening. Furthermore, I'm using bamboo shoots of the highest quality in the Seireitei; the dietary fibers and various elements in them are quite good for beauty and skin care."
Tsukasa spoke with conviction. He picked up his chopsticks and pointed at the bamboo slices in his own bowl, sounding confident.
"Really? That book I read made it sound quite convincing..." Hearing this, Rangiku blinked and awkwardly touched her cheek.
"Which book?" Toshiro suddenly spoke up from the side, his voice calm. He had never seen her holding a single book in the duty room; the only things she ever had were various magazines.
"Uh—'The Seireitei Beauty Secret Records'."
Rangiku's voice grew smaller and smaller, her usual confidence vanishing.
Suō Tsukasa and Toshiro looked at each other and simultaneously fell into silence. Both possessed strong mental fortitude and wouldn't easily laugh at someone. Tsukasa raised his chopsticks and said:
"Let's eat."
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