Matsumoto Rangiku was as good as her word.
That evening, she appeared at the underground training ground once again. Her "next time" came slightly sooner than expected. And once more, she arrived empty-handed—or rather, the jug of wine she had promised was currently being carried by Toshiro.
When Suō Tsukasa heard the commotion and walked out from the kitchen, this was the scene that greeted him:
Matsumoto Rangiku walked in front with her hands behind her back, a beaming smile on her face. Toshiro followed a step behind her, cradling a brown ceramic wine jug in his arms with a somewhat reluctant expression.
Tsukasa had no idea what she had said to convince Toshiro to help carry the jug, but it didn't really matter.
"I'm here!"
"And I brought the wine, too!"
Rangiku's cheerful voice echoed through the underground space, her face wearing a triumphant smile as if she had just completed a grand mission. Rather than staying alone in the barracks, she had naturally chosen to join this interesting little group. Since Tsukasa had said that morning that she could come anytime, she wasn't going to be formal. If there were fun days to be had, why wait for tomorrow or the day after?
Moreover, she had faithfully followed Tsukasa's instructions to stay close and act alongside Toshiro.
"Welcome," Tsukasa greeted her with a smile.
Regarding her repeat visit, his attitude remained one of open welcome. Otherwise, he would have directly requested that she send a message via her Denreishinki before coming.
Upon seeing Tsukasa, Toshiro's expression returned to normal. He nodded and said, "Tsukasa, I'll go put the wine in the kitchen first."
"Alright."
Tsukasa then turned to Rangiku and spoke seriously. "Today, after we finish watering the fields, Toshiro and I will likely begin our training. There aren't many chores to do, and I won't have much time to entertain you. If you want to drink, you'll have to wait until we finish our session. You might find it a bit boring during the interval."
He had already checked the medicinal herbs he processed yesterday before coming out; they weren't ready for the next step yet. He disliked the kind of polite yet distant way of interacting with people; since he considered her a friend, he felt it best to be direct.
Given Rangiku's personality, she didn't seem like the type of person who could settle down and immerse herself in training, and forcing her to keep up with their rhythm would likely be difficult. Thus, he gave her a fair warning in advance.
"It's fine! I'm not here to be a guest. You two do your thing; I'll just look around," Rangiku laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Just do whatever you usually do. You don't need to go out of your way for me."
Tsukasa smiled at her casual demeanor. "Alright then. Have a seat first; dinner is almost ready."
"Can I watch?" Rangiku asked. She was curious about how he managed to cook so much delicious food in that kitchen.
"Of course."
Tsukasa turned to go back into the kitchen, and Rangiku followed him in.
The kitchen was spacious and kept very neat. Half-chopped ingredients sat on the cutting board. Toshiro, wearing a small white apron and holding a kitchen knife, stood on a low stool, preparing to take over the prep work Tsukasa hadn't finished.
While Tsukasa usually handled dinner and late-night snacks, Toshiro had his own persistence and always insisted on helping. Besides assisting with prep, he had learned several basic dishes quite well. He was revealing his talent in this brand-new field.
Seeing this, Rangiku's gaze turned slightly odd, and she couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Pfft—Toshiro, that outfit—"
"Is there a problem?" Toshiro turned his head, his face expressionless and his tone icy.
The air in the kitchen suddenly dropped several degrees. It almost gave one the illusion that if she said the wrong thing, the kitchen knife in his hand would come flying at her the next second.
"No, no! It suits you perfectly!" Rangiku waved her hands hurriedly. "Good work, good work!"
Perception of killing intent.
Toshiro furrowed his brows and ignored her, turning back to the task at hand. His movements were swift and steady; after finishing a section of carrot, he moved on to the shiitake mushrooms. Every slice was uniform in thickness and arranged neatly.
"Alright, you just look around. I'm going to get busy," Tsukasa said, re-tying his apron.
He stepped to the stove, lit the fire, seasoned the wok, and picked up the prepared side dishes.
With a loud sizzle, the aroma of seared fat instantly filled the air. Tsukasa handled the wok with one hand, flipping and tossing with the ladle in a fluid, seamless motion. As various side dishes and seasonings were added in sequence, layers of aroma built upon one another, becoming increasingly rich and enticing.
Before long, the dishes were plated. Toshiro took the finished plate and handed it to Rangiku at the door.
"Serve the food!"
"Oh."
Rangiku took the plate, feeling the warmth through the bottom. The dish, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, made her instinctively take a deep breath. She carefully placed the food on the stone table and returned to the kitchen.
Tsukasa's movements never stopped; another dish in the wok was nearing completion. The three of them worked in a relay, and soon they were all seated around the stone table.
Tonight's menu was simple: stir-fried pork with green peppers, pan-fried tofu, seasonal vegetables with shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed egg drop soup.
"Let's eat."
With those words, everyone picked up their chopsticks. Rangiku first tried a piece of tofu. The exterior was slightly charred, the interior was silky smooth, and the sauce was a perfect balance of salty and sweet with a strong soy fragrance.
"Delicious! This is way better than the barracks cafeteria," she praised, giving Tsukasa a Satisfied thumbs-up. Her emotional feedback was, as always, very generous.
"The cafeteria cooks in bulk; it's hard to be precise. When you cook for yourself, you can adjust the flavor to your liking. I'm glad it suits your taste. Eat up," Tsukasa replied with a smile.
He cooked standard Chinese-style dishes rather than the localized, "Japanized" versions. The flavors were quite bold, and he had been slightly worried she might find it hard to adapt.
Toshiro picked up a morsel of chili and pork. His gaze swept over Rangiku as if nothing were out of the ordinary before he sent it into his mouth along with some rice, chewing unhurriedly. He was no longer the person who would be stung by the spice of snacks or jerky; this level of heat was well within his comfort zone. Having shared meals with Tsukasa for so long, his palate had converged with Tsukasa's, and he even quite enjoyed the stimulating sensation.
Rangiku's next move bypassed the light vegetables and accurately picked up a cluster of peppers and sauce-coated pork.
"!"
The spicy stimulus instantly exploded on her taste buds. Mixed with the fragrance of the meat and the wok hei, it brought a strange experience of heat and freshness. After chewing a few times, she swallowed, though the lingering heat made her cough slightly.
Tsukasa ladled a bowl of soup and placed it before her, asking with concern, "Do you need some soup to calm it down?" He had anticipated this, given the generally light flavors of food in the Seireitei.
"No!" she declined, waving her hand. She took a breath to steady herself and continued eating. She liked ordinary food, and she equally enjoyed this novel and somewhat challenging sensory experience. As for whether eating spicy food would affect her skin, that wasn't something she was concerned about right now.
Beside her, Toshiro's brow twitched slightly. He paused his eating and glanced at her, his chopsticks following suit.
The three of them ate slowly, and the food on the table was soon cleared away. With Tsukasa present, there was never a worry about leftovers. The other two were also very satisfied, their faces slightly flushed and beaded with sweat.
Seeing this, the spice-loving Tsukasa nodded happily, already forming new plans for future menus. It seemed his two friends had a very good tolerance for chili peppers.
After the meal, Toshiro got up to clean as usual. Rangiku also helped stack the empty plates and carried them to the kitchen to help tidy up.
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