His cultivation had found a brand-new direction at this very moment.
Thinking of this, Suō Tsukasa's gaze naturally fell upon her, and he offered a slight smile.
"Rangiku, thank you! Your words have truly enlightened me!"
"?"
Matsumoto Rangiku blinked, not quite understanding what this sudden gratitude was referring to for a moment. But seeing the brilliance in his eyes, she knew she must have said something very useful, and she couldn't help but feel happy as well.
Then, she heard Tsukasa's tone shift, as he reminded her with a teasing smile.
"Also, it's time to flip the skewers in your hand, or else they're going to burn."
"Ah! My meat!"
Rangiku suddenly realized that she had been so focused on talking to him that she had completely forgotten the task at hand. She hurriedly turned the meat skewers; some of the edges had already turned a scorched brown from being over the fire too long.
After a brief moment of fluster and further guidance from the master teacher Tsukasa, she finally managed to finish the grilling without further incident.
Rangiku looked at the few skewers in her hand, which didn't look particularly impressive. Her eyes darted around, and she playfully handed half of them to Tsukasa, saying, "Tsukasa, you've worked hard all day, too. Try my cooking!"
Tsukasa accepted them quite readily. He had been supervising the entire process during the latter half, so he had a fair idea of what the taste would be like. He blew on them carefully and took a large bite; the outer layer was crispy, while the inside remained somewhat tender.
An evaluation of six out of ten—barely a passing grade.
"How is it?" Rangiku leaned in closer, waiting for his critique.
"Not bad. You have quite the talent." Tsukasa chewed and swallowed, then looked at her seriously and nodded. His hands didn't stop as he continued to put the meat into his mouth, expressing his approval through practical action.
"It is good!" Seeing his reaction, her confidence instantly surged. She took a bite herself and tasted it carefully. She felt it was a bit short of Tsukasa's top-tier skill, but the flavor was broadly similar. She nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems I have potential for cooking!"
"I'll definitely grill them even better this time!" She felt a small sense of pride and picked up a fresh handful of skewers, eager to try again.
"Take it slow, no rush," Tsukasa said with a smile, picking up a few skewers of vegetables and meat to start on his own.
"Tsukasa, here!" On the other side, Tōshirō, who had been quietly grilling his own portion, handed over half of his finished batch. His movements were concise, without any unnecessary words.
"Thanks!" Tsukasa accepted them just as readily and took a bite. "Delicious!"
He gave a thumbs-up and praised him sincerely. He had always been generous with providing emotional value to others, especially since the food in his hand truly did taste excellent.
Tōshirō nodded, a faint, calm curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Beside the grill, the three formed a peculiar scene. Tsukasa watched over everything as the main force in grilling the food while simultaneously guiding the others. Rangiku refined her craft, though as the sake took effect, her results became inconsistent. However, she didn't slack off either, helping to pour sake from time to time and contributing her part. Tōshirō, meanwhile, consistently provided high-quality "baseline" results.
"Satisfied, satisfied! It would be even better if you let me drink a bit more sake!"
When the last piece of meat was finished, Rangiku patted her slightly bulging stomach and leaned back on the stone bench without any regard for her image, her body stretching into a lazy arc. She first glanced at Tsukasa, who was gathering the last of the charcoal embers, her eyes filled with a clear hint of lingering desire for more.
"Sake is good, but do not overindulge. You can drink what's left next time," Tsukasa said without turning his head, his voice calm yet carrying an indisputable tone.
Rangiku's tolerance for alcohol wasn't actually bad, but more than half of the consumed sake had ended up in her stomach. He could feel her slight state of tipsiness just from the fluctuations in her Spiritual Pressure. As a friend, and especially as the host of the gathering, he felt a responsibility to control the pace and avoid any potential discomfort. In his view, keeping a friend's drinking within a reasonable range was a sign of personal character.
"It's all gone. I can buy more and bring it over. How about we have two more cups?" Rangiku immediately sat up straight and held up two fingers, trying to bargain for herself.
"No! Today has been enjoyable enough, and besides, we have to wake up early tomorrow," Tsukasa refused firmly. He took the last bit of tea from the pot, warmed it up, and handed a cup to her. "Drink some tea to cut the richness; it'll also help sober you up."
"Alright, alright... To be honest, Tsukasa, you really sound like a nagging old lady at times..." Rangiku muttered softly as she looked at the steaming teacup. Then, she picked it up and began to sip slowly. As the warm tea went down her throat, the heaviness from the meal and the tipsiness from the sake indeed began to soothe.
"Say what you will." He didn't mind the words of a tipsy person and poured a cup each for himself and Tōshirō.
This little interlude did not break the pleasant atmosphere of the night. Rangiku took a sip of tea, her cheeks flushed a vibrant red from the alcohol, though it was hard to see clearly in the dying embers of the charcoal. She turned back to Tsukasa and asked curiously, "How did you learn to cook? And to make it so delicious... For someone from the Rukongai, most are lucky just to fill their stomachs, right?"
"I knew a bit before coming to the Soul Society, and helping out at the Teradaya refined it a lot," Tsukasa answered casually. Then, he paused for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the west, his voice turning gentle. "I was lucky enough to wake up in West District 3. I was also lucky to meet people at the Teradaya who were willing to accept me and give me a place to belong."
Tama and Ms. Terada were the people he cherished most; it was their support that allowed him to smoothly navigate those initial days. It was just that his home felt a bit far away lately; working in the Seireitei meant he didn't have many holidays to go back and visit them. Based on the speed at which he was currently earning merits, it would take at least ten or twenty years before he could own a private residence. However, he still had the upcoming Hueco Mundo expedition to look forward to, which was where the real major merits lay.
Rangiku listened quietly and nodded thoughtfully. "The Teradaya in West District 3... I think I've heard of it." Her thoughts drifted, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the rim of her cup as she sighed. "I feel that with your personality and skill, Tsukasa, you would live well in any district."
"Perhaps." Hearing this, Tsukasa smiled without denying it or being overly modest.
Then, something occurred to him, and he turned to Tōshirō. "Tōshirō, during the year-end holidays, you can bring your grandmother to West District 3 to spend the New Year with us. Afterward, if she's willing, she can stay directly at the Teradaya. Our holidays are too few, and she has no one to accompany her. Ms. Terada and Tama are very easy to get along with; you'll be more at ease having my family accompany her."
"This... is that alright?" The hand Tōshirō was using to hold his teacup paused slightly, his fingertips tightening. He suddenly looked up at Tsukasa in surprise. Only his grandmother, whom he cared about most, could cause his usually ice-calm face to show such a vivid expression. Since entering the Seireitei, the time he spent with her had plummeted, and he had naturally worried about her living alone in the Rukongai.
"Of course it's alright," Tsukasa answered without hesitation, his tone carrying a reassuring certainty.
"Mm. Thank you, Tsukasa." Tōshirō nodded, and a weight that had been looming over his heart quietly vanished. He hadn't expected Tsukasa to not only think of it for him but also to consider it so thoroughly.
"No need to thank me; it's only right." After Tōshirō's grandmother had recovered her health, she already had the ability to live independently. Even staying at the Teradaya wouldn't require extra effort to care for her; it was simply a matter of an extra room.
The arrangement was settled then and there. Between the two of them, their friendship required no unnecessary pleasantries or refusals.
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