Unohana Retsu gave a meaningful smile and, without further words, left the massage room, leaving behind only a confused Rangiku.
The masseuse's fingers continued gliding over her shoulders and neck, but Rangiku's mind had already drifted away.
Captain Unohana's meaningful look was like a tiny thorn lightly pricking her heart. It didn't hurt, but it was impossible to ignore.
"Ms. Matsumoto, please turn over."
The masseuse's voice brought her back to reality.
"Ah… okay."
Rangiku obediently turned onto her back, pressing her cheek into the face hole of the massage table, but the smile on Unohana Retsu's face as she left kept flashing before her eyes.
"No way…" Rangiku's eyes suddenly widened. "Were we making too much noise last night, and Captain Unohana heard everything?"
Just thinking about it made her ears burn, and she quickly buried her face even deeper into the table's opening.
Even though her relationship with Arata was no longer a secret in Soul Society, things like "adult matters" still needed to be hidden from others.
"But Captain Unohana probably isn't the type to gossip…" Rangiku reassured herself. "It's fine, she probably won't tell anyone."
They only forgot that the seemingly gentle woman–captain was actually one of the most experienced and unpredictable people in all of Gotei 13.
At the same time, in the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel, Arata was sitting alone by the window with a glass of iced lemonade in front of him.
His gaze was fixed on the distance where the sea met the sky, but his thoughts had drifted to Unohana Retsu's invitation from yesterday.
"See you in the hotel lobby at eight tonight…"
Arata's fingers unconsciously tapped on the glass, producing a clear, crisp sound.
Of course, he wasn't naïve enough to think that Captain Unohana truly just wanted to admire the night scenery.
Judging by their interactions so far, his teacher was actually a woman with a very strong sense of possession.
"I need to come up with a reasonable excuse…" Arata frowned, thinking. "Something that fulfills teacher's request without arousing Rangiku's suspicion."
Suddenly an idea struck him.
"That's it! The Western Bureau!"
Arata sat up sharply, almost knocking over his glass. He remembered that Captain Yamamoto had mentioned at the table last night that he wanted to visit the headquarters of the Western Bureau.
If he could visit the Western Bureau as a diplomatic representative of the Eastern Bureau and request that a high-ranking captain accompany him…
"And that captain could, of course, be Captain Unohana of the Fourth Division."
Arata's smile lifted slightly. "Then that outing becomes completely legitimate."
He immediately pulled out his communicator and called Sasakibe Chōjirō.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe, it's me, Arata."
A confused voice came from the other side: "Saito–kun? Did something happen?"
"About the visit to the Western Bureau that the captain mentioned yesterday, I have a suggestion…"
Ten minutes later, Arata hung up the communicator with relief.
Sasakibe Chōjirō promised he would convey his suggestion to Captain Yamamoto and give him an answer as soon as possible.
"Done."
Arata put the communicator back into his pocket and happily finished the lemonade in his glass.
After sitting in the restaurant for over an hour enjoying the sea view, the entrance suddenly grew lively.
Arata turned and saw Rangiku walking toward him in the same casual clothes as him.
Her long golden hair was still slightly damp from the massage and shone like honey in the sunlight.
Her long legs appeared and disappeared with her steps, drawing the gaze of the guests around them.
"Arata!" Rangiku ran up to him and gently hung onto his arm. "Have you been waiting long?"
Arata looked her over. After the massage, her complexion was indeed much fresher.
"No, I haven't waited long. Was the massage good?"
"Yes! Great, my whole body feels light now."
Rangiku sat beside him and picked up the menu to browse through it.
"Captain Unohana just suddenly appeared and said some strange things…"
Arata's heart skipped a beat. "What did she say?"
"Nothing special." Rangiku tilted her head, trying to recall. "I think she asked if I had fun shopping last night or something like that."
"Ahem… maybe Captain Unohana wanted to ask you for advice about shopping. After all, Isane doesn't seem very good at those things."
Arata lightly coughed to hide his uneasiness.
"That's true, except when she's buying medicinal herbs, Isane hesitates endlessly before buying anything else."
Rangiku quickly became absorbed in the pictures of delicious food on the menu.
"I want this seafood platter! And this strawberry cake!"
"All right, all right, order everything."
Arata affectionately ruffled her long golden hair and quietly sighed in relief.
It seemed Unohana Retsu didn't say anything she shouldn't, which eased his mind greatly.
After lunch, the two of them went to the beach, which was already packed with tourists.
The azure sea sparkled under the sun like diamonds, and the soft white sand beneath their feet felt like the finest silk.
"Arata, come put sunscreen on me. I want to try sunbathing like Nanao mentioned yesterday~" Rangiku pulled a bottle of sunscreen from her beach bag, lay on the lounger, and winked at him.
"Right away."
Arata took the bottle and squeezed some onto his palm. The coconut–scented cream quickly melted from the warmth of his hand.
His gaze slid over Rangiku's smooth back, the elegant curve of her hips, her slim waist, and the snow–white skin showing between the straps of her black bikini…
Although she wore casual clothes outside at his request, underneath she'd secretly put on the black bikini she brought, which made Arata both amused and annoyed.
"Hurry~" Rangiku urged him in a spoiled tone.
Arata took a deep breath and placed his sunscreen–covered hand on her back.
The warm touch on her skin made Rangiku sigh comfortably.
"A little higher… yes, there…"
Arata's hand slowly moved up her spine, his fingertips gently pressing the muscles in her lower back.
He felt the tension in her skin gradually melt away, and Rangiku even purred softly like a kitten.
"You're getting more professional at this." she teased, half–closing her eyes.
"I've massaged you that many times, practice makes perfect."
Arata chuckled softly, and his fingers "accidentally" slipped toward the sensitive area near her waist.
"Ah!" Rangiku trembled and nearly jumped off the lounger. "That was on purpose!"
Arata put on an innocent expression. "Don't say nonsense, I'm just making sure every part of your skin is protected."
Rangiku gave him a flustered glare; just as she was about to retort, cheerful shouts came from the distance.
"Kusakai! Ball here!"
"Rukia, catch it! Catch!"
"Point!"
She and Arata turned and saw Renji, Tōshirō, and the other students playing beach volleyball.
"Let's go too!" Rangiku suddenly brightened and hopped off the lounger.
Arata glanced at the energetic group of youths, then at his hands covered in sunscreen, and shook his head. "You just put on sunscreen; you haven't even started sunbathing."
"Fine then…" Rangiku knew it wasn't ideal and pouted unhappily. "We'll play tomorrow."
"All right, all right." Arata agreed in the tone of someone consoling a child.
At that moment, his communicator vibrated.
Arata wiped the sunscreen off his hands and checked the message from Sasakibe Chōjirō:
"The Head Captain has approved your proposal. Assembly is at 19:30 on the hotel rooftop. You and Captain Unohana will represent Soul Society in a friendly visit to the Western Bureau. The appropriate diplomatic documents have been prepared, and Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri will be responsible for delivering them."