Chapter 7: Yuyu's Surprise Party
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
After class, Sōma and Rindō had just left the classroom when they ran into Ichigo.
"Hey, how was class? Didn't doze off while holding the brush, did you?"
"If anyone could fall asleep in Aizen-sensei's class, their head must have been struck by a collapse point."
In response to Ichigo's teasing greeting, Sōma raised an eyebrow.
"What's a collapse point?"
Ichigo felt puzzled.
[A potent anesthetic, said to affect even the highest-ranking Shinigami.]
Rindō answered expressionlessly.
"...Injecting anesthetic into the brain—I can't believe you thought of that. But this means the teacher is really good at lecturing, right?"
"If I had to describe it, it's like listening to the greatest contemporary thinker deliver a speech. If he had been born in Germany half a century ago, humanity might have been unified by now."
"Is this a thinker?! This is clearly a deeply scheming, grandiloquent, and manipulative ambitious schemer, isn't it?"
"If you don't want to get ambushed in your sleep tonight, you'd better keep your voice down."
Sōma pointed backward toward the classroom with his thumb without turning around.
Ichigo instinctively glanced over and, through the window, saw the lectern surrounded by a group of male and female students. A tall figure in different attire was faintly visible—that must be the person he was looking for.
Whether he was a fraud or not, speaking ill of a popular teacher would surely provoke these students, while Sōma would definitely stand by and do nothing!
"It's all because you exaggerated so much... Forget it, I'm leaving!"
Watching Ichigo's retreating figure, Sōma mused thoughtfully, "Rindō, what do you think his first impression will be when he returns tonight?"
[I don't know.]
Rindō shook his head.
Sōma smiled. "I bet he'll say—Shirogane, you were absolutely right. I was too arrogant."
[Actually, I don't really approve of getting too close to that person either.]
"?"
Sōma turned back in surprise, noticing the rare seriousness in Rindō's eyes.
[Because I can hardly sense any emotions from Aizen-sensei.]
"Rindō, have you ever considered that this might actually be the normal situation?"
Sōma spoke calmly.
Rindō was taken aback by his words.
"We can't judge whether someone is good or bad at a glance. It often takes prolonged observation and mutual familiarity to draw conclusions. Even then, the possibility of misjudgment exists, and it's quite high."
"So the question is, why don't people live in constant fear, but instead place greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships?"
"The reason is simple: everyone is in the same situation."
"Imagine if you couldn't sense my emotions, and I couldn't sense yours. You'd naturally be wary of me, but that's just a normal reaction to a stranger. You wouldn't necessarily see me as a bad person and develop intense defensiveness, right?"
Faced with Sōma's question, Rindō hesitated before nodding.
"So, Aizen-sensei, who seems terrifying to you because you can't sense his emotions, is no different from anyone else in my eyes. I don't know what they're thinking either, and I don't need to. It's not important to me."
[Then what is important?]
Sōma patted his shoulder heavily, as if using action to complement his words.
"What you do—that's what matters most."
...
Room 001 in the dormitory was Sōma's room.
Just as the sunset glow outside the window burned brightest, Ichigo pushed the door open.
"Shirogane, I have to admit you occasionally spout some strangely reasonable nonsense."
Sōma, seated at the square table, shot a "see, what did I tell you" look at Rindō Atau, who had closed his book across from him.
[It seems you two got along well.]
After Sōma's words, Rindō also let go of his preconceived "prejudice" against Aizen and actively responded to Ichigo's thoughts.
"Yeah."
Ichigo changed his shoes and stepped onto the tatami, sitting cross-legged in the vacant spot at the square table. Without ceremony, he picked up the barley tea Sōma had just poured and downed it in one gulp.
"My throat is so dry. I was so absorbed in class that I didn't drink a single sip of water."
"Logically, I should be happy for you, but thinking about not seeing your grumpy face during the next test is a bit disappointing."
Sōma picked up the Asauchi nearby, shaking his head as he performed his daily maintenance on the blade.
"Don't look down on me. Even without extra lessons, I can pass just fine."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Let's talk about how you changed your opinion of Aizen-sensei instead."
Though he wanted to retort, Ichigo reluctantly gave up and, as Sōma wished, recounted the cause and process.
In fact, it could be summed up in one simple sentence.
Moved by his sincere attitude and conquered by his excellent teaching methods.
"At first, I thought he was a sly, cunning guy with glasses, but it turns out he's a gentle, reliable, good-natured person. Not only did he help me plan out a self-study program, but he also cared about my other academic and life difficulties... I really owe him a huge favor."
Ichigo sighed.
Most likely, he felt ashamed of the petty suspicions he had instinctively harbored earlier.
Sōma asked curiously, "From the sound of it, did you also tell him about you being a Kidō nuke?"
"Who's a Kidō nuke?!"
Ichigo flew into a rage.
"I always wondered why people muttered something whenever they saw me. It must be you spreading rumors behind my back!"
"Kurosaki, you know me. If I talk bad about you, I do it to your face. It's called low emotional intelligence."
"You're using that as an excuse... You bastard, don't let me catch an opportunity, or I'll show you how to throw shade!"
"Then you'd better ask Aizen-sensei to help expand your vocabulary while you're at it. You know me—low-level attacks don't work on me."
"..."
Seeing the other's unapologetic expression, Ichigo felt like punching him.
"Hmph, gloat while you can. You guessed right—Aizen-sensei invited me to the 5th Division this weekend. He said he could help me with my Kidō problems."
"Weekend? Perfect, I'm free too. Let's go together."
Sōma nodded.
"Wait, you don't have any difficulties to solve."
"But Aizen-sensei probably asked you to extend an invitation to me as well, right?"
"How did you guess?"
Ichigo was utterly astonished.
"Is that even a question? There's no reason to give extra lessons and leave out the top student, is there?"
"..."
Ichigo didn't want to talk to Sōma anymore and turned to look at Rindō.
The latter lived up to expectations, writing a line of text in the air.
[Sōma performed excellently in class and received praise from Aizen-sensei.]
"No wonder he sounded much more enthusiastic when he mentioned you."
Ichigo understood.
"Geniuses attract each other."
"Then it seems I'm a genius too."
Feeling he had caught Sōma bragging, Ichigo grinned triumphantly.
"Aren't you?"
Sōma's surprised attitude was as if he had heard something contrary to common sense.
Ichigo was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a wide smile after processing it: "Of course I'm a genius. Both of us, along with Rindō and Yayahara, are all geniuses."
"Speaking of Yayahara, where is she? She sent an e-book summary earlier, telling everyone to gather here, but now she's nowhere to be seen."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the door opened once again.
Yuyu burst in with ferocious energy.
Before anyone could shoo her away for being too loud, she confidently raised a large food container high above her head and proudly displayed it.
"Ta-da~! Look what I brought!"
"Oh, let me see... Is that pizza?"
Sōma put away his Asauchi and toolbox, stood up, took the container, and placed it on the table. Opening the top layer, he discovered it was familiar food from the Human World.
"They sell pizza in the Soul Society?"
Ichigo was astonished.
"There's more!"
Yuyu, very pleased with everyone's reaction, proactively opened the other containers.
It could only be said they were surprised too soon.
Besides pizza, there were tomahawk steaks, creamy pasta, fried chicken burgers and fries...
None of these would be considered rare in the Human World, but the Seireitei only thrives on traditional Japanese cuisine from before the 20th century. They didn't even have curry, let alone ramen which was introduced to Japan around the same time, or even later additions like fried chicken burgers.
"Is this what you've been working on all afternoon?"
Sōma understood immediately.
"Bingo!"
Yuyu gave a thumbs up.
"You know how much I love Human World culture, but I didn't start this. My family does too—they have special channels to order goods from the Human World through black market merchants. Don't tell anyone, this is a trade secret."
"Don't worry, I'd rather die than tell!"
Ichigo swallowed hard, gazing eagerly at the array of food, deeply realizing Yuyu's greatness.
Currently, this was the only way to eat Human World cuisine in the Soul Society.
Even putting that aside, he would never reveal a companion's secret.
"Even with channels, specially procuring this much delicious food must have been quite difficult. Thank you, Yayahara."
Sōma was quite moved.
"Not at all~ We're friends! According to Human World customs, treating out-of-town friends to a good meal is only proper. No need to be polite, enjoy it to the fullest!"
Suddenly, Yuyu slapped her forehead as she remembered something else, pulling out two large bottles of alcohol from her bag.
"Almost forgot! What's a gathering without alcohol!"
"Hey hey, I'm still underage."
Ichigo was dumbfounded.
"We're already dead, why care about Human World laws? Just consider yourself already a hundred years old. The Shinigami who sent us here looked like middle schoolers anyway."
Sōma scoffed.
"That's true... whatever!"
"That's the spirit! To celebrate our wonderful tomorrow as souls! I specially ordered alcohol called 'Water of Life'! How about it! Super meaningful, right?"
When Yuyu said this, even Sōma's expression stiffened momentarily.
Ichigo's jaw dropped.
"Water of... no, it couldn't be what I'm thinking of... Hey, do you know how strong that is! You won't feel any meaning after drinking it!"
"Oh? Ichigo, are you scared?"
"!?"
Backed into a corner by that single remark, Ichigo had no choice left.
Sōma took it in stride—if he could face Aizen with equanimity, mere 96% vodka was nothing.
"Cheers!"
The four sat on the floor in the four-and-a-half tatami room, each occupying a corner without feeling crowded, instead creating a perfectly harmonious atmosphere.
Though sitting quietly on the sidelines, Rindō had no trouble immersing himself in the lively atmosphere, raising his glass with his companions for hearty drinks.
The fiery sunset beyond the window had faded unnoticed, and the quietly arrived night now brimmed with warmth and intoxication under the brightly lit surroundings.