"Of course I was just kidding with you!"
Just then, Rukia suddenly looked up, her face showing no trace of the earlier sensitivity, and said triumphantly.
Her eyes were filled with the glee of a successful prank. She also handed over the paper package she had brought.
"Hey, you were fooled, weren't you, idiot!"
"Just this won't be enough to eat, I have a little something else here."
"Uh, heh heh..."
Hearing her words, Renji Abarai was momentarily stunned. His gaze flickered between her smiling face and the handed-over paper package. A light, self-mocking chuckle rolled out of his throat.
"Hahahahaha."
He took the paper package in his hand, followed by a hearty, sincere laugh.
The disappointment and frustration that had previously lingered in his heart completely dissolved with the laughter.
Renji Abarai was undoubtedly an impulsive person, but beneath his rough exterior lay his own sharpness and sensitivity.
Although, as a young person, it was still difficult to avoid mistakes and falling into the mire of negative emotions, he was always able to quickly detect the problem, break free, and self-correct.
After the laughter subsided, the expressions on both their faces returned to calmness. Rukia looked at him, and her tone became serious.
"Renji, losing is not scary. What's scary is losing and then failing to get back up."
"Mhm, I know."
Completely calm, Renji Abarai nodded and responded deeply.
He thought back to the past days where they could only subsist on water, and the three graves buried on the hillside in the South 78th District.
Those were the proof of their past struggle for survival, and the reason they could not easily give up.
The next moment, his eyes regained their confidence and determination.
"Mhm, after my injury heals, I will go apologize to that kid... Suō Tsukasa."
"But, I will still defeat him someday!"
His tone shifted, and the relentless competitive spirit in his heart surged up again. His fists unconsciously clenched.
"Uh... can you do it?"
Truthfully, Rukia was somewhat skeptical of his blind confidence.
"You lost this morning... quite extraordinarily fast!"
Although she felt a little reluctant to dampen his spirit, she hesitated for a moment and decided to be honest for his own sake.
Called out by Rukia like this, Renji Abarai immediately became anxious, his face flushed, and he spoke rapidly and voluminously.
"You don't know! Don't let that kid's gentle and seemingly fragile appearance fool you."
"His style is too sneaky. He even deliberately provoked me a few seconds before the fight started. If he hadn't been so vile... cunning, how could I have lost my rhythm and been defeated so quickly!"
"Next time, I'll show him my true ability!"
In the end, he refrained from using words like "vile" or "base," but his face was still filled with resentment.
In all fairness, Renji Abarai's swift defeat this time was partly due to being misled by Suō Tsukasa's deceptive gentle appearance.
Of course, the greater part was his own carelessness and mistakes. In a situation where he didn't know the opponent's strength, he immediately concentrated some of his spiritual pressure onto his wooden sword without even using *Shunpo* (Flash Step).
It wasn't that he couldn't use it, but in his judgment at that moment, he believed that ensuring the power of his strike was more important than the mobility of *Shunpo*, which was an error in battle strategy.
"Alright, alright, fine, fine."
"I believe you. Get some rest now!"
Rukia looked at him, seeing the familiar Renji Abarai from memory return, and nodded back, trying to suppress her laughter.
"Good that you know."
Meeting her gaze, Renji Abarai crossed his arms confidently.
Rukia bid farewell and left. The atmosphere in the infirmary, now left with only one person, was no longer dull and oppressive, but only held the warmth accumulated over a long time.
***
The evening of the last day of the holiday.
One bottle, two bottles, three bottles...
Suō Tsukasa took out several pill bottles from the medicine cabinet and put them into his satchel.
Besides visiting relatives and satisfying his appetite, this trip home also required replenishing his training resources.
With Tōshirō added, the consumption rate of the medicinal pills had doubled. Fortunately, he had refined quite a lot of the stuff and had a good amount of stock.
Closing the cabinet door, Suō Tsukasa returned to the table, placing the pill bottles and several bulging paper packages on it. They emitted the aroma of meat mixed with a faint scent of spices—these were the meat jerky he had made that morning.
If it weren't for the satisfaction of this holiday, he could have continued to tolerate the bland food in the academy cafeteria.
But since he had the holiday, and his taste buds were re-activated, he had to find another way.
Humans are often forced into action, and driven by desire, human potential is limitless.
He used the minimal output of *Bakudō 73: Tozansho* (Way of Binding 73: Inverse Mountain Crystal) to enclose the meat jerky in an airtight space.
Then, he added *Hadō 12: Fushibi* (Way of Destruction 12: Hidden Fire) to the inner wall as a heat source.
Finally, he used *Hadō 58: Tenran* (Way of Destruction 58: Tornado) to circulate the hot air slowly within the space. A manually crafted, Soul Society version of an oven was thus perfectly born.
In just one morning, Suō Tsukasa had self-taught the use of compound *Kidō* (demon arts), successfully making snacks that could satisfy his craving, thanks to the oven's excellent performance.
Compound *Kidō*, put simply, is the combination of various *Kidō* based on their respective characteristics. Once a user has a sufficient understanding of *Kidō*, it is not difficult to achieve.
Picking up the last piece of jerky on the table for a taste, the fat solidified into a delicate sheen on the surface of the meat strip. The aroma of meat was mixed with a pungent sweetness.
The moment his teeth bit into the jerky, the toughness of the meat strip stubbornly resisted Suō Tsukasa's chewing.
The distinctly textured lean muscle fibers sprang between his lips and teeth. The base flavor of salt and sweetness intertwined with the spiciness of the chili, growing more fragrant and rich with every chew.
"I am truly a genius!"
After finishing the jerky in his mouth, Suō Tsukasa was very pleased and couldn't help but praise himself.
"I'm going out now."
"Have a safe trip."
Carrying his satchel, Suō Tsukasa bid farewell to Miss Terada and Tamaki and hurried towards the academy.
He traveled along the rooftops, jumping unhurriedly until the roof of Tōshirō's house was in sight.
He lightly landed in front of the door and called out inside.
"Tōshirō, time to go!"
"Coming."
A reply came from inside. Soon, Tōshirō and his grandmother came out the door.
Tōshirō's grandmother smiled happily when she saw him and greeted him.
"Tsukasa, you're here."
"Grandmother, good afternoon. This is for you."
"It's meat jerky. Crush a little with a mortar and pestle when cooking porridge and boil it together. It will be good for your health."
Suō Tsukasa smiled in response, taking out a pre-prepared paper package from his satchel. This package was seasoned only with fine salt, perfect for an elderly person.
Suō Tsukasa had noticed on his first visit that the old woman's soul strength was weaker than the average level of 1.
Although not fatal, it did have some impact on the soul itself.
It would always be better to keep the old woman healthy.
And Suō Tsukasa had long verified the effectiveness of dietary supplements for ordinary souls.
"No, thank you..."
The old woman looked at the paper package and gently waved her hand, trying to politely refuse.
Seeing this, Tōshirō naturally took the package and placed it in his grandmother's hands.
"Grandmother, Tsukasa specially prepared this. Let's accept it."
"Besides, it's getting late. He and I are going to the academy now."
"Okay, okay."
"Thank you, Tsukasa."
The old woman had no choice but to accept the kindness and carefully tucked away the paper package.
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