"Very good."
The little bird doll in the blue dress moved her arms, then walked a couple of laps around the table.
"It's even more comfortable than I imagined."
"So it really works…"
Rukia Kuchiki studied the doll with curiosity.
"It's actually moving."
"Is this really okay, Ririn?"
Orihime Inoue poked the doll's cheek.
"Muten said he still has a Gigai."
"This is way more convenient than a Gigai. It doesn't need much space, doesn't need much food, and doesn't require a lot of social interaction."
Ririn, now in the form of a little bird doll, planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course, you still have to take me to class."
Muten Natsu stared at Ririn thoughtfully.
"You're jealous, aren't you?"
Rukia Kuchiki shot him a sideways glance.
"Was it that obvious?"
Muten Natsu snapped back to himself.
"You could at least try to deny it."
Rukia Kuchiki pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Alright!"
Ririn said eagerly.
"Let's go to class."
"But today's the weekend…"
Orihime Inoue pointed at the calendar.
"It's a day off. We don't have class."
Ririn fell straight backward and stopped moving.
She was now a completely motionless doll.
"Even more jealous now, right?"
Rukia Kuchiki noticed the look on Muten Natsu's face.
Muten Natsu: "I deny it."
Rukia Kuchiki: "You could at least try to deny it properly!"
"It's a rare day off. How about we go shopping?"
Orihime Inoue suggested.
"We can help Rukia pick out some everyday clothes."
"Sounds great."
Muten Natsu collapsed onto the sofa.
"I'll stay home and watch the place. You all go have fun."
"Get up!"
Rukia Kuchiki grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet.
"What if we get an order?"
"Then I'll just go by myself…"
Muten Natsu trailed off when he noticed the change in her expression. He sighed helplessly.
"Alright, alright. Please take me with you. I really want to go shopping with you guys."
"You're being way too half-hearted about this!"
Rukia Kuchiki was furious.
Muten Natsu: "If I wasn't half-hearted about being half-hearted, then it wouldn't be half-hearted."
Rukia Kuchiki: "..."
Somehow, that actually made sense.
If they were going shopping, the obvious destination was the Karakura Shopping Street in Karakura Town.
Rows of shops, restaurants, and service stores stretched east to west, arranged symmetrically around the main entrance, forming a lively street packed with people.
To the north lay the meeting point of the Karasu River and the Onose River. To the south was Karakura Central Station. Pleasant scenery and convenient transportation made it a perfect place to spend a day off.
Not to mention the nearby Karakura General Hospital with its fully equipped medical facilities, which made the area even safer.
If someone got heatstroke while walking around, they could be dragged straight into the nearest hospital.
"Actually, I've always really liked Michiru!"
Chizuru Honshō said with a bright smile.
"How about it? I'll take you somewhere nice next time!"
"Oh, stop…"
Michiru Ogawa leaned a little closer toward Ryō Kunieda.
"That's way too direct…"
Even on her day off, Ryō Kunieda still carried a book as usual.
She pushed up her light-colored sunglasses with a troubled look, already regretting agreeing to come out with Michiru Ogawa.
Shopping really is easier alone…
Huh?
Catching sight of an interesting group out of the corner of her eye, Ryō Kunieda paused, her gaze fixing on them.
"Ryō?" Noticing something off about her, Michiru Ogawa followed her line of sight. "Huh? Isn't that Orihime?"
"Where, where?!" Chizuru Honshō perked up instantly. "Where?!"
"So everything you said earlier was fake, huh? Pathetic." Michiru Ogawa pointed ahead. "She's with Natsu-kun."
"What?!" Chizuru Honshō snapped her head around and sure enough spotted Orihime Inoue with Muten Natsu beside her. "They're… on a date?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Michiru Ogawa said. "They've been entering the classroom together since the first day."
"No," Chizuru Honshō pushed up her glasses. "There's someone else!"
"Kuchiki-san?" Michiru Ogawa noticed too. "Are they… on a date?"
Chizuru Honshō's eyes went wide. "All three of them together?"
"Come to think of it…" Michiru Ogawa recalled, "Kuchiki-san often walks with Natsu-san too. And Orihime. The three of them, together."
"How enviable… how scandalous!" Chizuru Honshō's eyes turned red. "I have to rescue Orihime from this twisted relationship!"
"Friends go shopping together all the time," Ryō Kunieda said calmly. "So when you go out with the two of us, does that mean you want to start something with both of us too?"
"Huh?" Chizuru Honshō froze. "How did you know?"
Ryō Kunieda: "..."
"Disgusting." Michiru Ogawa rubbed her arms. "If only Tatsuki were here."
Just thinking of Tatsuki Arisawa made Chizuru Honshō shudder. "What's so great about her?"
Michiru Ogawa replied, "She can beat you senseless."
"Wah!" Chizuru Honshō cried out. "You're actually plotting with an outsider to murder your own husband!"
"Whose husband are you, anyway?!"
Casually blocking out their bickering, Ryō Kunieda looked toward the three figures in the distance.
Muten Natsu looked as lazy and unhurried as ever.
Rukia Kuchiki, on the other hand, was far more lively than she ever was at school. She scanned everything around her with curiosity, and whenever something caught her eye, she would tug Muten Natsu over.
Orihime Inoue held a cute little bird plush in one arm, while using the other hand to push along the sluggish Muten Natsu.
Ryō Kunieda didn't want to guess at the nature of their relationship.
But at least for now, they were walking in the same direction.
Even if they might part someday, this moment was already beautiful enough.
Muten Natsu, however, was thinking something entirely different.
He stopped in his tracks. "You two should choose this yourselves."
A lingerie section was not somewhere he wanted to go.
"Then you're not allowed to leave either," Rukia Kuchiki said, her cheeks slightly red. "If there are orders…"
Muten Natsu nodded. "Alright. I'll wait at the entrance."
Not alright at all.
Standing at the doorway, Muten Natsu noticed that every passerby would look at him, then at the store, then back at him.
The tangled gazes made him unbearably uncomfortable.
After hesitating for a moment, he went inside.
At least fewer people would stare at him in there.
Under the shop assistant's watchful eyes, he hurried to rejoin the other two as quickly as possible, successfully clearing himself of any suspicion of being a pervert.
Once inside the store, fewer people paid him any attention, though he himself had no idea where he was supposed to look.