"Phew, it's so spicy."
Matsumoto Rangiku poured a glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, trying to alleviate the spiciness of the hot and spicy boiled meat she had just eaten.
Yachiru sat there, somewhat intoxicated, and said, "Captain Suì-Fēng, would you like some Buldak?"
At Kusajishi Yachiru's invitation, Suì-Fēng cautiously picked up a piece, stuffed it into her mouth, and her eyes widened. Her cheeks turned red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She couldn't help but pick up a cup of sake and drink it down.
Yamahiko watched this scene and couldn't help but realize that Suì-Fēng couldn't handle spicy food at all.
Both Matsumoto Rangiku and Kusajishi Yachiru enjoyed spicy food, but for Suì-Fēng, spiciness was her natural enemy. Every bite of the dish required her to drink a lot of sake, and now she was already showing signs of intoxication, struggling to keep her eyelids from closing.
"Captain Suì-Fēng, Yachiru, let's have a drink."
Matsumoto Rangiku raised her cup, and Yachiru also raised her cup. Suì-Fēng followed suit.
Yamahiko quickly said, "Taichō, you shouldn't drink anymore. You've already had enough."
Matsumoto heard this and rolled her eyes, saying, "Nonsense, who's had too much to drink?"
Yachiru smiled and said, "I haven't had too much at all."
Suì-Fēng directly pushed Yamahiko away when he tried to intervene, saying, "When a woman drinks, men shouldn't interfere."
The three of them emptied their glasses, and just as they were about to pour more, Suì-Fēng suddenly collapsed onto the table and fell asleep, snoring loudly.
Matsumoto and Yachiru, still wanting to drink, were stopped by Yamahiko. He said, "You two really can't drink anymore. If you do, and Captain-Commander finds out, you'll definitely be punished."
"You're right."
Matsumoto Rangiku sobered up slightly, stood up, and swayed as she said, "In that case, we're leaving. Take care of Captain Suì-Fēng. Don't do anything strange to her just because she's drunk!"
Matsumoto Rangiku said this with a mischievous look in her eyes as she leaned on Yamahiko.
Yamahiko struggled to push her away and said, "I won't, I won't."
"Goodbye, and thanks for your hospitality."
Matsumoto Rangiku burped and walked out of the room slowly. She didn't seem too intoxicated.
"Yamahiko, I'm leaving too."
Yachiru jumped off her chair, still half asleep, and said, "I have to get back to play with Ken-chan."
"Take care, both Vice-Captains."
Yamahiko escorted the two of them out of the room, settled the bill, and then turned to check on Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng was sprawled out, fast asleep. She had eaten extremely spicy food and kept drinking, which resulted in her drinking the most but having the least tolerance for alcohol. Consequently, she ended up in this state.
Yamahiko walked over helplessly and lifted Suì-Fēng, carrying her on his shoulders.
Suì-Fēng was only 1.5 meters tall, making her one of the shortest among the Shinigami. Those shorter than her included Kusajishi Yachiru at 109 cm, Hitsugaya Tōshirō at 133 cm, and Momo Hinamori at 144 cm. She was also very lightweight, weighing less than 40 kilograms, so carrying her on his shoulder didn't feel particularly strenuous.
Yamahiko carried Suì-Fēng out of the room and headed towards the barracks, attracting numerous curious glances along the way.
Yamahiko could predict that if the news of Suì-Fēng getting drunk reached the Captain-Commander's ears, it would undoubtedly cause significant trouble.
He sighed, regretting treating them to such spicy food and ordering alcohol. He should have taken them to a French cuisine restaurant instead; there was one nearby with exceptionally delicious food.
But he could do that next time.
Yamahiko carried Suì-Fēng back to the barracks, entered her room, and laid her on the bed. He helped her remove her shihakushō, then took off her shoes, revealing her delicate feet.
Yamahiko covered Suì-Fēng with a blanket, but as he was about to leave, a hand grabbed onto his clothing, and she called out, "Don't go."
Yamahiko stopped in his tracks, looking at Suì-Fēng on the bed. She tightly held onto his clothes, her eyes welling up with tears. "Don't leave, Yoruichi-sama."
Hearing this, Yamahiko sighed. Only when she was drunk would she let her true feelings slip.
Yamahiko gently pulled Suì-Fēng's hand away, turned around, and left the room. He returned to his own quarters but realized he hadn't finished all his work.
So, Yamahiko went back to the office to handle his duties. By the time he had completed everything, it was already mid night. After washing up, he went to bed.
However, Yamahiko was unaware that the Eleventh and Tenth Divisions had both suffered considerable damage the previous day.
Matsumoto Rangiku, accumulating anger from Isshin Shiba's recent eccentric behavior, found Isshin sneaking out again and proceeded to beat and pummel him.
Kusajishi Yachiru, upon returning to her division, took out a paintbrush and drew a turtle on Ikkaku Madarame's forehead. She then tossed Ikkaku Madarame's clothes out of the window and finally used scissors to trim some of Kenpachi Zaraki's spiky hair.
"Who let her drink so much?"
Both the Tenth and Eleventh Divisions echoed with furious roars.
......
The next morning, due to staying up late the previous night, Yamahiko didn't wake up on time. It was almost 8 o'clock when he rubbed his eyes and finally woke up.
However, when he did wake up, he found someone standing by his bedside.
"Captain?"
Standing by Yamahiko's bed was none other than Captain Suì-Fēng, back to her usual self. Her doll-like face was now stern, and she had her typical unwelcoming demeanor. However, the ends of her two tied-up braids were quite messy, indicating she hadn't taken care of her hair.
Suì-Fēng looked at Yamahiko with a somewhat unnatural expression and asked, "Yesterday, did you bring me back here?"
Yamahiko climbed out of bed and replied, "Yes, I brought Captain Suì-Fēng back."
Suì-Fēng nodded and said, "Thank you for escorting me back."
Yamahiko smiled and said, "It's no problem. I should have prevented Captain from over-drinking, then she wouldn't have gotten drunk."
Suì-Fēng glanced at Yamahiko, hesitating to speak.
Yamahiko asked again, "Captain, is there something else you need?"
Suì-Fēng cleared her throat and asked, "I want to know if, after I got drunk last night, did I do anything inappropriate?"
Yamahiko waved his hand and replied, "No, Captain. After you got drunk, you just fell asleep."
Suì-Fēng nodded and then asked, "Did I say anything I shouldn't have?"
Yamahiko remembered the two sentences Suì-Fēng had said after he'd tucked her into bed, indicating her fear of revealing her deep feelings. He decided to keep that to himself and smiled, saying, "You said a couple of things like 'don't go' or 'don't leave me,' stuff like that."
Upon hearing this, Suì-Fēng blushed slightly but seemed satisfied with the answer. She glanced at Yamahiko and said, "I see. It's getting late; you should get up."
After offering a few more reminders, Suì-Fēng opened the door and left the room, squinting at the bright sunlight outside.
People say that getting drunk dispels a thousand worries. But why, after my heavy drinking last night, do I miss you even more?
Where are you, Yoruichi-sama?