10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven
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The dinner proceeded silently. They exchanged some words, but the ones mostly speaking were Ichigo and Yuzu. Retsu would only speak whenever Yuzu threw some words at her. Most of the time, she asked about Ichigo's work which Retsu answered ambiguously. Karin didn't speak at all, busily scrutinizing the Shinigami having dinner with them.
Retsu watched the interaction between Ichigo and his sisters, noting the fond smile that he couldn't take off his face. She had seen Ichigo smile at her more than once. Ichigo wasn't shy to smile, but the smile that he showed to his sisters was different from the one he showed to her. Ichigo loved his sisters dearly.
"By the way, Ichi-nii, I am going to have a soccer match this Saturday. Can you come watch me?" Karin spoke for the first time.
"Sure. Why not?" Ichigo answered. Turning to Retsu, he asked, "Are you going to watch too?"
"I don't mind," Retsu answered with a small smile.
Karin looked at Ichigo and Retsu alternatingly before commenting, "Are you two dating?"
"Karin-chan!" Yuzu gasped.
"Ara."
Retsu covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her smile. Ichigo blinked his eyes before smirking playfully.
"We fit perfectly for each other, don't we?" Shaking his head faintly, he continued, "Unfortunately, our relationship is purely professional. Besides, as exciting as the idea is, we are still a student and a teacher."
"Sounds like you are going to give it a chance when you are no longer her student," Karin remarked.
"Who knows?"
Karin glanced at Retsu to see her reaction. At a glance, she seemed unaffected by what she heard, remaining professional. Karin was observant; therefore, he could see Retsu stealing glances at Ichigo. She also didn't miss the faint blush on Retsu's cheeks.
'This woman is a trouble. I will let Ichi-nii deal with her by himself.'
For some reason, Karin didn't want anything to do with Retsu. She had a feeling that Retsu hid something that even God didn't know. She turned her gaze to her brother and looked at him sympathetically. Her normally bright brother quirked his eyebrow, puzzled by her look. He was unaware of the hole he was entering.
"Thanks for the food. It was a splendid meal," Retsu exclaimed once they finished dinner.
"Thank you, Retsu-san! I am glad that you like my cooking!" Yuzu beamed.
"I am very impressed, Yuzu-chan. I think we should cook together next time."
"Let's do it. It will be fun!"
Ichigo stood up and collected the dishes along with Karin. Yuzu offered to help but was immediately turned down by Ichigo. Scrambling to the sink, Ichigo and Karin immediately busied themselves with the dishes. Yuzu was left talking with Retsu which reciprocated actively this time as they were talking about food.
"That woman is a Shinigami, isn't she?" Karin asked softly beside Ichigo.
"Yes."
"Is there going to be a problem?"
"You don't have to concern yourself with that, Karin-chan," Ichigo said firmly but softly. "Everything is and will always be fine. I will make sure of that."
"Well be careful. I don't want to also lose you."
A hand landed on Karin's head. She looked up in surprise, finding Ichigo's descending head. In the next second, she found him kissing her forehead. Her mind short-circuited before fire rose from her neck to her face. She couldn't face Ichigo the entire time, causing him to chuckle at her. Just like the old Ichigo, Karin was not used to affectionate gestures.
By the time they finished cleaning the dishes, Yuzu and Retsu had disappeared into the bathroom. Ichigo told Karin to also take a bath in the bathroom upstairs before going to the living room. He turned on the TV and watched a comedy program until Yuzu and Retsu got out of the bathroom.
Turning the TV off, he went to his bedroom to pick up his clothes. When he was ready to go down and take a bath, the door to his room opened. Turning around, he saw a towel-clad Retsu. Her freshly bathed skin glistened under the light of his room. Her hair was dry and tied in a bun. He idly noted that she must have worn a shower cap.
"Forgot to bring your clothes?" Ichigo asked calmly, preventing his eyes from wandering to her ample chest.
"Yuzu-chan dragged me before I could say anything," Retsu answered sheepishly.
"Well, sorry for that. Yuzu always acts like that when she is with someone she likes." Gesturing at the clothes in his hands, Ichigo excused himself, "I am going to take a bath, then. Don't worry about Kon. I have already relocated him, so you can change with fear of getting peeped."
Retsu nodded before frowning lightly when Ichigo walked past her without a glance. Unaware of her reaction, Ichigo went downstairs and got into the bathroom. Undressing himself before the mirror, he admired his proudest masterpiece, namely, his body. He was still quite lean, but he was already satisfied with his progress.
After flexing his muscles and posing before the mirror for a few minutes, he turned on the shower and washed himself. He idly noted how soft his hair was as he applied hair conditioner to it. The hair routine he did was working splendidly.
When he was done, he dried himself with a towel and then dressed himself. As he did for the last week, he wore a sleeveless T-shirt and a pair of tight shorts. On the way to his bedroom, he was quite apprehensive of the scene that would greet him. Much to his relief, he found Retsu reading on his bed, properly covered by the blanket.
"Ah, sorry for being comfortable without you," Retsu stated as she tore her gaze from her book.
Ichigo waved his hand casually. "Don't mind it. I am going to join you after drying my hair."
Wondering if there was a quick way to dry his long hair, he missed Retsu's surprised look which quickly turned mischievous. After drying his hair with a hair dryer, Ichigo opened his drawer and took out his brush.
"Let me brush your hair," Retsu said, stopping him.
Thankful for the help, Ichigo sat on his bed. Retsu took the blanket off her body, allowing Ichigo to see her skimpy nightgown that barely hid her figure for how see-through it was. Ichigo was wondering if Retsu was teasing him. Given the clueless look on her face, he immediately chalked it off to Retsu being herself. She had said that she had already passed the stage of being bothered by this kind of thing.
When Retsu brushed his hair, Ichigo ignored the delicate gesture in favor of the sensation assaulting his back.
'They are soft. Tonight is going to be a long night,' he grimaced.
Retsu didn't seem to realize what she was doing, so Ichigo didn't mention anything about it. He merely enjoyed the sensation while it lasted. When Retsu was done with his hair, Ichigo put the brush in his drawer before joining her under the blanket. He had intentionally created a distance between them, but Retsu ignored it as she faced her back closely to him.
Afraid of doing something that he didn't mean and angering the angelic Demon, Ichigo turned his back on her, letting it touch her back. Silence reigned over the room until Retsu broke it by saying good night. Ichigo reciprocated and then the silence returned. Breathing rhythmically, he fell asleep and went to his Inner World.
…
Opening his eyes, Ichigo forced his body to stay put when he sensed a presence close to him. Zangetsu and the Old Man had been training his senses in his Inner World before he woke up, so he was extremely alert and cautious.
'They didn't hold back at all.'
Sighing at the memory of his training, a satisfied smile soon crept up his face. He had grown stronger again. He was closer to completing his goal: be strong enough to not give a damn about the threat this world had to offer. Shaking his head, he turned to look at the presence beside him.
Expecting Retsu to still be asleep, he was quite surprised to find out that she was consciously doing what she was doing. His gaze met her gentle smile, grazing the ample bosom sandwiching his arm in the process. Retsu's smile turned slightly wider. Ichigo knew he was caught but played oblivious to it.
"Morning, Retsu."
"Good Morning, Ichigo-kun. Hardworking, aren't you?"
Knowing what she meant, he didn't bother to deny it. "Can't waste a chance to improve, can I?"
"You are more diligent than 95% of the Seireitei population. Everything about you is hardworking," Retsu smirked faintly, moving her thigh that was on my abdomen.
Realizing late that her thigh was moving lower, I cringed inwardly when her thigh hit my stiff member. Retsu froze. A bewildered look flashed on her face before it was replaced with an indifferent mask. I knew she was flustered since her cheeks were colored pink.
"The perks of being a male. Sorry," I muttered.
"Ah, I should be the one apologizing. I forgot that you are human, Ichigo-kun. It has been a long time since I was human," Retsu said calmly.
Agreeing to forget what happened, we got out of bed. Retsu immediately draped a robe over her skimpy nightgown, hiding her sinful figure. I picked up my uniform while she was picking up her clothes. Getting out of my bedroom, I let Retsu bathe in the second-floor bathroom meanwhile I took the one downstairs.
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Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Adan Smith
Venerable Immortal Bigbowser
Venerable Immortal Dex
Venerable Immortal Haider Alkefaji
Venerable Immortal B0mbaCl0ckBob
Venerable Immortal Jack Wright
Venerable Immortal SilverWolf
Venerable Immortal Star Dragon Bahamut