Chapter 12: Izakaya

In the following days, Yamahiko received dedicated care from Renji, Rukia, Kira, and Hinamori, and his injuries gradually healed, with no unusual sensations remaining.

After seven days, Yamahiko sought out his teacher from the Medical Assistance Division, Isane Kotetsu, who, after examination, removed the splint from his shoulder. She assured him that he could resume his training in swordsmanship without worrying about his bones.

In the Soul Society, all souls are composed of Reishi, and every part of the body, muscles, bones, internal organs, and blood, is made of Reishi. Therefore, as long as Reishi is replenished, recovery is rapid. By breaking the boundaries of a Shinigami, one can achieve super-speed regeneration.

Once Yamahiko had fully recovered, it was Saturday, and Renji received his first month's salary from his part-time job. While the income wasn't substantial, it was enough for them to get through a winter in the Rukongai district as they did before.

To celebrate receiving his salary and Yamahiko's recovery, Renji decided to treat his friends to a meal. In addition to Yamahiko, Rukia, and Kira, he invited Kondo Isao, who shared their dorm, and Hinamori Momo, the one who had injured Yamahiko. Despite Renji's initial displeasure with her for injuring Yamahiko, her week of assistance had earned her some recognition, so he decided to invite her as well.

At around 5 p.m., Yamahiko, Renji, and Kira waited at the school gate. Rukia arrived shortly after, but after another half an hour, Hinamori had not shown up.

As they were considering whether to go and look for her, Hinamori arrived at a brisk pace.

Renji asked somewhat impatiently, "Why are you so late? What were you doing?"

Hinamori looked apologetic and replied, "I attended the calligraphy club, and Aizen-sensei asked me to help tidy up. It took a bit longer than I expected. I'm sorry."

"Aizen-sensei?" Yamahiko raised an eyebrow, not expecting the two of them to have any connection at this point.

Curious, Rukia asked, "You're learning calligraphy from Aizen-sensei? What have you learned so far?"

Hinamori nodded and said, "I joined about half a month ago, and right now, I'm mainly learning basic brushstrokes and fonts."

Before Rukia could inquire further, Renji waved his hand and said, "Alright, enough chatting. Let's go eat."

Renji led the group of five northward, looking somewhat smug. After walking for a while, they entered a side street, where various small shops were located.

Seireitei was the living place of the Shinigami, and there were many shops, including restaurants, eyeglass shops, snack shops, and tea shops.

For example, in the Seireitei, there is an eyeglass shop called "Gin Tonbo" (The Silver Dragonfly), and the store manager, Ginjirō Shirogane, is the vice-captain of the Sixth Division. In the future, he will resign from his vice-captain position due to the successful eyeglass business. Renji Abarai will later move from the Eleventh Division to become the vice-captain of the Sixth Division, taking over his role. One of Renji's favorite pastimes is to visit this shop to pick out goggles. And the shop owner, Ginjirō Shirogane, enjoys having the Sixth Division captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, wear the protective goggles he creates.

Renji Abarai led the group of five further ahead, turned onto a side street, and entered a food street.

In this street, there were small food shops on both sides, serving a variety of dishes like Kanto-style hot pot, izakayas, sushi restaurants, cake shops, ramen places, and Chinese cuisine.

The six of them continued walking down the street and arrived at an izakaya. Renji Abarai said, "This is it, where I work."

The izakaya that Renji Abarai referred to wasn't very large, and since it wasn't yet evening, there weren't many people inside.

Renji pushed aside the curtain and was the first to enter the room, with the others following.

Once inside, a tall and sturdy man came out, saw Renji, and asked with a smile, "Renji, you don't have work today, why are you here?"

Renji Abarai replied irritably, "Boss, can't I come here to eat? Get us a room; I want to treat my classmates to a meal."

Another staff member led the six of them into a room. It was a traditional Japanese-style tatami room with four sliding doors connected in a row, each with a small square table that could seat three or four people.

Since they were six in total, they pushed two small tables together, occupying two of the sliding doors' tatami spaces.

After they all sat down, a staff member handed them the menu to browse.

Yamahiko looked through the menu, which included grilled skewers, stir-fried dishes, rice bowls, sushi, and Kanto-style hot pot. The food selection was rich.

"How about we go for the Kanto-style hot pot? It's more budget-friendly."

"Rice bowls are also good."

"We can add some chicken skewers."

They were aware that Renji Abarai's part-time job income wasn't very high, so they only ordered some Kanto-style hot pot, chicken skewers, and rice bowls, which were the cheapest options.

"You guys don't need to save money for me."

Renji Abarai took the menu directly and ordered a variety of grilled skewers, including grilled fish, grilled squid, as well as grilled eggplant, mushrooms, and more. In addition to that, he also ordered a box of sushi and several bowls of rice.

Finally, they ordered some sake and fruit juice.

Seeing a table full of food, Rukia asked with concern, "Isn't this too much? You shouldn't spend all your income on treating us to dinner."

Renji waved his hand and said, "It's not too much. I won't spend it all. Let's eat quickly."

Only then did Yamahiko and the others start eating. Renji, Kira, and Kondo grabbed some sake, but they considerately poured fruit juice for the girls. However, when Yamahiko attempted to have some sake, Renji stopped him.

"You're too young. Stick to the fruit juice," Renji told him as he placed a glass of juice in front of Yamahiko.

Yamahiko sighed in resignation. At his age, even in the Seireitei, he couldn't drink alcohol, especially the kind infused with Reishi, as it could make one intoxicated more easily.

Yamahiko sat there, picked up a skewer of chicken, and took a bite.

The skewers here were different from those in his hometown. Most of the chicken skewers were square-shaped, while the lamb skewers were thick and round. Chewing them filled the mouth with the taste of the meat.

Moreover, many Japanese dishes emphasized the sensation of filling the mouth with food, like sushi, donburi, and oden.

So, taking big bites of food that filled the mouth, followed by a sip of sake, was immensely satisfying.

Of course, Yamahiko could only have fruit juice.

The six friends enjoyed their meal and conversation, creating a lively atmosphere. Kira, Hinamori, and Kondo, curious about the close relationship between Renji, Rukia, and Yamahiko, learned how they had relied on each other and helped each other survive in the Rukongai district. They realized how tight their bond was.

After a long, enjoyable meal that lasted more than two hours, Renji called over the waiter to pay the bill. However, they discovered that the bill was only half of what they had calculated. Renji was puzzled and asked, "Why is it so little? Did you miscalculate, Ken?"

Ken chuckled and said, "The owner said that as long as you, Renji, come here to eat in the future, you only need to pay half."

Hearing this, Renji opened the wooden door and looked toward the owner grilling skewers at the bar counter in the distance. He waved his hand and then smiled, saying, "Well, thank you for that."

Renji settled the bill, and the six of them filed out of the restaurant. However, when Yamahiko was the last to leave, he noticed that the five in front had frozen in place.

"What's wrong?" Yamahiko raised his head in confusion and then saw a tall man standing not far away. He was over two meters tall, had spiky hair, and wore a black eyepatch. He exuded a heavy aura.

He was dressed in the attire of an 11th Division captain.

Standing in front of the group, he stared at them with his uncovered eye and asked, "Hey, kids! Tell me, where are we?"