Ceifador Restrito

“Listen, kid, don’t be ungrateful. Isn’t being an officer enough for you? You’re still a student at the Spiritual Arts Academy and already enjoying such privileges—that’s a stroke of great fortune!”

At the tavern table, Shin wore a drunken, bleary-eyed expression, seemingly struggling to make out the striking blonde woman sitting across from him.

The izakaya buzzed with noise; tables were close together, but Shin’s group was particularly eye-catching—not because of Shin himself, but due to the woman opposite him.

“Officer, huh... Which seat are you aiming for?” Shin slurred, tongue thick.

“The twenty-third seat,” she replied.

“Just the third seat, huh,” Shin suddenly realized. “Well then, since Miss Matsumoto Rangiku is so graciously inviting me, I can’t really hiccup—refuse.”

Matsumoto Rangiku’s expression twisted oddly as she looked at the young man before her. “Are you really drunk, or just pretending?”

Then she smiled warmly. “If you want the third seat, that’s fine too. Just beat our current third seat, and I’ll help you with the rest.”

Shin shook his head like a rattle drum. “I hate all that fighting and killing the most.”

With a chopstick, Matsumoto lightly tapped him on the head, a hint of mock irritation in her tone.

“Don’t forget who recommended you to the Spiritual Arts Academy in the first place!”

But Shin wasn’t annoyed. Perhaps because when she leaned over to hit him, he caught sight of something amusing. Resting his cheek on one hand, he looked at her lazily and grinned foolishly. “Of course