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Alright.
Simply put, Miss Shutara Senjumaru was greedy.
While it seemed inconsistent with her elegant and noble image, it was indeed something she would do.
Clearly, this wasn't the first or second time.
So Aozaki Reiji and Hikifune Kirio weren't surprised; typically, she wouldn't receive too severe a punishment.
At this moment, Senjumaru, who was treading on thin ice, intimidated by Aozaki Reiji's aura, mumbled softly:
"It's only because you were too slow, Reiji-kun, that I couldn't help myself..."
"You two left me and went to play by yourselves; I had to do something while staying here, right..."
"What?" Aozaki Reiji glared, "Doing something bad and then blaming others? You truly are a mature adult!"
"...I-I'm sorry! My sincerest apologies!"
Shutara Senjumaru at this moment looked exactly like a newly-wed bride.
Facing Aozaki Reiji's intimidation, she completely lacked the dignity a Zero Division member should possess.
She didn't even dare to raise her head, dropping it ninety degrees with a plop.
If this were before Hikifune Kirio's ascension to the Soul King Palace, when Shutara Senjumaru made a mistake, at most she would show a little guilt, not be so humble.
But ever since reuniting with Aozaki Reiji, she had gradually come to understand one thing.
This young junior's true strength had already surpassed her own.
This kind of thing was simply unbelievable.
As a Shinigami, Aozaki Reiji was actually able to surpass her, who had been strengthened by the Soul King's power.
This was truly absurd!
Yet, the facts were before her eyes.
Whether from the quality or quantity of his Reiatsu, Aozaki Reiji was clearly above her.
One must know that even Captain-Commander Yamamoto, though powerful in attack, in terms of Reiatsu alone, was far inferior to her current self.
Shutara Senjumaru sighed helplessly.
She had never thought there would be a day when she would so embarrassingly bow to a junior.
Truly, the world is unpredictable; her illustrious life, Shutara Senjumaru, ultimately lost to a young man.
Isn't this exactly like the situation when she faced Yamamoto before she joined the Zero Division?
Previously suppressed by her teacher, now surpassed by her student.
What kind of monsters are these master and disciple!?
"Speaking of which, Senjumaru, you should understand that if you make a mistake, you must accept the punishment, right?"
Aozaki Reiji asked with a serious face, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Ah, yes! Actually, I've already prepared everything; I'll use fabric as compensation. Please take off your clothes now."
Shutara Senjumaru blinked cautiously.
To be fair, she was the Northern General of the Zero Division, and the most senior one present.
She should have been the highest-ranking person among the three.
The two in front of her should have been desperately holding her in their palms, doing everything possible to respect, protect, and cherish her.
But because they had lived together in the Soul Society for decades, Shutara Senjumaru also knew to some extent
that in front of the two of them, she had long since lost all her dignity.
Now, in front of them, there was no longer anything like a fig leaf for her.
So, being embarrassed didn't really weigh too heavily on her mind.
In a way, she could even be said to be letting loose in front of them.
Therefore, Shutara Senjumaru revealed her genuine feelings to Aozaki Reiji and continued:
"You've already seen my craftsmanship; it's perfect as compensation. Similarly, little Kirio's clothes too..."
"Heh... so you don't want to do anything, and you want us to be your models for free? How can you still be a senior like this?"
"Ugh..."
Having her little scheme exposed by Aozaki Reiji in public, Shutara Senjumaru whimpered softly and hunched her shoulders.
In reality, even if Aozaki Reiji's Reiatsu surpassed hers, she might not be without a fighting chance if it came to a real fight.
However, in the eyes of the utterly disgraced Shutara Senjumaru, a mere contest of strength was meaningless.
Unless she was strong enough to suppress Aozaki Reiji again, the latter would remember her embarrassing appearance for a lifetime.
But thinking about it carefully, it was meaningless to say these things now.
The Soul King's power forged the Zero Division members' bodies into the Soul King Keys.
It raised their upper limit, but that was all.
Unless there were other opportunities, it would be unrealistic to surpass Reiji in the future.
"Let me think about your punishment then. Of course, the clothes can't be left out."
"You previously gave me a set of Captain's uniform."
"Then this time, let's have other styles of clothes, one set each!"
"Both Kirio and I need them, after all, that was Kirio's cooking."
"Ah, yes! Leave it to me, I definitely won't disappoint you."
As soon as the topic of weaving came up, Shutara Senjumaru's expression brightened considerably, and even her demeanor became composed.
"Heh... you're quite happy, aren't you?"
Aozaki Reiji raised his eyebrows, "But this isn't over. You ate my food, so you must compensate me with an identical portion."
After all, as a master chef, Aozaki Reiji knew that dessert had a special meaning, representing Hikifune Kirio's full affection.
For a culinary master and a lover separated for many years, it was equivalent to the most passionate confession.
Moreover, according to Hikifune Kirio's addition, that dish was made by her using temporary Souls.
Not only did it take a lot of effort, but it also had the effect of temporarily increasing Reiatsu.
According to her original idea, she should have used her own Reiatsu in conjunction with the Artificial Soul technique to make this dish.
But the drawback was that she would need to accumulate fat to store Reiatsu, which meant her body would get fat.
For a certain bad man, she, who had originally been unconcerned about her figure, reluctantly abandoned this idea and thought of another method.
That was to store Reiatsu directly within the Artificial Soul, rather than on herself, and take it out when needed.
"Hmm? But I don't know how to cook at all!"
The embarrassed elder sister said with an awkward smile.
She really liked cooking.
But she preferred to taste rather than to cook herself.
Who didn't know that after Hikifune Kirio was promoted to the Zero Division, the two of them were the Zero Division's famously "well-fed and well-clothed" duo?
The two of them had clear divisions of labor.
Letting her be responsible for the 'well-clothed' part, she had no objections.
But as for the 'well-fed' part... that still depended on little Kirio.
Aozaki Reiji silently stood up and stretched, as if a little tired.
"Then learn! I'm also starting from scratch; we can learn together!"
"Learning? That's not impossible."
Shutara nodded, a brilliant smile still on her face.
Eating someone else's food and getting excellent models; such good fortune wasn't something one encountered often!
What is this if not a win-win?
I win twice!
As for how to compensate Aozaki Reiji for the dessert, she just needed to learn the dessert she had eaten, right?
Learning one dish shouldn't take too long.
"Anyway, let's rest tonight. We've been busy all day without a moment's rest; everyone must be tired, right?"
Hikifune Kirio clapped her hands, a bright, healthy smile on her face.
Her clear voice carried a hint of ease and concern, as if it could dispel a whole day's fatigue.
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