"In a way, the Saito family is so poor that the only thing left to them is money."
Arata sighed as he said that. Maybe because of the mindset of someone who had lived two lives, he didn't even realize how much his sentence sounded like something that would make someone want to beat him up.
In his previous life, he probably really would've gotten beaten up on the spot for that.
Fortunately, Rangiku and Isane were reasonable people. Even though what he said sounded irritating, both of them knew that was Arata's honest thought; he wasn't flaunting some aristocratic superiority complex or acting arrogantly.
Quite the opposite.
Precisely because Arata mentioned the Saito family, Rangiku recalled some noble knowledge her captain once shared with her, in which the history of the Saito family was also mentioned.
The original Saito family was a high-ranking noble house that rose in the Soul Society through military strength. It ranked just below the Five Great Noble Houses, more distinguished and reputable even than the Ōmaeda or Kasumioji families.
But later, for some unknown reason, the Saito family gradually turned toward the path of commerce. Although their wealth increased, the will and ability to fight among family members weakened generation by generation, and the house began to decline.
Until, in the last few hundred years, it gradually deteriorated to the point where anyone could trample over it.
When she had heard about it, Rangiku thought it was the classic decline caused by a lack of heirs and diminishing influence. Only after hearing Arata personally say that he ended up being the only male left did she realize how serious it actually was.
That way, all the clan's wealth naturally concentrated in him.
When she thought about how terrifying the savings of a high-ranking noble clan could be, accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years, Rangiku finally understood why Arata kept so many priceless tea sets in the Kendo club's cabinet.
"However, if Saito-san is already this wealthy, why did he come to Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy to study? He could've just stayed a noble and enjoyed life, couldn't he?" Isane directly voiced what mattered to her. Unlike Rangiku, she didn't stress over numbers but over purpose.
"Isane is right. Arata, you're this rich, you really don't need to enroll in the Spiritual Arts Academy, right?" Rangiku nodded. She was curious too. "Joining the Gotei 13 as a Shinigami comes with a ton of restrictions. You're busy all day, going on dangerous missions. Being a pampered rich heir and living peacefully sounds way better."
Faced with their questions, Arata initially wanted to laugh. Even though they'd both reached vice-captain level, their understanding of the Soul Society still felt rather narrow from his perspective.
But after a brief moment of thought, he realized that neither of them was really that old, they were still kids when some bad things happened in the Soul Society.
To maintain order and stability, of course the captains wouldn't go around sharing those scandals, so Rangiku and Isane knew almost nothing about most of that dirt.
The tragic incident that occurred in a high noble family over two hundred years ago was still recorded in full detail in the "Family Chronicle" of the Saito household, displayed in the most prominent place in the family study.
The purpose of that record was to make it perfectly clear to the family's descendants: if a family lacks its own military strength, no matter how much wealth it has, it's meaningless, it will only be mercilessly plundered by hyenas with no morals.
But the only lesson people ever learn from history is that people never learn from history.
The same applies to Shinigami.
The Saito family nearly went down the path of other broken noble houses, but thanks to their connection with Unohana Retsu, they were spared total annihilation.
Arata thought for a moment, composed a reasonable answer in his mind, then calmly spoke:
"To protect the vast family assets, wealth, and status, I must possess sufficient combat power myself. That's why I came to Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy, determined to become a strong Shinigami."
Even though it sounds a bit calculating, at least on that level, Arata is similar to Ichigo.
The difference lies in what they want to protect.
Ichigo wants to protect family and friends, so he keeps growing stronger and fighting.
Arata, although he doesn't fight for the sake of family wealth, still has things he wants to protect.
The system is merely a trigger pointing him toward strength. The real motive is the beautiful things worth protecting; those are the true engine driving him forward.
"So that's how it is. Saito-san is truly exceptional in every way." Isane sincerely expressed her respect.
Even though he was currently just a sixth-year student at the Spiritual Arts Academy, Isane had an intuitive feeling that this man would one day stand in a place she'd have to look up to.
Rangiku didn't repeat those same words, that wasn't her style. She was more direct. She slapped Arata hard on the shoulder, her tone and gaze more serious than before:
"Arata, if you ever find yourself in trouble, come to the Tenth Division and find me. Honestly, I don't have much money, I'm not that smart, and I don't have any huge connections, but as long as this vice-captain can do something for you, I'll give it my all."
Even though that slap nearly sent two tea sets worth 50 million kan each flying out of Arata's hands onto the floor, Arata could clearly feel the sincerity in her words.
This was the first time in the six years since arriving in this world that he felt someone genuinely cared for him so clearly.
Although Unohana Retsu had done a lot for him, her concern, at its core, was more based on seeing him as an uncut gem to be polished into a perfect sword, more from the perspective of a teacher raising an exceptional student.
"Well… me too. Saito-san can always turn to the Fourth Division if he ever needs anything," added Isane, a bit quieter but equally sincere.
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Rangiku, Ms. Isane. I'm really fine." Arata smiled calmly. "And we've gotten off-topic. You came for a tea-making lesson, didn't you?"
"Ah, right! I almost forgot the main thing. Come on, come on."
Arata calmly cleaned up the table, then began to explain the basics.
"First we must understand the basic process of tea preparation. The core of tea art lies in the harmony of the ratio between tea and water, temperature, and steeping time."
He took the purple clay set and began to demonstrate. "Warming and rinsing the utensils is the first step. We rinse the tea set with hot water, firstly for cleanliness, secondly to warm the utensils so that a cold cup doesn't lower the tea's temperature."
He poured the prepared hot water into the gaiwan and cups; steam rose. Then he placed a handful of tea leaves into the warmed gaiwan and gently covered it.
He lifted the gaiwan, gently shook it three times, and held it out to them.
"Smell the dry tea. Different types of tea have different aromas. This is the first step in truly appreciating tea."
Rangiku immediately leaned forward and took a deep breath through her small nose. "It smells so good! This is way better than what I used to brew in the barracks, just hot water and done."
Isane also leaned in, carefully smelled it, and nodded.
Arata continued, through each step: smelling the tea, rinsing, first steeping, choosing temperature, controlling steeping time. At every step, he explained what he was doing and why.
Although it was just the basics, the lecture and demonstration lasted an hour and a half.
Rangiku and Isane listened in awe, since this was knowledge they'd never encountered before.
After seeing Arata's, magical, tea handling firsthand, they repeatedly let out sincere exclamations of admiration.
Unfortunately, Rangiku's understanding of this field was still weaker than Isane's. Wanting to master the skill faster, she started asking Arata to physically show her the hand positions, angles, movements.
Arata didn't have the heart to refuse, so he found himself pressed up against her back, with a mixed feeling of pain and pleasure, holding her wrists and fingers and guiding them through the motion.
Just as he felt he might dangerously sink into this damned gentle atmosphere, the system kindly chimed in with a timely reminder.
[Matsumoto Rangiku's fate changes due to your actions, gaining 65 points of fate]
[Kotetsu Isane's fate has changed due to your actions, gaining 57 points of fate]