They returned home, but Rangiku was so excited she couldn't sleep and kept tossing around in bed.
"Arata! What do you think the beaches in the Human World look like? Is the sea really as blue as the books say?"
Arata held her in his arms and gently kissed the top of her head. "You'll see for yourself tomorrow. Now go to sleep."
...
The next morning, on Sōkyoku Hill in Seireitei.
When Arata and Rangiku arrived with their luggage, the place was already bustling with people.
Except for Komamura Sajin and Tōsen Kaname, who had the bad luck to draw duty, the captains and vice-captains of the remaining eleven squads had already gathered here.
Captain Yamamoto of the First Division and Sasakibe Chōjirō were also present.
As were Renji and Toushirou, who thanks to their intern status also got the chance to go to the Human World.
"Nanao-chan~ are the wine and snacks I mentioned yesterday ready?" Kyōraku Shunsui, wearing a colorful shirt, looked at Ise Nanao behind him with a lecherous grin.
"Of course… I didn't prepare a single thing." Ise Nanao lifted her glasses with one hand, her cold face full of irony toward her captain.
"For the safety of this trip, I locked all your alcohol supplies in the vault."
"What?!" Kyōraku grabbed his chest with both hands and took two steps back, his tone overly dramatic. "Nanao-chan, how can you be so cruel! This is a once-in-a-century vacation!"
"Hmpf! If Captain tries to sneak a drink, " Nanao pulled out a stack of documents from her sleeve, "please finish this backlog of paperwork on the beach!"
Shiba Isshin passed by and burst out laughing when he heard that. "Hahaha! Captain Kyōraku, your day has finally come!"
Recalling his own experience of being "abused by paperwork" by his vice-captain, Isshin couldn't hide the gloating satisfaction at Chunshui's misfortune.
"Ah, that's what happens when kids grow up. You can't keep your daughters at home forever…" Kyōraku sighed helplessly, which earned him another eye-roll from Nanao.
"Hey, Ukitake, why are you bringing so much medicine?" He glanced at his friend's suitcase and saw over ten neatly arranged bottles.
"We're going on vacation, not to the hospital!"
A gentle smile spread across Ukitake Jūshirō's pale face. He coughed briefly and said, "Cough, this is just in case."
"Ken-chan, Ken-chan!" Yachiru swung her pink pigtails. "I want lollipops from the Human World! I want strawberry!"
"We're buying! We're buying everything!" Kenpachi waved his hand broadly, then turned to Yumichika behind him and shouted, "Hey! Yumichika, bring more money!"
"Yes, yes~" Ayasegawa touched his wallet helplessly. "But, Captain Zaraki, you already spent this month's salary in advance…"
"No problem, we'll pay it back for Captain!"
"Ikkaku, you haven't even paid off your izakaya debt! Where do you get the confidence to say that?!"
"What?! Didn't I pay it off this month?"
"This month you're paying last year's debt!"
"Captain!" Kotetsu Isane ran over holding a big bag of snacks. "I-I bought some snacks for the trip. Would you like…"
"Ah~ our Isane is really well prepared~"
Unohana Retsu gently took the snacks and straightened her crooked collar, but her eyes secretly followed Arata who was cuddling with Rangiku.
Compared to the noisy crowd, Ichimaru Gin and Aizen stood quietly in the departure line.
Since Ichimaru Gin had just been transferred from the Fifth to the Third Division as a new captain, neither of them had a vice-captain with them at the moment.
Fortunately, they brought almost no luggage, looking like the kind of people who travel light and unprepared.
"Captain Aizen, it seems everyone's really looking forward to this trip." Ichimaru Gin squinted and smiled.
"It's a rare chance to relax after all." Aizen pushed up his glasses at the bridge of his nose and calmly replied.
"Gin, enjoy this trip. We'll be busy soon."
"As you say, Captain Aizen."
On the other side, Toushirou was watching Hinamori Momo stuff her homemade onigiri into her bag. "Momo, why did you make so many onigiri? We can buy food in the Human World."
Faced with Shiro-chan's question, Hinamori Momo seriously said, "You've only completed one semester and haven't worked a part-time job yet. Where do you think you'll get money to waste? Of course we have to save!"
"Hahaha, I didn't expect Hinamori to have this side too. Like an old mother at her age…" Renji on the side couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Renji! Are you asking for a beating?!"
"No, no, no! Not the face!"
Yamamoto Genryūsai silenced all of Sōkyoku Hill with a sharp strike of his cane on the ground, followed by a quiet shout.
"Silence!"
The elder's sharp gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a deep voice, "Although this trip to the world of the living is officially a vacation, you all must abide by three prohibitions."
Yamamoto raised three fingers on his right hand.
"First, do not show your spiritual pressure in front of ordinary people."
"Second, you are not allowed to leave the group without permission."
"Third, do not disturb the normal order in the Human World."
"If anyone breaks the rules. " Captain Yamamoto paused, and fire suddenly gushed from his cane, "I will personally enforce the laws of the Gotei 13."
Everyone swallowed nervously at the same time, even the wildest Yachiru fell silent.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, begin." Yamamoto turned to Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who was standing next to the gate.
"As you command, Captain-Commander." Kurotsuchi Mayuri smiled wickedly, and his pale fingers quickly danced across the control panel.
"This is a portal I carefully upgraded in the Department of Technological Development. It can precisely locate any coordinates in the Human World."
As the gate shone with a blinding light, everyone lined up one by one and passed through it.
Arata walked somewhere in the middle of the column, holding Rangiku's hand, and felt her palm slightly sweating.
"What's wrong? Getting nervous now?" he asked softly, with a faint smile on his face.
"No!" Rangiku replied stubbornly, but she couldn't help but squeeze his hand tighter. "I'm just… a little impatient…"
As soon as they passed through the gate, the world in front of them suddenly changed.
Blazing sunlight, salty sea breeze, and the noise of people all crashed down on them at once, which was rather overwhelming for shinigami used to the quiet ambiance of the Soul Society.
"Woooow!" Yachiru was the first to shout in excitement. "Ken-chan! What a huge ocean! What a blue sky!"
"I see it, I see it. It's not like I don't see it." Kenpachi Zaraki shook his head impatiently, but the faint smile at the corner of his lips betrayed his true mood.
In front of them stretched a golden sandy beach and endless blue sea. In the distance, several yachts floated peacefully on the water, and even further away a lighthouse could be seen.
Tourists were lying or sitting on the beach in small groups, in threes and fours, enjoying a relaxed afternoon.
"The transfer coordinates are accurate. This is Brighton Beach, in the south of London." Kurotsuchi Mayuri's voice was heard from behind the crowd.
"The Department of Technological Development has prepared gigai bodies for you. Please collect them according to your numbers."
"London?" Renji scratched his head and looked confusedly at Rukia. "Didn't the textbook say we were assigned to a place called Japan in the Human World?"
Rukia was busy admiring the distant waves. When she heard Renji's words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Stupid Renji, there's more than one country in the world!"
Staff from the Department of Technological Development wheeled out several carts full of metal boxes. Kurotsuchi Mayuri personally opened the first box and pulled out what looked like an ordinary gigai.
"Gigai number 001, Captain Yamamoto, you go first."
As soon as Yamamoto Genryūsai took the gigai, the empty shell shimmered faintly, flowed like mercury, and enveloped his spirit.
In an instant, the strict captain turned into a white-haired old man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, and even his cane transformed into a finely carved sandalwood stick.
As the gigai bodies were distributed, the beach soon filled with "human tourists."
Arata looked at his tanned hands, the clearly defined fingers that looked healthy under the sun.
Not bad, not bad, the fidelity is very high, his height and muscles were perfectly copied.
However, when he turned toward Rangiku beside him, his breath involuntarily halted.
Her long golden hair looked like flowing honey under the sun, and over her black bikini she wore a sheer white chiffon cover-up. When the breeze blew, her slender waist and seductive navel were briefly revealed.
As if she sensed his gaze, Rangiku deliberately turned in front of Arata, the hem of her transparent dress fluttering and revealing her long legs.
"Does it look nice?" She leaned toward his ear and whispered sweetly.
Arata's Adam's apple moved, and just as he was about to answer, an exaggerated cough came from behind them.
"Ahem! Young man, watch the setting!" Shiba Isshin walked over with messy black hair, a floral shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest, looking like a washed-up rock singer.
From the other side, Unohana Retsu approached slowly in a burgundy bikini.
A black scarf was draped across her voluptuous cleavage, and the charm of a mature woman immediately overflowed around her.
Kotetsu Isane wore a relatively conservative one-piece swimsuit, and the two of them together made an interesting contrast.
"Arata-kun." Unohana stopped in front of Arata, and her gentle gaze passed over his toned abs.
"Even in a gigai body, it's clear you've kept in excellent shape."