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Chapter 191 Reunion
Chapter 191 Reunion
Three days later, when Bai Yu woke up, sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the paper curtain, drawing golden stripes on the ground. The stripes were wider and brighter than in the morning, as if someone had reapplied them with gold leaf.
His body was still completely drained.
It's even emptier than a few days ago.
Bai Yu lay there, staring at the ceiling, and it took him about three minutes to pull his consciousness back from a distant, soft, and fragrant world.
He tried to move his fingers. He could move his left hand, but it ached as if he had been lifting weights all day. He could also move his right hand, but his fingertips were still trembling slightly. His legs were free, though, because the people who had been clinging to him had finally dispersed and returned to their own places.
He slowly sat up.
The blanket slipped from his chest to his waist, and the morning breeze slipped in through the gaps at the edge, brushing against his bare skin and sending a shiver down his spine. He looked down at his body; his chest, abdomen, and arms were covered with faint red marks, some left by fingers, some by lips, and some he couldn't even tell who had left them.
Bai Yu took a deep breath.
Then he heard noises coming from the kitchen.
It was the sound of a spatula hitting a wok, crisp and rhythmic, like a simple percussion piece.
Along with the sound came a rich aroma of miso, wafting from the side, passing through the entire corridor, and entering his nostrils.
His stomach made an honest rumbling sound.
Bai Yu stood up, leaning against the wall. His legs were slightly weak, but he could still walk.
He put on a pair of loose trousers, draped a thin outer robe over his shoulders, and followed the aroma towards the kitchen.
There were still traces left from last night on the hallway floor, and the kitchen door was open.
Artoria stood in front of the stove, wearing a white shirt—a white feather shirt, the hem of which reached mid-thigh, and the sleeves rolled up above her elbows.
Her golden hair was tied back with a simple hairband, revealing a section of her fair nape with a few faint red marks that looked like mosquito bites.
It looks like a hickey left by Shiraha.
She was making miso soup.
The movements weren't very skillful, but the person was very serious.
Before adding any ingredients, I would pause for a moment, as if recalling the steps, before carefully putting the ingredients into the pot.
The tofu was cut into pieces of varying sizes, some square and some crooked, but each piece was carefully placed into the soup without spilling a single drop.
"Do you need any help?"
Bai Yu leaned against the door frame and asked.
Artoria's back stiffened for a moment.
Then she slowly turned her head, her expression undergoing a complex process of change: first surprise, then embarrassment, then a struggle to maintain her dignity, and finally settling on an awkward calm as if nothing had happened.
"Need not."
Artoria spoke, her voice rising half a tone above her usual pitch.
"Baiyu-kun, you—you can just sit down."
Bai Yu did not leave.
He leaned against the doorframe, watching Artoria continue cooking the soup.
The tips of her ears were red, extending from her earlobes all the way to her auricles. In the morning light, they were almost translucent, like two pieces of thin porcelain that had been heated to a reddish hue.
Her hand holding the spoon was trembling slightly, but she would use her other hand to steady her wrist each time she ladled soup to make sure the soup wouldn't spill.
"There's too much miso," Shiraha said.
"...
"The tofu is cut too big."
"
'
'
"The heat is too high; the tofu will crumble."
Artoria took a deep breath.
"I told you I didn't need your help."
Her voice carried a hint of gritted teeth.
Bai Yu smiled.
He walked over and took the spoon from her hand.
His hand touched her palm; her hand was cool, her fingertips were damp, and her palm was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Bai Yu turned the heat down, gently broke up the tofu with the back of a spoon, then took a small spoonful of sugar from the cupboard and added it to the soup.
"Sugar in miso soup?" Artoria frowned.
"Neutralizes the saltiness."
Bai Yu said, "And it makes the flavor milder."
He put down the spoon and turned to look at Artoria.
Her shirt collar was slightly open, revealing a section of her collarbone, on which was a faint red mark, left by teeth gently biting.
Bai Yu's gaze lingered on the red mark for a moment before shifting away.
Artoria noticed his gaze.
She instinctively raised her hand to cover her collar, the movement so quick it was as if she had been burned.
Then she realized that the gesture itself was an admission of something, and a blush spread from the tips of her ears to her cheeks, and then from her cheeks to her neck.
"—Stop looking."
Her voice was low and pleading.
"it is good."
Bai Yu said.
Artoria turned back and continued cooking the soup.
The kitchen fell silent, with only the bubbling of the pot remaining. Once the soup was cooked, Artoria took a few steps back and stood half a step behind Bai Yu, silently watching his back.
Bai Yu could feel her gaze on his shoulder, carrying a complex and indescribable warmth.
"What happened a few nights ago—"
Artoria spoke.
Bai Yu did not turn around.
"—Do you regret it?"
silence----
Then Artoria said one word.
"No."
Her voice was soft, but firm.
"It just... will take a little time."
Bai Yu nodded.
He turned off the fire, took out seven bowls from the cupboard, counted them, and then began to ladle out the soup.
Each bowl was filled to the perfect amount, with tofu evenly distributed in each bowl, seaweed carefully laid on top, and chopped green onions sprinkled in a neat circle.
"You can take it over now."
Bai Yu said.
Artoria looked at the seven bowls of soup and remained silent for a while.
"----good."
She carried the soup bowls one by one to the low table on the side.
Bai Yu followed behind her, carrying the last two bowls. On the corridor floor, their shadows were stretched long by the midday sun, overlapping and separating, then overlapping again.
Meanwhile, the others had already started to wake up.
Violet sat in the innermost seat, wearing a light purple yukata, her hair casually tied back, revealing her slender neck.
Her posture remained elegant, but there was a hint of languor and contentment in that elegance, like a cat that had just eaten its fill, curled up contentedly in the warmest part of the sun.
She was looking at the scenery in the courtyard.
But her self-illumination is diffuse, with no focal point.
When Bai Yu sat down beside her, her gaze slowly returned to his profile, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, revealing a quiet, gentle smile that needed no words to explain.
Matsumoto Rangiku lay sprawled on the low table, her face buried in her arms, her long golden hair scattered across the table like a wheat field warmed by the sun.
She heard Bai Yu sit down, peeked out from between her arms, glanced at him, and then let out a muffled, nasal hum.
"So tired————"
Her voice was muffled, as if it came from under the pillow: "It's more tiring than fighting a war."
Robin sat opposite Rangiku, holding a book in his hand, but upside down.
Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, a few strands falling onto the pages of the book, which she didn't bother to brush aside. Her expression was calm, with a faint smile playing on her lips, but Zi Yu noticed that her ears were also red.
Retsu Unohana sat on the outermost side, leaning against a pillar with her legs stretched out and crossed, in a casual and relaxed posture.
Her long, ink-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, a few strands occasionally lifted by the morning breeze, revealing a small patch of fair skin behind her ears. Her eyes were half-closed, as if she were dozing, and she held Kanna in her arms.
"I've had so much fun these past few days, but why aren't the older sisters in their rooms?"
Kanna was a little confused; she hadn't seen anyone for the past three nights.
silence----
Bai Yu sat down between Violet and Artoria and picked up his bowl of soup.
Seven people sat on the edge of the courtyard, drinking miso soup and looking at the scenery.
Silence is not awkward; it can also be a gentle, comfortable silence, like being covered by the same blanket.
Seven people sat under the same roof, drinking from the same pot of soup, gazing at the same scenery, and breathing in the same fragrance of flowers carried by the same breeze.
No language is required.
Because language can only express so much.
Bai Yu put the bowl down.
"Today's soup—"
Rangiku suddenly looked up, a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth: "Is it a little sweet?"
"I added sugar," Bai Yu said.
Rangiku blinked.
"Sugar in miso soup?"
"To neutralize the saltiness," Artoria answered for Shiraha, her voice carrying a subtle hint of pride.
Rangiku glanced at Artoria, then at Shiraha, and then gave a meaningful smile.
"Oh"
She dragged out the last syllable.
"You two were sneaking around in the kitchen—"
'
"I didn't steal it."
Artoria interrupted her, but her voice lacked confidence.
"It's just cooking soup normally in the kitchen."
Bai Yu added.
"Just make soup normally?"
Rangiku repeated herself, her smile deepening: "Then why are your ears red, Artoria?"
Artoria raised her hand and touched her ear.
Then she realized she had been tricked.
"Rangiku!"
Her voice rose half a tone, and the blush on her face spread visibly.
Rangiku burst into laughter, her laughter as clear and crisp as a wind chime swaying in the wind.
Robin turned a page—finally holding the book upright.
Three days later, the Dawn departed from the Golden Emperor's ship.
Gilder Tezzolo stood on the deck of his gilded behemoth, wearing an extravagant pink suit with a bright red rose tucked into his breast pocket.
His hands were in his pockets, and a standard, well-trained smile, typical of an entertainment industry emperor, played on his lips.
"You are welcome to come back anytime."
Bai Yu stood at the stern of the Dawn and waved to him.
"Next time I'll win even more money from you."
Tezzolo burst into laughter, the sound bouncing three times off the golden gunwale before being carried away by the sea breeze.
"I'm looking forward to it!"
The Dawn set sail, its bow cleaving through the azure sea, creating two white sprays.
The trail of the stern drew a long, gradually spreading white line on the sea, like a stretched ribbon.
The white line grew longer and thinner until it finally broke at the edge of sight and disappeared into the arc where the sky meets the water.
The sea breeze blows from the southeast, carrying the smell of salt and fish, along with a hint of the fragrance of flowers from distant lands.
It was a flower that Bai Yu didn't recognize; it might be some kind of wild jasmine or pittosporum. The fragrance was very faint, almost imperceptible.
Bai Yu sat on a bench at the stern of the ship, leaning against the railing, holding a glass of Sanji's special iced tea in his hand. The tea contained mint, lemon, and a touch of honey, with ice cubes clinking crisply in the glass.
Violet and Robin sat beside him, each occupying one side of him, but maintaining a just-right distance—not estrangement, but a tacit understanding that didn't require them to be constantly together.
Violet is looking at the sea.
Her long purple hair fluttered in the sea breeze, a few strands falling onto Bai Yu's shoulders, carrying a faint fragrance, like that of violets.
Her gaze was fixed on the distant horizon, her pupils reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. Occasionally, a seabird would fly by, leaving a small, fleeting shadow in her pupils.
"What are you thinking about?" Bai Yu asked.
"Thinking—"
Violet paused for a moment, then said, "Wano Country."
"That country that closed itself off from the world?"
Robin closed the book in her hands. This time she was really reading. It was an ancient book about the history of Wano Country, which she had borrowed from Tesoro's library.
"There is very little information about that country; even world governments have difficulty infiltrating it."
"That's why Kaido, one of the Three Emperors, was able to establish himself there."
Bai Yu said.
Robin nodded.
"The Beasts Pirates have been operating there for many years. The samurai of Wano Country are strong, but Kaido is even stronger; he practically treats the entire country as his private domain."
The samurai of Wano Country are strong, but Kaido is even stronger; he practically treats the entire country as his private domain.
Violet's brow furrowed slightly.
"We're going there—it's going to be very dangerous."
Bai Yu took a sip of iced tea.
"When are we not in danger?"
Violet glanced at him and then smiled.
"Too."
Robin turned a page of the book.
"According to the information I found, Wano Country has seven regions, each with a daimyo. But since Kaido arrived, most of the daimyo have been replaced by his people, with only a few regions still resisting, such as Udon in the north and Hakumai—"
Her voice was interrupted by a sudden shout coming from the mast lookout.
"There's a ship ahead!"
"Let me see!"
Violet activated her power.
"A skull with two swords crossed behind it—one a Western sword, the other a Japanese sword—and—and three red scratches above its left eye—"
There was a moment of silence on the deck.
The Red-Haired Pirates.
"There was another boat, smaller and more elegant in design, with a black hull and smooth, sharp lines, like a knife laid horizontally on the sea. There were no markings on the sails, but the canvas was of extremely high quality, and the stern resembled a cross."
"That is—"
Bai Yu squinted.
"Hawkeye's ship."