Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

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 toward the kitchen.

There were still traces left from last night on the hallway floor.

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 headband, 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.

"Bai Yujun, 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.

"Too much miso," Bai Yu said.

"..."

"The tofu is cut too big."

"..."

"The fire 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 can make 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.

"Do not."

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.

"……it is 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 gaze was unfocused, not on anything.

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.

"I'm 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 Bai 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……