Chapter 62: The East Wind by Night Sets a Thousand Trees Aflame

Inside the 1st Division barracks, Head Captain Yamamoto stood with his back to Unohana and Asano Kiyoshi, clad in his Captain's haori. Beside him stood Ukitake and Kyoraku, both wearing solemn expressions.

Everyone's faces were serious. Kiyoshi swallowed hard, completely at a loss about what was happening.

The Head Captain's dignified voice rumbled through the hall:

"It's time, isn't it?"

Ukitake looked out at the evening sun beyond the room, drew a deep breath, and nodded to Yamamoto:

"Yes, Genryūsai-sensei. It's time to act."

Kyoraku let out a helpless sigh, then his eyes turned sharp and he spoke in a low, steady tone:

"So it's come to this after all… Well, looks like it's time to get serious for once."

Hearing these cryptic remarks, Kiyoshi felt his mind go blank — What?! The Thousand-Year Blood War has started early?! Did Yhwach wake up from a nightmare?!

Right then, the old man flung off his Captain's haori without a second thought — completely ignoring the fact that he was always scolding Kyoraku and Zaraki for disrespecting their uniforms. But then again, like teacher, like student — maybe the bad habit of not treasuring one's haori had started with Yamamoto himself.

A blazing flame ignited from the Head Captain's blade. He turned to Unohana and shouted,

"Come on, Unohana! Bring out all the ingredients you brought for me — let this old man show you the greatest cooking skills of the millennium!"

And alongside Yamamoto's motion, Kyoraku and Ukitake did the same — except at some point they'd both put on cute aprons, one pink and one blue, looking utterly adorable.

They too had released their Zanpakutōs and struck dramatic cooking poses. Kiyoshi, watching this spectacle, screamed internally: Hey! Are you serious?! Won't Sougyo no Kotowari and Katen Kyōkotsu cry seeing you use them like this?!

Facing these three so-called "masters" all fired up, Kiyoshi's face cycled through countless expressions before settling into a wide-eyed Σ(⊙▽⊙") frozen look.

Unohana, meanwhile, just smiled sweetly — a smile as warm as a spring day in late March:

"Ah, don't worry about dinner — it's all prepared already~"

"Ah~! Ah↑~ Ah↓~"

Three different tones of "Ah!" filled the entire 1st Division barracks. The flames of Ryūjin Jakka on the Head Captain's blade sputtered a bit. Even his proud, upright posture sagged slightly — yet he still refused to give up. With the last of his spirit, he turned to Unohana and said,

"Then I'll… I'll brew the tea."

Unohana, still beaming her gentle smile, pulled out a steaming thermos from her seemingly bottomless lunch box and said "sweetly,"

"The tea's ready too~"

In that instant, Yamamoto's whole body seemed to slump. Ryūjin Jakka's fire grew dim, his shoulders hunched, and he muttered in defeat,

"You really thought of everything…"

Unohana just smiled, and it was as if flowers bloomed around her.

Ukitake and Kyoraku, off to the side, now wore silly, squinty-eyed smiles. They clinked their teacups together, letting out a long, content sigh in perfect sync:

"Haaah~ Captain Unohana's tea really is the best~"

Vice-Captain Sasakibe stood quietly in the background, blending in as always.

When everything was tidied up, everyone moved to the back mountain behind the 1st Division — the perfect spot for a picnic and the best vantage point to watch the fireworks display.

"Hey! Kyoraku, you rascal! You snuck Ukitake some sake again, didn't you?! Don't you know he shouldn't be drinking?!"

Yamamoto's bellow, brimming with authority, rang through the air as he scolded Kyoraku for coaxing Ukitake to drink.

Ukitake just pulled a helpless face: ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Kyoraku answered with his usual shameless grin: (｡ớ₃ờ)ھ

Seeing the Head Captain's rage about to boil over, Sasakibe wisely handed him a cup of tea. After a long sip, Yamamoto's scowl softened, his face easing into: (๑´灬`๑).

But the moment he saw Kyoraku trying to persuade Kiyoshi to drink as well, his expression snapped back to: ٩(๑`灬´๑)۶!

"You little punk! This old man's going to teach you a lesson today!"

Captain Unohana watched the scene unfold with her usual gentle smile, continuously refilling the near-empty plates with food. Her warm, serene expression seemed to light up the whole gathering.

Kiyoshi quietly pulled out a Western-style teacup and handed it to Sasakibe. He remembered that Sasakibe loved Western gentlemanly culture — so when he'd spotted this cup, he'd bought it just for him.

Sasakibe stared at the teacup, eyes shining. He hugged Kiyoshi in delight, making Kiyoshi blush bright red.

Amid the laughter and clinking of cups, everyone ate and drank to their fill. Under Kyoraku's relentless encouragement, Kiyoshi ended up downing a few cups himself — his face turning rosy. Then he stood up and went to Ukitake, saying,

"Um, Ukitake-sensei, my Zanpakutō slightly enhances Kaidō. I'd like to try it on you — maybe I can help your illness."

Hearing this, Ukitake broke into a gentle smile. Everyone instinctively glanced at Unohana. Seeing her nod in quiet agreement, they all fell silent.

Ukitake chuckled and said,

"Alright, let's give it a try. But if you can't fix me — I'll have to scold you, you hear?"

Kiyoshi nodded, scratching the back of his head, and a soft green light emerged from his palm — a subtle but potent vitality flowing into Ukitake's body.

Though Kiyoshi's Kaidō boost came from his own spirit energy, and his reserves were nowhere near enough to fully heal Ukitake's illness, the primal energy still brought visible relief.

Feeling that surge of life, Ukitake's face flashed with disbelief — then he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood!

Everyone froze in panic. Yamamoto was about to intervene personally — but just then, Ukitake looked up, a healthy flush returning to his face for the first time in years. He glanced around, then at Kiyoshi, and said hoarsely,

"Cough… Don't worry, everyone! Th-this… actually seems to be working!"

At the others' urging, Kiyoshi went around and performed a round of Kaidō for each person there.

The feeling of having hidden wounds healed at their source left everyone deeply moved. For these Captains who'd carried centuries or even millennia of battle scars, it was like a miracle. Even for Yamamoto, the treatment boosted his fighting spirit — if only a little.

It was nothing short of divine.

And at that moment, the fireworks burst forth overhead — dazzling flames tearing bright holes in the night sky.

It was just as the old poem says—

"The east wind by night sets a thousand trees aflame; A shower of falling stars, scattered like rain."

T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle

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