Feast

Kirio was confused at Zaraki's over the top reaction. She then remembered what she looked like right now and laughed heartily.

"I'm Kirio Hikifune, Captain Zaraki. My cooking uses up my Reiatsu you see. So every time I slim down, I have to bulk up again to be able to cook. " Kirio explained. Zaraki palmed his face.

" So we're eating food that's Reiatsu flavored. I bet it's not even that good anyway. " Zaraki grumbled. He grabbed a fried chicken and ate a big piece of it off.

"Holy shit!! This is amazing!" Zaraki shouted after only having a bite of it. Kirio smirked and looked at the rest who were waiting in anticipation.

"What are you guys waiting for? Go on! Start filing your tummies!" Kirio smiled at them. Ichigo didn't hesitate and started munching on a piece of chicken breast. Akari did the same but with a smaller one.

They were eating their food like they haven't ate food in a hundred years. Unohana giggled while she was eating her noodles politely.

Zaraki and Yachiru laughed and started eating in the same fashion as the father daughter duo.

Isane gulped as she ate slowly. 'You have to eat as little as possible Isane. Or else you'll get fat. ' Isane thought to herself while eating some veggies. Ichigo and Akari stopped eating and looked at her. Isane started blushing.

" Isane. You should eat more. Your lean mass is closely related to the metabolic rate, meaning that tall people need to consume more calories to function. C'mon, eat this. " Ichigo handed her a chicken breast. Isane gulped as she stared at the fried chicken as it seemingly stared back at her menacingly.

Isane slowly grabbed it and started to eat it.

"It's good right, Isane-nee?" Akari asked her with her mouth full of chicken. Isane smiled and continued to eat more.

Slowly but surely, Isane started grabbing more food from the large plates. Kiyone, her little sister watched in surprise as her elder sister was munching down a large plate of rice with gravy without signs of slowing down.

Ichigo chuckled. "You have to workout if you eat this much, Isane." Ichigo reminded her. Isane blushed a little and continued eating.

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Ichigo decided it was time and got on top of a platform he set up. The enormous group of Shinigami and the academy students looked at him.

"Are you guys enjoying your food?" Ichigo asked with a smile. All he heard was the Shinigamis and the students answering yes.

"Good. But all of these delicious foods weren't prepared by me. It was prepared by Kirio Hikifune from the Zero Division. ", Ichigo pointed at the purple haired cook. They looked at her.

" THANK YOU MISS HIKIFUNE!!!! "

Kirio blushed and smiled happily. She stood up and bowed at them. She sat down again.

"And for the record, Yes, I'm the new Captain Commander. Gramps is currently hospitalized because of his injuries. If you want to send him some letters and stuff wishing him a speedy recovery, you can send them to the 4th Division's mailboxes." Ichigo explained. They nodded.

" But the fun times unfortunately cannot last for long. Yhwach is not dead yet. He escaped through the shadows before my Gran Rey Cero could graze him. He will surely invade again." Ichigo added with a serious face on. But he smiled again.

" But for now, relax and spend time with your loved ones! Is that alright with you all?! " Ichigo asked.

" YES, CAPTAIN COMMANDER!!!! "

" Good! Thank you for lending me some of your time! You guys can continue to stuff your faces." Ichigo grinned and stepped down the pedestal. The Shinigami and the students started clapping their hands as he sat back on his speech.

" That was a cool speech, papa! Someday I wanna do that too. " Akari told him. Ichigo rubbed her head.

" Then you would have to work hard, Akari. " Ichigo replied. Akari nodded determinedly.

" Mm! I will! "

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"That was fun. Very fun indeed." Senjumaru whispered while she was walking side by side with Ichigo.

"I'm doing all I can to keep their spirits high. That's one of my responsibilities." Ichigo replied. Senjumaru looked at him weirdly.

" You have an awful lot of discipline for someone as young as you are." Senjumaru commented. Ichigo chuckled.

"I had my Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy powers unlocked at age 15. I fought in a war, I'm the successor to one of, if not the most important position in the Soul Society. I also became a father. All of that happened when I was just 15. So yeah, I had to mature quite a bit. " Ichigo explained with a smile.

" But how can you still smile as if your responsibilities are light work? " Senjumaru asked him. Ichigo looked at her.

" Life is meant to be enjoyed and taken seriously, Senjumaru. If I take it too seriously, I might lose my mind. If I take it too lightly, I'd rather just be a normal human and enjoy life that way. " Ichigo answered her.

" Why all the responsibilities, Ichigo? I'm really curious, sorry." Senjumaru apologized.

"You don't need to apologize for your sense of curiosity, Senjumaru. Akari asks me a lot of questions. Literally anything could get her curious. Once she asked me how pens are made. I remember I had to do extensive research on that to answer her question. The more you know I guess. " Ichigo chuckled. Senjumaru smiled at him.

" But back to your question. I guess I really enjoy my responsibilities. Training, taking care and teaching Akari, and many more. It gets a man going. " Ichigo answered. Senjumaru nodded.

"I took the Captain Commander position because I want to be able to stay close to my family and loved ones and be able to protect them whenever danger occurs. " Ichigo looked up at the sky. Senjumaru was staring at him intently while blushing a little.

" I wish my job was that fun.... " She whispered. Ichigo looked at her.

" It is fun. Do you see how big the Rukongai citizen's smiles are when you hand them fresh clothes? It's magnificent how such a small act could bring so much joy to a person. " Ichigo explained. Senjumaru nodded.

" Sometimes I wish the Soul King palace could just be right here. I want to be able to come back again and again. But I guess, accepting your responsibilities has some consequences to it. " Senjumaru muttered. Ichigo hummed.

" Senjumaru. " Ichigo called her. Senjumaru stopped and looked at him. He smiled warmly at her.

"How about we pinky promise? I promise that I'll make your wish come true." Ichigo held up his right pinky. Senjumaru smiled.

'It's impossible. No one can move the Royal Realm past the 72 barriers no matter how hard they try. But what I know is that one of his traits is that his actions are sometimes unexpected. Maybe it can happen someday. ' Senjumaru held out her real hand. They made a pinky promise.

"Deal. You better make it happen. It's a promise after all, Ichigo." Senjumaru smiled at him. Ichigo smirked.

" Oh I'll make it happen alright. Just wait and see, Senjumaru Shutara...