WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU Part 16 Full Translation

The Ceremony

2

pages 169-179



Eight days since the evening the announcement of the nyuseki was made.

When Kurosaki Ichigo who had just finished afternoon classes returned home, the genkan entryway was filled with shoes of various sizes.

“They’ve already gathered here huh…… I’m home”

Removing his shoes, he headed towards the living room. As he reached his hand over the knob of the door to open it, in an instant, the door opened from the inside and Arisawa Tatsuki came flying out.

“Whoaa, watch out!”

“Oh, sorry Ichigo! Since I have a karate class, I’m going now!”

“Ahh, you said you were teaching at the community center right……”

“Yeah, that’s right! See you!”

Tatsuki hurriedly slipped on her shoes, “thanks for your hospitality!” she said as she left through the genkan entryway.

“Ah, onii-chan welcome home!”

Ichigo paused a step before the living room as Yuzu greeted him from inside.

“Orihime chan brought a lot of cakes from ABCookies for us! We were all eating some just now. You can choose the ones you like too onii-chan, they’re in the refrigerator!”

“All right”

With a nod he entered the room, they were seated in a circle on cushions laid out on the floor when they​ all looked over at Ichigo at the same time. Spread out in the middle was the wedding veil they were all in the process of making.

“Kurosaki kun, welcome home! Thank you for your hospitality!”

Orihime smiled at him whilst clutching a plate of chocolate cake in her hands, Sado Yasutora who was next to her, raised his arm slightly in greeting “it’s been a while, Ichigo.” In his other hand, he was holding a cupcake with rabbit shaped candy and plenty of cream on it.

“You’re late aren’t you Ichigo! Arisawa has just left!”

“Welcome back Ichigo. You’re taking classes on Saturdays​ too, that’s great”

Asano Keigo and Kojima Mizuiro who appeared to have already finished eating their cakes, were relaxing by drinking black tea and stretching out their legs.

“Ichi-nii welcome……Ishida san, how do I do this last thread here?”

Raising her face as she spoke, Karin glanced up at Ishida Uryuu who was next to her, he showed her the embroidery he had sewn on before giving her advice. From the opposite side, Isshin also peeped over at the way he manoeuvred his hands.

“You’re doing it too!?”

“It’s okay isn’t it! Daddy wants to congratulate Rukia chan as well!”

After replying to Ichigo, Isshin continued to prick at the embroidery with a serious look.

“Here! Onii-chan’s portion!”

Yuzu handed over a mug containing black tea to Ichigo, she then sat down next to Karin before resuming her work again.

It was on a morning, a week ago, that Ichigo received a message from Orihime on his mobile phone. She had sent all the participants that were here now a group message detailing how she wanted to gift a wedding veil for Rukia and Renji’s wedding celebration and asked them if they could help her add the embroidery. Orihime compared and adjusted everybody’s schedules​, Ichigo offered that they use his house as the location and thus it was decided that they would assemble at the Kurosaki clinic.

“wow……you’ve already completed a fair amount huh”

When he looked at the wall clock, he noted that it was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. They were told in advance to meet up at 1 p.m. and only two hours had passed since then. Nevertheless, the veil was about seventy percent complete already.

“During this week, Inoue san went round to everyone’s places and got them to do the embroidery” Mizuiro stated.

“Everyone?” Ichigo enquired to which Orihime replied -

“Eh let’s see, I believe I started with Hiyori san~ and then I went to Hachi san and Love san, after that I went to Urahara Shop~ Urahara san and Tessai san and Ururu chan and Jinta kun! Then, the day before yesterday, I went to Kukaku san’s place……”

“You went to Soul Society too!?”

Orihime casually nods ‘yes’ to a surprised Ichigo.

“Urahara san lent me a sort of mantle that extinguishes reiatsu so I wouldn’t be exposed when I went there, I think the two of us weren’t caught out……?”

“That’s not really what I’m concerned about but……well, never mind, and then?”

“When I had Ganju kun doing his embroidery, Yoruichi san came saying 'I heard about it from Urahara!~’ Yoruichi carried me on her back whilst shunpo'ing all around the Seireitei……I was able to get practically all the people I knew to do the embroidery~!”

“Inoue, I don’t expect him to but……did Kuchiki Byakuya also……?”

At Sado’s question, Orihime regrettably shook her head from side to side.

“Byakuya san……he watched”

“Watched……?” Uryuu muttered, cocking his head in puzzlement.

“His attendant……old man Seike san, but……that Seike san said 'I cannot allow the head of the family to do something like needlework!’ so then, Seike san sewed instead and Byakuya san watched him……look, this very pretty one is Seike san’s embroidery!”

Looking at the patch of embroidery Orihime was pointing at, everyone raised their voices in administration saying “oooh~!”

At that moment, a voice calling out “pardon me!"coming from the entrance of the clinic could be heard.

Yuzu hurriedly rushed towards the reception desk, "yes, I’m coming now!”

“Daaad, it’s a patient!”

“Yeah, yeah”, being called in the direction of the clinic, Isshin stood up.

“Will you save my part for me!?”

“No one is going to steal your part you bearded basket-case! Go quickly”

Karin coldly dealt with Isshin who pouted as he exited the living room. Yuzu returns in his place and joins the circle.

Ichigo who had just finished eating a fruit tart whilst everyone worked in silence sat down in an empty spot, “so, where should I start?”

“Here! There’s a set of instructions written down on this, you can do your embroidery around here Kurosaki kun!”

Written at the very top of the piece of paper handed over from Orihime it said “Strawberry Flower Sewing Technique”.

“This embroidery……they’re strawberry flowers?”

At the centre of the five white circles imitating flower petals, there is an asterisk pattern stitched with golden thread representing the stamen and pistil.

“It’s a flower I’ve liked since long ago……”

Orihime adds gold embroidery to the middle of the flower petals everyone had already sewn, one by one she completed the flowers.

“The strawberry flower in hanakotoba* (*the Japanese language of flowers) means 'Happy family’ as well as 'Respect and love'……I think both are perfectly suited as a motif for a bride to wear”

Uryuu spoke whilst stitching the petals with accuracy similar to that of a sewing machine.

Surprised, Orihime then said “I only knew about the 'Happy Family’ part……!”

“Why do you know the language of flowers……it makes me feel uncomfortable”

“You shouldn’t say such things to your friends!” Yuzu chided a frowning Ichigo.

“Shut up……! I don’t forget information after having seen it once!”

“Really!?” Keigo said lifting his face up at Uryuu’s words.

“Is there like a trick to it or something? I’ve become awfully forgetful recently~ Yesterday for example, I couldn’t come up with the word 'socks’, so I looked it up with the terms 'Foot’ 'Wear’ 'Bag’! Then it retrieved the word 'tabi’* (*split-toe socks) so I became all the more confused!”

As Orihime and Yuzu laughed aloud, Mizuiro smiled and said “oh? I wonder if it’s a brain disease?”

“Would you please stop trying to hand down such a scary medical diagnosis! Doctor Ishidaaa~! please tell this guy that an unqualified person shouldn’t make such arbitrary judgements~!”

Uryuu completely ignored the matter Keigo had brought up. “Don’t cry Asano kun!” Yuzu who was sitting next to him said in encouragement whilst patting his back.

“That reminds me, you got into a medical school……med school costs an insane amount of money doesn’t it? Are you sure that’s okay even though you’re poor?”

Ichigo asked whilst his gaze remained lowered on the shape of the flower petal he was carefully sewing.

“……I considered getting a scholarship but, my father paid for my tuition expenses. If it was the old me, I might have rejected such an offer but……my relationship with my father has improved to the extent that I can accept his money with gratitude.”

Watching as Uryuu calmly spoke about the matter, Ichigo quietly nods. “Ishida was quite an unpleasant guy in the past wasn’t he?” Keigo said, only to be ignored and then comforted by Yuzu once again.

“Sorry but, it’s about time I get going too……”

Checking his wristwatch, Sado stood up. “What, Chad too?” Ichigo said disappointedly.

“Yeah. I was asked to be the sparring partner……of the heavyweight champion of Japan.”

“Huuuh!? The heavyweight​ champ is Andou Daniel isn’t it? Do you go to the same gym!?”

“No, different gyms……it seems he is an acquaintance of the chairman of our gym. He wanted to fight 'a big guy'……”

“So that’s why he called for​ Chad then huh……better not let the champ lose his confidence” Mizuiro said shrugging his shoulders.

“Muu……! It won’t be like that……I think, probably……”

Whilst whispering to himself with shaky confidence, Sado headed towards the genkan entryway.

“Go easy on him!” Ichigo called out to his back.

On this day, Andou had come accompanied by his legendary coach who was captivated by Sado’s talent, it would take some years of persuasion before Sado decided to go pro after initially saying it’s not something he had in mind, in one fell swoop he was guided to the position of world champion but—–that is a tale a little further into the future.

As time went by, Keigo, Mizuiro and Uryuu also returned home, only the Kurosaki siblings and Orihime were left in the room. When Uryuu left Orihime also tried to leave, “I’ll finish this up later at home……”, however Yuzu held her back saying she wanted to help a little more.

Now, Yuzu was standing alongside Orihime in the kitchen, seeming to enjoy herself as they prepared dinner. Ichigo and Karin continued sewing the embroidery on the floor whilst also absentmindedly listening in. Karin took over the task of adding the final touches Orihime was doing earlier with the golden thread.

“Yuzu, seems like she having fun huh”

Karin spoke at a volume that only Ichigo could hear.

“Oh yeah……it feels like she’s more high-spirited than usual”

“……That girl, she behaves as if she were a mother, she should take it easy and let others help her instead of doing everything herself don’t you think? So that’s why, I think she’s very happy whenever​ Orihime chan comes around.”

Continuous cheerful laughter coming from the other two could be heard.

“……how about you?”

“Me? As for me……well, I’m also happy……because, Orihime chan, she reminds me of mother……just a little”

Karin’s hands stopped moving, she looked up at the portrait fixed on the wall. At the center of the oversized poster, there is a portrait of their late mother Masaki laughing brightly.

“Haa, it’s impossible to get properly sentimental when her picture is like that”

“Certainly not with a picture like this huh”

The two looked at each other, together they laughed a little. The door connecting to the clinic behind them opened and Isshin had returned, "are we having dinner soon~?”

“Yup! Orihime chan is also helping! Aren’t you glad, Yuzu!”

“Uh huh! Most of it was prepared by Orihime chan! Isn’t that right Orihime chan!”

Yuzu smiled. “I have confidence in this dish!” Orihime said puffing up with pride.

“You had fun huh! So, what kind of dish did you cook?”

“Tonight’s main, butter and soy sauce stir-fried……”

“Ooohh, that sounds good~~~~!” Isshin interjected.

“potato salad omelette gratin hot-pot!”

Orihime smiled brimming with confidence, the somewhat unknown concoction was boiling down in front of her.

“Th……that sounds…good……doesn’t it, Ichigo?”

“Don’t ask me……”

——As the five people who encircled the butter and soy sauce stir fried potato salad omelette gratin hot-pot, proceeded with their meal, it was said that the pot of food was immensely delicious.





End.

