Human world.

Karakura Town - Sakurabashi park.

This park constructed on the hills overlooking the railway track was Inoue Orihime's favourite place. Even though it is only a small park with a few dozen or so trees and couple of benches, every bench is placed in front of a great view and there is no disappointment wherever you sit. Amongst those, Orihime particularly liked the bench facing opposite the railway track, she loved watching the trains and the town from there.

Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji were currently sitting side by side on that very bench. The time was around 10 p.m. and the small night view of Karakura Town was spread out below them. Because Renji was not as familiar with the Human World as much as Rukia was, every time a train would pass by he would curiously follow it with his eyes.

"Kuchiki saaan!"

Orihime dashed up the stairs leading up the hill whilst waving her arm. When the pair stood up and waved back, she raised her voice in surprise, "huh? You're here together with Abarai kun too!?"

"Yo! You're looking well, Inoue!"

"Yup, I'm well!"

Orihime replied whilst ascending the final few steps on the staircase, "fuu, I've arrived~" she said, recovering her breath when had reached the top.

"I'm sorry for taking up your time this late"

With Rukia in the middle, the three of them sat down beside each other on the bench.

"Not at all, don't worry about something like that! I'm so happy you came to see me!"

"How about the store? Is it still thriving as usual?"

"Uh huh! Business is already booming everyday!"

Orihime currently works as a regular employee of a bread and cake shop called 'ABCookies'. After her older brother Inoue Sora passed away, she was getting along by receiving assistance with living expenses from a distant relative; but because of the fact that the relative had originally declared that they would only provide assistance up till high school graduation, since the summer of three years prior, Orihime had been searching for a job placement for after graduation. During that time, she was working at the shop part-time, the shop manager who had learnt of her situation insisted that Orihime be fully employed by the company.

"Rangiku san and Soifon San have also often come to buy things"

"Lieutenant Matsumoto I can understand, but captain Soifon too…!?"

"…Yoruichi san gets her to buy it for her, am I right?"

"Ah that's true" Rukia thought, understanding completely.

"So then, what's happening today? You're even here together with Abarai kun…"

Orihime observed the couple. For some reason or another, she felt that the air that flowed between the pair had become even more intimate than before, Orihime stood up, "oohh!" she said in a loud voice.

"Ehh! Wait, could it be!? Ah, perhaps the two of you…the two of you…!"

With eyes wide open she stared at them in round eyed wonder, Orihime's cheeks were instantly coloured red. Smiling with her whole face, Rukia tried to convey the message without saying a word but—–

"S-s- sta- started dating!?"

—Orihime's intuition was off the mark twice as much.

"Pfft! Hahahaha! Dating…no, but in a sense it's somewhere along those lines!"

Orihime looked blankly at Renji who had burst into laughter, Rukia then spoke.

"Inoue, me and Renji…today, we completed our nyuseki"

"Eh…eeeeeehh!? Nyuseki…that means, you're married…right!?"

Rukia nods, 'that's correct'. Orihime inhaled a deep breath, she began to sob even as a bright smile remained on her face.

"Inoue!?"

"Haaa…uuu…pardon meee…! This is such a pleasant surprise… I've become an emotional mess…!"

Standing up, Rukia tenderly embraced Orihime's shoulders leading her to sit on the bench again.

"Con….gratulationsss…Kuchiki…sannn…"

Orihime was heaving with sobs as Rukia rubbed her back whilst nodding and uttering comforting words.

"…You fool, what are you grinning at…?"

Rukia said knitting her eyebrows together, noticing Renji smirking whilst looking their way.

"it's kinda nice to think…You going over the top to take care of someone like that just now, since I've never seen you like that you knowww…"

Although he didn't say it, he actually thought that her face full of affection was beautiful.

"Haa…. I'm okay now…thank you, Kuchiki san! I truly congratulate the both of youuu!"

Orihime smiled sweetly.

"…Thank you, Inoue"

With a finger, Rukia gently wiped away the single trickle of a teardrop that had just escaped.

After completely hearing and laughing about the troublesome story around the nyuseki from the other two, Orihime casually asked Rukia, "you've told Kurosaki kun about it already right?"

"No, not yet. We were thinking to go and announce it to Ichigo after this but…I wonder if it's too late now"

Saying that, she looked up at Renji. "He probably stays up late anyhow" Renji stated definitively without any sort of basis.

"It's really okay that I was told first…?"

Feeling a little shy and fidgety, Rukia hesitated a few times as she replied to Orihime.

"Th-that's because, Inoue I consider you…my…b-best girl-friend! So therefore…I thought…I should tell you first…"

She spoke as her last few words became a little mumbled.

"…your face is redder than the time I asked you to marry me ya know"

"Sh-shut up!"

Watching as Rukia grew red to her ears, Orihime laughed and became teary eyed once again.

"Thank you, Kuchiki san! I admire you very much too!"

After seeing the couple off, Orihime hurried back to her house. Saying "I'm home" to the portrait of her late older brother before catching her breath, Orihime put in a phone call to Dokugamine Riruka.

"…Hellooo?"

After four rings, Riruka's somewhat displeased sounding voice could be heard.

"Sorry for calling so late! It's me Orihime"

"When I went to your shop last week, I told you didn't I!? I said I'm busy with the launch of a new brand right now! Does this mean you didn't listen when I was talking!?"

Riruka is currently working as a designer in the apparel department of an enterprise managed by Yukio Hans Vorarlberna. Jackie Tristan also works at the same business but she is constantly flying all over the world because she is engaged in work concerning the aid of developing countries, therefore she is almost never seen.

"Of course, I was listening to you! But this is a bit of an emergency…"

"Emergency…? In that case, please tell me about the matter quickly!"

"Yes! Thank you, Riruka chan! Well…"

Whilst annoyed that she did not speak with haste, Riruka listened as Orihime talked about Rukia getting married, and the fact that the ceremony that was to be held two weeks later, is fast approaching.

"So then, I want to give her something, a gift, but what would be good…? Something handmade…that can be used at the wedding ceremony, I think something like that would be nice…"

"It has to be something suitable enough for a beginner to make…"

The sound of fingertips tapping on a table could be heard through the phone.

"What about a bouquet or a ring pillow…but that world has standard traditional style dress for a Shinto ceremony, doesn't it?"

"Oh, right!… Eh, well then that means, Kuchiki san, in a Shiromuku*…!? Haaaa, that would be absolutely cuuute…!"

(*Traditional Japanese white Kimono for brides)

"Don't lose your cool…moreover that Rukia girl is a noblewoman isn't she? Since everything will probably be prepared to the highest of quality, if an amateur decides to makes things like traditional style dress accessories, it may pale in comparison…"

"Ohh!"

In response to Orihime's loud voice, Riruka complained with even more volume, "be quite! Don't suddenly burst out into a ridiculously loud voice!"

"Sorry sorry…well, how about a dress? A wedding dress!"

"Huhhh!? There is no way a beginner would be able to properly make something like a dress in just two weeks you know!?"

"But, if I try my very best….!"

"Abso-lutely impossible!"

"Uuu…! I wanted to see Kuchiki san in western style garments too…"

Orihime muttered with deep disappointment.

"…in that case, how about a veil?"

The sounds of rhythmical tapping on a keyboard could be heard clearly through the earpiece, "I looked it up just now, it seems there's a fair amount of people who like to combine western hairdressing with a Shiromuku nowadays" Riruka informed.

Orihime imagined Rukia's form.

A wataboshi*(*traditional bridal hood-like headdress)will surely suit well with that elegant small face of hers she thought. However, it seemed to her that the people who would be assembled there could more fully enjoy and appreciate Rukia's beauty if she could be seen through a veil that was completely transparent rather than a wataboshi that would cover a great majority of her head.

"I think that's a very good idea…!"

"If it's a veil, then you basically just cut soft tulle, even an idiot can do it. And then, how about adding on some embroidery with fine thread around the hem? If you do small embroidery, even if it's somewhat poor, as long as it's seen from a distance it will be unnoticeable"

"Yes yes, I want to add on embroidery!"

"I'll write down a set of instructions and send it together with the materials first thing in the morning. Your address hasn't changed has it?"

"Eeeh!? No that's fine, thank you very much for your help! I'm extremely grateful just because I was able to get advice from you! Afterwards, I myself will go and look for…"

"Huuuh!? You called me when I'm busy, don't hold back now!"

Riruka held her phone in one hand, with the hand that was vacant, she had found what she was looking for, "hm, this will also be of use…" one by one she had ticked off the materials.

"Thank you Riruka chan, but really it's okay…"

"shut up, I told you to be quiet! …I'm almost done! I've already disappeared twice with the intention of not having to deal with you lot anymore! And yet, since we met again three years ago, you've been using every possible pretext to call me about things like …a new stock of tasty doughnuts, and whatever else! You understand me Orihimeee!?"

"Yes, sorry! …but Riruka chan, you always come to buy…"

"I only pass by that shop because it's tasty there, things like whether or not you are working there does not concern me in the slightest!"

"Pardon me~~~!"

Phone calls with Riruka always eventually becomes a lecture. Orihime witlessly calls Riruka who likes scolding her like this. Listening to an angry Riruka's voice who was full of vitality as she spoke, 'ah, we're not so lonesome anymore', she'd think as her heart would become warm.

The following day, a package arrived from Riruka, it contained a great deal of materials and a document with a set of instructions, and—

[I spoke a bit too harshly yesterday

Sorry]

—–Written down on a note.