13 Court Guard Squads' Setsubun

Here you go. The soybeans you ordered.

With a big event that involves the entire Seireitei, it's quite a load we've got here. I'm glad I brought Ichigo.

Why do I have to get involved in an event for the Soul Society?

Well, we don't know enough about the whole Setsubun tradition.

Looking at this, are we really only going to use these beans just to throw around? It's kind of wasteful, don't you think?

Oh. You don't know? They're not just for throwing around. You're supposed to eat them too.

You eat the beans you threw on the ground?

Why would anyone do that?!

You separate the ones for eating aside on a plate or a cup and you eat those.

I think they used to actually pick up the beans off the ground and eat them in the past.

Oh, I didn't know that.

But in recent days, with health and sanitation concerns, I'm sure more people only eat the clean ones.

The festival's about warding off bad luck and bringing in fortune, right? So if you eat those beans, I guess it's like wishing for perfect health.

There's a rule to how many you eat, too.

You eat the same number of beans as your age. So if you're 10 years old, you eat 10 beans.

That's an interesting rule.

Yeah, it sounds like it can be pretty funny, too. Perfect.

Alright. Let's go give the beans to Lieutenant Hisagi and Lieutenant Kira.

Lieutenant Hisagi! Lieutenant Kira!

We were able to get the beans for Setsubun.

Oh, that's a great help! And that's a lot of beans.

We do have to pass them out to each of the squads.

Also, there's a custom where you not only throw the beans, but you also eat the number of beans equal to your age.

Oh, you can eat them?

Sounds like it'll bring us good luck.

Yeah. Eating however many equal to your age sounds pretty interesting too.

Thanks a lot. You really saved us.

No problem. I'm glad we could help.

Let us know if there's anything else.

Alright. Shall we go give the beans to each of the squads?

Yeah.

These beans are pretty heavy. And they take up so much space.

Once we're done with this load, maybe we should separate the next batch into smaller portions.

Sounds good.

Oh. Are you two preparing for Setsubun? Thanks for all your hard work.

Hello, Captain Unohana!

I just went to go purchase some seaweed and plums for Setsubun.

Seaweed and plums?

You put them into tea with the beans to make Fukucha, a fortune tea. Some Setsubun traditions have it where you drink this type of tea.

Oh! That's interesting. We can all drink Fukucha together then.

Hmm. But we need beans for throwing, and then we eat the same number as our age, right? Do you think we'll have enough?

We might have to do an additional order. But we don't have enough budget for that.

What should we do, Captain Unohana?

What do you mean?

Uh, I mean...if we eat however many beans equal to our age and then have Fukucha, we might run out of...

Why don't we skip eating them?

B-But then, the fortune...

Why are you backing away?

Well, uhh...

Eep!

A-Anyway! These are the beans for Squad 4!

Please pass them out accordingly! Thanks!

*Pant*

That was rough.

S-She was scary.

Anyway, we're done giving the beans to Squad 4.

Let's go to the next squad.

Err... That was a horrible start, really.