The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting slanted shadows across the desks.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni sat by the window, his gaze fixed quietly ahead.
The classroom was missing someone today.
Chad was absent again.
Ichigo Kurosaki rested his chin on his hand, his brow furrowed, glancing frequently at Chad’s empty seat.
Lately, that guy had been absent quite a lot.
And every time he returned, he always had some injuries.
But Chad never said much.
No matter how much anyone asked, he would only calmly say, with that expressionless face, “It’s nothing.” Ichigo grew increasingly annoyed.
That guy was still the same as always; he liked to shoulder everything himself.
Soon, the morning classes ended.
Lunch break arrived, and the group went to the rooftop as usual.
A breeze was blowing, causing their school uniforms to flutter gently.
Keigo Asano was excitedly munching on his bento, while Chizuru Matsushita circled Orihime Inoue, muttering strange things.
Ichigo’s lips twitched; he was too lazy to care anymore.
Just then, the rooftop door was pushed open.
A tall figure walked in.
Chad.
But Chad looked more disheveled than usual.
His head was wrapped in bandages, his face was plastered with gauze, and there were several obvious gray smudges on his school uniform.
Most surprisingly, he was holding a parrot in his arms.
“Chad?” Ichigo stood up.
Tatsuki was also taken aback, frowning.
“What happened to you?” Chad came to the front of the group, looked down at his injuries, and said calmly, “I was passing by a construction site when I was hit by a falling steel bar.” “Huh?” Ichigo glared at him.
“That’s a pretty flimsy excuse.” Chad didn’t argue, just stood silently.
Keigo, however, stepped closer, looking at the parrot, and asked in surprise, “When did you start keeping birds?” “It’s not mine,” Chad said.
“I’m just keeping it temporarily.” Ichigo looked at the parrot, his expression gradually changing.
He sensed something was wrong.
Since becoming a Substitute Shinigami, his senses for such anomalies had become increasingly acute.
Yoriichi’s gaze, however, had been fixed on the parrot from the beginning.
More precisely, on the parrot’s body.
Through the Transparent World, within that small avian body, the soul of a young boy was clearly curled up.
The soul and the vessel didn’t fit together, as if the soul had been forcibly stuffed inside.
Moreover, the edges of the boy’s soul were already tainted with a trace of dark, corrosive Reishi.
That was a sign of being targeted by a Hollow.
Yoriichi withdrew his gaze, then turned to Ichigo and Rukia.
“Come here for a moment.” He spoke calmly.
Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance and followed him to the side.
“What’s wrong?” Ichigo asked in a low voice.
Yoriichi glanced at Chad not far away and said, “There’s a little boy’s soul inside that parrot.” Ichigo’s expression changed upon hearing this.
Rukia’s expression also instantly turned serious.
“What did you say?” Yoriichi continued, “And that child has already been targeted by a Hollow.” Ichigo clenched his fist almost instinctively.
“Then what are we waiting for?
Let’s find that Hollow and chop it down!” He was about to take a step forward when Rukia grabbed his arm.
“Idiot, don’t be impulsive.” Rukia scolded him in a low voice.
After speaking, she looked up at Yoriichi, her eyes filled with undisguised wariness.
“How do you know this?” Yoriichi’s expression remained unchanged.
“I can see it.” “See?” Rukia stared at him.
Yoriichi nodded.
“Just like I can see your current Gikai, and the true soul inside.” Rukia’s pupils contracted sharply.
Of course she knew what Yoriichi was talking about.
A Gikai.
He could see through a Gikai?
Rukia’s back tensed instantly.
If he continued, who knew what else he would reveal.
Thinking of this, she quickly interrupted, “This isn’t the time to talk about this.” “Ichigo, Chad is your friend, and also our classmate.” “Now that we know he’s being targeted by a Hollow, we can’t just ignore it.” Ichigo nodded immediately.
“Of course I know that.” He scratched his head in frustration, glancing back at Chad.
“The problem is, that guy just won’t talk.” “He’s so stubborn, he likes to shoulder everything himself.” “He’s such a pain.” Though he said this, the worry in Ichigo’s eyes was impossible to hide.
Yoriichi looked at Chad and calmly said, “Follow him after school.” “Don’t let him find out.” “Since the Hollow has its sights on that kid, it’ll definitely show up again.” Ichigo immediately thought this made sense.
“Okay, let’s do it.” Rukia nodded as well.
For the rest of the break, the three of them didn’t say anything more.
However, Ichigo’s gaze kept falling on Chad.
Chad, seemingly oblivious, quietly ate his lunch.
The parrot perched beside his hand, occasionally fluttering its wings slightly.
Yoriichi looked at the parrot, his gaze pausing slightly.
The child’s soul was weak.
But what was more troublesome was not his current state.
It was the Hollow that was targeting him; its Reiatsu was filled with obvious obsession and violence.
Hollows usually didn’t just target a specific soul.
Anyone who got too close would be attacked.
Therefore, Chad’s injuries were probably not from being hit by a steel bar.
Soon, afternoon classes ended.
As soon as the school bell rang, Ichigo stood up.
Rukia casually packed her bag.
Yoriichi picked up his gray Zanpakutō and followed the two out of the classroom.
Chad walked slowly, but his steps were steady.
The three followed behind him, always maintaining a distance.
“That guy won’t find out, will he?” Ichigo asked in a low voice.
Rukia glanced at him.
“If you don’t speak so loudly, he won’t.” Ichigo’s lips twitched.
“I’m already speaking very softly.” Yoriichi didn’t speak.
His attention was more focused on the flow of Reiatsu around him.
People and vehicles bustled about the street.
On the surface, everything seemed normal.
But in the air, a faint, pungent malice had appeared.
That Reiatsu seemed to linger, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if deliberately circling around them.
Ichigo clearly sensed it too, his nerves instantly tensing.
“Is it here?” Rukia said softly, “It hasn’t shown itself yet.” Just then, a muffled thud came from around the corner ahead.
The three of them paled simultaneously and rushed over.
The next moment, the scene before them made Ichigo’s pupils shrink.
Chad lay on the ground.
A large pool of blood flowed beneath him.
The parrot lay nearby, letting out a panicked cry.
“Chad!” Ichigo charged forward.
Rukia quickly scanned her surroundings, her hand already on her Zanpakutō.
However, there was nothing around.
No Hollow in sight.
No lingering remnants of Reiatsu.
It was as if the attacker had vanished in an instant.
Yoriichi crouched down, his gaze falling on Chad’s wound.
It wasn’t an ordinary laceration.
The edges of the wound retained the corrosive Reiatsu of a Hollow.
The attacker had retreated immediately after striking.
Very cautious.
And very cunning.
Ichigo gritted his teeth, his face extremely grim.
“Damn it, of all times it had to run away.” Rukia said in a low voice, “Never mind that, save him first.” Ichigo immediately snapped back to reality.
“Yeah, take him to my house first.” The three of them didn’t delay and quickly helped Chad up.
The parrot seemed to understand what had happened, staying obediently to the side without flying away.
Soon, they took Chad to the Kurosaki Clinic.
Although Isshin Kurosaki usually seemed unreliable, he was surprisingly efficient at treating external injuries.
After some bandaging, Chad’s injuries finally stabilized considerably.
As for the parrot, it was placed in a cage nearby.
Outside the ward.
Ichigo leaned against the wall, his face dark.
“What the hell is that bastard trying to do?” Rukia crossed her arms, her expression grim.
“Since its target is that child’s soul, it means it won’t give up easily.” “If it didn’t succeed today, it’ll try again tomorrow.” Ichigo’s fists clenched again upon hearing this.
“Then let’s wait for it to come out.” “I’m going to chop it down!” Yoriichi stood to the side, his tone still calm.
“Let’s rest tonight.” “We’ll meet again tomorrow morning.” After discussing it, the three dispersed for the time being.
Night gradually fell, and Karakura Town returned to its tranquility.
But beneath that tranquility, danger was quietly brewing.
Early the next morning.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni had just arrived at the entrance of the Kurosaki Clinic when he saw Ichigo and Rukia already standing there.
Ichigo, looking extremely frustrated, scratched his head, his voice urgent.
“Chad ran away early this morning, probably to avoid getting us involved.
Let’s hurry and catch up!”