“Kuchiki-san—”
It had been two days since the Menos Grande Gillian attacked the human world, yet the daily lives of the high school students remained peaceful.
The event had been like a single drop of water falling into a vast ocean, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.
“You don’t look too well,” Orihime said with concern.
“Are you sick?
A cold?”
“Idiot Orihime—” Tatsuki Arisawa replied irritably.
“It’s July; how could she have a cold?
Maybe it’s heatstroke?”
“No…
I’m fine, thank you.” Rukia smiled, her expression exceptionally bright.
“…”
“Alright, alright.” Orihime nodded, a beaming smile on her face.
“If anything comes up, make sure to tell us right away!”
Although they had only known each other for about two months, Orihime already considered Rukia a very close friend—second only to Tatsuki among the girls—thanks to the bond they shared through Ichigo and the times they had fought side-by-side as comrades.
“I will,” Rukia replied, her smile remaining bright.
“By the way, Orihime, don’t you feel even a little bit of danger?
That Kuchiki girl is living in Ichigo’s house, you know?”
“Eh?
Why would I feel danger?”
“Don’t you like Ichigo?”
“Ehhh—?!
Who said that?!”
“Who needs to say it?
Anyone with eyes can see it!”
“Oh!
Tatsuki, you!”
“What is it now…”
The faint voices gradually faded into the distance.
The idle chatter of high school girls always circled back to the topic of romance, regardless of whether they possessed special powers or high Reiatsu.
As the subject of the discussion, Rukia simply smiled.
Even though the girls had lowered their voices, she heard every word clearly.
Her age did not match her appearance; she was far older than them.
Even if she didn’t age as quickly as humans due to being a long-lived species, she couldn’t suddenly develop romantic feelings for a teenager.
‘They’ve probably noticed…’
Gazing vacantly out the window, the scene of Ichigo crushing a Cero with his bare hands yesterday remained vivid in her mind.
‘Is this the end…?’
In truth, when she witnessed that staggering feat, an unrealistic fantasy had flickered in Rukia’s heart, but she extinguished it in an instant.
‘Ichigo…
he’s still just a child…’
The memories of the past two months surfaced.
They had fought together for two months, and although Ichigo or the others usually finished off the Hollows in seconds, Rukia realized it had been a long time—a very long time—since she had spent time with “companions” like this.
‘I can’t let him get dragged into this…
no matter how strong he is…
he’s still just a child…’
A fifteen-year-old high schooler could save the world in a fairy tale, and in reality, some fifteen-year-olds took on heavy burdens and struggled just to survive.
But in the eyes of most adults, they were still children—beings that needed protection.
Adults didn’t view children as reliable pillars just because they were mature or capable…
at least, the current Rukia did not.
“What’s up with Kuchiki?” Outside the classroom, Uryū pushed up his glasses and asked, “I feel like she’s been out of it all day.”
“Who knows,” Ichigo shrugged.
“Isn’t she always like that?”
“You’re too dense, Ichigo.” Chad’s voice was low and heavy.
“Kuchiki is clearly troubled by something…
did you bully her?”
“Give me a break!
I’d be lucky if she didn’t bully me!” Ichigo snapped.
“She dragged me out of bed in the middle of the night to work; I’m going crazy!
I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a week!”
“Then that’s where the problem lies.” Uryū frowned slightly.
“How was the ‘work’ last night?”
“Same as always.
I wiped out those bottom-feeders in seconds.”
“But your Reiatsu was exceptionally strong yesterday,” Chad noted.
“It’s not usually like that.”
“That’s because too many of them showed up at once, those Hollows.” Ichigo scratched his head.
“Cutting them down one by one was too much of a pain, so I just obliterated them with sword pressure.”
“Too many Hollows appeared yesterday…?”
Although Quincies primarily manipulated Reishi and possessed excellent sensory abilities, Ichigo had arrived on the scene first, making it difficult for Uryū to distinguish the individual signatures of the subsequent waves of Reiatsu.
“Yeah, a dozen or so,” Ichigo said truthfully.
“And there was one Menos Grande thing called a Gilli-something…”
“Gillian,” Uryū said helplessly.
“Did you not remember anything when Ryūken talked about Menos Grande before?”
“When was that?
How am I supposed to remember that!”
“You really are…” Shaking his head, Uryū continued his analysis.
“The frequency, quantity, and quality of the Hollows are all problematic.
The number of Hollows that have appeared this month is comparable to several normal years’ worth.”
“Hmm?”
“Which means it’s possible that someone is intentionally letting Hollows through.” Uryū said irritably, “Can’t you use your brain for once, Ichigo?!”
“Hah!
With you around, Uryū, do I even need to use my brain?” Ichigo replied with a grin.
“You talk, and I’ll just listen, just like always.”
“Tsk!” Uryū clicked his tongue and continued, “The mastermind is in motion.
Since Kuchiki arrived, they’ve been pushing things forward.”
“That’s how it seems to us right now.” Uryū shook his head.
“What if the mastermind is intentionally testing your strength?”
“Then that’s a pretty boring test, isn’t it?”
“But that’s enough for them.” Uryū pushed up his glasses and said calmly, “Even if it was only a Gillian, the lowest class of Menos Grande, it’s still no small fry.
From the way you killed it, they can roughly estimate the lower limit of your strength and keep gathering intelligence on you.”
“…”
“…Aren’t you making this sound a little too serious?”
“Heh.”
“What’s with that laugh?!”
“So what if you’re right?” Ichigo shrugged.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“You really are…” Uryū said weakly.
“Pay more attention to Kuchiki.
It looks like she knows something.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ichigo agreed, then shifted the subject.
“Honestly, it’s the fault of those adults.
Why not just tell us who’s behind this, then we can rush into the Soul Society and chop that guy down?”
“…That really fits your way of thinking.” Uryū pushed up his glasses, his expression blank.
“Muscle brain.”
“Who are you calling a dummy!”
“Ishida didn’t call you a dummy,” Chad explained solemnly.
“He just thinks you’re incapable of doing anything other than fighting.”
“Chad!
You too?!”