Chapter 48

The bell rang, signaling the start of lunchtime. Errol rose from his seat and left the room alone, causing Uryu to look at him in wonder, as he usually invited him to their usual lunch spot.

"Hey Uryu, want to join us for lunch?" Ichigo called out to Uryu, surprising both him and Ichigo's friends who wondered when the two had become close.

"By the way, have you seen Errol?" Ichigo asked.

Regaining his composure, Uryu stood up and walked out of the room. "He just left," he said, before exiting.

Ichigo watched him leave, only to be pulled aside by his friend, Keigo. "Hey Ichigo, when did you get close to that guy, and the other one!?"

"Well, let's just say Uryu and I teamed up once, and Errol saved our butts at the last moment," Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his neck. Keigo continued to pester him about his newfound friendships, while their friend Mizuiro tried to calm him down.

Meanwhile, Errol had taken a seat on the edge of the school's rooftop, lost in thought. Suddenly, someone joined him and handed him a juice.

"So, what's the problem?" Uryu asked.

Errol took the juice, sipped it through a straw, and said, "Nothing, I just feel like the world is playing with me."

"Only people with problems say things like that," Uryu couldn't help but comment.

"Pfft," Errol chuckled before noticing new arrivals.

"Oh, Errol! Didn't expect to find you here," Ichigo greeted him. "And also, I forgot to say this earlier, but thanks for the help yesterday."

Errol glanced at him before returning his gaze to the field below. "No, it's nothing."

"Do you want to eat with us? You too, Ishida. You didn't give a proper answer earlier," Ichigo invited them, expressing his displeasure at Uryu's earlier non-response.

"Nah, I'm good. But you can keep this guy by your side," Errol replied, standing up and leaving the place.

Keigo, annoyed by Errol's behavior, couldn't help but comment, "That arrogant jerk! Just because he's at the top of our class and good-looking, he thinks he doesn't need to associate with us!"

"I don't think he's like that," Mizuiro said, trying to calm Keigo down.

Uryu sighed and said, "Errol just doesn't like crowded places. He doesn't mind talking to one or two people, but if there are more, he prefers to leave."

Keigo, who had been complaining, stopped and looked at Uryu in surprise. "Eh? Then how many friends does he have?"

"Except for me, I don't think he has any more," Uryu said, pushing up his glasses.

"Eh, seriously!? Haha, then I, the great Asano Keigo, should grace him with my presence and become his new friend!" Keigo's mood shifted from anger to pity for Errol, who he believed had no friends.

"It would be a miracle if he accepted you as a friend," Ichigo commented before finding a seat and starting to eat. He was followed by Chad, who was typically quiet, and Mizuiro. Uryu, left behind by Errol, was about to follow him when Ichigo pulled him in to join them for lunch.

Errol, having left the group, found his thoughts drifting towards Chad's power. 'If I remember correctly, his power is something called Fullbring. But unlike Inoue and some others, he doesn't use an item as a catalyst to release his power, at least not until he fought an Arrancar.'

As he walked down the hallway, Errol pondered the concept of being a Fullbringer. 'Could it be that he is using his skin as a catalyst? That should be it. But the question is, can I do the same? Although I should be able to copy his powers if I want to, I don't see any benefit from it. It just allows him to fire energy beams and punch hard...'

Errol glanced out a window, taking in the blue sky. 'I guess I'll just try later tonight. If I can't become one the normal way, I'll just cheat using an Order.'

With that, he continued his walk back to his classroom. The lunch break ended a few minutes later, and classes resumed as usual.

Everyone went about their usual activities during class, except for Rukia, who was lost in thought, gazing out the window.

Later that day, Errol returned home and began to survey his room.

"If I want to be a Fullbringer, what item here holds some importance to me?..." Errol looked around, realizing he didn't have many possessions in his room.

The only item of significant importance to him was Izumi's piano, but it was too large to carry around, and he didn't want anything to happen to it.

He checked his drawers and cabinets, but found nothing of sentimental value. He sat on his bed, contemplating. "Guess I'll just choose some random things."

As he lounged on his bed, he caught a glimpse of something under it. Intrigued, he looked under the bed and found a box.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, these are the things Izumi and I bought when we successfully left her house," Errol said, opening the box to find most of the clothes he had bought for her.

There were also some small, inexpensive accessories. One small box caught his eye. He opened it to find a pair of bracelets. He was momentarily surprised before remembering that he had bought them for a very childish reason.

Errol had never had many friends to share his life experiences with in the past. He had seen on TV how friends often had matching items to symbolize their friendship, and he had wanted to experience something similar. He had found these bracelets and bought them secretly, planning to give one to Izumi later, only to forget due to subsequent events.

Just as Errol was about to try and see if he could become a Fullbringer using the bracelet, he suddenly sensed two large spiritual powers appearing in Karakura Town.