Chapter 23: Failure

Makoto Ito took out his identity card and, following the instructions on it, began making his way to the residence assigned to him by the Soul Realm. The streets of the Soul Society, lined with rows of traditional houses, offered a sense of calm and serenity, and yet, as he walked, a timid voice called out from behind him.

"Excuse me, are you heading to your place of residence as well?"

Makoto Ito turned his head and saw a short, fragile-looking girl dressed in a floral kimono. She seemed hesitant, unsure of her words, and when Makoto looked closely, he recognized her. She was part of the same team as him. In fact, they had been assigned to District 57 together.

"Ah, it's you," Makoto Ito said with a slight smile, recognizing her immediately. "You're in the same district as I am?"

"Yes, I'm Eri Iwasaki," the girl replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... well, I was hoping you could take me to your place. I seem to have trouble understanding this map."

Her words became softer and softer until they were almost inaudible. She sounded embarrassed, and her face turned a bright shade of red. Her voice was so faint it almost felt like a mosquito buzzing.

Makoto Ito couldn't help but sigh, a little amused. "So, you're one of those people who can't read maps?" he said, shaking his head in a playful way. "Alright, come along then. I'll show you the way."

And so, Makoto Ito and Eri Iwasaki set off toward their new homes together. As they walked, Eri seemed to become more comfortable. She chattered about various things, asking questions and commenting on the unfamiliar surroundings. Her nervousness slowly melted away, and by the time they reached their destination, the two had become quite familiar with one another.

During the walk, Eri Iwasaki asked a question that caught Makoto Ito off guard.

"Mr. Ito, do you remember anything from your past life?"

Makoto Ito paused, his face going blank for a moment. "No, not at all," he replied, offering a reassuring smile. "When we're reborn in the Soul Realm, all memories from our past life are wiped away. It's so that we can be free of our previous attachments and start anew."

Though what Makoto said was true for many, it wasn't entirely accurate for him. When he had first arrived in the Soul Society, he had indeed lost all memories, but something deep within him stirred, and he had been instantly awakened. His soul's connection to the distant Hollow realm had triggered the recollection of his past life. It was a complicated and almost unnatural experience, but he chose not to share that with Eri.

As they continued chatting, Makoto's identity card beeped suddenly, its small light flashing. The Soul Realm had confirmed his arrival at the designated residence. They had arrived at a small residential area of townhouses, each one looking neat and orderly.

Makoto Ito walked ahead, leading the way for Eri, and they soon came upon the door of his assigned house. Makoto knocked twice. A few moments later, the door creaked open, and out stepped an elderly woman who stood at a height of barely 1.4 meters. She had her face painted in traditional geisha makeup, giving her an air of both sternness and eccentricity.

"Two newcomers today?" she grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "The Soul Society's bureaucrats are always assigning people here. You might as well forget about paying me rent for the first three years."

Makoto blinked, momentarily surprised by the old lady's attitude, but when she looked up and saw his face, her mood shifted instantly.

"Oh my!" the old woman exclaimed, her voice taking on a tone of surprise and admiration. "What a handsome young man! It feels like my youth has returned just by looking at you!"

She beamed at him, a wide, wrinkled smile stretching across her face. "Come in, come in! Don't just stand there."

Makoto couldn't help but laugh softly at the old woman's sudden change of heart. Eri Iwasaki, on the other hand, looked less than amused and quietly rolled her eyes as she stepped in behind them.

Once inside, the old woman—who introduced herself as Sanhua—led them into a modest but cozy room. "This is your assigned residence," she said with a nod, "Jinglingting arranges housing for newcomers in Liuhun Street. The Soul Society covers the rent for the first three years. After that, you'll have to pay for yourself."

Sanhua's eyes lingered on Makoto Ito once again. She leaned closer and whispered in a slightly more playful tone, "But, if it's someone like you, you can stay as long as you want. Rent-free, of course."

Makoto couldn't help but smile awkwardly at her. The old woman's exuberance was both surprising and a little unsettling, but he couldn't deny that her offer was a generous one.

After a few moments, Sanhua set down two futons in the center of the room and invited them to sit. Eri, ever composed, knelt down neatly onto her futon, while Makoto hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Kneeling wasn't something he was used to, but he followed suit, doing his best to mimic Eri's posture.

Sanhua poured hot tea into two cups and handed one to Makoto. He took it gratefully and drank it in one go, savoring the warmth that spread through his body. The comforting sensation of the tea brought a sense of calm that he hadn't realized he'd been missing.

Makoto let out a long breath of relief. It was the first time in a long while that he had been able to enjoy something as simple as a cup of tea. In his previous life, he hadn't particularly cared for it, but after so much time traveling between worlds, the sensation of human food was a rare pleasure. The warmth of the tea, the scent, and the comforting feeling it left behind made him feel almost nostalgic for the small comforts of his past life. He looked at the cup in his hands and couldn't help but feel a rush of gratitude.

He had missed these simple joys more than he realized.

Ito, who had once lived a life of consuming raw meat and drinking blood in the Hollow realm, found himself sipping a cup of warm tea in the tranquil surroundings of the Soul Society. He closed his eyes for a moment, appreciating the fleeting peace. However, his moment of serenity was abruptly interrupted by a roar that made his blood run cold, a sound that was all too familiar to him.

"ROAR!"

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the ground beneath him trembled. Suddenly, a massive, pale claw burst through the roof of the house, reaching for him and the others inside.

"Boom!"

The force of the claw's impact sent debris flying. Instinctively, Ito sprang into action. Without a second thought, he performed the Instant Step technique, a technique he had memorized from his past experiences. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original position, reappearing with the two others in a safe corner outside the house, away from the immediate danger.

Taking a quick glance around, Ito saw no one nearby, which gave him a moment of relief. However, he wasn't going to take any chances. He quickly jumped onto the eaves of the nearby house and, with deliberate slowness, drew the attention of the giant Hollow that had just attacked them. He led the creature further away, making sure to create enough distance from the residents of Liuhun Street before stopping.

Despite his reincarnation, Ito's spiritual pressure—at an Adjuchas level—remained intact. His spiritual energy surged through him, giving him strength even without the use of his Hollow abilities. Alone, without his Hollow body, he knew he couldn't perform certain advanced techniques like Hollow Flash, but his raw power and fists were enough to deal with this creature.

With a fierce growl, Ito propelled himself toward the giant Hollow, which resembled a large skeletal figure. His fist, like a meteor, collided with the creature's mask with overwhelming force.

The impact was so powerful that the mask shattered on contact, sending the Hollow crashing backward. It skidded along the ground, coming to a stop more than ten meters away from where it had once stood.

Ito didn't pause for a moment. He followed the Hollow's trajectory, unleashing a barrage of punches with speed and precision that almost blurred. His fists connected rapidly, one after another, with the Hollow's face. In just a few breaths, Ito had delivered over forty punches, each one as fast as lightning and strong enough to reduce the creature's mask to dust.

"ROAR!" The Hollow let out an agonized cry of defiance, but it was futile. Its body turned to dust, disintegrating into the air like particles caught in the wind.

However, just as Ito thought the battle was over, he noticed something strange: a small, faintly glowing blue particle drifted through the air. He instinctively reached out and grabbed it, examining the mysterious fragment closely.

"What is this?"Ito muttered under his breath, feeling an unfamiliar spiritual pressure emanating from the particle.

As Ito pondered the significance of the glowing particle, he sensed another strange spiritual pressure nearby. His instincts told him that something else was amiss. He swiftly stored the mysterious fragment in his pocket before performing another Instant Step, dashing in the direction of the new disturbance.

After a brief sprint, Ito arrived at the outskirts of Liuhun Street. In front of him, several more giant Hollows were wreaking havoc, devouring the souls of nearby residents. The scene was chaotic, with screams filling the air as people fled from the rampaging monsters.

Ito observed the situation carefully, his mind racing. If these creatures were coming from the Hollow realm, he should have felt some disturbance in the black cavity, the spiritual rift through which Hollows usually enter the Soul Society. But he sensed no such fluctuation. The Hollows seemed to have materialized out of thin air.

A chilling realization crossed his mind. These Hollows had been created within the Soul Society, possibly by someone with the ability to manipulate the fabric of the realm itself.

His thoughts immediately turned to one person—Aizen Sosuke.

Ito frowned. The implications of this were dangerous. If Aizen was behind this attack, he was likely gathering data for some larger, more sinister plan. Ito was no fool; he had learned over time that it was never wise to get involved with Aizen's schemes—especially when he was still a newcomer to this world and not yet fully prepared to handle such a threat.

Ito stopped in his tracks, deliberating his next move. While he could easily take care of these Hollows, he wasn't about to rush into something that might put him in Aizen's crosshairs. The Soul Reapers were responsible for dealing with these kinds of threats. As long as the danger didn't directly threaten his life, he didn't see any reason to intervene. The gods of death would handle this.

Not long after, a squad of Soul Reapers arrived on the scene, their dark uniforms fluttering in the wind as they immediately engaged the Hollows. However, these Soul Reapers, just regular members of their respective squads, struggled against the sheer power of the giant Hollows. The battle quickly turned into a fierce confrontation, one where the Soul Reapers were fighting for their lives.

Ito observed them for a moment, but he didn't interfere. He wasn't sure if these Hollows were part of Aizen's plans, but he was certain that the Soul Reapers would take care of it. And if they couldn't, it wasn't his fight yet.

Just as the fight was escalating, a figure appeared on the scene—one that stood out from the rest. A dark-skinned Soul Reaper with curly hair, wearing the standard Soul Reaper uniform and goggles, arrived in an instant. His presence alone seemed to change the atmosphere, and Ito's eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary Soul Reaper.

It seemed the situation was about to become even more interesting.