Chapter 65

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Ichigo swaggered right into the Kuchiki estate like he owned the place, plopping himself down next to Rukia without a care in the world.

What surprised Renji the most was that Rukia only shot Ichigo a sideways glance but otherwise let him be.

In that moment, Renji—King of Flashy Moves, Abarai the Peacock—finally understood the true difference between the elite and the ordinary.

No, wait—cut that. Let's start over.

Abarai Renji finally realized the real reason Rukia had always kept her distance from him.

It was all that damn blond's fault!

Renji stared at Ichigo with a trace of helplessness. For the first time, he felt truly powerless.

Everything Ichigo had done for Rukia during this Soul Society incident—none of it was any less than what he, Renji, had done.

Renji had tried to break into the execution grounds—only to be knocked out halfway by Kuchiki Byakuya.

Meanwhile, Ichigo defeated Byakuya.

Not just that—he had teamed up with Captain Unohana Retsu and exposed the real mastermind behind everything: Aizen Sōsuke.

In the process, he also cleared the names of Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin, who had once been exiled from the Soul Society.

At the critical moment, he even stood alone against Aizen and wounded him. On top of that, he was now the official disciple of Captain Unohana.

In terms of background, ability, and feelings toward Rukia…

Renji felt utterly defeated.

Even though he and Rukia had patched things up, the distance between them only seemed to grow.

He was already Vice-Captain of the Sixth Division—so close to her—yet now she was going to be stationed in the Human World again!

Renji wasn't stupid. He knew what the Kuchiki family was trying to do.

And Rukia herself didn't oppose it.

At that moment, Abarai Renji felt true despair.

"Renji, are you okay?" Rukia asked, noticing him holding his head in frustration.

"Ah, I'm fine. Probably didn't sleep well last night," Renji replied with a forced smile, pale-faced.

"Then go get some rest. Don't overwork yourself." Rukia dismissed him outright.

It was the first time she'd so cleanly brushed him off.

Renji had no choice but to leave the estate, watching as Rukia laughed and joked with Ichigo, the pain in his chest growing sharper.

After staying in the Soul Society for three more days, Ichigo and the others prepared to return to the Human World.

After all, they had lives and families there. Visiting Seireitei occasionally was fine, but living there permanently? That was no different from being dead.

Before they left, Ukitake Jūshirō—like a concerned father—pulled Ichigo aside for a word.

"Ichigo, since you're now Captain Unohana's disciple, I suppose it's fine to call you that?" Ukitake asked gently.

Ichigo nodded, not too concerned with the wording.

"Captain Ukitake, is something wrong?"

Ichigo remained polite. After all, Ukitake had done a lot to help rescue Rukia.

If not for Ukitake and Kyōraku Shunsui stalling Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Unohana herself might've had to take that burden.

That alone earned him Ichigo's respect.

"No need to be so formal—just call me Ukitake, like Kyōraku does."

"Uh… alright then. What is it, Ukitake?"

"I'm entrusting Rukia to your care," Ukitake said, looking every bit the doting elder.

It was no exaggeration to say that Ukitake had won the absolute loyalty of all his subordinates. Despite his constant illness, none of them ever spoke ill of him.

He always did everything he could for others, because as he often said: "I'm someone who should've died long ago, so I'll do whatever I can for others while I'm still here."

"Don't worry! I'll never let Rukia get hurt!" Ichigo promised, thumping his chest.

Ukitake smiled and added, "One more thing. We've gotten word from Kisuke—turns out, the Hōgyoku in Aizen's hands is sealed. It'll take about three months to unseal it, so the real fight likely starts in winter."

"If anything powerful shows up in Karakura Town, I'm counting on you to take care of it."

"I understand. I want to share info on Aizen too—I've still got a score to settle with him," Ichigo replied.

Ukitake nodded. Yamamoto had silently approved this arrangement too.

Of course, only Ichigo was given this permission. People like Uryū Ishida and Yasutora Sado? Soul Society didn't want them involved.

One, because it wasn't their business. Two, they were too weak to be useful.

Soul Society wasn't that desperate.

"That's all then," Ukitake said warmly.

Ichigo nodded and returned to the plaza, where nearly all the friends he'd made in the Soul Society had gathered to send him off.

"See you next time, Ichigo!" Unohana Retsu waved at him.

Ichigo nodded. No need for extra words—everything was already understood between them.

Zaraki Kenpachi also showed up with Yachiru.

"Oi! Kurosaki Ichigo! Next time you come here, let's fight again! I've gotten stronger—I won't lose like last time!"

Ichigo grinned. "Looking forward to it!"

"Hahaha! That's what I like about you!" Zaraki laughed and gave Ichigo a hearty slap on the shoulder.

Yachiru also waved. "Take care, Ichigo, Orihime—see you next time!"

Yoruichi, once again in cat form, perched on Ichigo's shoulder. "Time to go."

Soi Fon stepped forward, blushing. "Yoruichi-sama… please take care."

Yoruichi licked her paw and replied, "Don't worry. I'll come visit often."

"Really?! Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon's face lit up.

Then she turned to Ichigo and, still blushing, mumbled, "Y-You too… travel safe."

Ichigo blinked, totally confused. "Yoruichi-san, what the heck did you say to her?"

"Ahahaha," Yoruichi deflected, laughing awkwardly.

Well, she couldn't exactly admit she once jokingly told Soi Fon that Ichigo was her child groom…

If she did, she'd probably be sliced into sushi by Unohana Retsu.

Elsewhere, Tatsuki and the others were saying goodbye to Ganju and Kukaku Shiba.

All in all, they'd made quite a few friends during this Soul Society trip.

…Well, except Uryū Ishida.

He had lost his Quincy powers. Not a speck of spiritual energy remained in him.

But being proud, he hadn't told anyone. So everyone still assumed he was on Tatsuki's level.

Tatsuki, for her part, hadn't slacked off. With the dense spiritual energy in the Soul Society, she had made steady progress.

According to Ichigo's sensing, she now had entry-level captain-tier spiritual pressure!

No wonder she was so tough in the original series.

"Alright, everyone, time to go." Ichigo waved.

After saying their final goodbyes, Kisuke Urahara opened a portal back to the Human World. Everyone stepped through one by one.

Ichigo was the last. The gate slowly closed behind him.

The Soul Reapers dispersed.

Byakuya didn't show up—not that anyone was surprised.

He was a noble of the Four Great Clans, and they had their own personal portals.

If Rukia wanted, she could literally pop home to the Soul Society every night.

Of course, that would be exhausting—most Soul Reapers wouldn't bother.

But if Byakuya ever missed his sister, he could just visit whenever.

…That, or maybe he didn't want to watch some blond guy steal his sister away.

Just like when they came, they fell from the sky.

Ichigo quickly grabbed Rukia and Tatsuki midair to keep them safe.

Yoruichi clung to Ichigo's shoulder for dear life.

The others weren't so lucky—Chad and Uryū had to huddle together, while Orihime summoned her Shun Shun Rikka to make a platform under her feet.

Before they could react, Kisuke Urahara arrived on his flying carpet to catch them.

"Phew, saved!" Orihime gasped.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Urahara greeted them with his usual hat, fan, and smile.

"Geta-hat…" Ichigo grumbled, still not happy with him.

If not for Urahara, Rukia never would've been dragged into Aizen's scheme.

Sensing Ichigo's mood, Urahara stepped forward and bowed.

"Hey, Urahara!" Yoruichi called.

For the first time, Ichigo saw Urahara bow so formally.

"This entire mess started because of me. Rukia-san getting targeted by Aizen—that's my fault."

Ichigo still didn't look pleased.

If he ever found out Urahara had saved his parents in the past, he might slap himself for being such a jerk…

Rukia, however, had already moved on.

"You saved me once, and got me in trouble once. We're even."

Urahara froze, surprised by her forgiveness.

He turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo-san, can I ask you just one question?"

"Go ahead."

"Did you hold back on telling me about Aizen to run away from your responsibility?"

Urahara blinked, stunned by the question.

"Of course not!"

SMACK!

Ichigo punched him right in the head.

"That's what pisses me off the most!"

"Geta-hat, I'll let it go this time. But there better not be a next time."

If Ichigo hadn't been strong enough to handle it, he wouldn't have let it go.

"I heard you managed to injure Aizen—amazing!" Urahara tried to compliment him.

Ichigo wasn't having it. "Next time Aizen shows up, I'll settle everything myself."

Urahara nodded and turned to check on the others.

Thankfully, no one was badly hurt. The trip ended safely, and they successfully brought Rukia back to the Human World.

With Urahara's magic carpet, everyone went home—except for Ichigo and Rukia.

"You still staying at my place?" Ichigo asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

Though he wasn't sure why he was hopeful…

"Hmph, if not your house, then where else?" Rukia replied, blushing slightly.

They shed their Soul Reaper forms and returned to their human bodies. Rukia wore her gigai.

After saying goodbye to Urahara and Yoruichi, they headed to Ichigo's house.

Once they were out of sight, Urahara turned to Yoruichi.

"Mind telling me how Ichigo managed all this?"

Yoruichi recounted everything Ichigo had done in the Seireitei and praised him.

"In just a few days, he managed to rally half the Gotei 13, and at least three captains sided with him."

"If not for that support, Aizen's plan wouldn't have been exposed so quickly."

Urahara tapped his hat thoughtfully. "Ichigo really gave me quite the surprise…"

Yoruichi sighed. "If only Unohana's blade could be drawn at will. With her, even Aizen wouldn't be such a threat."

Urahara smiled but didn't comment further. The two left on their carpet.

Meanwhile, Ichigo stood at his front door, looking uneasy.

"Rukia, are you sure about this?"

"What, you want me to sleep in your closet again?" Rukia rolled her eyes.

Ichigo chuckled sheepishly. The two entered the house together.

Hearing them, Yuzu peeked out and shouted, "Dad! Karin! Ichigo brought home a girl!!"

(End of Chapter)

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