Chapter 66

Hearing Yuzu's scream, which sounded like the end of the world, Ichigo covered his face.

He knew it!

The moment he brought Rukia home, he expected this exact reaction!

He and Rukia hurried out of the room to see Yuzu, who had clearly seen the luggage-bearing Ichigo and the casually dressed Rukia.

As a certified brocon, Yuzu had been keeping an eye on Rukia for a while now—but only dared to peek from behind Isshin, bluffing under the protection of the "tiger."

Karin, on the other hand, looked shocked. In her mind, the girls Ichigo hung out with were all tomboyish types like Tatsuki, or weirdos like Chad.

But this time, Ichigo had brought home… a real surprise!

No more tomboys—this one was a proper lady!

Ichigo: Actually, little sis, you're not wrong. She and Tatsuki are more or less the same...

Still, wasn't it odd that aside from Orihime, all the girls close to Ichigo so far were the fierce types like Tatsuki and Rukia?

Yoruichi didn't need an explanation—pure warrior spirit, basically an upgraded promax version of Rukia in terms of build.

Soi Fon? Uh, bankrupt version of Tsunade...

And Unohana Retsu? The heaviest hitter of all—a yandere medic who liked killing more than saving.

Looking at it that way, Ichigo really seemed fated to be incompatible with gentle girls...

After all, there were too many girls around already, and Orihime hadn't even had a seat at the table yet...

Still, one thing was for sure: each of these girls could sure pretend to be gentle.

Then, Rukia put on a whole performance of what it meant to be the noble lady of the Kuchiki Clan!

After hearing Rukia's tragic made-up backstory, Yuzu and Isshin bawled their eyes out.

"Ahhhhh! Dad, she's too pitiful! Let her stay with us!" Yuzu's face was red from crying.

Isshin dramatically hugged Masaki's photo. "Honey! From now on, we have three daughters!"

Only Karin kept a relatively straight face—well, as straight as Karin gets.

Ichigo was dumbfounded.

Rukia put away her act and winked at him.

Of course, Isshin recognized her. The name "Kuchiki Rukia" alone reminded him of that noble family's adopted daughter.

He just hadn't expected that his son would actually bring her home!

"I should ask Urahara and Yoruichi what's going on," Isshin thought to himself.

After all, Ichigo had just returned. Kisuke hadn't even told him what Ichigo had been up to in Soul Society.

Naturally, Rukia wasn't staying for free. She was a literal rich girl—with a mine at home!

Still, Isshin and Yuzu had no intention of charging her rent.

(Fun fact: Yuzu is the second sister, Karin is the youngest.)

...

The Next Morning

"Ichigooo! Get up, there's a Hollow!" Rukia shook him awake just as he was settling in for a good sleep.

Ichigo groaned. "Damn it, Hollows… Can't I just sleep a bit longer?"

Technically, Shinigami don't need sleep. It's just a habit for stress relief—spirits don't exactly need rest.

With no other choice, the two of them hopped out the window and dashed toward the Hollow's location.

After easily taking down the Hollow and helping a child's spirit pass on, Ichigo stretched.

"Rukia, didn't you regain your powers? Why not handle this yourself?"

Rukia blinked. Oh, right—she could do it herself now.

She had just gotten used to relying on him—old habits die hard.

So she stubbornly replied, "I just wanted you to come with me. That's all!"

Ichigo twitched. "You totally forgot, didn't you?"

Rukia quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Ichigo, I haven't had a chance to explore the human world properly. Want to go shopping with me?"

Ichigo nodded. "Sure. We should probably get you some clothes, since you're staying at my place long-term."

Rukia smiled brightly and hugged his arm. Does this count as a date? she wondered.

But before they could go far, Rukia's communicator rang again.

"Oh no! Another Hollow?" Ichigo sighed.

Rukia frowned and checked it—but this time, the reading was something entirely unfamiliar. Not just that, the number of signals was enormous!

"What's going on? Is it broken?" Rukia stared at the screen in confusion.

"Let's just check it out. There's a mall nearby. If it's nothing, we can go shop afterward," Ichigo said.

"Okay. Let's go."

They ran toward the location.

When they arrived, both Ichigo and Rukia were stunned.

"Rukia, what the hell are these?" Ichigo pointed.

These spirits had pointed heads, no facial features, red skulls, long sharp horns on the back of their heads, and snow-white bodies—no clear limbs.

They didn't appear aggressive. In fact, they avoided people and cars.

Of course, normal humans couldn't see them.

Ichigo and Rukia carefully blended in with the crowd of spirits.

Strangely, the spirits didn't react to them and all walked in the same direction without stopping.

Though Rukia had graduated from the Shinigami Academy and worked in the 13th Division for decades, she'd never heard of spirits like these.

Ichigo rubbed his chin. "Could they be normal souls? I'll try a Konso."

He transformed and tapped a soul mark on one of their heads with his Zanpakutō.

But… nothing happened.

His sword had no effect. Not even a reaction from the spirit.

That confused Ichigo even more. He was a new Shinigami, but this was seriously weird.

Rukia took out her communicator. "I'll contact the Research and Development Bureau and ask what this is."

But just as she did, the spirits—who had shown no aggression so far—suddenly surrounded her.

Their red hands reached out, trying to grab her!

"Rukia!" Ichigo didn't hesitate. He released a burst of spiritual pressure to blow them away and rushed to shield her.

"What the hell are these things?!" If he weren't worried they were just normal spirits, Ichigo would've started slicing already.

But before he could attack, someone else did.

A whirlwind blasted through from the other side of the plaza, bringing with it a shower of red-orange maple leaves.

It was… beautiful.

A tall Shinigami girl with a light purple ponytail appeared, swinging her Zanpakutō as she charged through the crowd of spirits!

Her sword struck without hesitation—one swing per spirit, swiftly clearing a path to Ichigo and Rukia.

Strangely, the spirits didn't fight back. They just stood there, letting her kill them.

Ichigo frowned. It was like someone was controlling them from the shadows.

It reminded him of when he first met Rukia.

Acting on instinct, he grabbed Rukia and used Shunpo to get them out of there—and midair, he noticed a few figures in green clothing nearby.

But when he looked again, they were gone.

"Knew it—someone's behind this," Ichigo muttered.

Just my luck, huh? Always landing in weird situations!

The purple-haired Shinigami girl was lifted into the air by a gust of wind—like she'd ridden in on the wind itself.

She spun in the air and raised her Zanpakutō.

"Fall with the dusk, Mirokumaru!"

With that chant, her Zanpakutō changed shape—becoming a staff-like weapon with a pointed, arrow-shaped blade at the end.

It looked like it could be fired like a projectile.

After releasing her Zanpakutō, she swung Mirokumaru again.

This time, not just wind—but wind and yellow lightning—swept through the plaza!

Like a game of Pac-Man, she cleaned out the strange spirits with ease.

"What a powerful Zanpakutō!" Ichigo was impressed.

If developed fully, Mirokumaru might rival Ryūjin Jakka or Hyōrinmaru!

A wind-and-lightning dual-element Zanpakutō? Even in Soul Society, those are super rare!

Let alone one that can control both elements.

Still, that had nothing to do with Ichigo.

What he cared more about was—where had that girl gone?

"Rukia, are there other Shinigami stationed in Karakura Town?" Ichigo asked.

After all, normally only one Shinigami is assigned to a city. Unless something major happens, other squads wouldn't send anyone.

Rukia frowned. "That shouldn't be possible. There's only supposed to be one stationed Shinigami. If someone else was dispatched, my captain would've told me."

Ichigo scratched his chin. "So where did she come from?"

As they discussed it, the Shinigami girl suddenly appeared behind them, having changed into a gigai—and leapt up from behind.

"Mission complete! Time to keep shopping!"

They turned around to see the girl now dressed in a high school uniform.

Rukia stared at her—feeling an odd sense of familiarity.

(Author's note: This part is a joke—Akane Shizuku looks and styles herself a lot like Abarai Renji. Just a small Easter egg.)

"Where are you from?" Ichigo asked.

"Eh~ it's not work hours now, don't ruin the mood! Hmm… this yellow ribbon doesn't suit me, does it?" she said with a pout, tugging at her headband.

Rukia and Ichigo exchanged glances, then changed back into their human forms and followed her.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and this is Kuchiki Rukia," Ichigo introduced them.

But the girl didn't seem all that interested.

She leaned on the bridge railing, looking lost in thought.

"I'm Akane Shizuku. I'm currently working as a Shinigami!"

Rukia instantly questioned, "Which squad are you from? And what were those white monsters?"

Akane just smiled vaguely.

"Hmm? It's been too long… I forgot!"

"I just felt like they were dangerous to the living world, so I wiped them out. As for my squad—meh, doesn't matter~"

And with that, the girl skipped away.

Rukia frowned.

Another Shinigami with no records?

Why are there so many rogue Shinigami in Karakura Town?

"I'm going back to Soul Society to investigate this girl's background. Ichigo, keep an eye on her—don't let her out of your sight!"

Ichigo sighed. That sounded a lot like… tailing her.

"Fine, guess this is my fate… There goes our date," Ichigo groaned.

Rukia opened a Senkaimon and returned to Soul Society, while Ichigo kept following the strange girl.

"Hey! Kurosaki Ichigo! You're a Shinigami too, right? Wanna play hide-and-seek?"

"If you can find me in this mall, I'll tell you my secret!"

She smiled as she ran.

Ichigo sighed, but since he needed to figure out who she was, he had no choice but to follow.

But before he could find her—

Someone else showed up first.

"Kurosaki Ichigo!"

Hearing someone call his name, Ichigo turned.

It was none other than Hitsugaya Tōshirō—and his lieutenant, Hinamori Momo—both fully recovered!

(End of Chapter)

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