Chapter 67

"Hitsugaya? Rangiku?" Ichigo blinked in surprise at the two people before him.

"Call me Captain Hitsugaya," Tōshirō muttered with annoyance.

But Ichigo didn't pay much attention to his attitude—Hitsugaya just looked too young. He resembled a literal middle schooler, about the same age as Karin...

Rangiku ignored her captain completely and said seriously, "Ichigo, we need to talk to you. It's important."

Ichigo hesitated for a moment but knew that they wouldn't come unless something serious was going on. He turned toward the plaza and shouted, "Shizuku! Something important came up. Wait for me, okay?"

With that, he followed Hitsugaya and Rangiku away.

...

Urahara Shop

Although Urahara and Tessai had already been cleared of all charges, neither had shown any intention of returning to Soul Society. The Urahara Shop had since become a transit station between the living world and Soul Society—any Shinigami arriving from Soul Society usually stopped there first.

Of course, that included Hitsugaya and Rangiku, who had opened a Senkaimon and come straight here.

After sitting down, Ichigo asked, "Did something happen in Soul Society?"

"It's not a small matter. At 5:50 AM today, a projection of a modern city appeared above the Seireitei. Judging by the appearance, it was Karakura Town," Hitsugaya explained after sipping the tea Tessai served.

"Also, communication between the living world and Soul Society seems to be disrupted," Rangiku added.

Ichigo was confused. "Wait, what does that mean?"

Urahara motioned to Tessai, who brought out a paper-based presentation.

"Let me explain it simply, Kurosaki-san. Right now, there's an anomaly between the living world and Soul Society—something called Yamitani has formed inside the Dangai."

"This space came into existence due to special conditions involving souls that accidentally got trapped in the Dangai. I'm sure you remember what you encountered there, right?"

"Kōtotsu?" Ichigo asked.

Urahara nodded. "Exactly. According to Yoruichi, you even made contact with the Kōtotsu, which caused time disturbances."

"The souls that had contact with it were torn apart—split into memory and spiritual energy—and these remnants drifted into Yamitani."

"Those energy-deprived souls still instinctively want to return to the living world or Soul Society. The ones you and Rukia encountered earlier were missing their memories—that's why they were acting strangely."

"As for the memories that were stripped away—they fuse together and form something new. We call that memory fusion Omoi-dama (Memory Orbs)."

"Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. But now, Yamitani is expanding rapidly and has somehow started linking the living world and Soul Society. That's never happened before, and likely isn't natural."

At that moment, Ichigo recalled the green-clothed figures he had glimpsed earlier.

Hitsugaya added, "Rangiku and I were sent to the living world to investigate this anomaly."

Ichigo nodded slowly. "Earlier, I saw a few people in green near the souls we were tracking—but I didn't get a good look at them."

Urahara frowned. "If what you say is true, then someone really is pulling the strings behind all this. Their likely target... is the Omoi-dama."

"Omoi-dama, huh..." Ichigo muttered, immediately thinking of the strange Shinigami girl he'd met earlier.

She hadn't said which squad she was from, and her answers about the Hollow-like souls had been vague at best. It was hard not to be suspicious.

Urahara could tell what Ichigo was thinking. "Kurosaki-san, I'll ask you to help find the Omoi-dama. It'll only appear near areas where those strange souls gather. Since they showed up in Karakura Town, the Omoi-dama must be close."

"We'll continue our investigation into the green-clothed individuals. Contact us if anything happens," Hitsugaya added.

"I'll do my best," Ichigo replied, not making any promises.

After all, it was still just a hunch—what if that girl was like Rukia and just playing Shinigami for fun?

With that thought, Ichigo returned to the mall.

By then, night had fallen—and surprisingly, Shizuku hadn't moved from her spot. She had been waiting for him the entire time.

"Hey, Ichigo! You're so slow! I've been hiding forever! Come catch me!" Shizuku shouted from the second-floor railing, grinning playfully.

"I'm coming! Wait right there!" Ichigo yelled back.

"Nope! We're playing hide-and-seek—you have to catch me!" she laughed like a mischievous fairy and darted off again.

By the time Ichigo reached her last location, she was gone.

This time, though, she had climbed all the way to the third-floor rooftop.

Beneath her was the open plaza, and several string lights stretched from the rooftop to other buildings, forming a makeshift circus-like wire path.

She looked down at Ichigo, waved, and said cheekily, "Next up—magic show!"

She walked across the lights with surprising grace. The lights turned into a spotlight that followed her, illuminating her path.

Ichigo knew she was a Shinigami and could handle herself—but he still moved into the plaza, looking up with worry.

Just then, Shizuku slipped and fell!

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

But mid-air, she turned into maple leaves and vanished.

Ichigo let out a long breath. This girl's going to give me a heart attack one day.

"Eh? She disappeared!"

"No, look! She's behind that boy!"

Sure enough, Ichigo turned to see Shizuku smiling under the spotlight, soaking in the crowd's cheers.

Embarrassed by the attention, Ichigo awkwardly thanked the onlookers, then immediately hoisted Shizuku over his shoulder and ran off.

"Put me down!" she protested, pounding his back with tiny fists.

At a roadside diner, Ichigo ordered a few hot dogs and scolded her.

"Stop causing a scene like that in the real world."

But Shizuku was unfazed. She dug into the food with gusto.

"Ahhh~ Saved! Human world food is too good! If I knew you'd feed me, I would've told you everything earlier!" she said through bites.

"Huh? You don't have money?" Ichigo asked, puzzled.

Most Shinigami, even if not rich like Rukia, were given expense funds when dispatched to the living world.

Shizuku wolfed down another hot dog. "I'm not like that rich girl you hang around. Us low-level Shinigami are broke."

"Where do you live, then?"

"Oh, malls, under bridges... I'm not picky. I'm dead, after all," she shrugged.

"Hey, do you know about those strange souls and Omoi-dama?" Ichigo finally asked.

"Huh? Never heard of them," Shizuku replied, raising her hands innocently.

Ichigo sighed. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Before he could continue, she stood on the bench and gazed at a nearby Ferris wheel.

"Hey hey, Ichigo, if you take me on that Ferris wheel, I'll listen to everything you say!"

Stars sparkled in her eyes.

Ichigo shot her down. "Sorry, I'm a high school student. I don't have that kind of cash."

He actually did have money—but it was Rukia's. And there was no way he was spending Rukia's money to take another girl on a date.

If she found out, she'd explode in a second.

"Aww, really?" Shizuku didn't seem too disappointed and stood silently on the bench.

Ichigo looked at her. "You like high places?"

"Yup! You can see things from up there that you couldn't see before!" she smiled.

Ichigo noticed something. Her headband had changed color—from yellow to red.

"Your headband… it changed?" he asked.

Only someone not a brick-headed guy would notice that.

Shizuku looked a bit awkward. "Oops. I tried it on in an accessory store and forgot to return it."

Ichigo facepalmed. "You have to pay for things in this world!"

He dragged her back to the shop.

Holding the headband, Ichigo blushed slightly as he said to the shop clerk, "I'll buy this."

"Oooh~ a gift for your girlfriend?" the clerk teased, eyeing Shizuku.

"N-No, it's not like that," Ichigo muttered and paid quickly, escaping with Shizuku under the clerk's amused gaze.

In the bathroom, Shizuku hummed as she tied her new red headband, admiring her reflection.

"Mmm! Red really suits me!" she beamed, then walked out to find Ichigo.

But just then, she looked out the window at a nearby river—and something triggered.

Memories.

In her fragmented memories, she had multiple families: a loving father, an abusive one, a dead one... all conflicting, all real.

Fear overtook her.

Without even saying goodbye to Ichigo, she ran off—desperate to uncover the truth.

Ichigo, still waiting by the restroom door, sensed something was off. The mall was closing, and people had gone home.

He reached out with his spiritual sense—and as expected, Shizuku was no longer in the plaza.

He immediately chased after her.

Shizuku had followed her memories to a graveyard.

It was pitch dark, and she was the only one there.

She moved through the cemetery, searching for something… until a chaotic memory surged.

Her own funeral.

She saw her family weeping over her photo.

Her grave... it should be just ahead.

Just as she moved toward it—

An arm reached out from the side.

It was one of those strange souls—now violent and feral.

More of them appeared, surrounding her.

Still lost in her spiraling memories, she didn't react in time and could only dodge backward.

At that moment, a massive figure dropped from the sky.

A strange man—charging at her!

Shizuku snapped back to reality, flipping backward and transforming into her Shinigami form mid-air. It looked just like how Ichigo would do it.

"Who are you?!" she shouted, drawing her Zanpakutō.

"Who I am doesn't matter. Lord Yanlong requests your presence. Come with me, little girl," the brute said coldly.

"Yanlong? Never heard of him. I'm not going anywhere with you!" she shouted back.

"Heh... Don't make this difficult," the man sneered.

"We?" Shizuku blinked.

Looking around, she spotted four more figures in green, perched atop gravestones—sealing off all escape.

The brute readied his weapon, shaped like a chained meteor hammer.

"Don't bother resisting. Just come quietly."

"Try me!" Shizuku replied without hesitation—charging forward with her blade!

(End of Chapter)

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